Ireland: Home of Halloween

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 27 October 2022 > Celebrate

Although these days people tend to think of Halloween as an American holiday, its origins are Celtic (brought to the U.S. by Irish and Scottish immigrants). Ireland wants to make sure that people know about its Celtic roots, and these videos and recipes are a great way to have your pupils discuss Halloween from a … Continue reading “Ireland: Home of Halloween”

Everything You Wanted to Know about Northern Ireland

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 26 May 2022 > What's On

An evening at the Irish Cultural Centre in Paris will provide lots of insights on Northern Ireland, a nation with a still fluctuating identity and status 101 years after its creation. Activist art, thought and song will all combine on 8 June. The Government of Ireland Act that came into force on 3 May 1921, … Continue reading “Everything You Wanted to Know about Northern Ireland”

Teaching with Films: Belfast

Posted by Speakeasy News > Monday 14 March 2022 > Webpicks

The trailer and the featurette for Belfast are both used in our Ready-to-use resource on the film. Trailer Featurette

Branagh’s Belfast

Posted by Speakeasy News > Monday 14 March 2022 > Ready to Use

Belfast is the story of nine-year-old Buddy growing up in the Northern Irish capital in a friendly, working-class community until the Troubles brutally disrupt his life in 1969. The film and these activities will help the students discover more about the Northern Irish conflict and its human consequences. It is actor-director Kenneth Branagh‘s most personal film … Continue reading “Branagh’s Belfast”

In the Streets of Belfast

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 04 March 2022 > What's On

Belfast is actor-director Kenneth Branagh‘s most personal film yet. It’s the story of nine-year-old Buddy growing up in Belfast in a friendly, working-class community until the Troubles brutally disrupt his life in 1969. Belfast is set in 1969, when what were called “the Troubles” went from protests to violent riots in the space of a … Continue reading “In the Streets of Belfast”

In Conversation with Kenneth Branagh

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 13 October 2021 > Webpicks

If you are studying Much Ado About Nothing with your LLCER students, or anything about the Troubles in Northern Ireland, you’ll want to download this long-form interview with actor-director Kenneth Branagh from BBC Radio 4. In the first of a new series called This Cultural Life, presenter John Wilson had a 45-minute conversation with Branagh … Continue reading “In Conversation with Kenneth Branagh”

Winning Films at Dinard

Posted by Speakeasy News > Monday 04 October 2021 > What's On

The Dinard British Film Festival is over for another year. But before it closed, the juries announced the winners of the various prizes. Here is a rundown. Limbo by Ben Sharrock won both the Hitchcock d’Or Ciné + and the feature-film audience prize. The film was selected for the 2020 Cannes Festival (which didn’t take … Continue reading “Winning Films at Dinard”

Get Your Fill of British Film!

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 29 September 2021 > What's On

The Dinard British Film Festival is a wonderful event, and this year you can enjoy it even if you can’t make it to Normandy between 29 September and 3 October. A large number of the films selected are also available to watch online. There are dozens of films, fiction and documentary, in categories such as … Continue reading “Get Your Fill of British Film!”

100 Years Ago: Northern Ireland Came into Existence

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 13 May 2021 > In the News

1921 has been described as a year of anniversaries in Northern Ireland, marking 100 years since the partition of Ireland which led to the creation of Northern Ireland. But nobody seems sure which dates to mark or celebrate, or indeed if they should be marked at all. A century after the border was created, and in … Continue reading “100 Years Ago: Northern Ireland Came into Existence”

Boris Johnson at Number Ten

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 24 July 2019 > In the News

Britain has a new Prime Minister. After a two-month voting process following Theresa May’s resignation, the Conservative Party announced the name of its new leader on 23 July. On 24 July the Queen invited Boris Johnson to form a government. The new government has just over three months to try to find a solution to … Continue reading “Boris Johnson at Number Ten”