Northern Ireland’s 2016: Approaching the contested commemoration of the Easter Rising and the Battle of the Somme
Dr Marie Coleman and Dr Dominic Bryan (QUB) The centenaries of the Easter Rising and the Battle of the Somme will be commemorated in Northern Ireland in 2016. These two events have important historical and political resonance with the nationalist and unionist communities respectively. The significance of such anniversaries is recognised in the Northern Ireland Executive’s community relations strategy document, ‘Together: Building a United Community’: ‘The decade we have just entered will include a number of potentially sensitive anniversaries which we cannot ignore within the context of this Strategy. The events of our past will inevitably have economic and social
A pension for those seriously injured during the Troubles: Repairing the past
Dr Luke Moffett (QUB) Victims who have been seriously injured during the Troubles/conflict in and around Northern Ireland have often been forgotten in redressing their daily suffering when dealing with the past. Many continue to live with debilitating injuries and chronic pain, facing financial insecurity and failing health as they enter old age. A pension for seriously injured victims has been suggested in the Stormont House Agreement, to alleviate their continuing suffering. To bring this into law, a current private member’s bill aims to secure a pension for those seriously injured through the Northern Ireland Assembly. This presentation seeks to