Between The Lines Podcast

This is the Between The Lines podcast and this time we will not be hearing about people and events in North Belfast. We hear a fascinating talk given as part of the Imagine Belfast festival. This year the 7th Imagine! Belfast festival of ideas. But this time – because of the circumstances we find ourselves in – it was an online only event. In the festival we are encouraged to discusses the big issues of our times including new ideas on politics, culture, and activism. The team who put it together – led by Peter O’Neill – aim to bring a unique way of imagining the future of this great city. One of the speakers this year was Roman Krznaric. His talk is "ROMAN KRZNARIC: CAN WE REDESIGN DEMOCRACY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS?" He is a public philosopher who writes about the power of ideas to change society. His new book is The Good Ancestor: How To Think Long Term in a Short-Term World. He wants us to think about the ways we can redesign democracy for the benefit of both current and future generations. In the book and in this talk, he explores the citizen assembly movements in Japan, pioneering legal struggles for intergenerational justice, and the appointment of ‘guardians of the future’. Here at Between the Lines podcast we think Roman has something important to say about how we can work together to design our future. So, we are grateful to him and Imagine Belfast for allowing us to record the event and include it in this series. Roman presented a number of slides during the presentation. You can see the most important ones at his website. The talk was given on a Zoom link from his home and the audience were able to post some questions in the message box. Some of those questions are included in this recording. Peter O’Neill to introduces the talk. You can find a link to Roman’s website here  where you can find out more about the ideas behind The Good Ancestor and other ideas. Once again, thanks to him and Peter O’Neill at Imagine Belfast for your co-operation. The podcast is supported by the Community Relations Council and funded through the Executive Office.

Gordie Walker is back for a new series of the Between The Lines podcast. This episode features an extended interview with a man who has had two successful careers. And we’ll be meeting our new team member. But first our main guest. When Hughie Russell was born, he weighed about the same as a bag of sugar you’d buy in supermarket. His family were living in north Belfast, then. From there, he would go on to travel the world representing his sport at the highest level even winning a medal at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. Boxer Hughie had the nickname Little Red – but boxing was not the only career that brought him celebrity and respect. In this episode Gordie joined by our new guest interviewer Seamie O’Neill who visited Hughie to talk about that boxing career and how it led to him becoming a highly respected photographer for the Irish News and about growing up in Belfast in the 1960s and 70s.   The podcast is supported by the Community Relations Council and funded through the Executive Office

At the beginning of the first Covid lock-down this year, Intercomm started a series of public lectures given by Belfast historian Eamon Phoenix. And of course, these lectures had to be given online and live over Zoom. Eamon is a distinguished historian and well-known broadcaster. He’s a teacher who tells stories and brings history to life. Now, we are making some of the lectures available here on the Between the Lines podcast. The first was about the history of Slavery in Belfast and the story of some of the statues in Belfast and further afield. The lecture was given in October 2020 during Black History Month. The second lecture is about secret societies in Ireland. Many of these organisations began as secret but have over the years and decades, become mainstream social and political organisations. Many others are a mere memory – even a legend.

At the beginning of the first Covid lock-down this year, Intercomm started a series of public lectures given by Belfast historian Eamon Phoenix. And of course, these lectures had to be given online and live over Zoom. Eamon is a distinguished historian and well-known broadcaster. He’s a teacher who tells stories and brings history to life. Now, we are making some of the lectures available here on the Between the Lines podcast. And this is the first. It was given in October this year during Black History Month. Over 45 minutes, Eamon explores Belfast’s history during the slave trade, the relationship between the city and the early days of America and the Caribbean. Also, at a time when staues were being brought down in the US and Britain, he also talks about some of the statues around Belfast. (Illustration: Olaudah Equiano known for most of his life as Gustavus Vassa was a writer and abolitionist from, according to his memoir, the Eboe region of the Kingdom of Benin, today southern Nigeria.)

In this episode of the podcast we hear about Limestone United, a cross community football team that does a lot more than play football. In recent times there have been incidences of anti-social behaviour along the interfaces involving both large and small groups of young people. Limestone United members have been out almost every night talking to the young people and trying to get to the bottom of the anti-social behaviour. Gordie Walker spoke to two players of the team – Phil and Deccie – and the founder former PSNI officer Brian. If you want to get in contact with Limestone United or find out more, visit their website and Facebook page.

On Wednesday 27 March, Intercomm held a public consultation on an anti-hate crime initiative. The event in The Duncairn Centre for Culture & Arts centre attracted scores of people who are active in organisations that support victims of hate crime or are engaged in anti-hate crime initiatives. The event was a consultation event to raise awareness of hate crime and to pick a logo that will spearhead the campaign. The campaign slogan in #NoPlaceforHate. Among the organisations represented were Community Relations Council PSNI Rainbow Project ICR North Belfast Friendship Club Victim Support New Life Counselling Leonard Cheshire Fund North Belfast PCSP North Belfast Alternatives Gordy Walker spoke to many of the representatives for the podcast including Debbie Walters vice-chair of Northern Ireland Policing Board and Director of Northern Ireland Alternatives and Chief Inspector Kelly Moore of PSNI at Tenant’s Street. Kelly named several agencies that people who have been directly or indirectly affected by hate crime can contact: PSNI on the general number 111 or in an emergency 999 or at their website http://www.psni.police.org.uk Crimestoppers, an independent UK charity hat gives people the power to speak up to stop crime which can be contacted on their website or on freephone 0800555111 And True Vision a police funded web site designed to provide you with information about hate crime including homophobic, transphobic, racial, religious and disability. They can be contacted through their website, too. This is the last podcast in this series, but the Between The Lines podcast will return soon. The podcast is supported by The Executive Office and the Community Relations Council.  

In this episode of Between The Lines, Leanne Marshall talks to three women who work with communities and families in north Belfast. Geraldine O’Kane works in Whitewell Community Surgery, Maria McCaffery is with the Star Neighbourhood Centre, and Joan Totten North Belfast Alternatives.

This is the third episode of Between the Lines podcast, Gordie Walker. The Impact of Universal Credit Margaret Duffy from Newington Housing talks about the problems of Universal Credit and its effect on residents. Work and Pensions Secretary, Amber Rudd recently said that there was a direct link between the increased use of food banks and  problems with the  roll out the Universal Credit benefits scheme.  As you’ll recall from our first episode, we spoke with Newington Housing Association.  During this discussion, Conor was told by Margaret Duffy about how seriously this affected some of their tenants in the mouth of Christmas – and some of the lengths they had to go to assist single mothers and others in much need of their help. Conor Maskey met Margaret, Antony and Martin from Newington Housing. Youth Hubs We follow up with youth workers from North Belfast who have just returned from a study visit of Manchester and Liverpool looking at the development of youth hubs. At the start of January, 14 youth workers from North Belfast travelled to Manchester and Liverpool to look at youth work practice, buildings and services including super centres in Manchester and Liverpool. Gordie Walker met up with them in Artillery youth club to find out what they made of it. Super Sundays Ray Griffin from Duncairn Arts talks to us about Super Sundays and how Arts, Music and creativity are helping to create a shared safe space for North Belfast. Duncairn Centre for Culture and Arts in North Belfast is on the lower Antrim Road and once a fully functioning place of worship. The church has seen its share of good times and bad times and when the congregation numbers slipped, The Rev Bill Shaw and his committee came up with a new vision for the church building. The building is now home to some community orgs and has a thriving programme of arts and cultural events. Gordie spoke to Ray Griffin the Arts and Events Manager about Super Sundays. Music from Conor Caldwell Music this time comes from Conor Caldwell renowned composer and traditional fiddle player. North Belfast native, Conor Caldwell is a composer, fiddle player and researcher of Irish Traditional Music.  Conor took the small number of steps around the corner from his Rosemount Gardens home to the Between The Lines Studio to chat with us about his love for North Belfast and some of our city’s interesting, historical and significant inks to traditional music.  We were delighted that he brought his fiddle along too and gave us a taste of one of his own compositions.    Credits The production team were Leanne Marshall, Conor Maskey Cairan Shannon, Davy Sims and Gordie Walker.   The music is Our Big Adventure by Scott Homes --- from the FreeMusicArchvive.com

This is the second episode of the between the lines podcast with Gordie Walker. The response to episode one has been very positive, and we are delighted with the number of downloads and the listening figures. People have been listening from all over Ireland, UK, the USA and even China. Massive thanks from me and the whole team here at Between the Lines and a shout-out to our listeners in Shenyang. The Docker Poet In this episode we are talking to John Campbell local historian, former dock worker poet and writer.  John grew up in North Belfast in and around York Street and Shore Road. John worked as a docker when times were hard and poverty was rampant. John now reflects on those days through his writings and verse and I was delighted to host him here at Intercomm and share his reflections from those times More about John in this Belfast Telegraph article His publisher Lagan Press Life with and without walls Segregation barriers collectively referred to as ‘Peace Walls’ have blighted the landscape of North Belfast for almost 50 years. Many of these structures that were erected primarily to protect people and property, have now become redundant. Kate Clark, Gerry O’Reilly and others have been working with local residents in the Duncairn area for a number of years to get them to a point where they are ready to contemplate barrier removal or transformation. Kate and Gerry discuss the changes to two of these structures – the complete removal of one in North Queen Street and the physical transformation of another on Duncairn Gardens. Imagine Peace Walls Project Conor Maskey from Intercomm talks to Sarah Lorimer, Coordinator of the Imagine Peace Walls Project, about the research she has carried out around the history of just some of the barriers that separate people in the North of the City. More info from International Fund for Ireland’s website ” New anthology tells the personal experiences of interface residents” Shock Treatment Davy Treatment songwriter musician and performer. Davy  has played with the Peace Frog and others but now performs with his reworked version of Shock Treatment.  Davy has been in and around the Northern Ireland music scene for decades and we ask him along to the studio for a chat and a song Davy is the  second visitor to the BLTcast studio and he brought his guitar. There’s more about Shock Treatment on their Facebook Page andDavy’s Facebook page is here.

Welcome to the first episode of the Between The Lines podcast with Gordie Walker. The team have been out and about collecting stories that we believe are interesting and help showcase some of the work that is going on in the north of the city and further afield In This Episode Newington Housing Association formed in 1975. It manages nearly 700 homes in mainly Interface areas in North Belfast. As times have changed so too has Newington, broadening its role from simply meeting immediate housing needs, to meeting wider community needs and taking brave steps towards transforming and regenerating communities and resolving interface issues. Anthony Kerr from Newington Housing reflects on their work in reducing and confronting anti-social behaviour (ASB) and looks at how social and economic pressures are affecting their tenants. Shared History – Dr Eamon Phoenix As part of Intercomm’s Shared History programme Dr Eamon Phoenix invited 25 people from Ardoyne and Woodvale to talk about Belfast history. Among the places they visited were Rosemary Street Presbyterian Church and, were Gordie caught up with them, at Queens University. The legacy of The Walls Ciarán Shannon from Duncairn Community Partnership (DCP) takes with time Leanne Marshall to reflect on his life experiences before during and following the conflict. Joby Fox There’s music from Joby Fox, writer, musician, and performer. Joby has played with the Bank Robbers going on to perform with Bap Kennedy in Energy Orchard and pen the song Belfast. He was signed to EMI and was based in London always pushing the limits and sticking up for his home town. His new album is about to be released and the song I Love you will be available on 14th February Joby is the first visitor to the BLTcast studio and he brought his guitar. Credits The production team were Leanne Marshall, Conor Maskey, Cairan Shannon,  Gordie Walker and Davy Sims. If you want a story covered drop me an email to gordie@btlcast.com or podcast@btlcast.com The music is Our Big Adventure by Scott Homes — from the FreeMusicArchvive.com