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Centre for Democracy & Peace Building launch post EU Referendum programme to establish best outcome for NI

September 2, 2016/in News /by admin

The Centre for Democracy and Peace Building (CDPB) launched the next phase of their EU Debate NI Programme this morning with an event hosted by Ulster Bank.

Join us for the World Premiere of “Hazel: Made in Belfast” in New York’s Carnegie Hall

August 2, 2016/in News /by Eva Grosman

A key figure in the emergence of the Irish state is to be commemorated at a special concert in New York’s world famous Carnegie Hall later this year. Carnegie Hall […]

Centre for Democracy & Peace Building launch post EU Referendum programme to establish best outcome for NI

September 2, 2016/in News /by admin

The Centre for Democracy and Peace Building (CDPB) launched the next phase of their EU Debate NI Programme this morning with an event hosted by Ulster Bank.

Join us for the World Premiere of “Hazel: Made in Belfast” in New York’s Carnegie Hall

August 2, 2016/in News /by Eva Grosman

A key figure in the emergence of the Irish state is to be commemorated at a special concert in New York’s world famous Carnegie Hall later this year. Carnegie Hall […]

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Centre for Democracy & Peace Building launch post EU Referendum programme to establish best outcome for NI

September 2, 2016/in News /by admin

Establishing-the-Best-Outcome-for-Northern-Ireland-1 The Centre for Democracy and Peace Building (CDPB) launched the next phase of their EU Debate NI Programme this morning with an event hosted by Ulster Bank.

In partnership with Professor David Phinnemore and Dr Lee McGowan from Queen’s University Belfast, the Centre has produced a paper entitled “After the referendum: Establishing the best outcome for Northern Ireland”.

Following the decision of the UK to leave the EU, the paper explores where we are, the potential options for Northern Ireland and the issues that we must consider in NI as a result of this referendum.

Conor Houston, Programme Director at CDPB said “The decision of the UK electorate was to change the relationship between the UK and EU. That is why CDPB are continuing our important work with EU Debate NI. Now more than ever we need to have an informed and inclusive conversation across the private, public and community sectors to understand the practical implications of the decision to leave the EU and how to achieve an outcome that is in the interests of all people. This means carefully debating the kind of relationship we want to have with the EU and exploring new relationships with other countries around the world.”

He continued “CDPB acknowledge the support of the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust who have generously supported the EU Debate NI programme and without whom we would not have been able to continue our important work with this programme”.

CDPB are currently developing an online toolkit allowing interested individuals and groups to understand the issues and to help host events that allow communities to consider the kind of relationships they envisage with the EU.

Professor David Phinnemore told an audience from across the private, public and community sectors: “The outcome of the EU referendum has created considerable uncertainty about the future of the UK’s relationship with the EU. It has raised questions about how any new relationship will be negotiated and whether and how it can satisfactorily accommodate the interests and preferences of the people of Northern Ireland. There are many issues at stake and many unanswered questions. It is important that the range of challenges is fully recognised, solutions identified and the priorities for Northern Ireland effectively promoted such that the best possible outcome to the prospect of Brexit is secured.”

The paper is available to download at www.democracyandpeace.org/publications

Join us for the World Premiere of “Hazel: Made in Belfast” in New York’s Carnegie Hall

August 2, 2016/in News /by Eva Grosman

A key figure in the emergence of the Irish state is to be commemorated at a special concert in New York’s world famous Carnegie Hall later this year.

Carnegie Hall will be the setting for the world premiere of: “Hazel: Made in Belfast” which presents the untold story of Lady Hazel Lavery, wife of the famous painter Sir John Lavery who had an influential role in the Anglo Irish talks involving Michael Collins, David Lloyd George and Winston Churchill.

Lady Lavery helped build diplomatic links between key figures in the negotiations that led to the Treaty that created the Free State and let her home be used to host the historic Anglo Irish Conference on 1921.

This concert will be performed by the stunning young Irish soprano, Sarah Power making her New York debut, accompanied by the Irish violinist Aveen McEntee, leader of the Dublin Symphony Orchestra with Irish poet and script-writer, Terence Browne on piano. New York artist Gregory de la Haba narrates the most romantic, sacred, beautiful and historic Anglo-Irish-American story of all time.

Hazel a beautiful young American artist from Chicago was married to Belfast painter Sir John Lavery. Sir John had been commissioned by Justice Darling to paint him passing the death sentence for High Treason on Irish revolutionary, Sir Roger Casement. Hazel while sitting in the public gallery at the Court of Criminal Appeal in London with her husband decided then and there to seek to reconcile Ireland and England, which had been locked in apparent never-ending conflict for over seven hundred years.

Historians had for many reasons airbrushed Hazel out of the narrative of Ireland’s achievement of Independence, and the establishment of Northern Ireland in 1921, until Sinead McCoole published the first and only biography in 1996 entitled Hazel – A Life of Lady Lavery (Lilliput Press).

Although Hazel had been the icon representing Irish female beauty on Irish paper currency from 1927 until the introduction of the Euro, practically no one in Ireland knew of her central and pivotal role.

Hazel used her house in London to play informal host to range of celebrated figures and politicians and establish diplomatic links between them. On the evening of 5th December 1921, Hazel drove Michael Collins in her car to Downing Street where he signed the Treaty granting Independence to Ireland. And they say the rest is history…

To book tickets please go to: http://www.carnegiehall.org/Calendar/2016/10/16/0730/PM/Sarah-Power-Soprano-Terence-Browne-Piano-Aveen-McEntee-Violin/

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