History

Peace Heroines: Spotlight on Stormont

| Readers 1237

The Herstory project, established in 2016 to elevate the stories of women in national histories, launched an art exhibition at the Long Gallery in Parliament Buildings, Belfast. “Peace Heroines” features nine vibrant, largescale individual portrait paintings by artist FRIZ — women who have made an indelible mark on the Northern Ireland peace process, including Monica McWilliams, Pearl Sagar, Linda Ervine, Pat Hume, May Blood, Ann Carr, and Saidie Patterson. Several took part in an event discussion with Herstory creative director, Melanie Lynch. After …

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Book Review: ‘Unholy Catholic Ireland’ by Hugh Turpin

| Readers 4217

Unholy Catholic Ireland: Religious Hypocrisy, Secular Morality, and Irish Irreligion by Hugh Turpin (published this week by Stanford University Press) is a must-read book for anyone interested in the changing role of religion in Ireland. Unholy Catholic Ireland responds to longstanding gaps in our knowledge about the ‘irreligious’ in Ireland, to echo the term from the book’s subtitle. In scholarly literature, this rather disparate group is often referred to as those with ‘no religion’ or the ‘nones’. (In the text, …

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Six young activists reflect … Years of Hope: 2022 and 2072

| Readers 1403

The final event as part of the recent Linen Hall Library exhibition on 1922 and 1972 looked forward rather than back. Six young activists joined Bronagh Hinds to discuss the contemporary issues of 2022, and their hopes for life in 2072. You can hear the thoughts of Beth Elder, Joel Keys, Dara McAnulty, Dara McLaughlin, Inez Murray and Cohen Taylor. The Years of Chaos & Hope Exhibition finishes today at the Linen Hall Library. Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast)Alan Meban. …

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Arrests and Internment in the 1970s

| Readers 3547

Back on Wednesday 17 August, Seamus McKee chaired a lunchtime panel on Arrests and Internment in the 1970s as part of the Linen Hall Library’s Years of Chaos & Hope Exhibition. Seamus was joined by Harry Donaghy, Eibhlín Glenholmes, William Mitchell and Jim Wilson. The exhibition continues in the city centre library until 31 August. Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast)Alan Meban. Tweets as @alaninbelfast. Blogs about cinema and theatre over at Alan in Belfast. A freelancer who writes about, reports …

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Years of Chaos & Hope: The Troubled Twenties

| Readers 629

As part of the Linen Hall Library’s Years of Chaos & Hope exhibition – which runs in the library until 31 August – Anne-Marie McInerney, Edward Burke, and Jim McDermott took at look at some of the issues which contributed to the chaos of 1922: civil unrest, reprisals, internment, and the border. The Troubled Twenties was chaired by Melissa Baird and recorded by me on Monday 8 August 2022. Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast)Alan Meban. Tweets as @alaninbelfast. Blogs about …

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1922 & 1972: Years of Turmoil, Loss and Hope Deferred

| Readers 1472

1922 and 1972 were troubled years. A century and 50 years on, a Linen Hall Library exhibition running this month has shone a light on what was happening and what can be learned. Years of Chaos and Hope has been reflecting on the conflicting identities, protests, backlash, arrests, evictions, expulsions, shootings, and bombs which contributed to the chaos of 1922 and 1972. Using material from the library’s archive, the exhibition (which is open until 31 August) explores the troubled times …

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Why I think The IRA War was a failure…

| Readers 6137

Various posts by Mick Fealty and many others, most recently by Brian Walker in “Leave futile arguments about equivalence aside. We all need to come clean about why the Troubles lasted so unforgivably long” have asked us to re-examine culpability for the Troubles and the need to let the healing process proceed through a truth recovery process. Despite their best efforts, the ensuing conversations have always descended into a welter of “whataboutery” and the sins of the other side. The …

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The trouble with teaching ‘the Troubles’…

| Readers 4091
teacher, learning, school

The final episode of Derry Girls (spoiler alert) covered the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement (GFA) with wit and plenty of pathos. After its broadcast, social media was full of older viewers reporting that they had quite forgotten the challenges that many people across the island of Ireland faced when deciding to support unpalatable aspects of the agreement, such as the release of prisoners. The younger adults were open about being entirely unaware of the context of this peace settlement which ended …

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‘Just drawing support’ — Bill Rolston’s latest catch of mural hunting

| Readers 2882

Bill Rolston published the first volume of Drawing Support in 1992, which contained images of 100 murals from the previous decade. Thirty years later, the fifth volume has just been published, and at a Feile an Phobail event Rolston spoke about his never-ending “mural hunting”, accompanied by recollections of muralist Danny Devenny. Claire Hackett welcomed and informed the audience that in addition to the latest and previous volumes of Drawing Support available for sale here, Rolson, with Robbie McVeigh, are …

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1798, a cross-community rebellion…

| Readers 3064

The return of inflation, a fuel crisis, strikes and recession, together with Russia’s invasion of a neighbouring state, all to the soundtrack of a resurgent Swedish pop group, has prompted many to ask if this is the 1970s all over again. However, some striking parallels with today’s problems can be found almost 200 years earlier, in the 1790s, with a cost-of-living crisis, climate change, unpopular wars and, to add a particularly local flavour, constitutional upheaval and sectarian strife. So, in …

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Something Unresolved – The 50th Anniversary of Bloody Friday…

| Readers 4419

The room was spartan. Two chairs, a few books on a table and a filing cabinet. Where she kept notes, no doubt – on other stragglers who’d dragged their excess baggage up the stairs. I told of the house purchase gone wrong, how stupid I felt, and the sense of being trapped. She wrote something down. ‘If only I could get an unbroken night’s sleep, I might be able to cope.’ She asked when that problem started. I weighed up …

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Embedding the protocol within a constitutional/identity gridlock undermines our shared future

| Readers 4136
hd wallpaper, nature wallpaper, red meerkat

Unionism cannot be boxed into one definition, however broad opinion, within the pro-Union and the middle ground Unionist constituency, beyond loyalism, the Orange Order, bonfire groups and attendees at pre-election rallies, is hardening towards the ‘Protocol’. It is now firmly rooted within constitutional and identity issues; not viewed as a destination but as a process shaped by EU rigidity that will take Unionism to a divergent and politically homeless place where it does not wish to reside. Talk of protecting …

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Today is the 100th anniversary of the start of the Irish Civil War…

| Readers 1947

From the BBC: The Irish civil war broke out 100 years ago with the eruption of violence in central Dublin. A split among republicans over the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed with the London government six months earlier, led to fighting within Ireland. On 28 June 1922 the dispute came to a head at Dublin’s judicial headquarters, known as the Four Courts. Forces opposed to the treaty had occupied the building two months previously. After a tense stand-off, pro-treaty forces were ordered …

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“To me my daddy is worth more than any animal, any dog and I would just have liked her to be here to see that.”

| Readers 1224

For an example of the terrible way we have treated victims of the Troubles look no further than today’s Irish News: THE daughter of a Ballymurphy massacre victim had revealed how authorities originally offered her mother just £350 in compensation for the death of her father. Her father Joseph Murphy was one of 10 people shot dead while an eleventh victim died from a heart attack after allegedly being put through the ordeal of a mock execution by British troops …

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Ballymurphy victims’ families to receive damages…

| Readers 916

The Ministry of Defense has settled several civil claims from families of Ballymurphy Massacre victims. The amounts have not been disclosed. From the BBC: The settlement covers nine of the 10 killed. Last year an inquest found the victims were “entirely innocent”. The judge said the inquest findings made the conclusion of the civil actions “easier” to reach. At the High Court in Belfast on Monday, Mr Justice Humphreys said that given the “arduous nature” of the inquest, it was …

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The past made present: the relevance of historical statecraft…

| Readers 3031
Basement of Diocletian's Palace, circa 295 CE. Split, Croatia, February, 21 2022

Are there lessons to be learned from history regarding the impact on junior partners following the fragmentation of monolithic powers and the realignment of geopolitical relations or, to put it another way, what have the Romans ever done for us? Given that they never felt inclined to invade the remote island to the west of Britain they called the Land of Winter, the extent of any Roman influence felt in Hibernia must have remained relatively limited. It certainly would not …

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Thoughts about “Irishness”

| Readers 4257
farmhouse, derelict, ireland

There are unlimited understandings of what it means to be Irish. There may be millions. “Irishness” likely means something different to everybody who is Irish! Unfortunately, “Irishness” often gets identified via narrow lenses. Some people believe being Irish means being from the Republic. Some believe it means being Roman Catholic. For some, it means being nationalist or being an uncompromising, Anglophobic republican. And some hold that to be really Irish, you must be white. But all of these myopic notions …

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Police Ombudsman finds “collusive behaviour” by police in 11 loyalist murders…

| Readers 3941

The Police Ombudsman has released her reporting into collusion between the RUC and loyalist paramilitaries. From the report overview: Mrs Anderson found that concerns about police actions expressed by bereaved families and survivors were “legitimate and justified”, and said her investigation had identified a range of collusive behaviours by police, which included: Intelligence and surveillance failings which led to loyalist paramilitaries obtaining military grade weaponry in a 1987 arms importation; A failure to warn two men of threats to their …

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Legacy: “There are others who live with not knowing whilst hoping for something else…”

| Readers 2863
cherry blossoms, landscape, spring

A good friend whose political views differ from mine was also in attendance on the evening before. He wondered why I did not engage in the discussion. I explained that had I done so, my comments would have presented as… “but, what about..? Until the victims of Bloody Sunday and Ballymurphy are ready to say: ‘What about Claudy and Ballykelly’ and the victims of Claudy and Ballykelly feel they can say: “What about Bloody Sunday and Ballymurphy,’ will we be where …

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Bloody Sunday – A Personal Reflection…

| Readers 3522

The day, the date, the unfolding news, seared on many memories. A shameful and seismic moment in our history. For younger people looking at these events, it might be interesting to know how this event was viewed by the Protestant community, and why. By the end of January 1972 there had been about 200 deaths and numerous explosions, so the NI public were getting used to death on a large scale. The average Protestant, I believe, did not really understand …

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