Northern Ireland Executive Office Brussels

In December each year, the large area within the Schuman roundabout outside the European Commission is transformed by an illuminated marquee and plays host to a number of festive themed events over the course of a fortnight, aimed at connecting the European institutions and representative offices with the local community.

As part of the ‘Rond-Pont Schuman Lights Up’ programme, there is a night dedicated to a Christmas market with various national and regional offices presenting stalls to showcase their local produce. Alongside stalls from Malta, Austria and Hungary, among others, the Office enjoyed the opportunity to work with our colleagues from Scotland House and Wales House in presenting our regional delicacies to the Christmas market crowd.

Visitors to our stall were charmed by the sweet treats we had on offer – from the classic ‘Fifteens’ to moreish brownies. They also had the chance to make their own ‘mix-up’ with traditionally made sweeties and Yellowman from Northern Ireland. To wash it all down, we had some hot mulled cider from Armagh – a revelation to a continental crowd more familiar with its wine-based counterpart.

Of course, a Christmas market in Belgium wouldn’t be complete without a visit from Saint-Nicholas, and staff were lucky enough to get a picture with the big man himself!

As part of the Office’s ongoing collaboration with the Arts Council of Northern Ireland – The Brussels Platform – in November we presented the acclaimed poetry of Frank Ormsby and celebrated music of Anthony Toner to an audience of senior officials in Brussels.

Anthony and Frank collaborated early in 2018 on the lauded ACNI supported project ‘The Kiss of Light’, an album featuring poems read by Frank and instrumentals composed and performed by Anthony on guitar. The evening featured readings from Frank – by turns profoundly moving and laugh-out-loud funny – some of the beautiful instrumentals from ‘The Kiss of Light’, and a selection of stirring songs from Anthony’s extensive back catalogue.

The audience, including several Ambassadors, senior representatives from EU institutions, and key senior contacts and stakeholders from across Brussels, were charmed by Anthony and Frank’s easy camaraderie and unique talent. While enjoying the artists, the audience were also delighted to tuck into a menu presented by chefs Simon Dougan and Stephen Dowds of Yellow Door, and designed to celebrate the local produce and culinary flare of Northern Ireland.

Every year the European Week of Regions and Cities takes place over four days across Brussels, and with a programme of 300+ seminars and events, with 6000+ participants from Europe and beyond, it showcases the capacity of cities and regions to promote cohesion policy and economic growth, while proving the importance of the local and regional level for good European governance.

In October 2018, as part of the Committee of the Regions’ official programme, the Office established the Regional Partnership for Health Innovation – along with our colleagues in three other European regions – Podlaskie (Poland), Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes (France), and Umbria (Italy). Our partnership presented a panel discussion exploring each region’s journey in the field of personalised medicine, and was held in our office.

The Office was delighted to welcome back Professor Tony Bjourson, Director of the Centre of Stratified Medicine at the University of Ulster, to showcase to European colleagues one of the best practice models in the field. As well as speakers from each of our partner regions, the audience enjoyed a keynote speech from Dr Irene Norstedt, Head of the Personalised Medicine Unit at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation. The panel was moderated by Dr Pierre Meulien, the Executive Director of the Innovative Medicines Initiative, a public-private partnership between the European Union and the European pharmaceutical industry.

As well as developing our working relationships with our regional colleagues, the workshop proved a successful way of promoting Northern Ireland’s first class research capabilities. In order to be accepted on to the official programme of sessions, each session had to be selected from nearly 200 proposals – and this involved a public consultation. Our workshop featured as number 11 ‘most popular’ session in the consultation. We were also very pleased to register a range of stakeholders for the event, representing over 25 different regions and 13 different countries.

From left to right: Julien Balsen, Tony Bjourson, Mirosław Kwaśniewski , Lucio Caporizzi, Dr Irene Norstedt, and moderator Pierre Meulien.

In partnership with the Embassy of Ireland, Belgium, and the British Embassy Brussels, and with support from the European Federation of Associations and Centres of Irish Studies (EFACIS), the Office of the Northern Ireland Executive Brussels was pleased to host a panel discussion on ‘Female Lines: New Writing by Women from Northern Ireland.’

Andrew Elliott welcomes guests to the Office of the Northern Ireland Executive Brussels

In 1985, the Northern Ireland Women’s’ Rights Movement published ‘The Female Line’, as the first ever collection of literature from women writers from Northern Ireland. ‘The Female Line’ endeavoured to show the experiences and perceptions of women.

Published in 2017, ‘Female Lines’ is a follow-up anthology of writing from thirty-three female writers from, or with a connection to, Northern Ireland. Dr Dawn Miranda Sheratt-Bado co-edited the anthology alongside Belfast-born, awarding-winning author Linda Anderson. An academic specialist in Irish studies, Dawn has contributed to publications such as The Honest Ulsterman, amongst others. During discussions, Dawn described how she felt it was important to pay homage to the original publication, ‘The Female Line’ while exploring how life had changed for women of Northern Ireland post-ceasefires and after the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement.

Dr Dawn Miranda Sheratt-Bado shares her experience curating the anthology

Celia de Fréine writes across many mediums, working in both English and Irish. Ceannródaí, her biography of Louise Gavan Duffy, will be published in autumn 2018. Celia explained that, having spent much of her life moving back and forth across the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, her work is shaped by her feelings of belonging and disconnection.

Dr Margaret Ward is currently an Honorary Senior Lecturer in Queen’s University Belfast, and she is the author of a number of historical works, including ‘Unmanageable Revolutionaries: women and Irish nationalism’. Margaret told the audience how the study of women in Irish history has developed since ‘The Female Line’ was first published.

(L-R) Rosemary Jenkins, Dr Heather Richardson, Dr Margaret Ward, Celia de Fréine, Dr Dawn Miranda Sheratt-Bado, Annelies Beck

Poet, memoirist and short-story writer, Dr Heather Richardson, was born in Northern Ireland in 1964. She is currently working on a hybrid text and textile project ‘A dress for Kathleen’, which has received funding from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. Heather explained how emerging from the binary nature of conflict makes life less straightforward, and how that context is perfect for writers.

More information on ‘Female Lines’ is available from its publisher, New Island.

Rosemary Jenkins is a playwright and short story writer from Belfast whose works have been performed in Belfast, Dublin, London, Edinburgh, Washington DC, and New York. Rosemary spoke about the difficulties and opportunities of being a women writing about the complex society of Northern Ireland.

Belgian journalist Annelies Beck moderated the event with expert pacing and a skill developed from her years as a TV and Radio journalist in Belgium. Her probing questions stimulated lively discussions between the writers and audience members, and provoked thoughtful reflection on what it means to be a female writer in Northern Ireland today.