Category: Event

Public Lecture “Us versus Them”

On 24 October 2018 the Chair hosted , with the Evens Foundation, a lecture by Bart Brandsma, a leading expert on dealing with the fall-out of polarisation. Brandsma argued that “us versus them” comes in many forms such as EU versus UK, Muslim versus non-Muslim, believers versus non-believers, left versus right, man versus woman, teachers versus parents… the list is endless. Brandsma argued that underneath we can see a universal pattern – and a dynamic of polarisation that we urgently need to understand.

Bart Brandsma lecturing on “us versus them” at the MAC in Belfast

Civil Rights Movement 50th

Many see the 5th of October 1968 as the beginning of the contemporary conflict in and about Northern Ireland, the day when the so-called second civil rights march took place in Derry. In 2018 the 50th Anniversary Commemorative Festival took place with events held across the city. The Chair hosted the organising committee and friends of the festival for a dinner at the Magee Campus on 7 October. It was a fitting occasion to mark this important moment in history, and to thank the committee for their work in organising the festival. To acknowledge contemporary rights issues the dinner also included inputs from the Chief Executive, Adrienne Darragh, from the Hibiscus Initiative working on contemporary slavery and trafficking issues, as well as Kay Glynn from Birnberg Peirce who worked on the Hillborough Inquest and are currently working on Grenfell inquest.

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Organising committee of the 50th Anniversary Commemorative Festival
  • Brandon Hamber, Paul Arthur, Kay Glynn, Pat Hume
    Adrienne Darragh, Paddy Nixon, Malachy O’Neill

Public Engagement Basque Country

On 5 October 2018, The Chair was invited to the “5th Social Forum” (hosted by Bake Bidea) in the Basque Country. This civil society structure aims to engage the wider society in the peace process and it took place in Pamplona. The title of the conference was the “Right to know the truth: mechanisms for the recognition and reparation of the victims of the conflict” and The Chair gave the keynote address followed by discussion with the wider public.

Speaking at the 5th Social Forum in Pamplona

The event was covered in a range of newspapers provoking a range of different reactions:

Brandon Hamber: “La búsqueda de la verdad tiene aspectos incómodos para todos”

El Foro Social pide que se priorice la verdad por encima del interés político

Un foro insistirá en Pamplona en blanquear el pasado de ETA: “Se deben respetar todos los relatos”

Sexual Violence against Men

On 2 October 2018 the Chair hosted a public lecture on the Magee Campus by Dr Chris Dolan, Honorary Professor at Ulster University and Director of the Refugee Law Project. The lecture was entitled “Spheres of Harm: An Exploration of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence against Men”. The lecture focused on conflict-related sexual violence against men, and highlighted some of the major practical, conceptual and disciplinary challenges to dominant models for addressing sexual violence. Dr Dolan proposed an alternative approach to thinking about sexual violence in conflict which has a major impact on enhancing progressive models of gender justice.

Dr Chris Dolan, Honorary Professor at Ulster University and Director of the Refugee Law Project

Keynote Address WHO Belfast

The WHO International Healthy Cities Conference opened on 1 October 2018 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, bringing together more than 500 delegates from 60 countries and over 200 cities. The overarching theme of the conference was “Changing cities to change the world”, recognizing that urban centres have a vital role to play in sustainable development. The Chair gave a keynote address on 2 October at the conference in the Waterfront Hall in Belfast. The keynote was built around the quotation from American-Canadian author Jane Jacobs to illustrate the importance of participation and ownership: “Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody”. To find out more about the conference, click here.

Keynote Address at WHO Healthy Cities Conference in Belfast

Governor O’Malley Event

As part of the Donegal Diaspora Awards, the Chair hosted a lunch and discussion with former Governor O’Malley, one of the 2018 recipients of the Donegal Diaspora Award. Governor O’Malley served as the 61st Governor of Maryland from 2007 to 2015, and was also previously the Mayor of Baltimore from 1999 to 2007. The Governor addressed senior business officials and local politicians . The group was also addressed by Tom O’Neill. The event provided a fascinating insight into the current state of US politics.

Former Governor O’Malley addressing the luncheon discussion

Truth and Reconciliation Platform

On 13 September 2018 the Chair hosted the Truth and Reconciliation Platform in the Great Hall at Magee. The event took the form of survivors of the conflict sharing their stories and experiences with the public. Powerful testimony was given by Joe Campbell, Kathleen Gillespie, Stephen Travers and Alan McBride. The evening was deeply moving and inspirational, and shows why moving forward the peace process is so important.