Heritage Symposium Archives

I was fortunate to attend the LGBTQIA+ Heritage Symposium 2024, at Queen’s University Belfast. Queens University the hosts, granted the community the opportunity to use the esteemed Canada Room.

Cara-Friend has expressed it’s heartfelt thanks to all the speakers and audience members who attended the LGBTQIA+ Heritage Symposium.

This symposium gathered a diverse group of academics, heritage institutions, LGBTQIA+ community workers, artists, students, and volunteers dedicated to preserving and exploring LGBTQIA+ heritage.

The Lord Mayor of Belfast, Cllr. Micky Murray also attended and actively engaged with everyone in attendance.

This event was part of the ‘Founding Cara-Friend: Preserving At Risk LGBTQIA+ Heritage Project,’ which has received generous funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund Northern Ireland for £24,900.

This funding will empower Cara-Friend to safeguard at-risk heritage related to its inception in 1974 and the crucial early years of the charity during the 70s and 80s.

Linked in this article are the three panels that ran as voice recordings (next time I will be better prepared), and also are photographs that I took during the symposium.

I would welcome any comments and observations that you have, as I am sure the Cara Friend will welcome all the support that you can offer them.

Links:

LGBTQIA+ Heritage Symposium 2024

AGENDA

Date: Saturday 12th October 2024
Venue: Canada Room, 1st Floor, Lanyon Building, Queen’s University Belfast
Time: 10am – 1pm

Opening Remarks

Adam Murray – Lead Organiser
Dr. Matt Leebody – Chair of Cara-Friend
Dr. Tom Hulme – Reader, School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy & Politics at Queen’s University
Panel 1 – Where Is Our LGBTQIA+ Heritage? 10.10am
Panellist 1 – Dr. Karen Logan (Ulster Museum)
Panellist 2 – Lorraine Bourke (Public Records Office NI)
Panellist 3 – Samantha McCombe (Linenhall Library)
Panellist 4 – Sinéad Bhreathnach-Cashell (NI Screen’s Digital Film Archive)

Comfort Break

Panel 2 – The Value of LGBTQIA+ Heritage 11.00am
Panellist 1 – Dominic Montague (Kabosh Theatre Company)
Panellist 2 – Dr. Richard O’Leary (Performance Storyteller)
Panellist 3 – JT Politzer (Graduate Student, Kent State Uni.)
Panellist 4 – Cathal McGuigan (LGBTQIA+ Heritage Project Volunteer)

Feature – UTV Archive clips

Panel 3 – Looking To The Future 11.55am
Panellist 1 – Adam Murray (Cara-Friend)
Panellist 2 – Mary Ellen Campbell (LGBTQIA+ Heritage Project)
Panellist 3 – Dr. Tom Hulme (Queer NI Project)
Panellist 4 – Dr. Molly Merryman (Kent State University)

Closing Remarks

This symposium is the opening event of the Founding Cara-Friend: Preserving At Risk LGBTQIA+
Heritage Project made possible thanks to generous funding by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Cara-Friend wishes to thank the NLHF and the lottery players who make this possible.