Day 6 - Irish Studies & Service

Our correspondent today is Connor McDonald:

“History, Stephen said, is a nightmare
From which I am trying to awake.”
~ James Joyce Ulysses

We all woke up today to a harsh knock on the door. It was time to get ready. Another long day was ahead as we all tried to wipe away the remnants of the previous day. In short, tensions were high and sleep deprivation had taken its toll on the community. Food was running low and we had to vote someone off the island. No really. We all needed a nice night of sleep. But, upon waking up, everyone had hit their restart buttons, and excitement was high for the beginning of our lectures at Queen’s University and the service project assignments.


Before we headed off into various communities, we had a group meeting where we examined the poem "Easter 1916" by W.B. Yeats. We highlighted the theme of uncertainty, something common in the Irish Protestant mindset. After that we trekked down to the main campus of Queens for a lecture by Dr. Gillian McIntosh. Her presentation was entitled "Introduction to Northern Irish Politics." The engaging lecture focused on the time period between 1880 and 1932. She shared with us a theory of “firsts” and a way of understanding the leaders who agreed to the partition that created Northern Ireland. When one first experiences something is impacting, the experience is intense, memorable, and shapes one’s view for life, whether it be our first experience of love or violence. The people who shaped Northern Ireland and modern Ireland experienced many of their “firsts” in the early part of the 20^th century. How they reacted to events, such as the Easter Rising or the Battle of the Somme shaped their worldview and directly impacted the nation states that they helped to build. The events that led to the creation of Northern Ireland were direct results of the life experiences of the men and women that shaped or opposed that state. The later tragic events of the late 1960s in Belfast and Derry could be seen as an end result of the events that surrounded the creation of the Northern Ireland state. Her lecture helped to enlighten us as to why the leaders had such fixed opinions and worldviews.

After the lecture we had a brief lunch and hopped in taxis with the other members of each service group. We were divided into four groups that all would work with different organizations. The breakdown was as follows…

1: Katie and Matt worked at St.Peter’s Cathedral in their soup kitchen, visiting with various ethnic populations. Belfast has seen an influx of immigrants from Eastern Europe, and many of them have joined the homeless population of the city.

2: Sarah, Jacob, Kurt, and Ms. Duarte worked with a children’s intervention organization that aims to keep kids off the streets and out of trouble. Drugs and “anti-social” behavior are huge problems.

3: Michelle and Mrs. Varnish worked with the Féile organizing committee. The Féile aims to reduce tension in the nationalist/republican communities that annually occur on the anniversary of the Hunger Strikes. It has served as a model of conflict transformation and has become the largest community festival in Europe. Many community volunteers help to bring together forums to reduce tension and educate for social justice.

4: Gina, Alison, Mr. Bizga, and I worked with an organization that effectively acts as a forum between the concerns of the predominantly Catholic neighborhood of Ballymurphy and the predominantly Protestant police service (PSNI).

My experience was as follows:

After slight confusion in finding the correct building, we were welcomed by Marshall. Marshall heads the forum organization and explained in detail the way the forum between the neighborhood and the police works. The Catholic community tended to distrust the overwhelmingly Protestant police force in the past; now the perception is that that Protestant police force is reluctant to help the Catholics. The police sentiment is “You did not want us in the past, so you do not need us now.” Marshall's organization advocates for the community members with the police and makes sure that there is follow through on requests for policing.

The paradox is slowly killing the neighborhood. It enables people to get in fights and never be punished. Impunity seems to rule the day. We learned about how fights turned into murders and, in a rather crude response, I said, “It’s just one less person they have to worry about.” But it’s a sad reality for the men and women who have little to defend themselves with. During the “Troubles” they would normally go to IRA and Sinn Fein, the Catholic centers of power; today they cannot. Since the peace process all are told they should look to the police; but if the police do not follow thr,ough that is a huge problem. It's all a sad spiral of neglect, but Marshall hopes that through the forum the police can come to take responsibility in protecting the neighborhood, even if they dislike its inhabitants. Over time the hope is that trust can be built.

After our brief talk we were lead by a man named Jimmy through the nearby neighborhood. Jimmy is a small guy with two kids of his own and a Protestant girlfriend as well. He is a community worker and has taken it upon himself to keep kids off of the Black Mountain, a large mountain that kids often get into no good on, whether it is “druges” or skirmishes with Protestant kids on the other side of the peace wall. In his tour we met up with Maureen, another politically active person in the community, and stories flowed endlessly. We followed them and learned about their work.

What surprised me most were the stories about suicide. The mental health of the Northern Irish population is under attack. It’s startling to hear of how commonplace suicide has become, but in a way it ,makes me want to be that much more involved. Every experience here has been one that can be applied elsewhere; the principles in building peace and transforming conflict are universal. The observations I have made on the conflict can hopefully come into play in trying to sort out our own problems in the US and elsewhere.

We took a moment to ride up the Black Mountain and from the top we could see just how small Belfast is, especially considering how much hype and political thought has been poured into it. From that hill I saw a city in the works, only just getting back on its feet. Bearing that in mind, there is a sense of hope alive throughout. There are beautiful shrines on the mountain to Padre Pio and Mary. We were told they were a place of solace for many during difficult times.

I know this may seem like a long-winded and depressing story, but it’s one that the people here are quick to tell. They have no reservations about describing the grizzly world they live in, and I’ve given you a very watered down version of it.

The day has been long and it's time for some sleep so until the next installment, thanks for reading.

Connor McDonald