Corrymeela leadership change
Corrymeela leader Alex Wimberley is resigning to return to church ministry in the USA at the end of July after seven years in post, and a couple more before that also working for Corrymeela. A photo of him with the children of Ray and Kathleen Davey appears at https://www.flickr.com/photos/innateireland/55283530297/in/dateposted/ For more info including on Corrymeela’s decision making process on leadership, see https://www.corrymeela.org/news/276/thank-you-alex-corrymeela-leader
l The exhibition “Corrymeela – an unfinished journey towards peace”, on 60 years work, which was on display at the Linen Hall Library in Belfast now has a permanent home in the Croi at the Corrymeela Centre in Ballycastle and can be seen there. The Corrymeela archive is held at the Linen Hall Library. Current Corrymeela programme info and news can be read on their website at https://www.corrymeela.org/
Data centres cost €€€ as well as climate
Campaigning groups like FOE and Afri have been trying to publicise the climate cost of data centres for years – but now it is clear there is a huge financial cost for consumers as well. Households in Ireland (Republic) have paid an estimated €715 million more in electricity bills between 2015 and 2023 due to the rapid expansion of data centres in the country, a new report from Friends of the Earth finds; this equals €360 a household on average for 2015-2023. This total could rise to €1.6 billion over the next decade – and as FOE states “This is outrageous” and “Ordinary people in Ireland have effectively been paying a hidden data centre tax on their electricity bills.” The data centres industry disputes the figures. See https://www.friendsoftheearth.ie/news/the-cost-of-data-centre-growth-in-ireland-households-paid-an-estimated-715-million-more-in-electrici/
l FOE is currently, along with Client Earth and Friends of the Irish Environment suing the energy regulator, the Commission for the Regulation Utilities (CRU), over its recent decision which allows the data centre industry to expand further with only limited restrictions on fossil fuel usage. See https://www.friendsoftheearth.ie/
Afri ‘Famine’ Walk at Doolough: A road to remember, a call that remains
This iconic event is on Saturday 13th June this year, registration in Louisburgh, Co Mayo, from 10am where the opening ceremony will take place at 11am sharp before participants are bussed to Delphi Lodge to walk the 18 km back to Louisburgh (shuttle car will pick up those unable to walk the whole way). This event commemorates a real and tragic walk by starving people in 1849 but linking this with realities in the world today. See https://tinyurl.com/mtwaxz6e for more info and booking link. Walk leaders are Donnah Sibanda Vuma, Patrick Bresnihan, Moya Cannon and music by Declan O’Rourke. Participation fee €30, concessions €20, gathering sponsorship welcome.
INCORE: Seminar on racism in NI, disappearances conference
A year after race related rioting in Ballymena, INCORE is organising a seminar in Derry on the morning of 22nd June on “Racism, Intolerance and Misinformation: Conversations for Change”. This event aims to bring together community voices, practitioners, and researchers for a reflective and forward-looking discussion with input from some key people in the field concerned. See https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/racism-intolerance-and-misinformation-conversations-for-change-tickets-1990575079648?aff=oddtdtcreator for more info.
lThe INCORE annual conference will take place from Sunday 30th August to Tuesday 1st September in the Derry campus on a variety of aspects of forced disappearances including disappearances as a human rights violation and state responsibility for disappearances by non-state actors. It is being run in conjunction with the Journal of Disappearance Studies. The deadline for submitting papers has passed but booking is possible until close to the event, see https://www.ulster.ac.uk/faculties/arts-humanities-and-social-sciences/events/incore-annual-conference-2026 INCORE website is at https://www.ulster.ac.uk/incore
Irish solidarity with Palestine continues unabated
It would be impossible to describe in a small space the ongoing level of support for Gaza and Palestine from people in Ireland with regular and special activities around the country and also involvement for years in international flotillas sailing to Gaza (…and blockade breaking is a classic nonviolent tactic). Fourteen Irish citizens, including Margaret Connolly, a sister of President Catherine Connolly, were part of a large flotilla or flotillas recently and illegally hijacked in international waters with participants ill-treated in Israel before being deported leading to the Irish government – extremely belatedly – promising to bring forward the Occupied Territories Bill (covering goods but without inclusion of services). Word search and see also https://www.globalsumudflotilla.org/delegations/ireland/ The IPSC website https://www.ipsc.ie/ has lists of upcoming events (under ‘News’), an amazing list – or look out locally.
ICCL: 50 years fighting for civil liberties
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties is this year celebrating 50 years and will be marking the occasion in June with a major conference entitled “Fifty years of fighting or civil liberties: What next for democracy?” in conjunction with TCD School of Law. This will include the launch of the ICCL Strategic Plan for 2026-2029. See www.iccl.ie for current news and areas of work and concern.
Neutrality Roadshow online, video
After an amazing 47 meetings or seminars held by the Neutrality Roadshow around the country, one took place online and can be viewed at https://tinyurl.com/kxzvzth9 with speakers Fionn Wallace, Rory Rowan, Patrick Bresnihan, and Clare O’Connor acting as question master. This hour long video covers the main issues in relation to Irish neutrality in a very perceptive manner. See also https://keepirelandneutral.ie/ and the event was co-sponsored by World Beyond War Ireland https://worldbeyondwar.org/ireland/
Lex Innocentium: European Peace Manifesto
Lex Innocentium has again participated in the European Peace Project on the 9th of May, Europe Day, calling for peace and an end to hostility and wasteful militarisation; the Manifesto for Peace was read at the German War Cemetery at Glencree, close to the Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation, County Wicklow. See 14 minute video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q09nBiyTaG4 See also https://lexinnocentium21.ie/
Good Relations Week: Include everyone, everywhere, everyday
Good Relations Week in Northern Ireland is an opportunity for many groups to showcase their work in this area. This year it runs from Monday 12th to Sunday 18th October with the above theme. Registration is now open and can include workshops, exhibitions, discussions, performances, cultural events or community celebrations, in person, online or hybrid. More info at https://goodrelationsweek.com/get-involved/
Integrated education in NI
Integrated education in the North has moved from educating 0% of children 45 years ago to 8% today with a consistent majority of parents supporting it if not necessarily sending their Johnny or Seana to an integrated school, sometimes for reasons of geography. Estimates of its importance to a peaceful future vary wildly. A free access exhibition at the Linen Hall Library, Belfast, entitled “All Children Together and the story of integrated education in Northern Ireland” is on display until 9th July and looks at the story from its beginnings up to today. https://linenhall.com/event/all-children-together-and-the-story-of-integrated-education-in-northern-ireland-free-exhibition/ and more generally https://nicie.org/
SCI: Belonging beyond borders
The Social Change Initiative in partnership with Ulster University (UU) is organising a public lecture on ‘Belonging Beyond Borders: From Othering to Belonging in an Age of Division’ with Prof. john a. powell who is Director of the Othering & Belonging Institute at the University of California Berkeley and is one of the world’s leading thinkers on race, identity, and belonging. It takes place in the Belfast UU campus at 6pm on Thursday 11th June. https://www.socialchangeinitiative.com/ and booking at https://tinyurl.com/36d3sm3r
Chornobyl: Context and 40 years of CCI work
A new short video from CCI/Chernobyl Children International at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1o0RcJC5sI looks at what happened at Chornobyl 40 years ago, the ongoing effects, and CCI’s work to mitigate some of the effects of the disaster. CCI has continued to speak out about the effects and dangers of war in the area in releasing deadly radiation https://tinyurl.com/5cbtc2wf Meanwhile CCI are running their specially designed summer camps for children in the affected areas. More information, including about supporting CCI, at https://www.chernobyl-international.com/
Racism on the rise in the North
Statistics from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) show that police recorded 1,507 racist hate crimes and 2,367 racist incidents in the 12 months to the end of March 2026 – the highest annual figures since records began in 2004. As Amnesty International point out, “The figures represent a dramatic year-on-year increase, with racist incidents rising by 561 and racist hate crimes increasing by 320 compared to the previous 12 months.” Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty International’s Northern Ireland Director, said: “Racist violence is spiralling out of control in Northern Ireland. These shocking figures must be a wake-up call for political leaders.” https://www.amnesty.org.uk/latest/northern-ireland-year-hate-and-fear-racist-crimes-hit-record-high/ https://www.facebook.com/amnestyni/ See also Belfast Telegraph report https://tinyurl.com/yztahknm on Stormont committee discussion.
Military spending profligacy
The world spent $2.88 trillion on the military in 2025, an increase of 2.9% from the year before, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s (SIPRI). For details see https://www.sipri.org/publications/2026/sipri-fact-sheets/trends-world-military-expenditure-2025 and https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/4/29/five-charts-that-show-the-rise-of-global-militarisation
Cost of Growth film to be shown in Dublin
A variety of green or related groups have come together to show the Dublin premier of ‘The Cost of Growth’ documentary film in the Lighthouse Cinema, Dublin, at 6pm on Wednesday June 24th. There is a very reasonable admission fee. The film challenges Europe’s growth story by exposing the extractive systems it relies on and the communities that pay the price. See https://www.ticketsource.com/null/the-cost-of-growth-dublin-film-premier/2026-06-24/18:00/t-aazaeqr for booking. *It seems this event is sold out.
British security input to forming infamous NI Legacy Act
As The Detail details, “Minutes from a secret policymaking group involved in devising the Legacy Act reveal that attendees had close ties to security services and state agencies, despite the fact the act was supposed to investigate the state’s role in many killings.” https://www.thedetail.tv/articles/secret-group-security-services-devise-legacy-act-icrir The emergence of this info is courtesy of persistent sleuthing by Daniel Holder, director of CAJ https://caj.org.uk/
British Supreme Court ruling a knock back for human rights in North
A recent UK Supreme Court judgement in May on issues regarding the Windsor Framework, the ICRIR, and the 2023 Legacy Act and victims’ rights, has implications not just for victims but for other aspects of human rights in Northern Ireland. In particular it has handed the Secretary of State and government more power on what information it can withhold, but various aspects remain to be teased out. See https://www.amnesty.org.uk/latest/uk-supreme-court-judgment-a-bitter-blow-to-victims/ and https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn7pv5gj4xxo