Ireland – Slugger O'Toole

‘Productive discomfort’: artists grapple with identity’s contradictions in live ARINS podcast

Allan LEONARD (Mr Ulster) on May 12, 2026, 12:00 pm

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Belfast Exposed gallery on Donegall Street hosted a live recording of the ARINS “My Identity” podcast on 8 May 2026, as part of the BIEN programme — an ongoing series of exhibitions and events under the title “British? Irish? Either? Neither?”. The event was chaired by Professor Colin Graham of Maynooth University, who hosts the podcast series, with the discussion featuring artists Joy Gerrard and Paul Seawright. It was sponsored by the Office of Identity and Cultural Expression (OICE) and co-presented by Belfast Exposed and the ARINS Project, with special …

What have we got to lose by opening up a debate about the media and how it might contribute to the achievement of a rich participatory democracy?

Soapbox on January 28, 2026, 8:00 am

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Stephen Baker is a Lecturer at Ulster University Earlier in January, a report was launched setting out proposals for a new public media organisation in the event of a united Ireland. Funded by progressive taxation rather than a licence free, Public Media Ireland – as we have tentatively named it – is envisaged as decentralised and democratically accountable. The full report is available here. Co-authored with colleagues, Dr Phil Ramsey from Ulster University, Dr Dawn Wheatley and Dr Roddy Flynn …

An unavoidable truth : Irish Unity will be a brexit-style process

Brendan Heading on December 24, 2025, 4:29 pm

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On a recent speaking engagement, Fintan O’Toole made the observation of how important it is to avoid an Irish unity process that ends up like the brexit process. This is a wish that other analysts and political reps have also highlighted. Brexit shows, they argue, the need for adequate preparation. Northern nationalism has upped its rhetoric on this in recent months – SF has been running a time to prepare campaign, and its representatives issue a request for the …

The power to change the law is not in the hands of Westminster, its not in the hands of Stormont. Its in our hands, through constitutional change.

Soapbox on October 23, 2025, 2:42 pm

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Peadar Tóibín TD is the leader of Aontu, he writes for Slugger about the issue of presidential voting rights for the North On Wednesday the 22nd of October the Dáil passed an Aontú motion to provide three major changes. The first is to provide voting rights to Irish citizens in the north of Ireland. The second is to lower the threshold for nomination of candidates for the presidential elections and the third is to bring Áras an Uachtaráin and the …

A Presidency for All Ireland

Soapbox on October 8, 2025, 11:00 am

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Catherine Connolly TD is a candidate for President of Ireland. She writes for Slugger about her vision for the office. Is le muintir na hÉireann, ó chearn cearn na tíre, Uachtaránacht na hÉireann. Is le creideamh daingean agus dóchas croí a deirim an méid sin ach caithfear a bheith soiléir nach siombalachas nó deasghnáth a bheas i gceist leis an Uachtaránacht faoi mo chúram ach Uachtaránacht fréamhaithe i meas, i gcomhrá agus i dtiomantas dúthrachtach dimhuintir uile na hÉireann. When …

Political Change Across Britain and Ireland: Identities, Institutions and Futures

Soapbox on September 24, 2025, 7:58 am

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Dr Paul Gillespie directs the ‘Constitutional Futures after Brexit’ project in the School of Politics and International Relations, University College Dublin. Politics happens not only between Ireland, Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom, but across them as well. There is a British-Irish and an Irish-British politics, along with growing relationships between state and political actors in Scotland, Wales and parts of England with their counterparts in Ireland North and South. Such relations are built into the three-stranded institutions of the …

‘A feasible bite out of a big apple’: outcomes from ARINS/Irish Times North-South surveys 2024

Allan LEONARD (Mr Ulster) on March 14, 2025, 4:22 pm

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The ARINS (Analysing and Researching Ireland, North and South) project recently held its first event in Belfast, focusing on constitutional futures and the socio-political landscape of a potential United Ireland. After a keynote presentation by Professor Brendan O’Leary, discussions, insights, and reflections were made by fellow panellists Professor John Garry, Dr Jamie Pow, and Dr Dawn Walsh. The event was a collaborative effort with the Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice at Queen’s University Belfast. …

Irish unity : a dead duck for the foreseeable future

Brendan Heading on December 2, 2024, 8:00 am

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As anyone following the coverage on RTÉ will have seen, the result of Friday’s Irish election is now becoming clear with the country on course to re-elect a variant of the FF-FG coalition. As of Sunday evening, the consensus is settling on an FF-led coalition with FG, with a few independents making up the numbers. While it will be a government dominated by the same parties, the dynamic will be different – FF’s parliamentary party seems to have more older …

Is it time to give up on power sharing as a bad job ?

Brendan Heading on May 19, 2024, 3:38 pm

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A couple of weeks back I wrote about whether or not the time had come for Alliance to adopt a constitutional position (TL;DR – it hasn’t). As is typical of articles that touch on the constitutional issue, there were quite a few comments, most of which spectacularly avoided the point and tended to rehash boring talking points and clichés from the 1970s. But there were several fair remarks which merit further discussion, so I thought I’d start with the most …

Where stands Irish rugby?

Frank Schnittger on January 22, 2024, 8:16 pm

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audience, soccer, stadium

So where stands Irish rugby after the conclusion of the pool stages of the Champions Cup and before the start of the 6 Nations? Leinster qualified second out of 16 qualifiers with a home draw all the way to the Semi-final and with the final at Spurs ground in Tottenham anyway. Munster must face their nemesis, Northampton, away, having just lost to them at Thomond Park. But such is their strength in adversity, I wouldn’t bet against them progressing further, their …

‘A floating process’: drafting the Downing Street Declaration

Allan LEONARD (Mr Ulster) on December 15, 2023, 10:22 am

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The thirtieth anniversary of the Downing Street Declaration was marked by a panel discussion organised by ARINS (Analysing and Researching Ireland, North and South) and held at the Royal Irish Academy (RIA) in Dublin. RIA member Professor Katy Hayward chaired the conversation with Professor Ian McBride, Seán O’Huiginn, and Sir Jonathan Stephens. The event was in support of the Quill Projects at Pembroke College, Oxford; Writing Peace is bringing together archives, private papers, and oral histories from across the political …

‘Building anew’: sharing lessons of transition in Germany and Ireland

Allan LEONARD (Mr Ulster) on October 10, 2023, 11:50 am

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A conference to mark Germany Unity Day was held at the Royal Irish Academy, co-hosted by ARINS (Analysing and Researching Ireland, North and South), Maynooth University, and the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Dublin. Two panel discussions explored practical matters of transition in Germany while being alert to and making attempts to avoid and/or counter societal polarisation in any transformation process. The German Ambassador to Ireland, Cord Meier-Klodt, said that for him the focus of the day’s …

Being churches together: celebrating a reconciling vision of hope

Allan LEONARD (Mr Ulster) on September 16, 2023, 9:30 am

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A “Being Churches together in 21st Century Ireland” symposium took place at Dublin City University (DCU), as part of a number of events marking the centenary of the Irish Council of Churches (ICC) and 50 years since the Ballymascanlon talks that led to the formation of the Irish Inter-Church Meeting (IICM). Bishop Brendan Leahy (IICM Co-Chair) began with a prayer before putting this year’s anniversary events in the context of continuing a “celebration of our reconciling vision of hope”: “We …

The impermanence of land and legacy

Allan LEONARD (Mr Ulster) on July 29, 2023, 7:12 am

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Impermanence is a collection of essays by writers from or living in Northern Ireland. Its co-editor, Neil Hegarty led a discussion at a John Hewitt International Summer School event, with contributors Jan Carson, Susan McKay, and Nandi Jola, reflecting upon the book’s themes and suggesting ways of looking at our past, present, and future. Neil Hegarty provided context for the book. He was in Paris and witnessed the burning of Notre Dame, which made him think about the loss of …

GFA and Windsor Framework ‘tributes to complexity’: McDonagh at JHISS

Allan LEONARD (Mr Ulster) on July 26, 2023, 4:53 pm

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At the opening address of this year’s John Hewitt International Summer School in Armagh, Bobby McDonagh, former Irish Ambassador to the UK and Permanent Representative to the EU, explored themes of the nature of identity, the beauty of complexity, the power of language, and reasons for optimism in the future of society on this island. McDonagh began with reference to this year’s chosen poem by John Hewitt, “An Irishman in Coventry”, written in 1958. The poem deplored “The glittering fables/Which …

Offer of help with truth recovery process at Irish Council of Churches centenary service

Allan LEONARD (Mr Ulster) on January 24, 2023, 12:03 pm

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The Irish Council of Churches (ICC) — an all-island body with membership from Protestant, Orthodox, Reformed, and independent church traditions — marked its centenary with a joint service of worship at St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast. With the theme of “Celebrating our Reconciling Vision of Hope”, the special service also marked the 50th anniversary of the Ballymascanlon Talks, which led to the establishment of the Irish Inter-Church Meeting (IICM), the means by which the ICC continues to engage and collaborate with …

EU Membership has been the making of Ireland…

Frank Schnittger on January 3, 2023, 8:39 am

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yellow and black star illustration

New Year’s Day marked the 50th. Anniversary of Ireland’s accession to the EU (then EEC), the single most transformative event in our 100 years of independence. Indeed, our post-independence history could be neatly divided into two periods, pre- and post-EU, although many would trace the origins of Ireland as a modern advanced economy to the Lemass reforms associated with Dr TK Whitaker’s seminal 1958 study, “Economic Development.” There aren’t any soldiers marching or trumpets blaring to mark the event, but …

Good Friday Agreement ‘best thing that’s happened on this island in the last 100 years’: Coveney

Allan LEONARD (Mr Ulster) on October 26, 2022, 2:08 pm

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Minister Simon Coveney TD, Ireland Minister for Foreign Affairs, resumed his speech that was interrupted by a bomb scare earlier this year in north Belfast. He was the keynote speaker guest as part of a series of seminars, “Building Common Ground”, organised by the John & Pat Hume Foundation for Peaceful Change and Reconciliation. After Minister Coveney’s address, there was a facilitated discussion with Claire Sugden MLA, a former Justice Minister. Father Gary Donegan reminded the audience that the event venue, the Houben Centre, is …

Media’s role in mediating our ‘different psychic landscapes’

Allan LEONARD (Mr Ulster) on October 22, 2022, 11:58 am

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A set of current and former journalists shared their experiences and thoughts on the role of media and social debate across the island of Ireland. Hosted by the Irish Association, the event “Journalism without borders” attracted several dozen, including other journalists and commentators. The discussion explored what we think the public knows about society on both sides of the border, and why or why not that is the case. Indeed, Stephen Douds (president of the Irish Association) explained in his introduction a motivation …

Do they reelly, reelly want it? A reflection on “Ireland’s Future”

Brian Walker on October 2, 2022, 8:06 pm

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Not only in Dublin at the weekend but for the whole series of conferences on Ireland’s Future, the aims are first, to add momentum to the eventual creation of a United Ireland by convening a Citizens’ Assembly ; and two, to come up with a generous offer of unity unionists can’t refuse – in both senses ; impossible to refuse because so attractive, (the smiley version) and (hint of rough stuff) because the numbers of nationalists North and south would …