Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast)

Alan Meban. Tweets as @alaninbelfast. Blogs about cinema and theatre over at Alan in Belfast. A freelancer who writes about, reports from, live-tweets and live-streams civic, academic and political events and conferences. He delivers social media training/coaching; produces podcasts and radio programmes; is a FactCheckNI director; a member of Ofcom’s Advisory Committee for Northern Ireland; and a member of the Corrymeela Community.

Previewing the ninth annual Imagine! Belfast Festival of Ideas and Politics #imaginebelfast

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Imagine festival 202

The Imagine! Belfast Festival of Ideas and Politics is seeking to provide ‘brain food’ to all and sundry over seven days in March. The packed programme is a veritable feast of ‘ideas for a better world’. Now in its ninth year, the festival has over 130 in-person and online events, and the majority are free. While politics is often to the fore, politicians themselves aren’t usually platformed at the non-partisan festival’s events. But this year, one event will be exploring …

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WATCH: Slugger TV – a vision for North Belfast #looknorth23

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David McCann sitting beside Nuala McAllister, Phillip Brett and Allison Morris during recording of Slugger TV at the Look North festival.

This month’s edition of Slugger TV was filmed in front of a live audience as part of the Look North! The North Belfast Festival last Saturday 25 February. You can catch it here, or sit back, kick your slippers off and enjoy it on the tellybox this evening: NVTV at 8pm (Freeview channel 7; Virgin channel 159). Local politicians Nuala McAllister (Alliance) and Phillip Brett (DUP) explained their vision for their North Belfast constituency. They were joined by journalist Allison …

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WATCH: QUB Post-Brexit Clinic

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Picture of four Queen's University academics: Prof David Phinnemore, Dr Billy Melo Araujo, Prof Katy Hayward and Dr Lisa Whitten

The latest in regular Post-Brexit Clinics run by Queen’s University was run on Friday morning. If you missed it, here’s a chance to catch up with both the opinion polling that the academics have been using to track sentiment and reaction to Brexit and the Protocol, and to get an update on legal action around the Protocol, and dynamic regulatory alignment. Clinic regulars Professors David Phinnemore and Katy Hayward were joined by Dr Billy Melo Araujo and Dr Lisa Whitten. …

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Sixth opportunity to elect an Assembly Speaker fails as Dáithí watches from the public gallery

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SF vice president Michelle O'Neill looks on as press photographers snap pictures of Daithi Mac Gabhann in the Great Hall of Parliament Buildings

With the morning mist still lingering over east Belfast, the Northern Ireland Assembly met at noon. The first item of business was – as always in this long series of recalls – the election of the Speaker and (at least two) Deputy Speakers. Letters from Speaker Alex Maskey ahead of the sitting had reminded MLAs that their order, language and debate should be constructive and that Points of Order should not be abused. Many MLAs walked down the steps into …

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The Forgotten Tribe – British MEPs

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Watch back the recent panel discussion about the work and legacy of Northern Ireland’s MEPs, organised by IACES on the back of the publication of “The Forgotten Tribe – British MEPs”. Jim Nicholson, Giada Lagana, David Harley and Carl Whyte, chared by Viviane Gravey.

DUP Conference – smaller event enthusiastically embraces new leader #dup22

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“We have cause for optimism” said Stephen Dunne, North Down MLA in his mid-morning speech. He was referring to the party’s “strength and the determination to defend Northern Ireland’s place in the Union”. But walking into the Crowne Plaza Hotel at Shaws Bridge, I wondered if “optimism” was on the minds of DUP delegates returning to the scene of leadership challenges and fractious votes over the last 18 months. Today was their first conference since the pandemic, and the first …

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Six young activists reflect … Years of Hope: 2022 and 2072

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The final event as part of the recent Linen Hall Library exhibition on 1922 and 1972 looked forward rather than back. Six young activists joined Bronagh Hinds to discuss the contemporary issues of 2022, and their hopes for life in 2072. You can hear the thoughts of Beth Elder, Joel Keys, Dara McAnulty, Dara McLaughlin, Inez Murray and Cohen Taylor. The Years of Chaos & Hope Exhibition finishes today at the Linen Hall Library. Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast)Alan Meban. …

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Arrests and Internment in the 1970s

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Back on Wednesday 17 August, Seamus McKee chaired a lunchtime panel on Arrests and Internment in the 1970s as part of the Linen Hall Library’s Years of Chaos & Hope Exhibition. Seamus was joined by Harry Donaghy, Eibhlín Glenholmes, William Mitchell and Jim Wilson. The exhibition continues in the city centre library until 31 August. Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast)Alan Meban. Tweets as @alaninbelfast. Blogs about cinema and theatre over at Alan in Belfast. A freelancer who writes about, reports …

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Years of Chaos & Hope: The Troubled Twenties

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As part of the Linen Hall Library’s Years of Chaos & Hope exhibition – which runs in the library until 31 August – Anne-Marie McInerney, Edward Burke, and Jim McDermott took at look at some of the issues which contributed to the chaos of 1922: civil unrest, reprisals, internment, and the border. The Troubled Twenties was chaired by Melissa Baird and recorded by me on Monday 8 August 2022. Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast)Alan Meban. Tweets as @alaninbelfast. Blogs about …

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1922 & 1972: Years of Turmoil, Loss and Hope Deferred

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1922 and 1972 were troubled years. A century and 50 years on, a Linen Hall Library exhibition running this month has shone a light on what was happening and what can be learned. Years of Chaos and Hope has been reflecting on the conflicting identities, protests, backlash, arrests, evictions, expulsions, shootings, and bombs which contributed to the chaos of 1922 and 1972. Using material from the library’s archive, the exhibition (which is open until 31 August) explores the troubled times …

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Plaid Cymru’s Adam Price on Celtic working and European democracy

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Last Friday, I filmed and live-streamed a fascinating lecture by the Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price, delivered in Dublin to an assembled and online hybrid audience for the Irish Association for Contemporary European Studies. Fascinating for a number of reasons. I rarely hear any local discussion of devolution in Wales, other than noting that they have fewer policy areas devolved than Scotland and Northern Ireland. A talk more than a decade ago demonstrated how the Senedd was ahead of other …

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Where is Home? (John Hewitt panel in Armagh on Tuesday 26 July)

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Slugger O’Toole is delighted to be returning to the John Hewitt International Summer School later in July. Our panel on the evening of Tuesday 26 July will ask Where is Home? – inviting three guests from the world of politics to explore where home has been, where it is today, whether home can be one place or many, and what could shift that sense of belonging and identity in the future. I’ll be joined on stage in Armagh’s Market Place …

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First day of the 7th Northern Ireland Assembly

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It was a day of firsts. First time in the chamber for new suite of legislators. Ahead of the first meeting of the new Assembly, the chairs in the chamber had been straightened and two extra tables set out to allow the 90 newly elected members to sign the Undertaking and then the Roll of Membership. Well, 89 newly elected members plus one newly co-opted member. There was a lot of handshaking and even a few hugs and jokes across …

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Zines, baggage, othering words and lots more from Second Collective at #imaginebelfast

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Art is political. It can be provocative and challenging. It can help us understand society as much as reading the newspaper or reading a book … or a blog post. But do the public take it seriously? Second Collective are running a series of exhibitions, workshops and events across the week of Imagine! Festival. I recently spoke to its cofounders, Cathy Scullion and Sinead O’Neill Nicholl. Graduating as mature students, they set up Second Collective in 2017. Today it’s based …

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Cancellation & Censorship in Film – five screenings & a talk at #imaginebelfast

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I recently caught up with Hugh Odling-Smee from FilmHubNI who are supporting a strand of films at this year’s Imagine! Festival that explore cancellation and censorship. Ourselves Alone is described as one of the most significant films ever made about the Troubles, a powerful story of love and conflicting loyalties set against the battle for Ireland’s independence. Set in 1921, it’s the story of a young girl under pressure, torn between loyalty to her brother (unbeknownst to her an IRA …

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Parliamentarians behaving badly? Hannah White at #ImagineBelfast on Tuesday 22 March

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Lockdown parties, payments for lobbying, overseas jaunts. Hannah White reckons that MPs undermine their own credibility by acting as if the rules they set for others should not apply to them. The reputation of the House Commons is in decline. And to top if all, the Government frequently sidelines the legislature. Held in Contempt: What’s wrong with the House of Commons? is title of Hannah White’s new book. It’s also the title of her talk at this year’s Imagine! festival …

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Alliance Party Conference #APNI2022

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After a two-year gap, the Alliance Party conference returned exactly two months before the Assembly election. Deputy leader Stephen Farry must have been relieved that he didn’t have to step in to deliver the leader’s speech this year! There were plenty of party stalwarts in the Crowne Plaza seats, and plenty of fresh young activists who weren’t on the scene two years ago. Yet the mood was slightly muted, at least until the leader and her deputy spoke. That can’t …

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