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Award-winning film documenting death of journalist in Northern Ireland to be screened at Coventry Cathedral
Journalist Lyra McKee was murdered while covering riots in Northern Ireland.
University news / Research news
Wednesday 15 March 2023
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A film telling the emotive story of the death of a journalist at the hands of the New IRA in Northern Ireland will be screened at Coventry Cathedral.
Coventry University’s RISING Global Peace Forum has teamed up with the cathedral, known throughout the world as an icon of peace and reconciliation, to give people the chance to attend a free screening of Lyra at the city landmark on Saturday 18 March.
The murder of acclaimed journalist and human rights and LGBTQ+ campaigner Lyra McKee in April 2019 sent shockwaves across the world. The award-winning film in her name is directed by her close friend Alison Millar and seeks answers to her senseless killing through Lyra’s own work and words.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement and the film invites viewers to consider the experience of young people in Northern Ireland, where deep divisions continue and where reconciliation is still awaited. Lyra was killed on the eve of Good Friday in April 2019 while reporting on violent disturbances in Derry.
Coventry, the UK’s City of Peace and Reconciliation, has longstanding links with Northern Ireland, with a signed copy of the Good Friday Agreement held in the Lord Mayor’s office. Mo Mowlam , who was educated at Coundon Court School in the city and received an honorary doctorate from Coventry University, was the Northern Ireland Secretary of State in April 1998.
Lyra's sister Nichola McKee Corner and the film's producer, Jackie Doyle, will form part of a Q&A panel after the 90-minute screening, which begins at 7pm. They will be joined by the Reverend Dr Alex Wimberley, Leader of the Corrymeela Community, Michele Aaron, Professor in Film and Television Studies at the University of Warwick, and Helen Wheatley, Director of Film and Television Studies at the University of Warwick, who will chair the panel.
RISING is delighted to be involved with this event because, as a three-way collaboration between Coventry University as represented by the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations, the cathedral and the city council, RISING exists is to inspire peacebuilders and peacebuilding everywhere. Through both her life and her legacy Lyra does just that.
Richard Dickson, RISING Development Manager at Coventry University
We are so honoured to be screening Lyra at Coventry Cathedral and to be welcoming Lyra’s sister, Nichola McKee Corner, and the film’s producer, Jackie Doyle, to form part of a Q&A panel after the screening.
The Reverend Canon Mary Gregory, Canon for Arts and Reconciliation at Coventry Cathedral
Lyra tells the story of a remarkable, vibrant, courageous young woman and helps us begin to grasp the terrible cost of her death. Lyra’s writing, which is woven throughout the film, invites us to consider the experience of young people in Northern Ireland, where deep divisions continue, and where reconciliation is still awaited 25 years on from the Good Friday Agreement.
We are delighted to screen Lyra in Coventry Cathedral. Thank you to all involved in making this landmark event happen.
Film director Alison Millar
It will be a very special and symbolic screening in the heart of the cathedral where symbols of Peace and Reconciliation were born - perfectly complimenting everything that our remarkable Lyra represented.
The screening is free but a collection will be split equally between the cathedral and the Lyra McKee Investigative Journalism Bursary Scheme.
Book your tickets for the Lyra film screening.
