Northern Ireland – Slugger O'Toole

The past in the present: exploring memory and conflict transformation in Northern Ireland

Allan LEONARD (Mr Ulster) on November 2, 2026, 3:05 pm

| Readers 775

The Memories, Narratives and Histories Research Collective (MNHRC) gathered online to launch Afterlives of the Troubles: Life Stories, Culture and Conflict Transformation in Northern Ireland, by Professor Graham Dawson. Fifteen years in the making, the book draws on oral history, cultural analysis, and lived experience to challenge the assumption that Northern Ireland’s conflict can be neatly divided into “the Troubles” and a settled post-conflict present. Three scholars joined Dawson in conversation: Róisín Higgins (Professor of History at Maynooth University); Claire …

Evidence, not inevitability: the Taoiseach’s plan for Ireland’s futures…

Mick Fealty on October 30, 2026, 10:29 am

| Readers 6207

toddle in front of gold and silver telescope on beach

The Taoiseach’s new constitutional research body will examine three futures for the island: a unitary state, a devolved united Ireland and the status quo. Rather than staking everything on a border poll that may never come, it builds an evidence base, and a set of tools for future taoisigh, that will be useful whatever happens.

‘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 344

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 465

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 1884

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 611

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 1645

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 …

No Place For Predators In Policing

Soapbox on August 31, 2026, 2:00 pm

| Readers 1083

a close up of a police car with its lights on

The overwhelming majority of police officers are decent, courageous public servants — but a small minority exploit the trust and access of their uniform to prey on vulnerable women seeking help. Rooting them out demands better vetting, sharper supervision, a properly focused Police Ombudsman, and a whole-system commitment to ensuring those entrusted to protect victims are worthy of that trust.

‘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 1529

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 758

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 341

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 …

The UK should unilaterally devolve tax varying powers to NI

Brendan Heading on June 28, 2026, 4:13 pm

| Readers 1413

Budget

It looks like we are a couple of weeks out from a new Prime Minister in the UK. There’s been plenty of commentary about Andy Burnham and what he may bring to the table when, as seems inevitable, he takes over in mid-July. But what about Northern Ireland ? Burnham is making a major set-piece speech tomorrow about his economic plans, and we know that devolving more power to regions across the UK is something he has strong views on. …

Riots in Northern Ireland: this is also about racism

Sarah Creighton on June 15, 2026, 2:21 pm

| Readers 4678

My dad died two days before Christmas in 2023. On the day of his funeral rain poured from the heavens. We waded through thick mud to get to his grave. “Christ,” my brother remarked, “it’s like the f**king Somme.” In Northern Ireland, protestant burials are often small, private affairs. Only close family go and you must be invited to attend. When we arrived, we expected a small number of people. To our surprise, there was a crowd. My dad was …

‘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 …

Govern or Lose: The Choice Northern Nationalism Has Spent Twenty-Five Years Avoiding

Mick Fealty on May 1, 2026, 10:37 am

| Readers 5021

a chalkboard with the word possible written on it

The border poll arithmetic is simple: nationalism cannot win it alone. The votes needed sit with people who want competent government, not constitutional drama. So why, after twenty-five years in power, is there so little evidence of the former and so much of the latter?

From tartans to Guinness: Identity in Northern Ireland and beyond

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

| Readers 1271

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 …

Rory Proves (Again) That Sport Belongs to All Of Us

Mick Fealty on April 12, 2026, 11:53 pm

| Readers 1679

Rory McIlroy has spent his career answering questions that have nothing to do with golf. Which flag. Which anthem. Which side. And yet here he is. Again. The best in the world.

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

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

| Readers 651

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 …

Claire Hanna Breaks With Nationalist Consensus in her Push for Stormont Reform…

Mick Fealty on March 13, 2026, 10:14 am

| Readers 2393

scenery of waterfalls with trees

Mick looks at Claire Hanna’s direct if deliberately modest assault on the St Andrews settlement with three targeted institutional reforms — and she has done so at precisely the moment Sinn Féin can least afford the scrutiny.