‘A floating process’: drafting the Downing Street Declaration

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 …

Read more…

Free event: Reflection on Seamus Mallon – A Shared Home Place at 7pm this Tuesday…

Today is the first anniversary of the passing of Séamus Mallon, former Deputy Leader of the SDLP, former Deputy First Minister in the NI Assembly, former MP and Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly. Tim Attwood, Hume Foundation Secretary said: “Seamus Mallon was a tough, tenacious titan of the Peace Process. As the Irish Times said in 1999: ‘Seamus Mallon has always been there, even in the darkest of dark days, never losing faith in the primacy of politics even …

Read more…

Singing the (Good Friday) Agreement: peace in 4/4 time … only at the Imagine! Belfast Festival (POSTPONED)

SLUGGER EVENT. We’ve implemented it, ignored it and extended it, but never before in Northern Ireland has it been sung! But on the opening night of Imagine! Belfast Festival of Ideas & Politics, you can settle down in Accidental Theatre to hear singers from Spark Opera perform the local première of a choral setting of the Declaration of Support at the start of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement text, written by former NIO official Clare Salters. But don’t worry, we know that “singing the d’Hondt formula would just be weird”! Alongside the music will be a politician discussing what it was like to be inside the talks in Castle Buildings and as well as a journalist who anchored hours and hours of the rolling late-night TV coverage that accompanied the negotiations. An evening of nostalgia and reflection.

Join us for a free in conversation event: The drugs don’t work – our over medicated society…

In 2016 our population of 1.8 million received over 41 million prescription items costing over £400m. NI spends 40% more on drugs per head of population compared to England and 20% more than Scotland which is a region of comparable social deprivation.  Do we get 20% to 40% more value from our drug spend in terms of improvements in health and well being? Join us for a one on one discussion with myself (Brian O’Neill) and Terry Maguire. Dr Maguire owns and …

Read more…

Join us for our Slugger Sessions on Transforming Belfast

  Belfast has been transformed over the last decade. The once desolate Cathedral Quarter is now attracting thousands of revelers every week. The Titanic Quarter is seeing massive investment by companies overseas and local. It seems every other day a new bar or restaurant is popping up. But we can do more. Belfast city centre has one of the lowest occupancy rates of any city in the UK or Ireland. How do we attract people to live in the city …

Read more…