Andrée Murphy hails from Dublin but has lived in Belfast since 1994.
She is the Deputy Director of Relatives for Justice, a national victim support NGO which provides advocacy and therapeutic support for the bereaved and injured of the conflict. Holding a Masters Degree in international human rights law, Andrée's particular expertise and research on women affected by conflict trauma has seen her provide evidence to the United Nations in Geneva and to Congressional hearings in the US.
Andrée is a columnist for Belfast Media Group and is a regular contributor to broadcast media, providing political analysis and commentary.
IN the aftermath of the shocking scenes in Dublin there has been a chorus of reaction. Some of it thoughtful and complex, most of it noise that will ensure that any calm on the streets this week or next will be the restoration of a sticking plaster.
WHEN the Police Ombudsman wrote to families to tell them that due to the Legacy Act they would not be completing investigations into their cases there was little shock.
IT is the middle of November and I have had “the dream”. I get “the dream” every year at some point and it goes with some variation of this.
THERE is little doubt that there is something afoot regarding the restoration of devolution, perhaps for the first time since its collapse in February 2022. Yes, I did have to Google the date, and yes, it does seem longer than that.
THIS week’s political debate on the devastation in Palestine and Israel’s role should give us all pause for thought.
WHEN my mother chose to send me and my brothers to the only Jewish school in Ireland it probably seemed, to others, a bit out of place. That the school was, at that time, only around the corner from our home, and that my mother had suffered terrible abuses from the religious when she attended boarding school, meant it made sense to us.
I FIND myself this week reflecting on how autumn is often a time for renewal and for reconnection.
DECEMBER 20, 2019. The International Criminal Court Prosecutor announces the conclusion of a preliminary examination of the “situation in Palestine”. The Prosecutor determined that all the statutory criteria under the Rome Statute for the opening of an International Criminal Court investigation have been met. That decision meant that there was reasonable basis to believe that war crimes have been or are being committed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and Gaza.
THE fixation on how unionism feels about the state of unionism in the union continues.
THERE she was beaming with excitement and happiness, in a line-up with other little girls as the medals for gymnastics were being handed out. When the Gymnastics Ireland official walked right past her and gave her medal to the next girl in the row the little girl’s beaming smile turned to visible confusion, then it was utterly heartbreaking to see her begin to realise that she was being deliberately overlooked, because she is black.
LAST week’s political dissonance had my head feeling like it was in my mother’s twintub. With so much to be angry at, why are so many so polite?
BERTIE Ahern, in his decrepit has-been “I was part of the Good Friday Agreement y’know” act, decided to intervene on the matter of legacy. His view is that a potential interstate case on the Legacy Bill by the Irish Government would be "a mistake”.
IN 2011 the Patten recommendation of 50-50 recruitment ended in a unilateral move by then Secretary of State Owen Paterson. Then, 30 per cent of the PSNI’s workforce was Catholic. Today the number of Catholics in the PSNI stands at 24 per cent and Catholic officers are whistleblowing anonymously about systemic sectarianism in the workplace.
AT lunchtime on Friday, February 5, 2021, I was watching the live Facebook feed of the Lower Ormeau Residents' Association. The feed was in the context of Covid restrictions.
THIS week the Australian Labour Party had their annual conference, at which they passed a resolution supporting Irish Independence. This is not an insignificant moment. The Australian Labour Party won the last general election with an overall majority, the first time there has not been a coalition government since 2007, giving this move much more than a party hack position.