Lyra McKee On Thursday night, a 29-year-old journalist was shot and killed in the Creggan in Derry by a member of the New IRA. When the 'old' IRA laid down arms as part of the ceasefire, several rump factions came together as the New IRA to keep the fight going.
Buckle down So today I started a new project. A year or so ago I stripped wallpaper on the ground floor and on the long wall up to the second floor. The goal is to replace wallpaper painted the dreaded magnolia beige with bright yellow walls. Above is the wall from the
Blogging breakdown So two weeks to catch up on. Mainly due to work and Paddy taking most of my energy. A few highlights: Sunday, April 7, hiked at Slieve Croob in the Dromara hills north of the Mourne Mountains. It was a lovely hike and lots of lambs and calves in the
The World’s Wife Tonight I went to Seamus Heaney's Homeplace to hear three Northern Irish actresses do readings of Carol Ann Duffy's collection of poems: The World's Wife. One of the actresses was Bronagh Gallagher (best known to me as one of the singers in The Commitments)
West Belfast and the Middle East Wednesday through Friday of last week is a bit of a blur so I'll return to murals. In Catholic West Belfast we have murals celebrating the PLO. So it follows that in Protestant West Belfast we have Israeli flags and murals. The Catholics from West Belfast have been
Six inches Tonight I went to an event launching the awards program for the Ulster Architectural Heritage Society. They very cleverly commission songwriters to write songs about historic buildings. The songwriters visit the buildings and do some research until they find the hook they need. Two singers performed songs from the last
Green wash I read an April Fool's article today about how Donald Trump was going to issue green bonds to build the border wall and put solar panels on it. It was written by Climate Bonds Initiative, the leading proponent of the green bond market. Humour for green finance nerds
More murals Today's highlight was playing golf with Marian in Bangor. So more murals: The beginning of the tour focused on murals done as part of an annual mural festival, when artists from around the world are invited to come to Belfast and given walls to paint. The mural above
Mural musings I took a 3-hour walking tour of murals today. One of the themes was how positive images are replacing sectarian murals in Protestant West Belfast--the Shankill area. The mural above replaced those shown below, with hooded gunmen in one of the murals. There are still plenty of sectarian murals, but
Ticket takers The Steering Committee met this week, so my week was really about producing a lot of materials in support of the meeting. When I was in London, I needed a ticket for the DLR, a train that connects London City Airport to downtown. I tried buying at the machine but
No Stone Unturned Tonight I saw the third in a trilogy of documentaries about Troubles atrocities. This one was about the Loughinisland massacre. A gunman bursts into a bar in the middle of nowhere where about 15 men are watching Ireland play Italy in football. The gunman kills seven of them. In the
Kiki Dee I went to swing dance tonight because they were having a 70s and 80s social--a lot of people dressed like hippies, which I think of as more 60s. One woman was favouring Madonna, one guy had a glam rock wig. I wore my school blazer and a tie--trying to look
Happy Birthday Betty! Today's my mom's birthday. I celebrated it by spending some time looking at summer vacation options yesterday for mom and I. As usual, I was quickly overwhelmed by the choices. I think I will employ a travel agent to help me with logistics--not my forte. I&
Home away from home I wont' be going to London in April because my boss will be in Japan and China the first half of the month and I'll be on a holiday later in the month. Details to come. I will be there in late May for PRI's
Graham and Liza Last Saturday I drove to Derry, listening to BBC Radio 2 in both directions. Graham Norton kept me company in the morning and Liza Tarbuck in the evening. I find them both so enjoyable that I didn't want to get out of the car. They both have a
Canary Wharf Today I had meetings at Canary Wharf, which is a collection of highrise office buildings on an island. It's like a giant office park inside the city--with a population of well dressed, powerful people. It reeks of privilege. Two men walked by me in a restaurant wearing expensive
Hamilton! So tonight I did get a ticket. 100 pounds for a seat in the Royal Circle. Two German sisters sold the ticket belonging to one of their husbands, who decided to go to the pub with his son instead. I wasn't one of the first four people in
Did I just say that? I had a long meeting this afternoon at the offices of the Institutional Investor Group on Climate Change, which is in the West End. I'm here, why not see a show? Well, by the time I left the office, I was feeling pretty tired. I was in the
It’s the end of the world as we know it Today I traveled to London--an uneventful trip, despite my headline. I watch Gogglebox occasionally--where British people share their witty thoughts and reactions while watching the past week's telly. There are some very funny commentators. I've watched it so long they feel like my friends. Sad, I
Paddy on St. Paddy’s day It's strange being in a city after the parade is over. But that's what I did. I needed a new charger for my Mac, so I had to go to the Apple store. I shopped at St. George's Market and went into two clothes
Famine Art Derry hosted an exhibit of art tied to the Great Famine that was put together by a university in Connecticut. It closed today so I drove up to have a look. First I took Mary out for lunch and had a catch up on her ailments and those of her
Transcribe The steering committee, which met last night, agreed to record the 90-minute meeting. My hope was this could lead to bullet point/summary minutes instead of verbatim. However, the SC still wants verbatim minutes. Having the recording meant the minutes really were verbatim instead of the 80% or so that
Bloody Sunday verdict In 1972, during a march protesting internment (imprisonment without trial), British soldiers shot 28 unarmed civilians in Derry's Bogside. Fourteen died. Many were shot while fleeing from the soliders, some were shot while trying to help the wounded. The British government held two inquests into Bloody Sunday. The
Train Wreck I had a meeting Monday night that was supposed to be about one thing (finalising the agenda for Thursday's steering committee) but ended up being about something else (budget matters). There are a lot of issues brewing; not looking forward to Thursday's meeting. I don'
Eileen Last night I went to see a play with 30 neighbours! The play wasn't great--it was a farce--but it was fun to be out on a Friday night with a large group of friends. We went back to one couple's house for wine and birthday cake,