Allan LEONARD (Mr Ulster) – Slugger O'Toole

‘We collect without fear or favour’: embodying inclusion at the Linen Hall Library

Allan LEONARD (Mr Ulster) on October 20, 2026, 9:48 am

| Readers 268

A Good Relations Week workshop at the Linen Hall Library offered an unusual angle on this year’s theme of ‘Include’: rather than framing inclusion as a goal to be worked toward, it asked how a library collection can embody it. Patsy Horton of the Linen Hall Library and Sam Manning, its outreach and engagement officer, drew on the breadth of the institution’s holdings to trace over two centuries of Belfast’s life and political history, and to explore how archives can …

‘If you remove fear, you can build trust’: young people, peace walls, and Belfast’s future

Allan LEONARD (Mr Ulster) on October 19, 2026, 8:05 am

| Readers 399

A screening of Two Sides to Every Wall, a documentary about young people living alongside Belfast’s peace walls, brought young people, community practitioners, a social anthropologist, and a government official together at a Good Relations Week event hosted by Springboard. The gathering offered a forum for candid reflection on one of Northern Ireland’s most visible and enduring legacies — and on whether the communities that have grown up in its shadow should be the ones to decide its future. The …

Challenges to belonging in a changing Northern Ireland

Allan LEONARD (Mr Ulster) on October 16, 2026, 4:56 pm

| Readers 1847

A public lecture held at Ulster University’s Coleraine campus during Good Relations Week brought a social psychologist’s lens to some of Northern Ireland’s most persistent divisions. The event, titled “Finding Your Place: Belonging in a Changing Northern Ireland”, was introduced by Damian McIlduff and delivered by Dr Bethany Corbett, a lecturer in developmental and educational psychology at Ulster University. A profound human need Dr Corbett opened by reframing what belonging actually means. Far from being a pleasant social comfort, she …

‘Days of conversation, centuries of consequence’: Benjamin Franklin at Hillsborough Castle

Allan LEONARD (Mr Ulster) on September 18, 2026, 8:45 am

| Readers 607

The Linen Hall Library in Belfast hosted the final event in its five-part series marking the 250th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence. The talk, introduced by Patsy Horton, the library’s cultural programmer, was delivered by David Orr, Castle and Collections Manager at Hillsborough Castle and Gardens. His subject was Benjamin Franklin’s 1771 visit to Ireland and his stay at Hillsborough Castle — a meeting whose consequences, Orr argued, reverberate through three centuries of diplomacy. The series was supported …

Violence receding, foundations lagging: findings from new Northern Ireland Peace Index

Allan LEONARD (Mr Ulster) on September 4, 2026, 12:59 pm

| Readers 1642

Queen’s University Belfast’s Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice hosted the launch of the first Northern Ireland Peace Index (NIPI). The Index is the result of a partnership between QUB and the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), an independent, non-partisan global think tank headquartered in Sydney. Funded by UKRI through the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the investigators are Dr Andrew Thomson and Professor Dominic Bryan. The IEP team was led by Dr Paulina Pijacka and Dr David Hammond, with Brett Savill, IEP’s …

‘It’s all here to be told’: Ulster’s role in the American declaration of independence

Allan LEONARD (Mr Ulster) on August 26, 2026, 7:52 am

| Readers 1525

The Linen Hall library in Belfast hosted a panel discussion as part of its USA-NI 250 exhibition programme, marking the 250th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence. The event, “The American Declaration of Independence: American and Ulster Contexts, Links and Legacies,” was chaired by Dr Frank Ferguson of Ulster University, who also serves as chair of the Linen Hall Library’s board. The panel brought together Dr Andrew Holmes (historian of Presbyterianism at Queen’s University Belfast); Aaron Callan (Alderman, Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council); Paul McGuigan (documentary filmmaker at Northern …

‘Parental choice is an illusion’: the gap between integrated education demand and provision

Allan LEONARD (Mr Ulster) on August 10, 2026, 9:28 am

| Readers 754

As part of this year’s Féile debates and discussion programme, the Integrated Education Fund (IEF) hosted a public event at St Mary’s University College in Belfast, to launch new research into the reality of parental choice in school selection in Northern Ireland. The event was chaired by Amanda Ferguson, a Belfast-based freelance journalist and Northern Ireland correspondent for Reuters, and opened with a welcome from Dr Jessica Blomkvist, IEF’s senior advocacy officer. The research was presented by its author, Kathryn Torney, a freelance journalist, researcher, and consultant. A …

Songs of the blackberry path: Tia Bow maps a journey from the Troubles to discovery

Allan LEONARD (Mr Ulster) on July 31, 2026, 5:55 pm

| Readers 336

Blackberry Path is a forthcoming album by Belfast-based songwriter Tia Bow (Fionnuala Fagan-Thiébot), with her bandmates Clare Galway and Danny Trouton. Their one-hour live performance of all of the album’s songs delved into Fagan-Thiébot’s personal narrative, exploring themes of life’s unpredictable journey, self-discovery, friendship, love, loss, care, and hope. The performance took place at the Sanctuary Theatre, itself a former church and space of reflection, and was part of the Eastside Arts Festival. Róisin Whyte provided a support act, singing primarily her own songs …

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

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

| Readers 402

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 …

‘The violence is continuing’: scholars examine embodied memory of conflict

Allan LEONARD (Mr Ulster) on May 8, 2026, 12:05 pm

| Readers 425

The International Conflict Research Institute (INCORE) at Ulster University hosted a seminar to mark the exhibition “Aftershocks: The Sensory Afterlives of Violence”, on display at the university’s Belfast campus until 13 May. The seminar brought together Professor Roísín Higgins (Maynooth University), who organised the event and chaired proceedings, in conversation with Professor Élise Féron (Director of INCORE); Dr Lisa Fitzpatrick (Senior Lecturer in Drama at Ulster); and Dr Adrian Grant (Lecturer in History at Ulster). The discussion focused on their research and its relationship to embodied memory — how conflict …

From tartans to Guinness: Identity in Northern Ireland and beyond

Allan LEONARD (Mr Ulster) on April 24, 2026, 4:59 pm

| Readers 1270

Belfast Exposed photography gallery on Donegall Street hosted “Why Is Identity So Difficult?”, a public lecture and discussion delivered by Professor Dominic Bryan of Queen’s University Belfast. The event was organised by the Office of Identity and Cultural Expression (OICE) and formed part of the gallery’s BIEN programme, which accompanies three concurrent exhibitions exploring identity in its many dimensions: work on the Irish language tradition; the material decay of Ulster Scots buildings; and the story of the travelling community, refugees, asylum seekers, and new arrivals. In …

Curating the conflict: Everyday Objects and the challenge of representing the Troubles

Allan LEONARD (Mr Ulster) on March 28, 2026, 10:42 pm

| Readers 650

An online panel discussion hosted by The Peace Museum in Bradford brought together museum professionals, academics, and heritage practitioners to explore how the conflict in and about Northern Ireland has been represented in exhibitions. Chaired by Dr Louise Purbrick of the Royal College of Art, the conversation introduced the museum’s current special exhibition, Everyday Objects Transformed by the Conflict, developed by Healing Through Remembering (HTR). The panel included Professor Elizabeth Crooke of Ulster University, Dr Karine Bigand of Aix-Marseille University, and Dr …

Navigating fraught legacies with trauma-informed archival practice

Allan LEONARD (Mr Ulster) on February 27, 2026, 11:46 am

| Readers 548

The Quill Project recently hosted a comprehensive event focusing on the examination of archival practice, care, and ethical responsibility in a post-conflict context. Hosted by the Quill Project — a digital humanities research enterprise based at Pembroke College, Oxford, which is currently focused on building an inclusive digital archive of the Northern Ireland peace process — the gathering at Holywell Trust in Derry/Londonderry was chaired by Barry Houlihan, an archivist at the University of Galway. The event featured a series …

The power of peacebuilding: McAleese’s personal toll and Hume’s enduring call for dialogue

Allan LEONARD (Mr Ulster) on February 23, 2026, 12:13 pm

| Readers 1422

The John and Pat Hume Foundation recently hosted a significant gathering at Clonard Monastery to reflect on the enduring legacy of John and Pat Hume in achieving peace and reconciliation in Ireland. Father Ciaran O’Callaghan, Vice-Director of Clonard, welcomed attendees on behalf of the Rector and community, noting the profound connection between the Hume Foundation and the Redemptorists. The event, broadcast globally to an online audience, featured former President of Ireland Dr Mary McAleese as the guest of honour. Broadcaster Jim …

A celebration of music journalism and Belfast’s musical legacy

Allan LEONARD (Mr Ulster) on November 8, 2025, 10:23 am

| Readers 953

On a memorable evening at The Deer’s Head, music journalist Stuart Bailie launched his new book chronicling 40 years in music journalism — The Song is Nearly Over. The event featured an intimate conversation with Tim Wheeler of Ash, followed by closing reflections and a performance by Terry Hooley, the legendary founder of Good Vibrations record label. The evening brought together three generations of Northern Irish music history, weaving together stories of punk, Britpop, and the transformative power of music journalism. …

‘What is the peace?’ Rethinking Northern Irish photography from the Troubles and beyond

Allan LEONARD (Mr Ulster) on June 26, 2025, 10:53 pm

| Readers 1803

The latest series of talks at the Photo Museum Ireland featured an insightful lecture by Colin Graham, a professor of English and an accomplished author. The evening’s discussion centred around the intricate subject of Northern Irish photography, with a particular focus on its evolution from conflict to peace and the various artistic interpretations within that spectrum. Colin Graham’s background is rooted in literature and cultural studies, which provided a unique lens through which he examined Northern Irish photography. He noted, “I moved back to Belfast …

Peace photography: supporting conflict transformation

Allan LEONARD (Mr Ulster) on June 17, 2025, 2:23 pm

| Readers 305

At an online session organised by Dr Tiffany Fairey, a senior research fellow at King’s College London, participants gathered to explore the intersection of photography and peace. The event brought together a range of experts and practitioners to discuss how photography can foster cultures of peace in different contexts. The panel was chaired by Dr Fairey, who leads a research project called Imaging Peace — a multi-year, multi-country study of peace photography. She framed the session with a probing question: “What is …

The vital role of archives for reconciliation

Allan LEONARD (Mr Ulster) on June 16, 2025, 9:17 am

| Readers 625

Archives serve as repositories of our collective memory, housing documents, artefacts, and other historical materials that help societies understand their past. In a recent panel discussion, experts from various fields came together to discuss the significance of archives in reconciliation processes, including how community voices, especially those of victims and marginalised groups, are represented in these records. The participants included Ruth Murray, Eliza McKee, Kate Manning, Sam McBride, Caoili O’Doherty, and Nicholas Cole. The event was at Hillsborough Castle, hosted …

Exploring cultural peace work in Northern Ireland

Allan LEONARD (Mr Ulster) on May 31, 2025, 2:54 pm

| Readers 1097

Cultural peace work entails using creative and cultural practices to foster peace and reconciliation, particularly in post-conflict societies. In Northern Ireland, various organisations and individuals are harnessing the power of arts and culture to address deep-seated issues from a history of sectarian violence. In a recent session centred on cultural peace work and the dynamic of creativity in peacebuilding, various experts shared their insights. Their discussions delved into the importance of cultural spaces, the challenges faced in creative practices, and the significance …

The future of public service media in Northern Ireland and beyond

Allan LEONARD (Mr Ulster) on May 14, 2025, 9:50 am

| Readers 919

Ulster University (UU) held an important discussion on the role and future of public service media. Key speakers included Phil Ramsey (lecturer in media studies (UU), Siobhan Walsh (director of content policy (Ofcom)), and Catherine Johnson (professor of media and communication (University of Leeds)). They were joined by various other industry professionals, academics, and political representatives. The event covered multiple facets of public service media, including funding, regulation, and its cultural significance in Northern Ireland and beyond. Professor Duncan Morrow …