Oct 17th, 2010by Michael Gillespie
Integrate the People from the Top Down Not from the Bottom Up.
IN his call for integrated education Mr Robinson has found another stick to beat the Catholic community with.
Integration isn’t new in Ireland and is fine in principle. In 1832 a liberal government at Westminster introduced a bill for the purpose of educating Catholic and Protestant children together so that “they form friendships that would last throughout life” This laudable ideal was violently opposed by the Protestant community in Ulster who objected to their children being brought into contact with Roman Priests. The Catholic bishops of the time backed the integrated ideal but in the Protestant defeat of the ideal the principle was established in British education that the individual can be educated according to personal conscience, apart in a state school. This principle still stands and after the Famine this principle, established by Protestant Ulster, was put into Canon Law by Cardinal Cullen.
Mt Robinson claims it would be ludicrous if Protestants and Catholics were educated in different universities. He has never heard of Maynooth and seems oblivious to the historic fact that U.C.D. was set up as a Catholic university when Catholics were denied access to the then Protestant Trinity. It is also true that until relatively recent times Catholics were denied access to the then Protestant Oxford. There are Catholic universities in America and on the continent so Mr Robinson is talking through his hat.
Why not integrate the people of N.Ireland and Derry from the top down by having an integrated Orange Order which accepts Catholics into its ranks? Mr Robinson should call for the abolition of divisive religion in schools to be replaced by unifying Christian ecumenism. He should also devise a politics which is acceptable to all on this Island and abandon a politics for protestant unionists and rid Ireland of sectarianism. He should rid N. Ireland of sectarian ghettoes. Perhaps if the full story were known maybe Mr Robinson sees in integrated education a mechanism whereby a future Catholic population will be converted to unionism and the border copper-fastened.
Derry/Londonderry
Oct 7th, 2010by Simon Fallaha
From last Thursday to last Sunday, Derry City literally became a City Of Song as numerous talented artists, both celebrity and home grown, performed in the Guildhall and Christ Church for free.
I was fortunate enough to catch the Friday night Guildhall performance, which was primarily dedicated to Benjamin Britten. Fans of the famous composer were in for a real treat that evening. His The Holy Sonnets Of John Donne, and then his Quartet For Strings No. 2 in C Major, were given superb treatment thanks to both the accomplished performers and the Guildhall’s excellent acoustics.
We began the evening with tenor James Gilchrist and pianist Anna Tilbrook stepping up to the front to perform John Donne’s sonnets.
Before his performance began, James admitted to thinking about “the vivid images Britten used to make his points” and the difficult concepts Donne wrestled with to understand human frailty. These concepts came across well in a performance with a smartly varied tempo and a perfectly maintained solemnity. As a bonus, the audience were given lyrics for every single one of the sonnets.
The performance was noteworthy in that all nine songs were performed before any kind of applause was heard. The same was true for the three excellent string pieces performed by the Elias Quartet.
Following a ten minute interval, the well-known, much loved piece On Wenlock Edge, by Ralph Vaughan Williams, was given a stirring rendition by James, Anna and the Quartet. Tea and coffee followed afterwards.
Project Manager Mark Chambers indicated his delight with how the evening had gone. He said, “The level of artists we’re attracting indicates the level of support that we now have as a City Of Culture.” Such a level of support can only bode well for the future.
All the Guildhall performances will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in November.
Oct 5th, 2010by eibhlin boydell
I have been listening to Radio Foyle this morning and thinking, here we go again. I’m lost for words on summing up how I feel about this latest bombing in Derry at the Da Vinci’s complex on Culmore Road.
Like most, I feel a sense of despair, anger, frustration at what Martin Mc Guinness has aptly described as the work by ‘conflict junkies’. Mayor Colum Eastwood also spoke to the station and succinctly summed up the anger felt by many and most importantly, the fact that those responsible are disrupting are the people of Derry – that’s their colleagues, families, friends – the whole community. They are impacting upon our livelihoods – I can vouch for that as a self-employed person whose work has been cancelled today as a result. They are trying to perpetuate a strategy that is no longer relevant and will doubtless be ineffective for their cause, whatever that may be.
The Reverend Robert Miller from Christchurch has spoken about a hollow feeling that this leaves with our community – I agree this will impact hugely on the economic infrastructure. In a period of hope, with our impending City of Culture win, this will discourage potential investors, it may prevent many who have grown up here from returning to live in a place we hold special in our heart – our city.
Come on guys, take a long hard look at yourselves – is this what you really want? To disrupt your own community, hold us in the dark ages? They have achieved nothing but despair (and destruction) of their own city.
Sep 30th, 2010by Simon Fallaha
Last week’s Culture Night in Derry was a huge success.
Here are a series of photos from the event. Click on each photo for a larger view:
Bloom's Cafe welcomes all visitors
Models prior to the Walled City catwalk
The Wonder Villains provide the music for the catwalk
Chris McConnaghy performs an acoustic set at Cafe Nervosa
Una McGill entertains everyone in the City Of Culture office
The music in Cafe Del Mondo
Marketing Officer Aine McCarron (left) begins a tour of The Playhouse
Context Gallery Art
Sep 30th, 2010by Simon Fallaha
When people hear the word “culture”, what is the first thing that comes to mind?
Personally, I can think of the arts, monuments, amenities, education, networking and politics. Most significant of all, though, is the general public. Because, no matter how much time, money and effort you put into everything else, nothing can work without the contributions of the people! This was just one of the many things discussed at Open Coffee Night, last Friday, at 6 p.m. in Derry’s Verbal Arts Centre.
With the help of free coffee, and an enthusiastic guest speaker in Conánn Fitzpatrick, various members of all professions met in Bloom’s Cafe for a spot of cultural / technological debate. The aim was to spread the cultural message in the city and beyond.
Among the most notable suggestions to come out of the barinstorming sessions were:
- interactive museums for children;
- virtual skating parks;
- illustrated online graphic novels;
- an online forum for Derry’s citizens to share their cultural ideas;
- and a GPS based tourist guide for all smart phones.
The openness and inventiveness of the discussions meant there was also room for some not-so-technological possibilities. These included the development of new monuments and the thought of street artists performing in every city centre bar during a one-off week. Such an event might even give us an atmosphere worthy of the Edinburgh Fringe!
This thoroughly informative and enjoyable meeting gave plenty of promise and potential for the future.
Sep 27th, 2010by eibhlin boydell
I ventured into Derry to sample a bit of Culture Night in the city centre on Friday past (24th September). Various arts venues hosted free entertainment, such as a performance at an Culturlann Ui Chanain, and the Waterside Theatre saw a production by Echo Echo Dance Theatre Company.
At the first venue on our whistle stop tour we sampled the culinary delights of Café del Mundo. Top marks for tasty, wholesome food at a reasonable price, in a relaxing ambience. We sat out in the back yard area, under the gazebo replete with candles, lanterns and a gas heater to warm the punters.
We were entertained by drummers inside while we enjoyed our own BYO wine. It felt nice to be part of a continental, al fresco set up in our wee town, in a setting which can stake claim to its venue title with all international custom.
Next stop – the Walls where we caught the end of the fashion show outside the Verbal Arts Centre and we could see Tribal Fire, the drumming and fire poi group had de-camped to the Strand Road to entertain revellers.
More music and a couple more tipples, at the Gweedore Bar. It’s been a while since I ventured into this lively drinking spot, where the band were doing a bit of ‘Testing, one, two’ in the background. It took me back to the school leaving years when I used to while away many a night with my bosom buddies right in this very spot.
We finished off the evening with Pure Fresh, one of the city’s renowned eight piece bands fronted by Laura and Gareth Doherty. Our international students seemed to enjoy it as much as the locals, judging by the dancefloor, as we were all treated to a bit of soul, funk and jazz. A taste of what’s more to come from the city? Here’s hoping.
