Terra Nova Productions was commissioned by Belfast City Council in early 2021, in the teeth of the Coronavirus lockdown in Northern Ireland, to create a film and a live play to engage young people here with the centenary of King George V’s speech at the start of the state of Northern Ireland.

King George's Speech is a work of fiction based on and quoting from discussions, letters, newspapers and other primary sources. It was funded by the Northern Ireland Office via the Heritage Lottery as part of #OurSharedHistory. Terra Nova worked on-line with schools and youth groups across the city of Belfast to create a film and a live play for audiences aged 14-17, to engage them in thinking about King George V's speech in Belfast City Hall at the launch of the Northern Irish state in 1921. This was an extremely challenging time in the history of the island of Ireland, that continues to resonate today.

By reviewing the film and listening to the talk you can get insight into an immigrant intercultural perspective on this period of Northern Irish history.

on-line discussion with schools took place on 16th November, 2021, and you can listen to the conversation based on questions sent in and asked live on the day.

This project is being funded by Belfast City Council who have been awarded funding from the Shared History Fund, which the Nation Lottery Heritage Fund is delivering on behalf of the Northern Ireland Office.