cúisle mo chroí

I believe I may be the only person interested in live-tweeting the New York New Belfast Conference which begins today, but so be it! As someone who is interested in the post-conflict regeneration of the North of Ireland, absolutely loves Belfast (and New York!), I’m really looking forward to this conference. I’m also [...]

I came across a reference to the following prose poem in a book I read about lessons from the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission. It is called “Unchopping a Tree” and was written by M.S. Merwin; the book described it as a metaphor for the healing of a nation. I like to think [...]

This is heartbreaking:
Police ‘forced’ man to identify mutilated body of murdered nephew, court told
Police effectively forced the uncle of a teenage murder victim to identify the badly mutilated body against his will, the High Court has heard.
Alan Steele also claimed officers did not care because they wrongly believed his dead nephew, David McIlwaine, was a [...]

The (fantastic) organization Reprieve today announced the release of a UN report (click that link to download the full report) into secret detention that exposes UK collusion in secret detention and torture. The investigation found, among other things, that the UK knew of the US’ rendition practices in 2002 but continued to hand them [...]

From Relatives for Justice:
Speaking in response to the DUP’s motion concerning the re-definition of a victim of the conflict Relatives for Justice Chairperson Clara Reilly issued the following statement;
‘Jeffrey Donaldson, and the DUP, are pandering to a very small constituency of people bereaved that are not representative of the broader community of those affected by [...]

A must-read article from the Guardian about the potential findings of the Nelson Inquiry by journalist Beatrix Campbell:
The public inquiry into the assassination a decade ago of the human rights lawyer Rosemary Nelson was about to open its doors in a blank Belfast office block to witnesses last year when a new and eccentric story [...]

These documents were sent to me recently concerning the recent debates at Stormont and the House of Commons about the treatment of the Belfast Visteon/Ford plant employees. Though they are heading towards a settlement deal, it comes at a great cost, for there will be no jobs or pensions for anyone.
The two [...]

Sinn Féin’s Paul Maskey today commended the Visteon workers for their dedication in their struggle to secure fair terms following the sudden closing of the Belfast plant. Watch the video above for a story of the plant closure and the occupation that followed from the perspective of the workers.

This afternoon I am off to New York, where aside from visiting long lost friends, I will be attending tomorrow’s Index 30 luncheon on Wall St, hosted by The Irish Echo. Mary Louise Mallick, Deputy Comptroller of NY State, whom I had the good fortune to meet in Belfast last May, will receive the [...]