| Billsticker | Date: Thursday, 2013-02-07, 0:18 AM | Message # 1 |
Lieutenant colonel
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| Play tackles exile of Derry Protestants
ETHNIC CLEANSING OF LONDONDERRY
Published Wednesday, 06 February 2013
A Protestant Church in Londonderry has commissioned a
new production as part of project to address the impact of the
Protestant exodus from the city more than thirty years ago.
The play has been commissioned as part of a peace-building exercise in Derry. (© Pacemaker)
'The Exile' is being organised by Christ Church, a Church of Ireland Parish in the city. It has commissioned playwright Jonathan Burgess to write a series of short dramas to bring the events of that time to life. Over 90% of the Protestant people living on the west bank of the River Foyle
moved away from the city side between 1969 and 1979.During the height of the Troubles, many families felt they had to leave the area due to fear of republican violence and intimidation. Jim Brownlee and his family left their home near the Foyle Road in 1975 after sectarian graffiti was daubed on their wall
"We're victims of the Troubles as much as anyone else," he said."But I think because of the vast number of Protestants having to move from the Waterside, to have left their social fabric behind, that was a wrench, that still remains a wrench. "It's difficult to explain to younger generations exactly what it was like to live here." "I think the memories are still raw."Quote The purpose is not about point scoring - it's about building peace .Jonathan Burgess, The Exile playwright
Archdeacon Robert Miller from Christ Church, said he wanted to create a 'sharing forum' as part of the project.He said that recent trouble across Northern Ireland related to loyalist protests demonstrates a frustration that people feel they are not being listened to.
"To be able to hear and also to speak and know that people are listening is a way of moving forward as a society," he explained. Playwright Jonathan Burgess sees his drama as his attempt to address and resolve remaining hurts to create a shared future."Because (Protestants) were moved from the city, they fell as if they are removed from city life, and removed from society within the city,"
he said. It doesn't feel like a shared city for the Protestant community, and that's an issue." This is my attempt to address this one, because it's pertinent to me, but at the same time it's a big one for this part of the world."Colm McFeely, from the nationalist Creggan area said it is important that all sides of the community engage with the project. I think it's extremely important for people in this particular community to understand how Protestant people in this city see that history and how that history from that perspective is told," he said.
"This particular community, like all communities, over the last 40 years has suffered greatly and it is important that we actually hear these stories, they're human stories, important stories and the only way we'll ever create a shared city and understanding city is if we listen to each other."
© UTV News
Message edited by Billsticker - Thursday, 2013-02-07, 0:22 AM |
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| Culzie | Date: Thursday, 2013-02-07, 1:02 PM | Message # 2 |
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Generalissimo
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| I have the book with the play within its pages. Its quite good and produced in a way that one can picture what the family were going though. Its good to see the story of what happened in those days at long last been given a hearing. Of course nobody was prepared to listen to the Protestant side or even care about what was happening. Such was the media of the time ALL sympathy went to the Roman Catholic nationalists,who while recieving the sympathy were engaged in a programme of ethnic cleansing.
It was on Ulster Television last night about the Exodus.
Ulster Protestants consider themselves to be a separate nation. This nation they call Ulster
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