On Thursday, May 17, 2012, I had the privilege of speaking at the Irish School of Ecumenics (ISE, Trinity College, Belfast) in North Belfast as part of the annual Community Relations Week activities in Northern Ireland. The talk was titled, "No more them and us' or an alternative Ulster?: Unionists, Loyalists, and Conflict Transformation."  

This visit had special meaning because students at Swarthmore College (my home institution) study at ISE as part of our Northern Ireland Semester study abroad program. Also, Joe Liechty and Cecelia Clegg's important work, Moving Beyond Sectarianism: Religion, Conflict, and Reconciliation in Northern Ireland, played an important role in Unionists, Loyalists, and Conflict Transformation in Northern Ireland.

Let me extend special thanks to Dr. David Toombs and Dr. Gladys Ganiel who made the visit possible.