IT is another busy day of talks, debate and tours on Tuesday at Féile an Phobail.
The biggest event of the day is at 7pm at St Mary's University College when Sinn Féin President and Leader of the Opposition, Mary Lou McDonald will be joined by Andrée Murphy for an in-depth conversation on how close we are to delivering transformative and constitutional change across these islands and what lies ahead for the future of Ireland.
From 9.30am-12.30am, St Comgalls will host a conference exploring the wider impact and community benefits of hosting a range of international sporting events around the world. These insights will be important considerations for plans for the new Casement Park in West Belfast.
At 1pm in St Mary's University College, a panel will discuss 'Precursor to the H-Blocks': 50 years on from the Gardiner Report, which considered what provisions and powers are required to deal with terrorism and subversion in the North of Ireland by the British Government. Seán Murray, Carál Ní Chuilín and Kieron McEvoy will discuss its consequences.
At 2pm in James Connolly Visitor Centre, Patrick Magee will be in conversation with Danny Morrison about his powerful first book 'Gangsters or Guerrillas?' – A deep look at how Irish republicans are portrayed in fiction, and how this has been used as a political tool of British propaganda. In this event, we’ll discuss how taking those stories at face value still shapes the way people think about Ireland today, and why that can hold back real progress.
At 3pm, Pat Cullen MP will chair a M.E Support event at St Mary's University College, looking at the current failures by government and healthcare profession in treating the 7,000+ people in Ireland with the debilitating disease.
At 4pm, the annual Féile Health Lecture will be held at St Mary's University College focusing on strokes. Emma Dunn an Advanced Practitioner Level 2 Occupational Therapist specialising in stroke rehabilitation at the Royal will provide valuable insights into recognising stroke symptoms and adopting habits to reduce risk factors. She will delve into various rehabilitation approaches and innovative techniques to aid recovery. There will also be a first-hand account from Mr William Mc Clean, a stroke survivor about his journey through recovery and rehabilitation.
At 7pm at St Paul's GAC, viewed through the lens of the Twomey family, Séamus Ó Tuama and Fearghal Mac Bhloscaidh chart the tale of revolutionary Belfast from the dawn of the twentieth century as a city of strife and struggle; the Home Rule crisis and Loyalist backlash, Belfast’s industrial boom, sectarian tensions, the exploited underclass and the human cost of industrial Belfast. They will examine the rise of the city’s radical Republican underground, the collapse of constitutional nationalism, the road to partition and the impact of the Anglo-Irish Treaty on the Belfast Republican community.
A full programme for all Tuesday's events is available here.
