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Hearing the Other Voice from the Grave: Why Should we Listen to David Ervine’s Stories?
Ed Moloney’s Voices from the Grave: Two Men’s War in Ireland has received considerable attention in the press and in the public realm since its publication earlier this year. Although the book relates the experiences of the Provisional IRA’s Brendan Hughes and the PUP/UVF’s David Ervine, much of the discussion has focused on Hughes’ stories [...] read our review » -
Help me with the West Wing: Essential viewing or Party Political Broadcast?
Having somehow managed to avoid watching a single episode of the widely praised West Wing TV series I was delighted to discover the entire Box set in my Christmas stocking – and with enough spare time over the holidays to give it a good lash. But with 10 episodes of the first series under my [...] read our review »
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Of the Old North and other Vanished Kingdoms..
I’m currently trawling through Norman Davies’s fabulous new tome – “Vanished Kingdoms” – Five stars in the (London) Telegraph’s review from Ben Wilson: All the nations that have ever lived have left their footsteps in the sand,” writes Norman Davies. “The traces fade with every tide, the echoes grow faint, the images are fractured, the human [...] read our review »
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Comment on A Bloody Sunday March will proceed
on 23 January 2012 at 9:10 pm
J Kelly, you may not be claiming to be anyone but you were still spinning a load of rubbish.
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Comment on A Bloody Sunday March will proceed
on 22 January 2012 at 7:19 pm
Boiler I’m sure they could, but they don’t have to this isn’t a competition, it is how the failies of some of those murdered wish to remember their loved ones, and some of the wounded wish to highlight the ongoing injustice and lack of prosecutions. And they should be allowed to do this in a dignified manner without people like J Kelly spinning their tripe.
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Comment on A Bloody Sunday March will proceed
on 22 January 2012 at 6:26 pm
J kelly is perpetuating a complete load of rubbish here.
Firstly in a similar vein to the petition that was published in the Derry Journal after the killing of Emmet Shiels, some of those who are named as signatories did not give their permission. So let’s take this letter with a pinch of salt.
This has gone from giving two fingers up to ‘John Kelly’s Brothers memory’. Now let’s bear in mind this J. Kelly cold be nothing more than an attempt to make people believe it is John Kelly whose brother Michael was murdered on Bloody Sunday and therefore has some authority to speak on this matter.
J Kelly also states that ‘they don’t get their mandate from the relatives of the murdered or the wounded’, is he referring to the organizers of the march next Sunday and their supporters which include some of those wounded and family members of those gunned down on that day.
There has been a continuous attempt to paint this as a ‘dissident march’, when the truth is it is organized in the main by 3 grandmothers, who held themselves open to public scrutiny at two public well publicised meetings in Derry’s Bogside.
J Kelly also is trying to muddy the water by saying that Gary Donnelly of the 32csm is one of the main speakers. I can state with certainty that Mr. Donnelly is not a speaker for that day.
The organizers of the march have called on people to support all commemorative events, in a statement issued to the Derry Journal a number of weeks ago, but surprise, surprise the full statement was not published.
I support the right of those who wish to march to do so and those who wish not to march but to commemorate in a way they see fitting to also do so. I will be there this year with my family as I have been there for most of the marches. I am not a dissident, I don’t support violence and I wouldn’t attend a ‘dissident event’.
The Bloody Sunday march for me as a Derry man became something more than just about those killings, it became a platform to highlight wider injustice, and this was supported by the opening of the platform to different causes over the years. There are still many injustices to be addressed and highlighted, so I see no reason for the march to end.
The families have every right to commemorate the event as they see fit, and I would question the motives for those who find it acceptable to attack this march.
As such I would call on everyone to support this march and not to fall prey to the complete trash that J Kelly seems happy to spout. If J Kelly wants to deal in facts then they can be debated and discussed, if he wants to tarnish this march with lies and propaganda then we have to question his motives.
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Comment on Derry – the model for the future?
on 5 August 2010 at 3:57 pm
How does one define regeneration, and how does the community gain ownership of is area, community and indeed its city?
Regeneration has become a dirty word in the Galliagh area of Derry. Derry City Council, complicit with un-elected quangos the Galliagh Development Trust and the Outer North neighbourhood Partnership are progressing plans for the area, under the urban regeneration banner, have they engaged in meaningful consultation, NO!.
One of the core pillars of urban regeneration is that it is a bottom up community led approach. This couldn’t be further from the truth in Galliagh, Last year residents of Elaghmore Park and Ederowen Park in the Galliagh area of Derry found out that plans were underway to develop a play park and a floodlit MUGA (Multi Use Games Area) on land adjacent to their homes. Residents welcomed play facilities for children, however had concerns and reservations about this floodlit facility on their doorstep.
The plans for these developments were alleged to be led by an organisation called the Galliagh Development Trust. However documentation obtained by residents clearly demonstrate this is a Derry City Council Project, something they deny.
In late July 2009 some residents were informed by a flyer through their doors that a consultation was to be carried out. Other residents only found out about the consultation through adverts in the papers on the day of the first consultation.
This ‘consultation’ took place after Derry City Council had requested the transfer of land from Northern Ireland Housing Executive, had plans drawn up, submitted and paid for a planning application.
The three consultations carried out were ‘interesting’ the first held in Skeoge House nearly ended in a punch up between the manager of the Galliagh Development Trust and a resident. At the second consultation the husband of a then DPP chair, Sinn Fein Councillor and Galliagh Development Trust employee threatened residents. And at the third consultation over 100 residents walked out in protest. Residents were not given any option, or input into the plans. After all how could they have input into plans that had been drawn up and submitted for approval?
Within a week of this process, and before any report was released based upon the outcomes of these so called consultations Derry City Council had submitted a funding application to the Dept for Social Development for £250,000. This report into this ‘consultation’ commissioned by the Galliagh Development Trust was not presented to their board until 24th September 2009. This was two months after funding was applied for, and begs the question of what worth was this consultation if Derry City Council felt it was acceptable to apply for funding before the process was completed.
On the 1st of September 2009 residents addressed a meeting of Derry City Council’s planning committee as a result of the deputations presentation, the planning committee resolved ‘that planning application no. A/2009/0405/F be deferred and in the meantime a meeting be arranged by Council of all the interested parties to discuss the proposals. ‘
This meeting, to be arranged by Council never happened, indeed in a letter dated Nov 5th 2009 to a legal agent retained by residents, Derry City Council Town Clerk Valerie Watts stated ‘ that there was little to be gained by the Council convening a meeting of all interested parties’ (whatever that might have meant precisely). This statement alone gave residents serious cause for concern in that any Council employee, regardless of position could be dismissive of a council resolution in such a fashion.
After the resolution of the meeting on Sept 1st, the Outer North Neighbourhood Partnership formed a working group and carried out its own consultation. Residents refused to accept this as a substitute for the ‘meeting of interested parties’ that Council was to arrange. This working group, despite the sensitivities surrounding the proposals kept no minutes or record of their deliberations including a list of attendees, a fact that residents find astonishing.
After this group had concluded its self-appointed survey residents were summoned to a meeting on Oct 27th 2009. At this meeting the ONNP strategy manager Mr Darren Kirby, and the ONNP Chair Mr Cathal McCauley both informed residents directly that residents had been ‘purposefully excluded’ from participating in this working group on the basis of their objections to elements of the development and that this had been a unanimous decision taken by all members of the working group.
When Questioned about the working group, Darren Kirby Strategy manager of the ONNP stated that ‘the working group was facilitated by ONNP but neither accountable to, or responsible to the ONNP.’ So this begs the question, why did Council accept unquestioningly a report on a consultation carried out by a working group neither accountable or responsible to the ONNP, Derry City Council, or indeed the Galliagh community?
Residents have been accused by some of these groups of NIMBYISM, but the truth is that the facilities planned by these groups, are on residents’ doorsteps and they will have to deal with the fall out when the Council officers, GDT & ONNP members are tucked up in their beds miles away from Galliagh, and in some cases Galliagh. That is why those who stand to be most affected by proposed developments, should have the biggest say. It’s easy for those who cry NIMBYISM for the fact is, it isn’t in their backyard.
And so it goes on, one year down the line residents have submitted approx 20 complaints of maladministration against Derry City Council to the NI Ombudsman office and await the response.
For more info visit
http://www.galliaghresidents.co.nr
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