by Dr Johnston McMaster In August 2026 Belfast experienced Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann. The city had eight days of cultural and musical festival. Nothing like it had happened in Belfast before. The Belfast Harp Festival of July 11-14, 1792, a three-day cultural event that brought together ten elderly and blind harpers and one Welsh harper, giving new life to a dying harping tradition, was landmark. But eight days from 2-9 August 2026 was landmark and off the planet! Belfast h

By Norman Richardson The initial ‘lessons from Northern Ireland’, about which I’ve been asked to speak, relate in the first instance to how education has attempted to deal with issues around our local divided society, often simplistically described as a conflict between ‘Protestants and Catholics’, but they also relate no less to the wider cultural diversity that has been an increasing feature of that jurisdiction, especially since the late 1990s. In the early 1970s, when Nor

Dublin City Interfaith Forum | 15 September 2026 On Tuesday, 15 September 2026, Dublin City Interfaith Forum (DCIF) convened its Annual Peace Conference in the Oak Room at the Mansion House, bringing together more than eighty faith leaders, community organizations, statutory partners and young people under the theme Building Safe and Resilient Communities. What emerged over the course of the day, through keynote address, practitioner testimony, a film screening, and a partici

DUBLIN CITY INTERFAITH FORUM PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 14 September 2026 Dublin City Interfaith Forum to Host Annual Peace Conference 2026 at the Mansion House, Focusing on Building Safe and Resilient Communities Faith leaders, civic institutions, An Garda Síochána, youth organizations and community groups to gather on 15 September to address racism, polarization and community safety DUBLIN, 4 September 2026, The Dublin City Interfaith Forum (DCIF) will host its An

The Annual Interfaith Pilgrimage 2026 proved to be a truly special and memorable journey of faith, friendship, nature, history, and shared discovery. Organized by the Dublin City Interfaith Forum (DCIF) in partnership with the Northern Ireland Interfaith Forum and Turas Columbanus, this year's pilgrimage brought together participants from diverse faith traditions and backgrounds for a day of walking, reflection, conversation, and fellowship through the beautiful borderlands o

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE The Dublin City Interfaith Forum (DCIF) expresses its profound shock and unequivocal condemnation following today's apparent arson attack on the Al Madinah Islamic Centre on Talbot Street, Dublin. This appalling attack on a place of worship has deeply saddened all those who value peace, mutual respect and religious freedom. The incident is particularly distressing as it comes shortly after three men pleaded guilty before the Special Criminal Court to ter

Op ed by the Archbishop of Dublin, the Most Revd Dr Michael Jackson for The Mail on Sunday, 28 December 2025. 29.12.2025 Language itself is a fascinating Aladdin’s cave of expression, of understanding and misunderstanding as well as a tremendous way of connecting people together. It is quite amazing how things can change overnight. Take, for example, the way in which The President has foregrounded the Irish language. I hear more and more people conversing in Irish on the stre

Monday, 15 December 2025 The Dublin City Interfaith Forum stands in solidarity with the families of the victims who have been affected by the recent horrific acts of violence against the Jewish community in Sydney, Australia. We extend our deepest condolences to all those mourning the loss of loved ones and those grappling with fear and insecurity in their daily lives. The increase in antisemitic acts, violence, and hate speech, reflects a troubling trend that cannot be igno

An Interfaith Statement on the eve of COP30 in Brasil As COP30 takes place in Belem, Brazil in the next couple of weeks, we invite the Irish people to pray in solidarity with those attending and participating in COP30. The COP is an opportunity for high-level engagement in addressing the climate challenges that face humanity and all life-forms on the planet. We call for commitments that protect the planet, for strategies that demonstrate a fair, fully funded phase-out of foss