The President Dr Ian Adamson OBE
& the Directors of the Ullans Academy
Invite you to the
INTER-COMMUNITY COLUMBANUS EVENT
Promoting Common Identity
On Friday 21st November 2014
The purpose of the event was to
Speakers
The Lord Mayor of Belfast Nichola Mallon
Dr Ian Adamson OBE
Dr Ruairí Ó Bléine
RSVP by 17th November 2014 to
John Laverty – john.laverty@oadi.co.uk or 07880 504742
Venue: Lord Mayor’s Parlour, Belfast City Hall
Dress Code: Smart Casual
Time: 11am – 12md
- 10.45am – Ullans Academy Directors waiting to meet and greet guests. Tea & Coffee will be available on arrival
- I1.00am – Dr Ian Adamson OBE will welcome the Lord Mayor and introduce to guests
- 11.10am – Dr Ian Adamson will give a brief background on Columbanus and highlight work to date within the community on Columbanus particularly by Farset Youth Group and the Ullans Academy.
- 11.30am – Dr Ian Adamson will introduce Dr Ruairí Ó Bléine to highlight the work on Columbanus by the Ullans Academy
- 11.40am – Dr Ruairí Ó Bléine will present photograph and booklet from ‘Feast of Columbanus’ Event 2013 to Lord Mayor
- 11.45am – Dr Ian Adamson will ask the Lord Mayor to say a few words
- 11.55am – Dr Ian Adamson will make concluding remarks and there will be an opportunity for photographs
- 12 MD – Event concluded
The Ullans Academy were delighted to meet the Lord Mayor of Belfast along with representatives from the Columbanus Working Group, local bikers (Columbanus is the Patron Saint of bikers) and inter community groups from Belfast, Greater Belfast, North Down and North Antrim in the Lord Mayor’s Parlour in Belfast City Hall on Friday 21st November 2013.
Photograph below: Helen Brooker, Pretani Associates, Event Organiser, Hazel Francey and Peter Lismore holding presentation, Dr Ian Adamson, Dr Ruairí Ó Bléine.
President Dr Ian Adamson OBE of the Ullans Academy introduced the event by explaining “Columbanus is only one example of someone who represented Common Christianity which lies at the basis of much of our tradition, based as it is on the old Common Church present in the British Isles centuries before Patrick”
Columbanus was born in Ireland in Leinster, was a disciple of Comgall of the Cruthin at Bangor, Co Down. In 589 he left Bangor Monastery for Europe to embark on one of the most remarkable journeys in European history.”
Then Dr Ruairí Ó Bléine highlighted some of their work to date within the community on Columbanus such as the Steps of Columbanus by Farset Youth Group and the “Feast of Columbanus” by the Ullans Academy.
The main events were
- 23rd November 2010 in the Park Avenue Hotel, East Belfast – with speeches by President McAleese and the Lord Bannside,
- 23rd November 2011 in the Clarion Hotel, Carrickfergus – with speeches by HRH the Duke of Gloucester and the Lord Bannside
- 21st November 2013 – with speeches by Michael D Higgins and the Lord Bannside
- 21st November 2014 in the Lord Mayor’s Parlour – to raise awareness that preparations are under way to commemorate the 1400th anniversary of the death of Columbanus.
A photograph and Booklet which had been presented to the President of Ireland and the late Lord Bannside at the Ullans Academy “Feast of Columbanus event in the City Hall on Thursday 21st November 2013 were presented to the current Lord Mayor Nichola Mallon.
The Lord Mayor responded by saying “I would like to thank the Ullans Academy for their presentation reflecting their highly successful ‘Feast of Columbanus’ event in the Belfast City Hall on 21st November 2013. An event at which the President of Ireland said how “the Ullans Academy seeks instead to use identity as an instrument to promote mutual understanding and to explore the many aspects of our history and heritage – such as Columbanus – that we share in common”
It is my hope that by promoting a broader perspective to our rich cultural heritage will continue to grow creating a strong sense of belonging for all communities. It is a testament to Columbanus that in the twenty-first century his vision and memory are still powerful enough to bring people together.
As the Lord Mayor of Belfast I am delighted to launch this year of events concerning the life and work of Columbanus who left Bangor Monastery to re-evangilse Western Europe when Christian virtue had almost disappeared with the decline and fall of the Roman Empire.
In the words of Pope Pius XI :”The more light that is shed by scholars in the period known as the Middle Ages the clearer it becomes that it was thanks to the initiative and labours of Columbanus that the rebirth of Christian virtue and civilisation over a great part of Gaul (France), Germany and Italy took place.”
I wish the community every success for their planned Columbanus inter-community event which will take place next November 2015 to commemorate the 1400th anniversary of Columbanus’s death.
President Dr Ian Adamson OBE of the Ullans Academy concluded by saying “This inter-community Columbanus event was very important to highlight to the people of Northern Ireland that preparations are now underway across Europe to commemorate the 1400th anniversary of the death of Columbanus. A figure who should inspire and make all people on the island of Ireland very proud of their history”
It was confirmed by Dr Ian Adamson OBE that preparations were now underway for an inter-community Columbanus Event for November 2015 in Bangor. Details of the event will be released in the New Year.
The Ullans Academy would like to thank the Lord Mayor of Belfast for her support for the work of the Ullans Academy. It is an Academy that always aims to promote a broader perspective to our rich cultural history.
History of the Academy
The Ullans Academy is a company Ltd by guarantee and Directors work in a voluntary capacity. The board is drawn from the local community and have a wide range of skills and experience in community development, business and academia.
The Ullans name was chosen as it was felt the name was inclusive and neutral. It is a neologism combining Ulaidh, the Irish Gaelic name for Ulster and Lallans, the name used by Robert Burns and Robert Louis Stevenson for the Scotch language. It can also be used as an acronym for Ulster Language, Literature And Native Speech, thus encompassing all languages and traditions in Ulster and the island of Ireland. In essence the Ullans name promotes the common identity of all our people.
The Academy was established in 1992 with the idea that bringing people together through their shared cultural heritage would raise awareness of those things that bind us together rather than divide us and thus foster a sense of mutual tolerance and respect. The Academy recognises that much still needs to be done and that it is essential to continue to develop stronger inter-community relationships.
The Academy hosts two annual events to mark St Patrick’s day and St Columbanus. The Academy has recently successfully completed a short series of lectures on key historical topics in Belmont Tower and an Culturlann.