A new series of portrait paintings by Colin Davidson captures the suffering and loss that marked the lives of ordinary people and their families during the period known as the Troubles in his Native Northern Ireland. ℘℘℘ Colin Davidson, 48, is known for his striking large-scale portraits of celebrities such as Brad Pitt (which hangs in the Smithsonian), Liam Neeson, and other … [Read more...] about Silent Testimony
Northern Ireland
Gerry Adams: A Period of Change
In 1991, Irish America magazine published one of the first interviews with Gerry Adams. (As far as we can tell, Playboy was the only other American magazine to interview Adams before that.) In March, of that year, as the 75th Anniversary of the 1916 Rising loomed and violence continued on both sides in Northern Ireland, Patricia Harty traveled to West Belfast to interview the … [Read more...] about Gerry Adams: A Period of Change
Arlene Foster is N.I.’s
First Female First Minister
Arlene Foster, the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, the largest political party in the Northern Ireland Assembly, officially began her tenure as First Minister of Northern Ireland in January, making her the youngest person, at 45, and the first woman to fill that position.
Foster has represented Fermanagh and South Tyrone in the Northern Ireland Assembly … [Read more...] about Arlene Foster is N.I.’s
First Female First Minister
Peter Robinson Steps Down as N.I. First Minister
Peter Robinson announced he is to step down as Northern Ireland First Minister and leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) just days after a new deal was struck to break a months’ long political deadlock in Stormont late November. Robinson, 67, told Northern Ireland newspaper the Belfast Telegraph that he will not contest next May’s assembly elections and will step aside … [Read more...] about Peter Robinson Steps Down as N.I. First Minister
Same Sex Marriage Wins Historic N.I. Vote
Making history in November, a majority of Northern Ireland’s Assembly members voted in favor of same-sex marriage for the first time. Fifty-three ministers supported the motion, while 52 voted against. But the motion was immediately blocked by the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) who submitted a “petition of concern” requiring that the proposal achieve a cross-community majority … [Read more...] about Same Sex Marriage Wins Historic N.I. Vote