Month: February 2024

The mother of inspirational Irish teenager Donal Walsh is set to join this year’s 4 Corners Festival to remember her brave son.

Elma Walsh’s son Donal from Co Kerry was diagnosed with terminal cancer in his teens and during his life spread an anti-suicide message of living life to the full. 

Sadly, after raising awareness through his writing and TV appearances like Brendan O’Connor’s The Saturday Night Show, Donal passed away in 2013.

To honour her son, Elma set up the Donal Walsh #Livelife Foundation to promote her son’s passionate anti-suicide #Livelife message.

Taking place on Tuesday, February 6 at 7.30pm at Forthspring, Springfield Road, at the event Donal Walsh: A Story of Hope, Elma will join 4 Corners host Gerard Sowney to talk about her story and how she is continuing to honour her son’s legacy. 

Speaking of the event Elma said: “When I was asked to take part and heard what the festival was about, I was delighted to have been asked.

“I think it’s a great initiative to get people from different cultures and backgrounds together. 

“I’ll be talking about Donal who was diagnosed terminal but didn’t let that dictate what was left of his time here, he didn’t give up. 

“I hope that people will take the message away from this event that they should not give up on hope, we must all make an extra effort to get more involved & more supportive not only of our own community but to involve other communities also.”

Now in its 12th year, the 4 Corners Festival was conceived as a way to inspire people from across the city to transform it for the peace and wellbeing of all.

The festival features a range of music, discussion, sport and faith-inspired events and will run from February 1 to 11 in venues in all four corners of the city. 

At Donal Walsh: A Story of Hope the Fitzroy Collective will be performing songs from their Gospel According To Sinead O’Connor. 

Shannon Campbell, 4 Corners committee member, said: “We are very much looking forward to hearing from Elma Walsh at this year’s festival. 

“Elma’s reputation precedes her as being an uplifting, inspiring presence wherever she goes – just as her son, Donal, whose story she’ll be telling – was. Donal has touched the lives of countless young people during both his life on earth, and indeed since his passing, and 4 Corners are honoured to be a part of sharing Donal’s important hope filled message over 10 years on. 

“It’s sure to be a very special evening.”

This year’s theme OUR STORIES…Towards A Culture Of Hope is about showcasing our city and our people’s stories reflecting the essence of belonging and unity within the city’s diverse community.

The upcoming festival’s suite of events is designed to entice people out of their own ‘corners’ of the city and into new places where they will encounter new perspectives, new ideas and hopefully meet new friends.

The 4 Corners Festival is supported by The Executive Office’s Central Good Relations Fund, The Department of Foreign Affairs Reconciliation Fund and Belfast City Council Good Relations Fund.

All festival events are free of charge, with most open to the public, although advance booking of tickets is mandatory. Select events will be streamed online on the official 4 Corners Festival YouTube and Facebook accounts.

For more information about the festival and to keep up to date with programme updates go to 4cornersfestival.com 

This year’s 4 Corners Festival is set to tell the story of the lesser known women in scripture as Rev Clare Hayns reflects from her latest book.

Unveiled: Women of the Old Testament and the choices they made is a powerful book packed with stories of women from the bible that have extraordinary resonance and application to our lives today.

Taking place at Fitzroy Presbyterian Church on Sunday February 4, Unveiled – Stories In Scripture will see Clare joined by her son Micah who illustrated the book, and music duo Beki & Randy Hemingway.

Clare, College Chaplain at Christ Church, Oxford, will tell some of the stories featured in her book from rebellious midwives to the brave daughters of Zelophehad, and she will explore what they have to tell us about transforming communities in our own day and age.

She explained: “The Old Testament is packed full of wonderful stories that can teach, inspire, and challenge us, but I was frustrated that so often the women’s stories seemed to be marginal and hardly ever focussed on.  

“The book began as a challenge that I set myself for a blog in Lent 2020 where I decided to write on a woman of the Old Testament each day for forty days. This unveiled real women, with relationship struggles, sibling rivalries, and financial challenges, and women with remarkable gifts, skills, faith and courage. We have so much to learn from them. 

“My son Micah is an artist and so we collaborated to turn the blog into a book with each woman beautifully illustrated by him. 

“It was published by Bible Reading Fellowship and we’re delighted it’s been so well received, and we created a bible study series with videos on eight of the stories.”

Now in its 12th year, the 4 Corners Festival was conceived as a way to inspire people from across the city to transform it for the peace and wellbeing of all.

The festival features a range of music, discussion, sport and faith-inspired events and will run from February 1 to 11 in venues in all four corners of the city. 

This year’s theme OUR STORIES…Towards A Culture Of Hope is about showcasing our city and our people’s stories reflecting the essence of belonging and unity within the city’s diverse community.

The upcoming festival’s suite of events is designed to entice people out of their own ‘corners’ of the city and into new places where they will encounter new perspectives, new ideas and hopefully meet new friends.

Festival co-founder Father Martin Magill said: “We are delighted to welcome Revd Clare Hayns, Micah Hayns and Beki and Randy Hemingway to the festival.

“This event is set to be a thought provoking evening with some really interesting stories and music throughout the evening.

“There will be an opportunity to do your very own charcoal drawing of Tamar’s eyes with a simple step-by-step tutorial from artist Micah Hayns.”

Unveiled – Stories In Scripture will end the evening with a post-event prayer scheduled after refreshments led by Jim Deeds and Kiran Young Wimberley.

Speaking of her involvement with the festival Clare said: “I’ve known Steve Stockman since I worked in Dublin with a Presbyterian Church over thirty years ago and he became a friend and a kind of mentor.

“I remember his kindness to me, and have always been inspired by his passion for bringing faith and the arts together. So when Steve asked me to take part in a festival he was part of, the answer would have to be a ‘yes’.

“I find the aims of the festival to be inspirational and it’s a privilege to be asked to be part of it.

“I strongly believe that ordinary people can transform lives and communities by gathering together to share stories, listening to different perspectives, and building friendships across boundaries. It seems such a simple thing, but it is also profoundly transformative.”

The 4 Corners Festival is supported by The Executive Office’s Central Good Relations Fund, The Department of Foreign Affairs Reconciliation Fund and Belfast City Council Good Relations Fund.

All festival events are free of charge, with most open to the public, although advance booking of tickets is mandatory. Select events will be streamed online on the official 4 Corners Festival YouTube and Facebook accounts.

For more information about the festival and to keep up to date with programme updates go to 4cornersfestival.com