By Rachel Sayers- When you think of Northern Ireland’s ‘Troubles’, clothes shopping is not something you would generally consider in the narrative of the conflict. Indeed, you could say that concentrating on such matters is frivolous when compared to the lives lost and irreversible damage wrought by thirty years of inter-communal conflict. However, I argue... Continue Reading →
By Bridget Keown- Just before 1:00 am on June 3 1979, Anthony McCleave, a thirty-six-year-old Catholic homosexual who worked as a hospital porter, was found lying by a security barrier on Chichester Street by a passer-by.[i] He had severe facial injuries, and despite attempts by the passer-by and the firemen and ambulancemen who eventually arrived... Continue Reading →
By Abigail Wise – Whether or not we realise it, everyone possesses some level of national identity that has been actively constructed. We may not be doing the construction personally, but our choices – and they are choices – to hold a certain passport, profess a certain religion, or speak a certain language often allow... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Hearty- If we are prepared to tell our own story then we must be prepared to let others do the same... Some months ago a former member of the security forces accosted me over my monograph Critical Engagement: Irish Republicanism, Memory Politics and Policing. I was accused of peddling ‘untruths’, trying to ‘rewrite... Continue Reading →
By Dieter Reinisch- The recent RTÉ screening of the I, Dolours documentary, directed by Maurice Sweeney, received much media attention in Ireland and was reviewed by several national newspapers, including the Irish Times, Irish Independent, and Irish Mirror. The documentary is, indeed, a gripping, and at times disturbing, insight into the history of the Northern... Continue Reading →
By Shaun McDaid – It is often said that Northern Ireland is one of the most researched places in the world. There certainly appears to be no shortage of academic research on all aspects of the conflict and its aftermath, some of which has been featured on this platform, dealing with subjects from the elite... Continue Reading →
By Patrick Finnegan- It has been a busy time for those following the news on Northern Ireland and the ‘Troubles’. In the space of seven days we saw the death of Willie Frazer, a controversial victim’s campaigner, Conservative leadership hopefuls took to the hustings in Belfast, Colum Eastwood was referred to the Northern Ireland’s attorney... Continue Reading →
By Jack Hepworth – Nearly 30 years have passed since John Whyte established that Northern Ireland is the most intensively studied place on earth. In the three decades since, much has changed in that complex polity, but the scholarly gaze on the region remains intense. Yards of bookshelves are devoted to the conflict in and... Continue Reading →
By Seán Brennan – Writing about ‘the Troubles’ can be complex. In a range of areas, from the interpretive to the conceptual and the methodological, selecting as well as attempting to write a PhD thesis as a mature, self-funding, part-time PhD student can be challenging. Such complexities pale into insignificance, however, when the subject for... Continue Reading →
