Claire Mitchell

@clairemitchell

writer, mamaí, history and politics, Belfast/County Down, she/her. 📖 The Ghost Limb: Alternative Protestants and the Spirit of 1798 www.clairemitchell.net

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Claire Mitchell@clairemitchell· 12d

This is from Facebook.

Claire Mitchell@clairemitchell· 24d

Yesterday was some craic.This in the Irish News and a Féile panel on Irish unity. I wanted to say something about the emotional journey many of us are on with all this.

Claire Mitchell@clairemitchell· Jul 12

Alternative 12th of July under a tree on a friend’s farm for a hedge school on food politics. The glorious revolution.

A group of people in the distance gathered under a tree. Blue sky and rows of planted veg and turned over soil in the I foreground.

Claire Mitchell@clairemitchell· Jun 13

We are Belfast

Claire Mitchell@clairemitchell· Feb 2

Rinne mé crosóg Bhríde sa rang Gaeilge an tseachtain seo caite, from pipecleaners. Had always wanted to know how to make one, but it was never around me. Gathered rushes from the bottom of my road then and made my own. Such a small, simple thing, but it made me incredibly happy.

Crosóg Bhríde - Green pipecleaners on wood table

Crosóg Bhríde - green rushes on wood floor

Claire Mitchell@clairemitchell· Jan 23

I'm doing a panel with OG hallion Robbie McVeigh, Protestants & a united Ireland. 11am Saturday 31st January, Culúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich

Protestants & a United Ireland, Claire Mitchell & Robbie McVeigh, 11am Saturday 31st January, Culúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich.

Claire Mitchell@clairemitchell· Jan 23

Winter summer school with Glór na Móna next weekend, January 30-31, at an Cultúrlann on the Falls Road, Belfast.

Claire Mitchell@clairemitchell· Jan 9

Maybe. Maybe not.

Claire Mitchell@clairemitchell· Dec 13

RIP Bill Kirk. Newtownards communist, documentary photographer, champion cyclist, ragged trousered philanthropist and comrade. Words by @stubailie.bsky.social www.digwithit.com?p=3546

Bill Kirk, 100 Photographs, book cover. Street preacher with loudspeaker

‘1798 stories at the Betsy Gray café’, Newtownards Chronicle. Local history event in Six Road Ends organised by Bill and me. Photo is all who came in front of the café.

Claire Mitchell@clairemitchell· Nov 17

Looking forward to taking part in this discussion in Armagh next Thursday evening, 27th November. Everyone welcome.

Flyer for an event, ‘Another Ireland is Possible: discussing a progressive and equal new Ireland’. Thursday 27th November 2025 at 7pm in Armagh City Hotel. Panellists are Ben Collins, Claire Mitchell, Rev Karen Sethuraman and Davy Adams. Chair is Gerry Murphy from ICTU and host is Sinn Féin.

Claire Mitchell@clairemitchell· Oct 16

Great discussion in Galliagh. Another night where a panel from mixed backgrounds find so much common ground, and flesh out the kind of Republic we want to live in. Lovely crowd with loads of ideas. Thanks to Think32 for having us, and the gorgeous Derry welcome.

Mise, Davy Adams, Colin Harvey and Sandra Duffy on panel

Flyer for the event, which was put on by Think32

Claire Mitchell@clairemitchell· Aug 27

Lovely to see my friend Ben Collins tonight and get his new book. Will be chatting at his Belfast book launch with @cjharvey1.bsky.social and John Manley on 2nd Oct. The tent is big enough now that Prods can debate the model for a new Republic, rather than just huddling together for safety!

Hand holding a book, The Irish Unity Dividend, by Ben Collins. Cover is a peace dove and spreadsheet type graphic

Book launch flyer for The Irish Unity Dividend by Ben Collins. QUB 2nd October 2025

Claire Mitchell@clairemitchell· Aug 15

Only pic from my top Derry night is the Sandino’s toilet door. But it’s perfect.

Claire Mitchell@clairemitchell· Aug 9

The best of days in Dublin town, just mooching and telling stories about when we were 20 💚

Statue of Wolfe Tone at St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin.

Lundy Foots Bar in Dublin. Facade of the bar and me with a windy hair moustache.

Seahorses street furniture on the Liffey

Accidental window selfie outside Panti Bar on Capel Street Dublin. Flowers hanging down from the top and ‘Pride’ painted on the inside of the window in rainbow colours.

Claire Mitchell@clairemitchell· Aug 8

Great launch of An Clogán, a new socialist republican magazine. So important to be able to shape a vision of a new Republic together. Loved the synergies between Martina’s and my essays. Different backgrounds, but we both want a just, equal & regenerative Republic, bringing power closer to people.

Cover of An Clogán, a new socialist, republican magazine

Pic of Martina Anderson, Robbie McVeigh and me

Contributors to An Clogán. There are many!

Pic with the panel, some of the An Clogán lads and some of the brilliant Féile an Phobail team.

Claire Mitchell@clairemitchell· May 25

blessed sky

Perfect rainbow with treetops in the foreground. Faint outer second rainbow.

Claire Mitchell@clairemitchell· May 17

My life goal is just to see out my days on this County Down Drumlin. Swallows, nettles, sausages, gin and tonic.

Photo of a barley field with the sun just about to set. In the gentle rolling drumlins of County Down.

Claire Mitchell@clairemitchell· May 11

Pinched these pics of Friday night from @bridgebooksdromore.bsky.social. Had a brilliant time at the incredible Dromore Book Festival. festival. Huge thanks to Lesley and volunteers. Last pic is Lesley and David Griffin, the best history and politics teacher many of us ever had. A joy to see him.

Dromore Book Festival. Photo from the back of the audience with Tara Mills, Linda Ervine and me at the front.

Dromore Book Festival. Photo is of Lesley from Bridge Books Dromore and her amazing team of helpers for this event.

Lesley from Bridge Books Dromore with David Griffin, aka the Griff, best history and politics school teacher I ever had. Made a profound impact on my life.

Claire Mitchell@clairemitchell· Apr 11

Morning dew making everything sparkle. Secret spider webs made visible by sunshine.

Cobwebs on field grass. Made visible by morning dew and sunlight

Little white feather on a blade of grass, illuminated by morning dew and sunshine

Dandelion puffed up white in field grass, with small copse of trees in the background

Claire Mitchell@clairemitchell· Mar 20

Really looking forward to this event next Friday at Belfast’s QFT - Lessons From the Nordics: Imagining a New Ireland. I think it’s a good time to look at what other small democracies do well, so we can imagine what better politics here could look like. imaginebelfast.com/event/lesson...

Flyer for an event next Friday, 28th March, at Belfast’s QFT. ‘Lessons From the Nordics: Imagining a New Ireland’. Lesley Riddoch’s film ‘Norway’ is showing, followed by a discussion.

Claire Mitchell@clairemitchell· Mar 3

Lovely event coming up on 9th May in Dromore Elim Church - @lindaervine.bsky.social and myself in conversation with Tara Mills. Huge props to @bridgebooksdromore.bsky.social for organising an amazing programme for the Dromore Book Festival! www.ticketsource.co.uk/bridge-books...

Claire Mitchell@clairemitchell· Feb 19

Very moving writing from Peadar Thompson about his new book Lost Gaels.

Front cover of the Irish Echo with a story by Peadar Thompson ‘Lost… and Found again’. Apologies I wasn’t able to paste in the text, kept coming out garbled and unformatted.

Second page of the Irish Echo with a story by Peadar Thompson ‘Lost… and Found again’. Apologies I wasn’t able to paste in the text, kept coming out garbled and unformatted.

Claire Mitchell@clairemitchell· Feb 13

Reading this book to review. Sometimes I have peace process fatigue, when things currently seem so broken. But Harold’s book is an incredible reminder of how friendship, trust, honesty and courage can move mountains. A fabulous dissenter, peacemaker and human.

Book cover for ‘In Good Time: A Memoir’ by Rev Harold Good with Martin O’Brien. The cover is a recent looking photo of Harold smiling.

Claire Mitchell@clairemitchell· Feb 7

We have loads of old things still in use in our house. My husband uses my granda’s wallet. It always catches me off guard to see it, with its original contents. A hospital appointment for 1975, a 6 1/2p stamp, a negative of a beloved caravan in Cranfield and a leaflet for WWII veterans.

My granda’s old wallet is still in use. This is a picture of it, brown leather and flat. It has a little pouch for cards and for stamps. There are lots of things inside it from 50 years ago. Detailed in the post. I particularly enjoy the ‘Hospitality in Britain’ leaflet which asks ‘sailors, soldiers, airmen and women’ ‘what do you like?’ The options include fishing, riding, swimming, dancing, skating, theatres and cinema. I always laugh at the riding. Anyway the photo also has the detritus of everyday life in 2025. Chewing gum, a cup of tea and a banana.

A photo negative of my late grandparents’ caravan in Cranfield. I’m assuming it’s Cranfield, it was a constant location for summers and stories. The caravan is a super weird shape. Wider at the top than at the bottom. I guess it’s from the 60s or 70s.

Claire Mitchell@clairemitchell· Jan 16

Maidin mhaith. She’s a beauty.

Sunrise this morning in County Down. Orange ball of the sun behind dark trees. My kids’ dirty fingerprints on the glass door 💚

Claire Mitchell@clairemitchell· Jan 9

Maidin mhaith. Frost and sun.

Frost on the inside of my window, with a low winter sun making the road and trees outside glow.

Claire Mitchell@clairemitchell· Jan 7

Ha! Yes thankfully there were more chapters. I do love the beautiful narcissism of being 5 though! This is a note from my other one - I love mum. I am god 😂😂

Scribbled note from my kid. “I love mom. I am god”.

Claire Mitchell@clairemitchell· Jan 7

Just found this, written by my kid when she was little. “Once upon a time there was a mummy, she was called Claire. She was a teacher. She was not a teacher anymore. She had a baby then another. She had kids. The end.” Brutal.

A bit of my daughter’s scrawly writing from maybe primary 1 or 2.

Claire Mitchell@clairemitchell· Dec 21

God, that was beautiful. Light after the dark. Happy Winter Solstice. www.gov.ie/en/news/579d...

Light coming into the passage tomb at Newgrange in Ireland. A triangle of light coming through the door, and onto the floor. Screenshot from the Irish Government's livestream.

Claire Mitchell@clairemitchell· Nov 24

The lovely @ellenmcwilliams.bsky.social and I will be in conversation this Wednesday, 27th November at 7pm, in the James Connolly Visitor Centre in Belfast. We'll talk about our recent books and the ghosts that nagged us to write them. The uncanny parallels between them. Also the books' afterlives.