Don Mullan
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Don Mullan was born in Derry, Northern Ireland, in 1956 and attended St. Eugene Primary School, St. Joseph’s Secondary School, St. Patrick's College, Kiltegan, Co. Wicklow[2]; St. Kieran's College, Kilkenny[3]; Ulster Polytechnic; Holy Ghost College, Dublin; and Iona College, New Rochelle, New York.
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[edit] Action From Ireland
Mullan was Director of AFrI (Action from Ireland) 1979-93 during which he and colleagues developed the Great Famine Project. He was one of the first in the Irish world to recognize the approaching 150th anniversary of An Gorta Mor[4] (The Great Hunger) as "a unique historical moment". AFrI’s project helped to generate awareness of the anniversary all over Ireland and throughout the world. Mullan established a "famine walk" in Co. Mayo, commemorating an actual walk of starving Irish peasants in 1848, attracted the attention of ABC, NBC and CBS News during its first three years, 1988-90. The walk continues as an annual event. As part of the project Mullan established several connections with the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma [5] and was made an Honorary Chief. The Great Famine Project was multi-disciplined and involved publications, documentaries, dramas and commemorative events including the marking of forgotten mass Famine graves containing the sacred remains of thousands of Irish victims.
[edit] The St. Brigid's Peace Cross and St. Brigid's Fire, Kildare Town
With five young boys from Derry, Mullan founded in 1983 the St. Brigid’s Peace Cross[1] and was instrumental in having St. Brigid’s Fire[6] in Kildare[7] permanently rekindled on the February 1, 2006. The fire had burned in Kildare for 2000 years before it was extinguished during the Protestant Reformation
[edit] Humanitarian work
Mullan worked for the humanitarian agency Concern Worldwide [8] from 1994 until 1996, during which he visited Rwanda and the refugee camps in Zaire. He also worked in Brazil, from 1983 to 1984, during which he organized famine relief to the north-east of the country.
Mullan was detained at Johannesburg and refused entry into apartheid South Africa in 1985. In 1994 he attended the inauguration of President Nelson Mandela as the guest of Archbishop Desmond Tutu in recognition of his work on behalf of the anti-apartheid movement.
[edit] Dyslexia
Mullan was diagnosed with dyslexia in 1994, and is a member of the International Dyslexic Association. He has authored and edited several books and documentaries and acted as co-producer in two award-winning movies Bloody Sunday[9] and Omagh [10]. In April 2004 he was keynote speaker at an International Symposium on dyslexia in Dublin [11].
[edit] Bloody Sunday
At the age of 15, Mullan witnessed the events of Bloody Sunday in Derry. He was participating in his first Civil Rights March. His 1997 best-selling book Eyewitness Bloody Sunday is officially recognised as an important catalyst that led to Prime Minister Tony Blair’s decision in 1998 to establish a new Bloody Sunday Inquiry [12]. The Inquiry opened on 27 March 2000 and is due to issue its final report in 2007.
Mullan was co-producer, source writer, and actor in the 2002 award-winning Granada/Hells Kitchen movie Bloody Sunday, directed by Paul Greengrass, which was inspired by his book.
[edit] Public Speaking
As a public speaker Mullan has addressed audiences throughout Ireland, Britain, Europe, Canada, Brazil, and the United States on justice, peace and human rights issues. Amongst the colleges and universities which Mullan has spoken at are: Harvard University, Massachusetts (2004) [13], Villanova University [14], Pennsylvania (2004), Georgetown University, Washington, DC (2003), Seattle University, Washington (2002) and Notre Dame University, Indiana (2001). In 1986 the Irish American Cultural Organisation described his lecture tour on the Great Hunger as "one of the most successful in recent years".
[edit] Awards
He has received Honourary Degrees from Iona College, New Rochelle, New York (1997) and Mount Aloysius College, Cresson, Pennsylvania (2001). In March 1998 he was Grand Marshal of the San Diego St. Patrick’s Day Parade. On December 9, 2002, Mullan received A Defender of Human Dignity Award from the International League for Human Rights at the United Nations, New York. In October 2003 he received from the Ancient Order of Hibernians of America the Sean MacBride Humanitarian Award.
Mullan has been published in The Irish Times, The Irish Independent, Ireland on Sunday, The Sunday Tribune, The Examiner, Magill Magazine, la Repubblica (Italy),The Times (London), The Guardian, Journal do Brasil and Irish America.
[edit] Books
- A Glimmer of Light – Great Hunger Commemorative Events in Ireland and around the World (Concern Worldwide, 1995)
- Eyewitness Bloody Sunday – The Truth (Wolfhound Press, Dublin 1997, Roberts Rinehart Publishers, USA)
- The Dublin and Monaghan Bombings – The Truth, The Questions and the Victims’ Stories, (Wolfhound Press, 2000)
- A Gift of Roses – the visit to Ireland of the relics of St. Thérèse of Lisieux (Wolfhound Press 2001)
- Contacted – Testimonies of people who say the dead are alive and have been in touch (Mercier Press, Ireland, 2005)
- Gordon Banks: A Hero Who Could Fly (a little book company 2006)
- Speaking Truth to Power: The Donal De Roiste Affair (Curragh Books, Ireland, 2006)
[edit] Little Book Series
- A Little Book of St. Thérèse of Lisieux (Columba Press, Ireland and Pauline Books and Media, USA 2002)
- A Little Book of St. Francis of Assisi (Columba Press, Ireland and Pauline Books and Media, USA 2002)
- A Little Book of St. Anthony of Padua (Columba Press, Ireland and Pauline Books and Media, USA 2003)
- A Little Book of St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Columba Press, Ireland and Pauline Books and Media, USA 2003)
- A Little Book of Mother Teresa of Calcutta (Columba Press, Ireland and Pauline Books and Media, USA 2003)
- A Little Book of St. John of the Cross (Columba Press, Ireland and Pauline Books and Media, USA 2003)
- A Little Book of St. Teresa of Avila (Columba Press, Ireland and Pauline Books and Media, USA 2003)
- The Little Book of St. Patrick (Columba Press, Ireland, and A Little Book Company, USA, 2004)
- A Little Book of St. Faustina (Columba Press, Ireland, 2005)
- The Little Book of Archbishop Oscar Romero (A Little Book Company, Ireland and USA, 2005)
- The Little Book of Catherine of Dublin (A Little Book Company, Ireland, 2005)
- The Little Book of St. Louise and St. Vincent (A Little Book Company, Ireland, 2005)
[edit] Documentaries
- In 2002/2003 Mullan made twelve television documentaries for Ireland’s TV3 flagship current affairs programme, 20/20.
- Executive Producer An Unreliable Witness (Grace Pictures, USA), for broadcast in 2006.
[edit] Films
- Co-Producer Bloody Sunday (Hells Kitchen/Granada) 2002. Winner of Sundance and Berlin Film Festivals, inspired by Eyewitness Bloody Sunday.
- Co-Producer Omagh (Hells Kitchen/Channel Four) 2004. Winner of San Sabastian and Toronto Film Festivals.
- That Save (Working Title) BBC Drama and Hat Trick Productions, London, 2007, based on book Gordon Banks: A Hero Who Could Fly.
