The Lakes

The Lakes

I was prompted to post this chapter from my book, All The Dead Voices (2002), as a result of several photographs of the Winton Arms Hotel on Twitter by Irish Unionist – @wackyj67 –  who publishes, and is a source for, some great pics. This story, The...
On Bonfires, The PSNI, Unionism, Sinn Féin & Stormont

On Bonfires, The PSNI, Unionism, Sinn Féin & Stormont

In West Belfast (and other nationalist areas) the tradition of bonfires celebrating the Feast of the Assumption on Our Lady’s Day, 15th August, lasted about one hundred years, and it was something we, as kids, looked forward to. But there were no nationalist bonfires...
Mallon Tears Up The GFA

Mallon Tears Up The GFA

Former SDLP deputy leader Seamus Mallon has come out against Irish reunification as proposed by the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement, based on a democratic vote of the people in the North, thus reversing what he and the SDLP preached for forty years. Of course, Mallon...
The Woman Behind The Poster

The Woman Behind The Poster

Coming back from visiting my granddaughter (and great granddaughters) in North Belfast at the weekend when I bumped into the indefatigable Mary Clarke (nee Doyle) out canvassing with other women in Ardoyne who are working on Mary’s campaign for re-election to Belfast...
Beyond The Working Class

Beyond The Working Class

The following feature is reprinted with the permission of Culture Matters and associate editor, Jenny Farrell, who reviews A History of Irish Working-Class Writing edited by Michael Pierse and published by Cambridge University Press, 2018. THIS book is to be greatly...