CHRIS DONNELLY

I have been writing a regular column in the Irish News since January 2020. Many of my columns feature observations on the local political scene in the north of Ireland as well as at the national and international level. As a political commentator, the content of my articles can often generate broadcast media interest, leading to discussions and debates with politicians and other commentators with views that may sharply contrast with those I have articulated in the columns. The post-Brexit Northern Ireland has witnessed remarkable changes across society which have registered at a political and electoral level, and my columns have provided observations and analysis of the significance of these developments for our readership- and beyond. My professional background in the vocation of education, serving as a primary school principal, has meant I often write on educational matters, not least during and since Covid, when the topic of school closures and the impact of Covid on school culture was top of the news agenda. Having consistently served as a teacher and school leader throughout my 24 year career (to date) in areas of relatively high socio-economic deprivation, the theme of underachievement and barriers to learning is one close to my heart, and I have penned multiple columns on this topic as a result. I have a lifelong passion for both sports and history, and these two areas of interest have collided to produce columns which often generate feedback from readers in a society in which local history is never far from the collective consciousness. I believe my role as columnist is to inform, engage and challenge, leaving an impression upon readers regardless of their political outlook or preference. I have a thick skin, as anyone who has glanced through the replies to many of my tweets will testify, and believe this to be a necessity for anyone committed to providing honest and forthright commentary on politics in a deeply divided society. All three of the entry columns I submitted generated significant feedback from readers and beyond. In the case of my June 2023 column, the interest it generated, on the hotly contested subject of commemorations in a divided society. The level of interest in the column was apparent in the unprecedented number of email/Twitter correspondences, phone calls and personal engagements with people in the street, shops and beyond. The January 2023 column prompted much feedback relayed to the paper and myself directly from people of a certain age with personal recollections of life during the Belfast Blitz in the city . The October 2023 column touched upon the sensitive topic of the suicide of a past pupil and its devastating impact upon family and friends, an issue particularly pertinent due to Northern Ireland's alarmingly high suicide rate.