Exhibition
Farhad O’Neill, the old familiar of The Linen Hall, returned to Belfast, after 17 years in his native Canada. The exhibition ‘A Life in Low Relief’ represents over twenty years of work in the genre of bas-relief (or low relief) carving.
The exhibition will feature a total of 76 bas-relief sculptures in bronze, as well as the original carvings, a video display of the sketchbooks for these works, and a specially curated slideshow of Farhad’s major commission of the Marian Doors for St. Michael’s Cathedral Basilica in Toronto.
1st – 24th February | Free
SCOTTISH ENLIGHTENMENT IN ULSTER
Talk
Some historians and enthusiasts talk and write about ‘The Belfast Enlightenment’ and they link this to the rise of the Society of United Irishmen (1792). But was there a ‘Belfast Enlightenment’ or should we think more broadly about the Scottish Enlightenment in Ulster?
In this talk, Nelson McCausland, the first chairperson of the Ulster-Scots Heritage Council, will provide an insight into that question.
Thursday 2nd February, 1 pm | Free
Talk
Farhad O’Neill is launching his exhibition ‘A Life in Low Relief’ with a talk that will highlight different aspects of his art. For over 30 years, Farhad’s work travels across and beyond culture and time. From the concept of memory as part of rhetoric in Jesuit efforts in China in the late 1500s and early 1600s translated visually into Irish and Christian context, impressions from diverse musical performances, sexual and gender identity, Catholic devotional practices, abstract expressionism based upon nature, eastern Zoroastrian influences.
Friday 3rd February, 1 pm |Free
THE LONELY PASSION OF JUDITH HEARNE
Talk
Join us for an illustrated talk with Hugh Odling-Smee that will look at the journey of Brian Moore’s 1955 novel, ‘The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne’. From the stellar success of the novel to the screen version’s disappointing release 34 years later, this story of artistic development stars Brian Friel, Katherine Hepburn, John Huston, Cannon Films and of course Brian Moore himself.
Wednesday 8th February, 1 pm | Free
ONE DAY AT A TIME: DAILY THOUGHTS TO HELP YOU COPE THROUGH A YEAR OF GRIEF
Talk
We all experience the death of someone close to us at different times in our lives and have to find our way through the pain of grief. We question whether we will ever cope with the burden of our loss. Feelings of sadness and tiredness along with feelings of anger, distress and bitterness may arise as we travel through our passage of mourning.
Join us for a conversation with Hilary Scott, author of ‘One Day at A Time’. Hilary is Chartered Psychologist, an Accredited Counsellor, and a widow. Her personal and professional experiences of loss have contributed to the knowledge base for her book.
Monday 13th February, 1 pm | Free
NI Science Festival
The global climate crisis has serious implications for the natural world, presenting a wide range of risks and opportunities for our land, infrastructure, and economy. The NI Science Festival Climate Tour will bring together a wide range of expertise, across a series of events that will support communities in understanding climate threats and strengthening efforts to address climate change at all levels of society.
Join us for a panel discussion facilitated by Kate Nicholl, the chair of the Climate Action APG for Northern Ireland.
Monday 20th February, 6 pm | Free
WOLFE TONE, THOMAS RUSSELL & BELFAST – THIS EVENT IS FULLY BOOKED
John Killen Memorial Lecture
This lecture on Wolfe Tone, Thomas Russell, and Belfast with Professor Marianne Elliott is dedicated to the memory of our dear friend and former colleague John Killen. John who served as Librarian at The Linen Hall Library for 37 years, passed last year. Join us at The Linen Hall to celebrate together the life and legacy of John Killen.
Tuesday 21st February, 6 pm | Free
PAUL MULDOON – THIS EVENT IS FULLY BOOKED
Reading
Paul Muldoon is regarded as one of Ireland’s greatest contemporary poets, known for the sophisticated handling of poetic form and technique. Born in Portadown in the 1950s, he served as the Oxford Professor of Poetry until 2004, when he relocated to New York where he lives. Muldoon holds a Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and a T. S. Eliot Prize among many recognitions of his work. In November 2022, he was appointed as the Ireland Professor of Poetry. Join the author of 14 collections of verse, for a reading from his work this February at The Linen Hall.
Friday 24th February, 6 pm | £7
The Linen Hall (Belfast Library And Society For Promoting Knowledge) is registered with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland NIC 104 564.
