To follow up on the post from yesterday, our group had what is being quoted as a “mind blowing” experience hearing a little know narrative from the men who lived it and continue to live it today.
Beginning with a taxi ride to the headquarters of the Ex-Prisoners Interpretive Center (EPIC) on the Shankill road, a Protestant enclave/community located in West Belfast, the students were met by Tom Roberts, William “Plum” Smith, and Tom Winston. These men, all of them ex-Ulster Volunteer Force members and ex-prisoners of Long Kesh, spent the morning with the students. They discussed their time in the prison, which guided them to their work with conflict resolution, peace building in their community, and restorative justice programs focused on preventing youth criminality. The men were direct, straightforward, and frank in their discussion of the Unionist/Loyalist perspective, the fiery “blood and thunder” street rallies of Ian Paisley and his selfish political agenda, and their own self-reflection in prison that helped them move beyond violence to a focus on peace. As they put it, they chose to show “their warts and all” to the group.
After this morning discussion, the group and all of the men sat down to lunch at the Farset International Hostel. Over the meal, the group heard more from each man regarding their personal experiences during the conflict. It struck everyone how thoughtful and compelling it was to hear this candid story from a perspective little heard from in the United States. The ideas regarding Protestant politicians’ treatment and manipulation of the working class Unionist/Loyalist community in Belfast made it clear to everyone that this was a side of the conflict that should be and must be acknowledged.
Once finished with lunch, our group met up with Noel Large, another former UVF member and ex-prisoner, who led the group down a tour of the Shankill. As the group passed murals depicting the Queen, interfaces separating the Protestant and Catholic communities in the area, and street after street of social housing highlighting the poor conditions of this community, Noel gave further details regarding the history of the conflict in the Protestant community, touched on the issue of subservience amongst this working class group, and their work towards a peaceful country for all citizens whether as a united Ireland or not. Noel’s tour ended in a memorial garden dedicated to those men of Ulster who fought at the Battle of the Somme and at which time he told us a powerful story of their sacrifice in this battle. We came to understand how a community could believe themselves to be both Irish and British and wish to remain so connected to a country for which their loved ones gave their lives.
Moving away from the Shankill, the group met up with Sean Brennan from Intercomm for a walk back to their offices in North Belfast. Once arrived, the students discussed their experiences over the last two days, including a comparison of the oft heard Republican viewpoint and the lesser if unknown Unionist perspective of the conflict. It became apparent how necessary it was for the group to engage in this discussion in order to begin to process the two sides of the conflict and how each community differed and mirrored each other.
Finally, the group wrapped up the day with a lecture by Graham Walker, a political scientist and professor at Queen’s University Belfast. In honor of the ten year anniversary of the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement, Mr. Walker outlined the history of the previous peace agreements and went on to discuss the positive and negative aspects of this latest agreement, one that has allowed a fragile peace to exist into the new millennium. This final discussion of the day and the activities of the last two days reminded us all how far this country has moved forward and yet still remains in a tenuous balance of tension and hope.
Quote of the Day: “I don’t want to wake up every morning and ask myself am I British or Irish? I want to think ‘Am I late for work?’” -David Ervine
