Belfast Homecoming 2018
Inaugural Belfast Ambassador Awards Ceremony
The 2018 Belfast International Homecoming Conference was another major success. This year marked the 5th annual investment conference which brings together Irish and Scots Irish diaspora together for 3 days to celebrate mutual interests and priorities for business links between the United States and Belfast.
An annual attendee of the conference, I was particularly delighted with this year’s event as I had the honor of receiving an inaugural Belfast Ambassador Award, presented to 50 of the city’s “tireless champions from home and abroad”. The awards ceremony was the highlight of a gala banquet at the Europa Hotel which proved to be an amazing celebration of all things Belfast, bringing together old and new friends alike. It was an honor to meet Belfast Lord Mayor Deirdre Hargey (pictured below) who made substantive contributions to the city - in particular community programming and relations - during her tenure as Mayor.
I was joined by several friends from Boston who were also honored including my good friend Brian Golden a former MA state representative and current chief of Boston Planning and Development Agency, John Donovan, chair of the Boston-Belfast Sister City board, Boston immigration attorney John Foley, and my dear friend Mary Sugrue, CEO of the Irish American Partnership.
Group photo of the Boston delegation attending the 2018 Belfast Homecoming International Conference joined by Lord Mayor Deirdre Hargey and Laura Leonard, Chief of International Affairs for the Belfast City Council.
Legal symposium
The annual Legal Symposium has always been a favorite aspect of the Homecoming for me. This year I had the unique opportunity to attend part of the inquest into the Ballymurphy Massacre of 1971 as well as a critical court proceeding concerning in the Loughisland Massacre of 1994.
Ballymurphy
The inquest into the events surrounding the deaths of ten civilians in the Ballymurphy section of West Belfast finally began at the Belfast Coroner's Court in November 2018 - a shocking 47 years after the shootings in West Belfast. Over a period of 3 days in April of 1971, ten civilians were shot and killed at the hands of members of the 1st Batallion, Parachute Regiment of the British Army. The incident coincided with the launch of the "Demetrius Operation" which authorized internment without trial. Alleged persons of interest could be picked up, arrested and locked up without warrants and denied legal representation.
Meeting Mr. Pat Quinn, whose brother Frank (“Frankie” as Pat called him) was killed that day, was humbling to say the very least. He described in amazing detail the events of that day and how Frank’s decision to assist a priest who had been shot resulted in his own death. I won’t forget the candor and grace of Pat’s remembrance of his brother and how it was shared with a complete stranger from Boston.
We had the opportunity to discuss the case with Human Rights Solicitor Padraig O Muirigh (see below photo)
From left to right: Solicitor Padraig O Muirigh, Boston Attorney Deirdre Murphy, Boston Attorney Sean Moynihan and New Jersey Judge Francine Schott
Loughinisland
I also attended a High Court Challenge to quash a report which identified RUC (Royal Ulster Constabulary) collusion with loyalist paramilitaries who entered a pub in Loughinisland and killed six Catholic men who were watching the 1994 World Cup match. The challenge was brought by retired officers of the RUC. The judge's finding reversed a lower court's finding that the Police Ombudsman exceeded his legal authority in publishing findings on the Loughinsland massacre.
Mrs Justice Keegan said:
"This is a legacy case, involving the death of six people in circumstances where serious questions have been raised about police conduct.
There is an obligation to investigate such matters and a strong public interest to know the outcome."
– MRS JUSTICE KEEGAN
The conference concluded with a visit to the residence of the American Consul General to Belfast, Ms. Elizabeth Kennedy Trudeau who was an incredible host. Also in attendance was Carol Fitzsimons, CEO of Young Enterprise Northern Ireland. I had the good fortune to meet Carol during the 2016 Homecoming Conference and subsequently provided YENI with some legal work in the states. We formed the Friends of Young Enterprise Northern Ireland which is a registered non-profit 501(c)(3) in the United States to provide programming and financial resources to young entrepreneurs on both sides of the Atlantic. The board’s Chairman, Ciaran Sheehan was also honored as a Belfast Ambassador.
