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Belfast Telegraph
2 hours ago
- General
- Belfast Telegraph
UK government must provide certainty to Troubles victims, Sinn Fein says
John Finucane was commenting after he and party vice president Michelle O'Neill met Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn in Belfast to discuss legacy issues. Since taking office last year, the Labour government has pledged to repeal and replace some of the provisions of the contentious Legacy Act that was introduced by the last Conservative government, and bring forward a revised framework for dealing with cases linked to the Troubles. The Irish government has been involved in the process, and political leaders in Dublin have said intensive engagement is ongoing to see if a 'landing zone' can be arrived at in the coming weeks. The Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 halted scores of civil cases and inquests into Troubles deaths and also offered conditional immunity to perpetrators of conflict-related crimes in exchange for their co-operation with a new investigatory and truth recovery body. The Act was opposed by all the main political parties in Northern Ireland, the Irish government and many victims' representative groups. In 2023, the Irish government initiated an interstate legal case against the UK in the European Court of Human Rights, claiming the Legacy Act breached the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The case remains active, with ministers in Dublin wanting to see how Labour resolves its concerns over the legislation before any decision is taken to withdraw the action. Mr Benn's engagement with Sinn Fein on Wednesday was part of a round of discussions with the main Stormont parties. Alliance leader Naomi Long and deputy leader Eoin Tennyson also had a meeting at the NIO offices in Belfast city centre on Wednesday. The UUP held an online meeting with Mr Benn while the SDLP's discussions took place on Tuesday. The DUP will hold a meeting with the Northern Ireland Secretary at a later date. After the Sinn Fein meeting, Mr Finucane said there was a need for families to have a route to seek truth and justice. 'Today was an opportunity for us to reiterate and speak on behalf of those families that have been treated disgracefully by the Legacy Act and that have been left in limbo really since Labour came into government last July,' he told reporters. 'Those families who have had their inquests halted, those families who have uncertainty and who, after many years, still find themselves in a position where they don't know if they will receive truth and justice.' Mr Finucane said he and Ms O'Neill also raised the case of murdered GAA official Sean Brown. Mr Benn has applied for a Supreme Court appeal on judicial rulings in Belfast that compel him to establish a public inquiry into the 1997 murder by loyalist paramilitaries. Mr Brown, 61, the then-chairman of Wolfe Tones GAA Club in the Co Londonderry town of Bellaghy, was ambushed, kidnapped and murdered as he locked the gates of the club in May 1997. No-one has ever been convicted of his killing. Mr Finucane said: 'We made it very clear in the meeting that on behalf of Sean Brown's family that there needs to be a full public inquiry established and announced without any further delay. 'We talked about the fact that five High Court judges here have endorsed consistently the family's position and we criticised without any equivocation his (Mr Benn's) decision to take this family, to take Bridie Brown (Mr Brown's 87-year-old widow) and her family to London for an appeal.' Alliance leader Ms Long described her meeting with Mr Benn as 'constructive'. 'We're very conscious of the impact that the legacy process and lack of a formal and comprehensive legacy process has had on victims, and our priority in all of this is to ensure that victims' families' rights and needs are properly respected in that process,' she said. 'We're on record as having said that we don't believe that the Legacy Act as passed by the last government is fit for purpose, and the courts agreed with us in that regard. 'I would have preferred if that Legacy Act had been repealed and replaced (in full) and we have said that. However, that's not the space we're in, and so what we are doing now is trying to ensure that whatever the Secretary of State brings forward is a clean and fresh start in terms of how we deal with legacy and one that puts the victims at the heart of all that we do.' Ms Long, who is Stormont's Justice minister, said achieving 'consensus' on a new framework was key. 'We're not in that space yet, but I remain hopeful that there is a possibility we could be in that space, and I think that that would be the best outcome for everyone,' she said. 'This being a contested space where nothing progresses, where nothing moves forward, is not good for families. It's not fair on them that they are constantly at the whim of political change. What we need now is substantive progress.' Ahead of Wednesday's meetings, Mr Benn said the Government was committed to finding a system 'capable of delivering for all families who are seeking answers around the loss of their loved ones'. 'I am continuing to work with all of the Northern Ireland parties over what should be included in that legislation,' he said. 'It is important that new legacy arrangements are capable of commanding the confidence of families and of all communities.'
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
50th anniversary of Seamus Heaney's landmark collection on Troubles to be marked
The 50th anniversary of the publication of Seamus Heaney's collection North, which saw the poet directly address the Northern Ireland Troubles for the first time, is to be marked. A three-day conference at the Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen's University Belfast will bring together experts from around the world to discuss the significance of the Nobel laureate poet's landmark work. The event, in partnership with Trinity College Dublin, takes place from June 5-7 and will also mark the first anniversary of the Belfast venue. Poet Paul Muldoon will be among those taking part in the event at the Seamus Heaney Centre (Liam McBurney/PA) Heaney, who died in 2013, was one of the world's best known modern poets. Pulitzer prize-winning poet Paul Muldoon and Professor Edna Longley will be among authors, academics and poets discussing the significance of North 50 years on. There will also be a family friendly traditional music session and a screening of the documentary Heaney in Limboland, made for TV in 1970 and featuring Heaney's views on the rapidly deteriorating political situation in Northern Ireland. Upon publication in 1975, the American poet Robert Lowell said North represented 'a new kind of political poetry by the best Irish poet since WB Yeats' and the anthology went on to win awards including the Duff Cooper Memorial Prize and the WH Smith Memorial Prize. There is no understanding poetry from these islands in the past half century, without North. Heaney himself admitted the collection took a 'hammering' from other quarters, closer to home, for its representation of violence and gender politics. Many academics consider it to be a key moment in the evolution of Heaney from a significant Irish poet to a poet of international standing, culminating in his winning of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1995. Director of the Seamus Heaney Centre, Professor Glenn Patterson said: 'Whichever way you come at it, in admiration, in awe or in search of an argument, there is no understanding poetry from these islands in the past half century, without North. 'There are not many books, of any kind, that merit an 'at 50' conference, but North seems only to grow in significance with every year that passes, and with every year that passes to attract new readers, and new critical thinking.' The publication was such a seminal moment in my father's life and career The poet's daughter Catherine Heaney, said: 'We are proud and honoured that the 50th anniversary of North is being marked with this conference, alongside Faber's reissue of the volume in its original jacket. 'The publication was such a seminal moment in my father's life and career and it is testament to its staying power that, five decades on, it continues to resonate with readers and inspire scholarly debate.' Dr Stephen O'Neill from Trinity College Dublin said: 'Written under the strain of what Seamus Heaney called 'a very high pressure', North was a landmark in his writing career. 'It was and is also a landmark in criticism, as a subject for many of the leading critics of Irish literature then and now. 'Organised to coincide with Faber's anniversary republication of the volume, the conference is a chance to reflect upon the impact of Heaney's fourth collection and reassess its reception.' All events will take place at the Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen's. Attendance is free but registration is required.
BreakingNews.ie
3 days ago
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
50th anniversary of Seamus Heaney's landmark collection on Troubles to be marked
The 50th anniversary of the publication of Seamus Heaney's collection North, which saw the poet directly address the Northern Ireland Troubles for the first time, is to be marked. A three-day conference at the Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen's University Belfast will bring together experts from around the world to discuss the significance of the Nobel laureate poet's landmark work. Advertisement The event, in partnership with Trinity College Dublin, takes place from June 5th-7th and will also mark the first anniversary of the Belfast venue. Poet Paul Muldoon will be among those taking part in the event at the Seamus Heaney Centre (Liam McBurney/PA) Heaney, who died in 2013, was one of the world's best known modern poets. Pulitzer prize-winning poet Paul Muldoon and Professor Edna Longley will be among authors, academics and poets discussing the significance of North 50 years on. There will also be a family friendly traditional music session and a screening of the documentary Heaney in Limboland, made for TV in 1970 and featuring Heaney's views on the rapidly deteriorating political situation in Northern Ireland. Advertisement Upon publication in 1975, the American poet Robert Lowell said North represented 'a new kind of political poetry by the best Irish poet since WB Yeats' and the anthology went on to win awards including the Duff Cooper Memorial Prize and the WH Smith Memorial Prize. Heaney himself admitted the collection took a 'hammering' from other quarters, closer to home, for its representation of violence and gender politics. Many academics consider it to be a key moment in the evolution of Heaney from a significant Irish poet to a poet of international standing, culminating in his winning of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1995. Director of the Seamus Heaney Centre, Professor Glenn Patterson said: 'Whichever way you come at it, in admiration, in awe or in search of an argument, there is no understanding poetry from these islands in the past half century, without North. Advertisement 'There are not many books, of any kind, that merit an 'at 50' conference, but North seems only to grow in significance with every year that passes, and with every year that passes to attract new readers, and new critical thinking.' The poet's daughter Catherine Heaney, said: 'We are proud and honoured that the 50th anniversary of North is being marked with this conference, alongside Faber's reissue of the volume in its original jacket. 'The publication was such a seminal moment in my father's life and career and it is testament to its staying power that, five decades on, it continues to resonate with readers and inspire scholarly debate.' Dr Stephen O'Neill from Trinity College Dublin said: 'Written under the strain of what Seamus Heaney called 'a very high pressure', North was a landmark in his writing career. Advertisement 'It was and is also a landmark in criticism, as a subject for many of the leading critics of Irish literature then and now. 'Organised to coincide with Faber's anniversary republication of the volume, the conference is a chance to reflect upon the impact of Heaney's fourth collection and reassess its reception.' All events will take place at the Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen's. Attendance is free but registration is required.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
50th anniversary of Seamus Heaney's landmark collection on Troubles to be marked
The 50th anniversary of the publication of Seamus Heaney's collection North, which saw the poet directly address the Northern Ireland Troubles for the first time, is to be marked. A three-day conference at the Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen's University Belfast will bring together experts from around the world to discuss the significance of the Nobel laureate poet's landmark work. The event, in partnership with Trinity College Dublin, takes place from June 5-7 and will also mark the first anniversary of the Belfast venue. Heaney, who died in 2013, was one of the world's best known modern poets. Pulitzer prize-winning poet Paul Muldoon and Professor Edna Longley will be among authors, academics and poets discussing the significance of North 50 years on. There will also be a family friendly traditional music session and a screening of the documentary Heaney in Limboland, made for TV in 1970 and featuring Heaney's views on the rapidly deteriorating political situation in Northern Ireland. Upon publication in 1975, the American poet Robert Lowell said North represented 'a new kind of political poetry by the best Irish poet since WB Yeats' and the anthology went on to win awards including the Duff Cooper Memorial Prize and the WH Smith Memorial Prize. Heaney himself admitted the collection took a 'hammering' from other quarters, closer to home, for its representation of violence and gender politics. Many academics consider it to be a key moment in the evolution of Heaney from a significant Irish poet to a poet of international standing, culminating in his winning of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1995. Director of the Seamus Heaney Centre, Professor Glenn Patterson said: 'Whichever way you come at it, in admiration, in awe or in search of an argument, there is no understanding poetry from these islands in the past half century, without North. 'There are not many books, of any kind, that merit an 'at 50' conference, but North seems only to grow in significance with every year that passes, and with every year that passes to attract new readers, and new critical thinking.' The poet's daughter Catherine Heaney, said: 'We are proud and honoured that the 50th anniversary of North is being marked with this conference, alongside Faber's reissue of the volume in its original jacket. 'The publication was such a seminal moment in my father's life and career and it is testament to its staying power that, five decades on, it continues to resonate with readers and inspire scholarly debate.' Dr Stephen O'Neill from Trinity College Dublin said: 'Written under the strain of what Seamus Heaney called 'a very high pressure', North was a landmark in his writing career. 'It was and is also a landmark in criticism, as a subject for many of the leading critics of Irish literature then and now. 'Organised to coincide with Faber's anniversary republication of the volume, the conference is a chance to reflect upon the impact of Heaney's fourth collection and reassess its reception.' All events will take place at the Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen's. Attendance is free but registration is required.
Rhyl Journal
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Rhyl Journal
UK and Irish governments ‘working intensively' to find agreement on legacy
Tanaiste Simon Harris was commenting after a round of meetings with political leaders in Belfast on Monday. Mr Harris said he was engaging with Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn to see if it was possible to deliver a 'joint framework agreement' in the coming weeks. Since taking office last year, the Labour government in London has pledged to repeal and replace some of the provisions of the contentious Legacy Act that was introduced by the last Conservative government. The Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 halted scores of civil cases and inquests into Troubles deaths and also offered conditional immunity to perpetrators of conflict-related crimes in exchange for their co-operation with a new investigatory and truth recovery body. The Act was opposed by all the main political parties in Northern Ireland, the Irish government and many victims' representative groups. Mr Harris said the ongoing work with his UK counterpart was an attempt to move 'beyond the dark shadow and the huge pain caused by the Legacy Act'. 'I wanted to meet all of the political parties to get their sense of the way forward on legacy issues,' the Fine Gael leader said after Monday's meetings at Parliament Buildings, Stormont. 'I'm conscious this is an extraordinarily sensitive area, but I have been working intensively with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in recent months really to see if it is possible to find a landing zone that can allow the two governments to agree a framework in terms of legacy issues in the coming weeks. 'Listening to the parties today, of course, people have different perspectives, people come at this from different viewpoints (but) I do think they're all united in wanting to see a way forward for victims and their families. I think that's very genuine across all the parties. 'And I now, on the back of this, intend to continue to work with the Secretary of State, but also intend to continue to meet with and listen to victims groups. I met a number last week. I'll be meeting a number in the weeks ahead.' He added: 'I … want to move to an infrastructure around legacy that can provide all families with truth and justice in a way that simply hasn't been forthcoming so far. 'I'm very conscious when I meet with victims' families – and people are getting older now, I mean, you're talking to people who are in their 80s and their 90s – and they're desperately looking for answers and information that has been withheld from them or that they have been deprived of to date. 'This process, this peace process, has always worked best when the two governments pull together as co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement. 'And that's really where my focus is – on trying to see if there is a way to move beyond the dark shadow and the huge pain caused by the Legacy Act as it currently is, to a much higher terrain where there's an infrastructure around legacy that's human rights compliant, that's victim-centred, and that can provide confidence across the communities in Northern Ireland and across the island of Ireland.' In 2023, the Irish government initiated an interstate legal case against the UK in the European Court of Human Rights, claiming the Legacy Act breached the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The case remains active, with ministers in Dublin wanting to see how Labour resolves its concerns over the legislation before any decision is taken to withdraw the action. Commenting on the case on Monday, Mr Harris told reporters: 'The Irish government never wanted to be in a position where it had to take its nearest neighbour to an international court. 'We did so more out of sorrow than anger, because we could not find another mechanism to address issues. 'We explored every diplomatic and political channel available. And human rights matters, international law matters, and we felt it was important in support of victims and their families to take that case. 'Of course, if we get to a point of agreement – and we're not there – in terms of a framework, and if that agreement is then faithfully translated into legislation, of course, at that stage, I will engage with government colleagues in terms of deciding if the time is right to take a different course of action in relation to the interstate case. 'But the priority right now and the focus right now is to intensively engage with the Secretary of State to see if it's possible to have a joint framework agreement in the next number of weeks.'
