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Date: Thursday 16 October 2025, 10am to 12.30pm
Venue: The city centre venue will be confirmed following booking
Category: Good Relations
Our Living Library is a ‘library’ of people, where curiosity and questions are expected, encouraged and answered.
What is the Living Library?
It’s your opportunity to ‘borrow’ a person, instead of a book, for a one-to-one, 20-minute conversation.
How do I get involved?
- Browse and check out our list of human books.
- Make your selections (you can borrow more than one).
- Contact us and let us know your choice of books and we will offer you a 20-minute time slot, between 10am and 12.30pm for you to borrow your human book.
To book, contact our Good Relations team by calling 028 9027 0663 or emailing [email protected].
Book one: Discover the Orange Tradition
Since the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, the Orange tradition in Ireland has commemorated King William III’s victory through music, song, and vibrant banners during the annual 'Twelfth of July' celebrations. But the Orange Order is more than just a parade; it is a proud Protestant fraternity with a deep commitment to community, raising thousands of pounds each year for local charities.
With a global membership, Orange Lodges are found not only across Ireland but also in Scotland, England, the United States, West Africa, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Choose this book to explore the rich heritage, enduring values, and international reach of the Orange tradition.
Book two: From pyramids to a parading Belfast, a Muslim woman’s journey to the unknown and still keeping the faith
"My journey from Egypt to Saudi Arabia and finally to Belfast. The story and life experience of a Muslim woman, living in Belfast for over 10 years, raising teenagers in a completely different environment, adapting to a new culture and keeping the faith."
Book three: Poet…. peeler, Druid…. healer, Queer (LGBTQIA+)…. volunteer!
“As a young boy, my family returned home to the foothills of Slemish Mountain (Paisley or God’s own country!) from England, via the Isle of Man and Alexandria beside Loch Lomond. I had a rather perfect English accent, unlike my fellow students at school in Ballymena-hey, and little cultural baggage, or so I thought.
Long story short, after a radical degree in Environmental Science (way ahead of my time), a spell in administration and then scientific research, I settled for a challenging career in the police, RUC and PSNI, where I started up the Gay Police Association. Now I’m a father, grandfather, partner, published poet, Druid, queer activist and asylum seeker and refugee volunteer. This is a well-worn and very much open book.”
Book four: No More Smoked Salmon
“I was once seated for dinner amongst the great. Smoked salmon on a bed of horseradish and caper sauce was on the menu, but when the waitress got to my place, I simply excused myself and asked for a plate of chips and a sausage, a request to which the waitress, along with a nod and wink, duly obliged. One of the guests asked me if I had ever considered writing a book. I pondered this idea, before responding ‘yes’. When the guest enquired as to the title, I replied ‘No More Smoked Salmon’.
“I served my time as a pig butcher on the Shankill Road in Belfast. I was married to Sharon and had one little girl ‘Zoe’. Sharon was working with her father in the family fish shop when the IRA came into the shop, planted a bomb and killed them both along with eight others, including one of the bombers.
“‘No More Smoked Salmon’ is my story of growing up in a very sectarian Belfast, of losing Sharon and hounding Gerry Adams for answers. It also tells of my very personal journey as a peace builder and the ordinary people I met along the way. These are not the sort of people used to fine dining, the majority of them were never recognised with peace prizes or Queen’s honours.”
Book five: Just out of limbo land: the long journey from Mogadishu to Belfast and the detentions along the way
“This is the story of how I spent 14 years seeking sanctuary, escaping from the militia in Somalia, crossing borders, coming to Belfast, being detained and passed from pillar to post. It is also a story that tells about the kindness of strangers and the hurdles of navigating a heartless system, as I searched for a home.”
Book six: From conflict to conversation
From conflict to conversation is the story of an English-born young man who joins the British army and is subsequently sent to Northern Ireland. Initially the fear generated by this experience created a hatred of the place. However, after meeting people of the north outside of being a soldier, this hatred became a love resulting in a decision to leave the army and settle in Belfast.
“The story from there begins as one of addiction, homelessness, attempted suicide and diagnosis of PTSD, but ultimately this changes to drug and mental health rehabilitation, university graduation and reconciliation work through conversations with those I would have harmed or been harmed by all those years ago.”
Book seven: The Traveller Life in Belfast
“Many in Belfast have their stories and ideas about Travellers and our way of life. But many have also never had the chance to chat to someone from my community, to hear our stories and life experience, to ask about Traveller culture. Come and chat to me and find out more about my Traveller culture, what life was like on the move and what life was like exposed on roads during the Troubles. Hear my stories of schooling, moving and dealing with life’s challenges and hurts.”
Book eight: Swimming Against the Tide
Linda Ervine’s story includes the highs, the lows, the trials and the challenges connected with setting up an Irish language centre and a Gaelscoil in east Belfast. Hear about the struggles, stresses but ultimate successes of a ground breaking project which is changing the narrative around the Irish language.
Book nine: How did a Social Worker end up in Long Kesh?
Michael was born in Clonard area of Belfast, got a pretty good education and then a job in the civil service. He left that after five years and became a social worker. He held this role until 1978 when he was arrested, charged with various IRA-related activities and sentenced to life imprisonment. Michael spent almost 16 years in jail and was then released just before the IRA ceasefire of 1994.
Book ten: My two-year journey from Somalia to the UK
“I thought that being granted asylum status in the UK would signal a new life and new beginning. Little did I know that as my two-year journey from Somalia to the UK ended, another journey began, with more trials and tribulations, fears and uncertainties. Hear more about my journey, leaving Somalia at the age of 15 and the sacrifices my family made to buy my safety.”
Book eleven: ‘So where are you from, love?'.
What made the 18-year-old girl leave home and what answers has she found through her journey? She is now sharing her experience as an eastern European migrant, living and working in Northern Ireland for more than 15 years, caught between two worlds.
Book twelve: The day I lost my mammy
“The 9th August 1971 changed my life forever; my beautiful mammy never came home. I discovered that the British parachute regiment brutally murdered her and left her in a field to die. I was sent immediately to a refugee camp in Cork where I heard on the radio that her funeral took place, I didn’t get to say goodbye to her. I have spent the last 48 years campaigning for truth and justice, not just for her but for all the victims of the Ballymurphy Massacre. My life was never the same again.”
Book thirteen: Roma Flames of Hope
From Transylvania to the Holylands, building new dreams and creating new generations, this book shares the story of settling into life in south Belfast, adapting to a new culture as a Roma family, being the first Roma woman to build a career in the Belfast Trust and to step outside the norms of how Roma women are commonly perceived. This book will share insights into Roma culture and heritage and the joys and challenges of life as a Roma woman in Belfast.
Book fourteen: Prison to Peace - Defending to Mending
Colin was born in rural County Down in 1957, the fourth of eight children.
"I left school at fifteen to take up an apprenticeship. I worked until my arrest in 1991 for possession of weapons and received a ten and a half year long sentence. I completed my sentence in June 1996 and have been involved in peacebuilding and reconciliation work ever since."
Book fifteen: Unheard Voices
"Over the years, women’s voices were very much supressed, silenced, sniggered at and ignored. During the Troubles we were unheard and forgotten about, but yet within Loyalist communities women were at the forefront of not only home making, but peace building. For many years I have spent my days working in the Shankill and across Belfast, focused on promoting the rights of women, building peace and security - not only within Protestant, Unionist, and Loyalist communities, but also across wider society. I have learnt how to use international frameworks to promote the rights of women in Belfast, to encourage women at the grassroots level to become aware of their rights locally, nationally, and regionally. Through long years of conversation, shared knowledge, and empowerment, I have pushed to ensure that women’s voices are not only heard but are influential in shaping community and policy outcomes."