Brian Pelan

Linen Hall Library launches Michael McLaverty Short Story Award 2025 - VIEWdigital By VIEWdigital journalist Emily Campbell The Linen Hall Library in Belfast has announced the launch of the Michael McLaverty Short Story Award 2025, celebrating and promoting excellence in short ficti...

Linen Hall Library in Belfast launches Michael McLaverty Short Story Award 2025 - viewdigital.org/linen-hall-l...

Sunflower bar event to raise funds for Gaza with a feast of Palestinian food - VIEWdigital By VIEWdigital editor Brian Pelan The Sunflower Bar in Belfast is set to serve up a range of Palestinian food at a fundraising event in solidarity with the people of Gaza. The event will run from 1pm ...

Sunflower bar event in Belfast to raise funds for Gaza with a feast of Palestinian food - viewdigital.org/sunflower-ba... - #Gaza #Palestine

Award-winning play on women’s hostel closure returns for major tour - VIEWdigital An award-winning and politically charged play about the forced closure of Belfast’s Regina Coeli hostel for women is returning to stages across the north following overwhelming demand from venues and ...

Award-winning play on women’s hostel closure returns for major tour - viewdigital.org/award-winnin...

“Something is stirring; something that could become very big – a citizens’ revolt against the propaganda of power. We fight for the day on which the pen beats the wallet.” - Great article George. Thanks for mentioning @viewdigital.bsky.social - www.VIEWdigital.org

Excellent event

Wheelchair user left stuck on the Glider settles disability case against Translink - VIEWdigital A wheelchair user, who was stuck several times on the Glider in Belfast after the ramp failed to come down, has settled her disability discrimination case against Translink for £7,500. Belfast student...

A wheelchair user, who was stuck several times on the Glider in Belfast after the ramp failed to come down, has settled her disability discrimination case against Translink for £7,500. - viewdigital.org/wheelchair-u...

Calls for ceasefire and an end to the genocide in Gaza at march to Stormont in Belfast yesterday - #ceasefire #Gaza #endgenocide

Film Review: Sorry, Baby - a warm and sensitive look at the aftermath of a sexual assault - VIEWdigital By VIEWdigital editor Brian Pelan There is one long camera shot in Sorry, Baby — comedian Eva Victor’s feature debut as a writer–director — which totally resonates because of its originality in convey...

Film Review: Sorry, Baby – a warm and sensitive look at the aftermath of a sexual assault - viewdigital.org/film-review-...

Warning issued that thousands of NI Housing Executive tenants could face an increase in rents - VIEWdigital By Donal McMahon, Local Democracy Reporting Servicer A Northern Ireland housing chief has called for “urgent” borrowing powers amid a stark warning that thousands of people could face a hike in rents....

Warning issued that thousands of NI Housing Executive tenants could face an increase in rents - viewdigital.org/warning-issu...

Urgent need for additional funding for social housing provision as NI homelessness numbers continue to spiral upwards - VIEWdigital The Department for Communities released the latest edition of its Housing Bulletin for April to June 2025 today. The statistics show that the number of households with homelessness status in Northern ...

Urgent need for additional funding for social housing provision as NI homelessness numbers continue to spiral upwards - viewdigital.org/urgent-need-...

VIEWdigital editor Brian Pelan survives his first choir rehearsal and lives to 'sing' about the tale - VIEWdigital To say I was nervous would be an understatement. It was a beautiful evening in Belfast, with the sun setting over the River Lagan, as I slowly approached St Joseph’s church in Sailortown at around 7pm...

After a disastrous choir rehearsal at school, I’ve always described myself as someone who can’t sing. A chance encounter with musical director Siobhan Brown led to an invite to come to Cairde Community Choir in Sailortown, Belfast, and try to give it a go again - viewdigital.org/viewdigital-...

Comment:  A mob beat up an Indian man. They stripped him of his clothes and his dignity. And yet, what stays with me most is how many people did nothing - VIEWdigital By Suleiman Abdulahi, Founder and CEO of Horn of Africa People’s Aid Northern Ireland (HAPANI)  A mob beat up an Indian man in Tallaght, County Dublin, last month. A group of 30 to 40 people stripped ...

Comment:  A mob beat up an Indian man in Dublin. They stripped him of his clothes and his dignity. And yet, what stays with me most is how many people did nothing , writes HAPANI founder Suleiman Abdulahi - viewdigital.org/comment-a-mo...

The murder of women is too often reported as isolated shocks, rather than part of a relentless pattern, says Nicole Devlin - VIEWdigital Nicole Devlin, (above), a PhD researcher, Churchill Fellow and violence prevention educator, and who lives in Belfast, says that much more effective action, including structural change, is needed to t...

PhD researcher Nicole Devlin says that structural change is needed to tackle the shocking levels of femicide in the wake of the horrific murders of Vanessa Whyte and her two children in County Fermanagh - viewdigital.org/the-murder-o...

NI Commissioner for Older People says vital age sector organisations need Government funding to survive  - VIEWdigital A new report launched today by the Commissioner for Older People for Northern Ireland, highlights the need for a more coordinated and better-resourced approach to supporting older people living here. ...

NI Commissioner for Older People says vital age sector organisations need Government funding to survive - viewdigital.org/ni-commissio...

Protestors bang pot and pans in Belfast city centre last night in solidarity with starving Palestinians in Gaza

Day of joy and celebration for mums and babies as Breastival celebrates its ninth year at Ormeau Park in Belfast - VIEWdigital Breastival, the award-winning summer family festival, is back for its ninth year on Saturday, August 2, at Ormeau Park, Belfast. Held during World Breastfeeding Week (August 1–7 ), the festival celebr...

Day of joy and celebration for mums and babies as Breastival celebrates its ninth year at Ormeau Park in Belfast - viewdigital.org/day-of-joy-a...

Mexican Dance Belfast is more than a performing group; it is a shared space where people from around the world are united through dance, tradition, music, and the joy of moving together, says Mayte Se... Mayte Segura, director of Mexican Dance Belfast, tells why she decided to set up a folk dance group in Belfast. Mayte was among the first participants on the VIEWdigital Community Journalism course Wh...

Mayte Segura, one of the participants on the VIEWdigital community journalism course, talks about her love and passion for dance and why she decided to set up Mexican Folk Dance in Belfast - viewdigital.org/comment-mexi...

COMMENT: Without long-term investment and a workforce plan that acknowledges the realities of job security, pay equity and leadership, the community/voluntary sector risks losing talent — especially w... The author of this article Dervilia Kernaghan, above, has spent much of her career in the community and voluntary sector and is interested in gender and leadership, addressing health inequalities and ...

COMMENT: Without long-term investment and a workforce plan that acknowledges the realities of job security, pay equity and leadership, the community/voluntary sector in Northern Ireland risks losing talent — especially women - viewdigital.org/comment-with...

Comment: Mark Cousins - 'There is currently a severe lack of available support for autistic adults' in Northern Ireland - VIEWdigital Disability rights activist Mark Cousins, who works in Open Arts as a Communications and Development Assistant, says that his experience with every single service aimed at helping him to navigate his a...

Comment: Mark Cousins – ‘There is currently a severe lack of available support for autistic adults’ in Northern Ireland - viewdigital.org/comment-mark...

Group short of trainers and participants at the Community Journalism Project course, June 2025

I'm recruiting for participants in a new Community Journalism Project in #Belfast. The free course, funded by @tnlcommunityfund.org.uk , aids #diversity and #inclusion in the #media. Migrant woman and disabled people co-create for @viewdigital.bsky.social . More: viewdigital.org/comment-givi...

A young Sudanese woman tells of the challenges she faces in Belfast and her dreams and hopes for the future - VIEWdigital Maha Al-Hakimi from Yemen, above, was among the first participants on the recently-started VIEWdigital Community Journalism course. She has written this article about a mother and daughter from Sudan ...

A young Sudanese woman tells of the challenges she faces in Belfast and her dreams and hopes for the future - viewdigital.org/a-young-suda...

Tales of the unexpected at charmingly renovated €480k Lisgoold home Honouring the past and planning for the future were key motivations at this beguiling property

A friend of mine and her partner are selling their house in County Cork. I’ve stayed in it and it really is beautiful. Check it out if you like the idea of a rural life but just a half-hour commute from Cork city - Contact Hegarty Properties at 021 4639411 -
www.irishexaminer.com/property/res.... -

Comedy night to raise funds for integrated education in Northern Ireland - VIEWdigital A number of well-known comedians will take to the stage at the Ulster Hall in Belfast this October in support of integrated education in Northern Ireland. Tim McGarry, Wendy Wason and Colin Murphy are...

Comedy night to raise funds for integrated education in Northern Ireland - viewdigital.org/comedy-night... - @iefni.bsky.social

CATU urges support for all-island housing protest rally in Dublin - VIEWdigital An all-island housing demonstration organised by Community Action Tenants Union (CATU) will take place on Saturday, July 5, in Dublin city centre. The protest at the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin at...

CATU urges support for all-island housing protest rally in Dublin - viewdigital.org/catu-urges-s...

Rural Community Network tells of its 'deep concern' after judge rules against A5 road scheme - VIEWdigital The Rural Community Network (RCN) has expressed its deep concern following yesterday’s High Court’s decision to quash the latest approval for the long-awaited A5 upgrade. RCN has called for a redoubli...

Rural Community Network tells of its ‘deep concern’ after judge rules against A5 road scheme - viewdigital.org/rural-commun...

All eyes on Belfast as annual photo festival transforms public spaces with over 30 exhibitions - VIEWdigital Belfast Photo Festival is now up and running, transforming public spaces across the city and beyond into a living gallery with more than 30 exhibitions from homegrown and international photographic ta...

All eyes on Belfast as annual photo festival transforms public spaces with over 30 exhibitions - viewdigital.org/all-eyes-on-...

Vote for VIEWdigital at the Bank of Ideas in Belfast City Hall on June 29 - VIEWdigital We need your vote at Belfast City Hall on Sunday, June 29, at the Bank of Ideas. We want to create a reimagined newsroom on Belfast’s very own ‘Fleet Street’, modern-day Royal Avenue, once the beating...

Vote for VIEWdigital at the Bank of Ideas in Belfast City Hall on June 29 - viewdigital.org/vote-for-vie...

REVIEW: 28 Years Later – A Brexit vibe as we enter a 'Heart of Darkness' where alpha zombies run wild - VIEWdigital By VIEWdigital editor Brian Pelan The opening scene in 28 Days Later (2002) was visceral filmmaking at its best, introducing us to the Rage Virus and its devastating effects on humans. This hit film, ...

REVIEW: 28 Years Later – A Brexit vibe as we enter a ‘Heart of Darkness’ where alpha zombies run wild - viewdigital.org/review-28-ye... - showing at Queen’s Film Theatre, Belfast, until July 3

REVIEW: Jane Austen Wrecked My Life – A funny, touching story with more style than substance - VIEWdigital By VIEWdigital reviewer Conor Pelan A touching story about a ‘wilting old woman’ wannabe writer, Agathe Robinson, played by Camille Rutherford, who likens herself to Anne from Jane Austen’s Persuasion...

REVIEW: Jane Austen Wrecked My Life – A funny, touching story with more style than substance - Screening at Queen’s Film Theatre, Belfast - viewdigital.org/review-jane-...