The Churches & Peacebuilding: Address at ‘The Primacy of Peace’ Conference

I delivered an address on ‘The Churches and Peacebuilding – Before and After the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement’ at the ‘Primacy of Peace’ conference on 24 October 2023 at the Marketplace Theatre, Armagh.

The purpose of the conference was to promote … Read more...

Tribute to Professor John Brewer

On Wednesday, Queen’s University hosted an event marking the retirement of Professor John Brewer. John has had a tremendous impact on international scholarship, as well as on my own personal career. (It appears John will have an active ‘retirement’, as … Read more...

The Churches & Peacebuilding: Past, Present and Future

On Tuesday 18 April I participated in a panel on ‘Peacebuilding’ at Queen’s University’s Agreement25 Conference.

You can read the full text of my remarks here.

Image from Clonard Reconciliation ministry, including Fr Alec Reid and Fr Gerry Reynolds… Read more...

Reconciliation Fund Marks Publication of Considering Grace: Presbyterians and the Troubles

Last week, the Irish Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs hosted a special event in Iveagh House, Dublin, to mark the publication of my book, co-authored with Jamie Yohanis, Considering Grace: Presbyterians and the Troubles.

As reported on the Presbyterian Church Read more...

Religion & the University Experience in Britain and Northern Ireland with Mathew Guest and me …

On Thursday 9 March the Queen’s Religious Studies Forum hosted an event on Religion and the University Experience: Perspectives from Britain & Northern Ireland, featuring Prof Mathew Guest (Durham) and me.

You can listen to the audio of our contributions … Read more...

Ciara Mageean – Hope is a Habit: My Thought for the Day on Radio Ulster

This week, the Thoughts for the Day on BBC Radio Ulster consider the theme of ‘Hope’. My contribution reflects on Ciara Mageean’s stunning summer on the track.

You can listen here, or read the full text below.

Ciara Mageean: Hope

Read more...

New Post on Slugger – Review of ‘The Ghost Limb’ by Claire Mitchell

I have reviewed Claire Mitchell’s new book, Ghost Limb: Alternative Protestants and the Spirit of 1798, on the Slugger O’Toole blog. You can read it here.Read more...

Can there be Peace? The Troubles and Faith Leaders in Northern Ireland – Roundtable in Lowell, Mass

On Tuesday I participated in a roundtable on, ‘Can there be Peace? Faith Leaders and Healing after Violent Conflict’, sponsored by the Office of the Provost at the University of Massachusetts in Lowell.

The event was attended by members of … Read more...

New Post on Slugger: Review of ‘Beauty through Broken Windows’

I have a new post on the Slugger O’Toole blog, a review of a new book called ‘Beauty through Broken Windows’, published on Sunday, the World Day of the Poor.

The book is inspired by the legacy of Edmund Rice, … Read more...

Review of Triangle: Three Novellas of Ireland by Pól Ó Muirí, on Slugger

I have a new post on the Slugger O’Toole blog, a review of Triangle: Three Novellas of Ireland by Pól Ó Muirí. 

The review raises questions prompted by the book, such as: What happens in a society when previously dominant … Read more...

‘The past is not a place to which we would wish to return’: Shannon Campbell on the Unity Pilgrim Resources

In June there was a formal launch of Clonard Monastery’s new ‘Unity Pilgrim’ resources, which are now freely available for use in churches and among young people.

Shannon Campbell, Director of the Catholic Chaplaincy at Queen’s, was the main … Read more...