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

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 aff

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

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 Be

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 plac