reminiscence

our generation reminiscence

OUR GENERATION

IN CONVERSATION WITH FATHER DES WILSON

Father Des is a well known West Belfast figure with even a play written based on his life. Recounting memorable experiences such as being shielded by the women of Ballymurphy on a particularly violent night in West Belfast and an iconic walk along a smouldering Bombay Street in 1969, his passion for community education and cooperatives shine through in this interview. He talks of helping to set up Springhill Community House and the Conway Mill Education project. "I don't think people realised how deep and awful was the prejudice against their own people. The only difference between them was a difference in income."

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OUR GENERATION
IN CONVERSATION WITH JACKIE REDPATH
Jackie talks of how his early life was dominated by Shankill Baptist Church with meetings taking up much of his childhood and eventually how his frustration with the Church led him to look at different ways of bettering people's lives. He became an activist, involved in campaigns to 'Save the Shankill' and fought to avoid the disintegration from redevelopment of the community he loved so much. He tells of the tough experiences such as the loyalist feud in the year 2000 and the impact of those experiences. "People talk of the Troubles over the last forty years. For people on the Shankill, redevelopment turned their lives upside down"
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OUR GENERATION

IN CONVERSATION WITH MAY BLOOD

For 39 years Baroness May Blood MBE worked in a local mill as a cutter, during which time she was an active trade unionist. In 1990 she became a full-time community worker. She is a passionate advocate for those living with the effects of poverty, particularly in relation to housing, unemployment and early years education. May was a founder member of the Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition and of the Coalition’s Talks Team during the multi-party talks, which culminated with the Good Friday Agreement. May speaks to Ann Hope about her life and tells of her experiences giving us an insight into the times she has lived through.

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OUR GENERATION

IN CONVERSATION WITH ROISIN McGLONE

Roisin McGlone is the Director of Interaction Belfast, a network of community activists who work on both sides of the Springfield/Falls/Shankill interface in West Belfast. In 1998 Roisin played a key role in creating and implementing the groundbreaking Mobile Phone Network. This project has been successful in reducing violence along the interface. It has allowed activists from both sides of the wall to build relationships and discuss issues of common concern. Roisin talks to Aisling Nic Eoin about her work, her upbringing and how she experienced 'the Troubles' close up at a young age.

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OUR GENERATION

IN CONVERSATION WITH JIM DEERY

Jim Deery is a community worker in the New Lodge area of North Belfast. He was a key figure in establishing the Ashton Centre in the early 1990s which is a hub and flagship for the area. Jim has been involved in developing the area and creating opportunities for local people including the New Lodge Respect Week and a project to offer discounted books to young people. Jim talks to Frances Dowds about how he first got involved in youth and community work, the projects he has seen including a very interesting collaboration between people in the high rise flats in Tiger's bay and the New Lodge lobbying together on common issues.

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OUR GENERATION

IN CONVERSATION WITH DENIS O HEARN

Denis O'Hearn is an author, scholar and professor. He was born and brought up in the middle of the desert in New Mexico, USA where his early experiences were often tough and gave him an awareness of issues of ethnicity and workers' rights. He moved to Belfast in the 1970's and got involved in community work becoming chair of the West Belfast Economic Forum and also on the Board of Governors of the Irish-language primary school, Scoil na Fuisoige. He is probably best known for his book, 'Nothing But an Unfinished Song: The Life and Times of Bobby Sands'. Denis speaks to Milène Fegan about his life and work.

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OUR GENERATION

IN CONVERSATION WITH DALE HARRISON

Dale Harrison talks to Pete Bleakley about growing up during 'the troubles' and how she first got involved in community work on a voluntary basis when she lived in the Springmartin area due to the area was being neglected by the statutory bodies. For over 20 years, Dale has been employed by various community groups within a small radius working for the betterment of others and in the summer of 2009, Dale was awarded an MBE for services to the community in North and West Belfast.

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