a welcome note

Welcome to my blog.  I've set this up for a number of reasons.  Firstly, although i love twitter, lately I have become a little frustrated with its limitations (i also post there as @dgmagee) as a medium for articulating myself and engaging with people.  Secondly, I'd like a place to be able to comment publicly on current affairs that doesn't take over my facebook page and end up with friends of mine who don't know each other falling out.  Thirdly, I'd like a space to share some of the research I've been doing for my phd on loyalism and masculinities and invite comment and debate around some of the issues it raises.  Finally, I don't want this to be an academic blog but one that is reflective on real-life issues and ultimately is useful in a 'rubber-hits-the-road' kind of way.