"belfast" blog posts

How the Institute’s “Agreement” exhibition came about (Ken Bartley, ArtisAnn Gallery)

How the Institute’s “Agreement” exhibition came about (Ken Bartley, ArtisAnn Gallery)

As all good winter’s tales begin... it was a crisp, frosty Christmas Eve when I bumped into old friend and colleague Prof Pete Shirlow, Director of The Institute of Irish Studies, as he strolled along Belfast’s Ormeau Road. Since our days, many years ago, working at Queen’s University, Pete was now running a major “Arts for Reconciliation” research project, while I was the co-owner of the ArtisAnn contemporary art gallery in Belfast. We chatted about the potential for an exhibition to mark 20 years of peace in Northern Ireland since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.

Posted on: 29 November 2019

"Building a people’s peace" - Nichola Mallon, deputy leader of the SDLPWomen holding a cooking pot

"Building a people’s peace" - Nichola Mallon, deputy leader of the SDLP

This guest blog by Nichola Mallon, deputy leader of the SDLP and former Lord Mayor of Belfast (2014-2015), looks at the challenges facing the city of Belfast and the progress that has been made, influenced by the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.

Posted on: 30 April 2018

On the streets of Belfast: entering the “everydayness of violence”Alley in Belfast

On the streets of Belfast: entering the “everydayness of violence”

This guest blog by photographer Chad Alexander, who was born in 1990, reveals his experiences capturing images of Belfast and life in the city after the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.

Posted on: 20 April 2018