Jeffrey and those movies

I met Mark Davenport of the BBC in the city centre today and our conversation turned to the weighty matter of Jeffrey Donaldson's viewing tastes.

Mark revealed that colleague Martina Purdy told the newsroom that she believes Jeffrey's contention that all 68 or so movies were of the PG variety. To which Mark suggested: "I don't think that you'll find anyone among your males colleagues who would agree with that."

Stormont sojourn

Courtesy of Frances Lenaghan at the Speaker's Office in Stormont, Conrad Atkinson, his wife the artist Margaret Harrison, and myself got to see the original and controversial Pieter van der Muelen painting of Pope Innocent blessing King Billy today.

A magnificent piece it is too though it badly needs cleaned, according to Conrad. You can clearly see where it was cut and damaged by a fundamentalist Presbyterian minister from Scotland in 1933 and in fact some spots remain of the red paint which he threw over the painting.

Later, we got to see Noel Murphy's portrait of the first Assembly members which hangs in the unused Senate chamber and William Connor's original of the new Northern Ireland parlimant meeting in City Hall in 1921.

Add to that a chance to see Rita Duffy's character-rich but stumpy picture of Seamus Mallon and a Dorian Grey style picture of John Alderdice and you have a full Stormont tour — which ended in regal style as we stood on the balcony above the front entrance.

Isn't it weird that while Murphy (another great West Belfast artist) painted the Assembly members when David Trimble was First Minister, he gave pride of place to the DUP, including Dr Ian, and gives Ian Jr. a hand coming forward like Lord Carson's...."the hand of God", said Murphy.

Our own 4 July

When 4 July comes, Americans always ask me, "do you have a 4 July". "Not yet" is my answer though it's certainly our ambition and perhaps the latest Unite Ireland push in the US will help us realise the dream.

But anti-slavery campaigner Frederick Douglas, who travelled Ireland, had an evocative take on what Independence Day meant for the black man in mid-19th century America.

You can read his entire 4 July address here but this excerpt is as powerful a piece of writing you are likely to see which captures the spirit of those of us who are not yet free.


What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer; a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sound of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciation of tyrants brass fronted impudence; your shout of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanks-givings, with all your religious parade and solemnity, are to him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy -- a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of the United States, at this very hour.

Yellow bungalow

I forgot to tell ye that the deputy First Minister has taken advantage of the restoration of the Ulster Museum to move Gerard Dillon’s most famous piece Yellow Bungalow to his Stomont office.

Dillon, famously, refused to have his work exhibited in the North after the 1969 pogroms; he’d be pleased to have his painting in its present location.

Cad é seo a tchím romham?

Tá léitheoireacht den scoth in eagrán Nuacht 24 na seachtaine seo....agus trí chinn mhóra ina measc ag caoineadh imeacht an nuachtáin chlóite le bás Foinse..ach cár léigh mé seo uilig; Ar an eagrán clóite.

Agus anois deir Eoghan Ó Néill go bhfuiltear dóchasach go mbainfidh siad conradh an Chiste Craoltóireachta le suíomh idirlin a chur ar fáil. Is féidir leat breathnú ar an chreatlach atá molta anseo.

I measc na scríbhneoirí an tseachtain seo tá Íte Ní Chionnaith agus Breandán Delap agus tá agallamh le hiar-eagarthóir Foinse.

.....excellent reading in this week's print edition of Nuacht 24 which I've just finished, including at least three major pieces on the demise of Foinse. Many of the articles lament the loss of a printed newspaper in Irish but those very comments appear in..a printed newspaper. Time to get Nuacht 24 the support it deserves which is why I'm delighted to see editor Eoghan Ó Néill writing that he's confident of winning the Irish Language Broadcast Fund contract for the provision of a new website...you can see the template proposed by Nuacht 24 here.

Chance for a new start with nuacht Ghaeilge?

Áthas orm feiceáil go bhfuil Gerry Adams ag moladh go n-úsáidfí an interregnum seo maidir le nuachtáin Ghaeilge le díriú arís ar an tséirbhís atá tuillte againn.

Delighted to see Gerry Adams suggest this interregnum with the demise of Foinse and disappearance of Lá be used to focus again on our demand for a full news service in Irish.

His statement follows:

Adams to meet Foras na Gaeilge on Irish Language newservice

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams MP MLA has expressed his deep disappointment at the collapse of the Irish language paper Foinse. Mr. Adams has asked for an urgent meeting with the chair and the chief executive of Foras na Gaeilge to discuss this and what steps are urgently needed to create an Irish language news service which is in print, is online and is of the same high standard of Nuacht TG4 and RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta.

Gerry Adams said:

"It is a matter of profound disappointment to me that the strategies of Foras na Gaeilge to provide a newspaper in Irish have failed.

I believe Foras na Gaeilge needs to adopt a strategy which has as its core objective the creation of an Irish language news service which must be in print and online and should be of the standard of Nuacht TG4 and RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta.

"It must present national and international affairs through our unique prism as Irish speakers.”

The Sinn Féin President said:

“Foras should enter quickly into discussions with the main Irish language bodies and with other news providers, including Nuacht 24 in Belfast, about the best way forward.

"The broadcasters BBC, RTÉ, TG4 and Raidió na Gaeltachta as well as Raidió Fáilte and Raidió na Life, should have a special role in any such discussions. If the private sector cannot provide the Irish language news service needed, then we must ask, can these broadcasters take on an additional news print and online role with the help of Foras na Gaeilge and/or Údarás na Gaeltachta.

"As a thriving 21st Century language, Irish needs a strong news service in print and online — daily and weekly — not only as an essential provider of news but also to create jobs, train journalists and build the Irish language sector.

Sinn Féin believes Foras must be to the fore in developing these priorities.

“I will be seeking a meeting with the chair and the chief executive of Foras to air these issues and to discuss Sinn Féin’s concerns at the closure of another newspaper."

Long road to travel

Harry Holland's family can be immensely proud of the dignity and forbearance they have demonstrated since his murder even as they lament what passed for punishment today for the gang who carried out the attack.

Undoubtedly, Harry, a great activist and thinker, would be pleased with the courage of his daughters who have been cast in the role of justice pioneers since his brutal killing. That's not a role anyone would like to take because this first-ever example of full co-operation between the police and the community of West Belfast shows up many of the flaws in our so-called justice system.

First you have the inadequacies of policing which left a monster like Stephen McKee on the streets to murder and destroy just weeks after our papers had carried video evidence of him waving a pistol and terrorising people along the Falls Road as he attempted to hijack a vehicle.

Then there's the shortcomings of the entire prosecution service and those who adminster the rule of law.

But overall there's an abiding sense of sorrow that a giant of the community like Harry could be laid low by individuals with the morals of head lice. Here's the mark of the man. Moments after he stabbed Harry Holland in the head with a screwdriver, McKee texted a girlfriend: "I've killed someone love LOL LOL".

For those who don't read text, LOL means "Laughing Out Loud".

"Doctor, doctor"

They tell me that when Marian McCartan has to call husband Eamonn and son Kieran in to the dining room for their tea, she shouts, "doctor, doctor".

No doubt untrue but great to see Andersonstown man, former Antrim player, ex-Andersonstown Leisure Centre manager and Sports NI CEO Eamonn McCartan presented with a honorary doctorate by University of Ulster today. Eamonn has done an enormous amount of work for sport in the north and his accolade was richly deserved.

Eamonn was joined at the Waterfront Hall ceremony by Marian, Kieran (who received his doctorate in Criminal Psychology from the University of Leicester) and Kieran's partner Sue.

Comhghairdeas dóibh uilig.

Monsoons across the Great Divide

I'm inclined to believe that though 3,000 miles apart the east coast of the US and Ireland often share (or suffer) the same weather.

For example, we've had our mini-monsoon in Belfast today and I'm told Cape Cod and Boston have just endured the rainiest June on record.

Which is tough on those Irish students out there beating the hedges looking for work with their J-1 Visas.

However, I'm hopeful that things will have cleared up by October when our conference takes place in Boston to reignite the Derry-Boston partnership. You can see our new advertisement for the conference here.

(Moments after posting this blog, I got a call from Cape Cod to tell me they're sheltering from a torrential downfall.)

Painting the town red

I had an interesting breakfast meeting in the Cultúrlann this morning with Ed Vernon of the Board of Invest NI and Howard Hastings, Chair of Northern Ireland Tourist Board, before we took a dander over to St Mary's University College to view the Harry Clarke stained glass windows in the chapel.

The key question for our economic agencies is how cultural activity can create jobs and how they in turn can recalibrate to support activities which will produce employment.

One idea which has impressed Ed is the Paint Hall in East Belfast, the former shipyard warehouse where ships were painted.

There's an interesting video on the NI Screen website in which Tom Hanks and Bill Murray extol the virtues of the hall where they shot the movie City of Embers. And you can read an interesting promotional brochure for the hall here.

Could the Gaeltacht Quarter host a facility of some type which would be of use to all those making programmes for TG4 — thus bringing employment and cultural activity to the west of the city?

I hope to find out just who owns the Paint Hall, how it is funded and perhaps determine whether it represents a useful precedent for the Gaeltacht Quarter.

Later this morning, I had an interesting meeting with the deputy first minister Martin McGuinness to discuss our Gaeltacht Quarter artpiece, An Lúbra, at Stormont Castle. Joining me were Ciarán Mackel (left) of Ciarán Mackel Ard Architects, Bobby Ballagh (centre) (forget what Wikipedia says, he's delighted to be called Bobby), and Sammy Douglas of the Ullans Academy — I snapped them outside the Castle after our meet.

8 July: Mark the date

8 July will be an important date for the Irish language and for those who believe in using the courts to drive change in the light Orange statelet.

For on that day, judgement will be delivered in the Caoimhín Mac Giolla Chathain case which challenges the centuries' old ban on Irish in the court system in the North.

Interestingly, the powers-that-be in the North went in to bat vigorously for this discriminatory piece of legislation, insisting that proper governance of our courts wouldn't be possible unless Irish was banned.

The decision will tell us how far we have travelled since the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 and its promise of a society free of anti-Irish language bias.