After crossing the EU-UK border, the bus from Dublin Airport dropped me off at Belfast’s sleek and spacious Grand Central Station, which became the largest ground transportation hub on the island of Ireland when it opened this past year.  Treating myself to a flat white and toastie from Pret a Manger and sweets from Marks and Spencer’s (my not-so-guilty pleasures), I rubbed my eyes, bleary from the long overnight journey from New Jersey, as I saw passengers from all over the island criss- cross to their next destination.

In some ways, this was so different from the Belfast I knew. Even just a year ago, when I was wrapping up a Fellowship at the Corrymeela Community – a peace and reconciliation centre on the north coast of Ireland – this station had not opened, much less two years ago, when I had finished a Master’s in Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation through Trinity College Dublin’s Irish School of Ecumenics.  But when I stepped out into the Sandy Row neighbourhood – where British flags hung and pallets were being built in preparation for the bonfires commemorating the 12th of July – I realised I was back in the Belfast I had studied.  And while I marvelled at what seemed like peace and stability in Northern Ireland (at least compared to what I have seen as the worsening polarization and tension in the United States), news reports about riots against immigrants up the road in Ballymena made me realise that no society is immune from the sicknesses of xenophobia and violent conflict.

So while I was no stranger to the quirks and cultures of this corner of the world where Britishness and Irishness converge, I was struck by both nostalgia and novelty – or in other words, of foreignness and familiarity.  I found a sense of belonging at a different kind of a junction – the Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice, which I appreciate not only as a convener of critical interdisciplinary research, but also as my generous host for the past month as a visiting student.  Having met Professor Cheryl Lawther – my wonderful supervisor for the month – and Damien – my kind counterpart in this exchange programme between Queen’s University Belfast and Notre Dame’s Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies (KNI) – when they had visited Notre Dame earlier this year, I felt honoured to be a part of the bridge between the two institutions.

While I felt privileged to be able to work in the Mitchell Institute’s office space and engage with members of the community, a café across the street served as the default space for meetings (some planned, some more spontaneous).  This establishment was fittingly called the Junction – the place where multiple roads meet and merge. 

Thanks to the guidance of Professor Lawther, I was able to update and complete a manuscript from my research on civil society oral history practitioners’ perceptions of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act, which had passed into law since I had started the project for my MPhil dissertation two years ago.  I also benefited from the opportunity to speak with experts at the Mitchell Institute who informed my understanding of legacy issues, such as Professor Kieran McEvoy, Professor Louise Mallinder and Professor Dominic Bryan, as well as access resources from the Queen’s McClay Library and the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI).

Though I had expected the summer to be a relatively quiet time for the university (with more sun than I ever expected and roses blooming in Botanic), Queen’s hosted an incredible array of speakers while I was there.  I was captivated by the dynamism and wisdom of Professor Cynthia Enloe, who gave a lecture in a packed Larmor Lecture Theatre hosted by the Mitchell Institute and was part of the British International Studies Association (BISA) 50^th Anniversary Conference.  I was delighted to see Dr Liridona Veliu Ashiku there and ended up having a wee KNI gathering the following morning along with Dr Susie Deedigan!

On a rainy evening under the magnificent ceilings of the Graduate Building, I was inspired by a presentation from John Noltner, a photographer who shared about his journey capturing reflections on hope and peace across the island of Ireland and the United States for a project called A Peace of My Mind.  When I told John that I have been working on oral history practice and research, he allowed me to join him for his final photo shoot and interview in Belfast.

Along with Damien and other friends, I attended an event called Borderlands (organized by Jonny Clark from Corrymeela), which features speakers and performers on a different theme every month.  Fittingly enough for June, it was on the theme of Remembering.  I was able to hear from experts and practitioners who have been long involved with addressing the legacy of the Troubles such as Professor Kieran McEvoy, a conversation between Jo Berry (whose father was killed in the 1984 Brighton Bombing) and Pat Magee (a former member of the Irish Republican Army who killed Jo’s father), and Cate Turner from the organisation Healing Through Remembering (for whom I had interned as a Master’s student).

Cate told me that while it is special to be able to meet someone once, it is even more meaningful to see them again and again – even running into them at an event or on the street.  Thus, it was remarkable to not only hear Jo and Pat’s story of forgiveness and reconciliation, but also to learn that they have come together hundreds of times since the bombing to speak to each other and share their testimony with others.  Thanks to Cate, I was able to present my research and activities to members of Healing Through Remembering’s Stories Network, whose positive feedback gave me a sense of confidence and connection. 

While my primary focus for the month was my research project, I was also glad to be able to chat with scholars I admire, such as Mitchell Institute Fellow's Professor Gladys Ganiel and Dr Rin Ushiyama.  And I certainly didn’t forget to have a bit of craic, from dancing the Waves of Tory at a ceilidh to mustering the courage to play cello in an Irish traditional music session for the first time (details of which need I will save for a storytelling event).  I was also struck by the cultural diversity of Belfast, as I attended an event on Ulster-Scots poetry and song at the Linen Hall Library, joined my Sikh flatmate at the Gurudwara in North Belfast, and enjoyed excellent Somali, Ukrainian, and Venezuelan cuisine around the city (as well as happening upon some truly scrumptious pizza at Charlie’s on the Ormeau Road on a night when Charli XCX happened to be performing).

After hopping on the bus from Grand Central Station and crossing another threshold – US border preclearance at Dublin Airport – I feel so grateful to the Mitchell Institute – particularly Professor Ganiel, Dr Tristan Sturm, and Mitchell Institute Director Professor Richard English – and the Keough-Naughton Institute – especially Dr Grainné McEvoy, Peter Boyle, and Professor Colin Barr – for the opportunity to participate in this exchange programme.  Most of all, I would like to thank Dr Wendy-Louise Smith, whose warmth and care from my first day to my last I will long cherish.  

I look forward to returning to South Bend in the fall, not only rejuvenated by my month of enriching insights and serendipitous encounters at Queen’s but also inspired to continue my engagement with the island of Ireland – perhaps through a comparative lens with the diaspora, division, and reconciliation of the Korean Peninsula.

This experience was made possible by the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies Visiting Summer Scholar Award to visit Queen’s University Belfast.  The Award is part of the Queen’s University Belfast – Notre Dame Strategic Partnership which aims to create international research and education linkages and collaboration.

Paul Lee

Paul Kyumin Lee is a PhD student in peace studies and sociology at the University of Notre Dame. He is primarily interested in the transmission of intergenerational trauma and memory.  Paul earned an MPhil in Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation at Trinity College Dublin's Irish School of Ecumenics through the support of the US-UK Fulbright Commission and graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor’s in political science.

He has worked with various peacebuilding organizations, including the Corrymeela Community, the United States Institute of Peace, Seeds of Peace Camp, and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

With my supervisor Professor Cheryl Lawther outside the Junction

A wee KNI reunion outside the Mitchell Institute

Listening to John Noltner’s presentation on a Peace of My Mind at the Queen’s Graduate School

With Damien, fellow participant in this exchange programme between the Queen’s University Belfast and the Keough-Naughton Institute 

Listening to Professor Cynthia Enloe’s talk (moderated by Professor Marsha Henry)

Borderlands event on Remembering at the Black Box Theatre