TEDx Black Mountain

16 Talks on the Theme of 'Beyond the Obstacle': Turning what’s in the way into a way forward

What is Tedx Black Mountain?

TEDx Black Mountain is a locally organised event that will bring together a community of curious minds, innovators, and change-makers from right here in Belfast and beyond. It is going to be a platform for sharing ideas, sparking meaningful conversations, and inspiring real change.​

​This year's theme is 'Beyond the Obstacles'

The Stoics taught us that obstacles aren’t just in the way, they are the way. But what if we went further? What if we explored not only how challenges shape us, but also what lies beyond them?

​From personal challenges to every idea, every piece of art, and every breakthrough in science or technology, at some stage, they all meet a moment of resistance. It’s the unexpected barrier that forces us to adapt, reimagine, and push forward. Sometimes that moment defines the journey; other times, it reveals an entirely new path we could never have seen or imagined before.

Beyond the Obstacle invites speakers to share stories of resilience, reinvention, and transformation, where barriers became catalysts, and setbacks became the spark for something greater or an entirely new journey. From personal challenges to societal shifts, from creative breakthroughs to technological leaps, this theme asks: What do we find when we go beyond what stands in our way?

We’ll be featuring 16 speakers across 4 sessions.
Speakers will be announced throughout March, so keep an eye on this page as the line-up is revealed.

Watch Amy Mae Dolan's TEDx Black Mountain Talk from 2025.

Why TEDx Black Mountain matters

TEDx Black Mountain exists because I believe stories and ideas from West Belfast matter.

This area has always been rich in lived experience, resilience, creativity, and quiet leadership. Yet too often, those stories are either misunderstood, overlooked, or told by someone else. I wanted to create a stage where people from this community could share ideas worth spreading, not as a footnote, but as the main event.

Black Mountain sits above West Belfast. It gives you perspective. When you stand there, you see the whole city differently. That’s what TEDx Black Mountain is about: stepping back, gaining a wider view, and recognising the value of ideas shaped by real life, not theory.

But this isn’t just about looking inward.

It’s also about opening the door outward, bringing powerful ideas and extraordinary stories from around the globe onto a stage here in West Belfast. When global thinking meets local experience, something special happens. Conversations shift. Assumptions are challenged. New possibilities appear.

TEDx Black Mountain is a meeting point:

• Local voices with global relevance
• Global ideas brought directly to a local community
• Stories that challenge, inspire, and connect us

At its heart, this event is about dignity, opportunity, and belief, belief that where you come from should never limit how far your ideas can travel, and belief that West Belfast is not just a place with a past, but a place shaping the future.

That’s why this stage matters.
That’s why these stories matter.
And that’s why TEDx Black Mountain belongs in West Belfast.