Earlier on this evening, I was happily driving out of Buncrana with some fine music playing in the background. Seeing the mountains in front of me changed my mood altogether. What I saw appeared so picturesque, so unreal. So much so that for a brief moment it seemed to be an image projected onto a [...]
Posts under ‘Community’
Groundhog Day
Jan 18th, 2011 by Simon Fallaha.“For all the positive vibes that flowed through the city during those heady days, we were sadly reminded that some things never seem to change. Not once, but twice.” I just had to open my mouth, didn’t I? Less than a month after Ed Vaizey made that announcement, we witnessed a pointless and depressing wreckage [...]
Just Say There’s Nothing Holding Us Back: A Personal Perspective on 2010 and Beyond
Jan 13th, 2011 by Simon Fallaha.Where were you on July 15, 2010? “I’m delighted to announce that the winner of the privilege of becoming the first UK Capital Of Culture is Derry/Londond…” That was it. That was the moment the crowd in the Guildhall roared, when months of hard work paid off, and when a dream became a reality. Our [...]
Your Society Needs You!
Nov 4th, 2010 by Simon Fallaha.Were you there when Derry became a City Of Song at the Guildhall and Christ Church last month? If so, you’ll remember it was a highly successful event, bursting to the seams with both vocal and instrumental talent. Well, it’s almost time for Co. Derry to become a County Of Song! Throughout November, the Londonderry [...]
Ask Not What Your City Can Do For You…
Oct 28th, 2010 by Simon Fallaha.The City Of Culture office in Waterloo Place provides a chance for people of all ages to contribute to Derry’s success. Since its opening on April 2nd, 2010, the office has invited the general public to drop by with all sorts of ideas. From the days leading up to the July triumph and beyond, the [...]
The Cold Light Of Day
Oct 5th, 2010 by Simon Fallaha.“There’s laughter in our eyes and dreams in our hearts, before life waded in and tore it all apart…” – Neil Hannon It’s no longer a culture shock now, is it? Today, at the NWRC, I completed my first article for iNews, a piece on the advantages of social networking. Well, at midnight last night [...]
Simple Things
Sep 24th, 2010 by Simon Fallaha.Those who know me best won’t be surprised to hear that I’ve recently begun a course in journalism. What might surprise you was my lack of luck in finding all the books I required in the city centre. They were too obscure to be found in the likes of Shipquay Books & News, Bargain Books [...]
Who Should be Determining the Future of Our City?
Sep 20th, 2010 by Mark Nagurski.With ILEX’s Regeneration Plan launched last week, the successful City of Culture bid, the public realm changes already underway and any number of other projects in the pipeline, the city is undergoing a major change. Unfortunately, as with any change of this ilk, we’ll only really know if we got it right at some point [...]
ILEX unveils its plans for the City…
Sep 20th, 2010 by admin.The BBC carries a report of the regeneration plans for the city: It outlines the creation of over 12,500 jobs and the removal of traffic and parking from the city centre. It is hoped this will attract approximately £500m worth of investment into the local economy. The idea of removing traffic and parking from the city [...]
Gay Pride Week and Universal Equality
Aug 26th, 2010 by Colum Eastwood.This week is Gay Pride week in Derry with many events organised across the city. It is a great opportunity for the people of the city to celebrate our diversity and also to tackle some serious issues. It was notably that we launched the festival in front of Free Derry Corner, so long a symbol [...]
