How might the civil rights campaign in Northern Ireland have developed, had there been no ‘armed struggle?’ That was the theme of the first session of the McCluskey Civil Rights Summer School, held on Saturday 28 August at the Heritage Centre in Carlingford, Co. Louth. The Summer School honours the legacy of civil rights leaders [...]
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Dealing with the Past, Dealing with the Future? Responses to the Eames-Bradley Report
Secretary of State Owen Paterson has published a summary of the responses to the Eames Bradley Report on dealing with Northern Ireland’s past, revealing an overwhelmingly negative reaction to it. As the unionist newspaper the News Letter puts it, ‘Ulster Rejects Eames Bradley Report on the Troubles.’ So is this just another case of ‘Ulster [...]
Belfast Telegraph Debate on a New Approach to Northern Ireland Politics: Mobilising the Middle Ground?
With the 12th of July almost upon us, people living in Northern Ireland can’t help but notice the familiar sights of bonfires being constructed, freshly painted red-white-and-blue kerbstones, and areas adorned with British, Northern Ireland, and UVF flags. This annual event very much hearkens back to Northern Ireland’s past, and depending on your perspective, is [...]
The Europeanization of Party Politics in Ireland, Book Launch – Has the EU Encouraged Reconciliatory Politics?
Queen’s University recently hosted the launch of a new book edited by Dr Katy Hayward (Queen’s) and Dr Mary Murphy (University College Cork), The Europeanization of Party Politics in Ireland: North and South (Routledge, 2010). At the launch, some of the academics who contributed to the volume presented their perspectives on the impact that the [...]
Peter Robinson, Naomi Long, and the 2010 Westminster Elections: A New Era in Northern Irish Politics?
This morning I had the rather surreal experience of a Benedictine monk greeting me with news of one election result I didn’t expect: the Alliance Party’s Naomi Long had defeated Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader and Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson in the election for the Westminster Parliament. So I’ll have an interesting answer [...]
Gerry Adams: The Troubles & The Truth
Will we ever know the truth about Gerry Adams and the roles he played during the Troubles? Perhaps the more important question is whether we want to know. The publication in the Sunday Times of the first part in a serialisation of journalist Ed Moloney’s new book, Voices from the Grave, contains quotations from a [...]
Gerry Adams & Jesus: Forgiveness is the Core of the Gospel
Gerry Adams’ presentation of a programme on the Channel 4 series ‘The Bible: A History,’ has provoked a flurry of comment and indignation on this morning’s radio phone-in shows and in the blogosphere. The subject of Adams’ programme was ‘Jesus.’ This has prompted the inevitable observations that Adams tries to equate the republican struggle with [...]
Gerry Adams & Forgiveness: Alan McBride on the Channel 4 series ‘The Bible: A History’
Tomorrow, Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams will be the featured guest on the Channel 4 series, ‘The Bible: A History.’ The series bills itself as, ‘the story of the most influential book ever written, interpreted by seven prominent figures from different walks of life.’ Friday’s Belfast Telegraph carries an interview with Alan McBride, whose wife [...]
Peter Robinson, Gerry Adams and Questions about Political Leadership
A column by David Gordon in today’s Belfast Telegraph addresses speculation about the leadership of DUP First Minister Peter Robinson, noting the persistent rumours that he too will bow out of politics following his wife Iris Robinson’s retirement due to depression. Yesterday in the same paper, Gordon made the case that Mr. Robinson wouldn’t be [...]
Gerry Adams’ Niece Abuse Case: Acknowledgement for Victims
Last night’s UTV Insight special painted in disturbing detail the ordeal of Aine Tyrell, niece of Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams. Tyrell was sexually abused for eight years by her father (Gerry Adams’ brother), Liam, during the height of Northern Ireland’s Troubles. Tyrell’s testimony on the programme was poignant because of her desire for justice [...]
About me
Welcome to Building a Church Without Walls, a website for people who are excited about how Christianity is developing in the 21st Century. I am a Lecturer and Coordinator of the Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation Studies Programme at Trinity College Dublin at Belfast (the Irish School of Ecumenics).
Please note this is my personal site. All views are my own and are not representative of TCD.
