White House Here I Come

As my time in Derry comes to a close I look back on the experience of a lifetime. I have had the opportunity to go places that I never would have thought existed or thought of traveling to. I have gotten to know a great group of people that I did not know at all before this trip and I am really glad that I had the chance to meet them. I have also had a chance to sample new cuisines such as fish and chips and the Doner kebab which I hope that I will be able to find at the same quality I experienced here.

From an academic stand point what I can take away from this trip is the one thing that I definitely did not understand before coming here and that is the human element is really the deciding factor in this conflict. Anything that people say about the conflict in Northern Ireland is religious or it’s economic or anything else they are missing the key factor. The people here have been embattled for so long that there is a tremendous amount of resentment that has been built up. People here will never be at peace with one another because the hurt runs so deep. Everyone has been hurt by this conflict in some facet or another. These are a peoples that have built up their identities and divisions for so long and used them to separate from the other groups that the conflict here is going to take a long time to really be resolved, but there is hope on the horizon and there are some really good people here that understand all of this and are working to make a better tomorrow for everyone and bring about a lasting peace.

From my time in the community at the Gasworks I have taken away issues that I would not have had I been in strictly an academic environment. I have learned about social issues from the people out on the streets working to address them and who have to experience them on a day to day basis rather than looking at them from a classroom. The people I met there have allowed me see the community and to see that there really are people working to make a difference. My time in the community has made me much more hopeful for the future of Northern Ireland than anything some professor has told me in a classroom.

Friday was the last academic lecture that we had here in Northern Ireland. We had a panel discussion from community based organization leaders from across L’Derry. The panel was composed off Michael Doherty, Bryan Doherty (not related), Eamon Dean and Maureen Hetherington. This panel discussion served as a culmination of everything that we have learned since being here in Northern Ireland.

The theme that stuck with me the most arose within 30 seconds of the start discussion; around the media in Northern Ireland , when Brian explained that his placement had been at the Derry News. Eamon Dean asked him about the editorial policies, especially regarding sectarianism and Brain was unsure of exactly how to answer at the time. Many times throughout the two hours we were at the junction, shots were made at the media. The problems that the group expressed were cases of avoidance of real issues in local media and throughout the UK. From the panel’s prospective, issues of sectarianism must be addressed; and for the media to gloss over them to avoid pushing buttons is only perpetuating the problems that exist. I found this an interesting twist on media in comparison to the media in the U.S. In the United States reporters seem to always be looking to break the big story and tell the news as biased as it might be sometimes. In Northern Ireland the media seems to be more interested in anything that is not the conflicts and disputes that go on. I have been reading the paper on the days at my placement; and it seems that more of the papers are devoted to pictures from local night clubs than any sort of real news which makes the papers a bit less appetizing to read. I can only assume that it is because the people here are so tired of the conflict that they don’t even want to write about it let alone read about it. The problem that the members of this panel had with this ideology is that their work is all about people talking about their problems and interacting with members of the other community; and they feel that the media is almost working against them. I think that this really shows the human side to the conflicts because it is human nature to want to avoid the tough issues. This issue also exemplifies the dynamic of being an outsider to the conflict vs. having to go through with it and deal with issues on a day to day basis.

I feel that the panel is right in their disagreements surrounding the media and their lack of addressing of the issues. Everything that I have learned in NI has led me to believe that people need to deal with the issues; and glossing over the problems and issues is like standing still and that is not going to cut it as far as I am concerned

A Farwell to the Gasworks

So today concluded my last day at the Gasworks Community Center. I would have to say that from a personal standpoint this had to be one of the more relaxing days that I have had here in Northern Ireland. Today was a big day as the community gathered to honor those in the community who volunteer their, mostly with no recognition and definitely no pay for the service that they provide to the community. The new mayor of Derry came ( Gerald Diver, SDLP) and gave a speech to the group applauding the work that they do for the community and thanking them for all of the effort they put in. What this day was about was to (pamper) the men and women who volunteer. They received a free lunch at the café and then there were massage therapists, nurses to check blood sugar cholesterol and blood pressure, waxing for women, people to check BMI as well as eye exams, all at no cost for the volunteers.

I spent my afternoon with a couple of older guys who looked like they had been through some serious times during The Troubles, but I did not ask about those times, instead I talked to them about the work that they currently do in the community. Charlie McMullen was my closests companion at the table. Charlie works for an organization called Cunmah, which is a group located on Bishop Street and works at the interface between Bishop Street and the Fountain ( a Protestant community in the Catholic area). He also lives on Bishop street. I talked with Charlie about the work he was doing and some of the issues that he was dealing with in particular. What he told me was that when something happened at the Interface, he is the guy who goes out on the street addressing the issues and getting people talk if necessary. A lot of what goes on tends to involve kids throwing stones or bricks at one another because their parents cannot control or as Charlie phrased it they won’t. A recent incident that he described to me was that some kids from the Fountain were running around with masks on throwing stones. When Charlie heard and called the police, they told him that they were watching them on CCTV, but where not going to do anything about because they did not think they were causing too much of a problem. This is the kind of stuff that he deals with on a regular basis, which leads to his new plan of action. He told me, he was in the process of putting together a letter so that he along with the police couldl go and knock on every door in the Fountain explaining that people have to address the issues surrounding their children. He went on to explain the problem he sees is that there are about 14 different sub groups in the Fountain so it hard to get everyone together to work out solutions because every group is so divided and works on its own. Then Charlie gave his own reasoning for why the people won’t work out a solution- which is that everyone in the Fountain likes to play a victim card because it gives them a sense of identity as an embattled group. Becasue of this they won’t comprise lest they have to break from this identity.

My talk with Charlie might have been the most informative about the conflict within the community. I found it really interesting and a change of pace from social (non-conflict) issues that I had been hearing about for the last couple weeks during placement at theGasworks and more about what I had heard about in lectures. In my opinion, its people who are out in the community making people talk past their differences that are the one who are doing the most important work . They are at the grassroots level as opposed to politicians that seem to have a disconnect from the people ( the impression that I have gotten in my time here.) I think that Charlie had a lot toteach me and I really wish that I could have spent more time with him. This may have been the most relaxing day but it was the most informative day also.

Battle of The Blogside

This past Tuesday at the Gasworks had me again working with Jennifer the resident dentist. As we sat talking over some tea in the café , I learned a little bit more about what exactly her role is within the organization. She is tasked with going out into the community to speak about dental hygiene. I was slightly confused the last time I was with her because her office looks like a dental operating room and though it is fully functional it has become more of esthetic feature and a jumping off point for her work within the community. Sometimes she brings younger children in from the Gail school or the preschool and puts them in the chair to get them used to being in a dentist office so they are not afraid when they go for real.

What I learned from our talk was that the Health Forum (or Foram Slainte for the Irish speakers) in combination with a group from the Old Library Trust ( another community center similar to the Gasworks based in the Creggan) are launching a new campaign called “ Sweet Smile” . This is a new community initiative to teach children about 1. Dental health and 2. How diet plays a major part of that. The slogan for the campaign is “ Fizzy drinks and sweets ruin your teeth” and has a picture of a child. This is also a major advertising message that is going to be displayed all over the city, especially within the more depressed areas. The campaign includes a large sign to be displayed at the Derry CityFootball Club field.

So back to my day, we were headed to a kick off party at the Long Tower Community Center and Derry City Football field. The event started on the Derry Football Club’s field which is located adjacent to the Long Tower Community Center, a partnership with the two community groups to get the word out about dental hygiene. Only about ten minutes or so was spent at the field to take some pictures with the new mayor (not sure who he is but I would assume he was Catholic since we were in the Brandywell) and a couple of the Derry City players around a new sign that will be displayed in the Stadium as part of the advertising campaign.

The second part of the event took place within the Long Tower Community Center and was an event for the kids. Children were invited from different schools all over the Bogside and Brandywell, there were about 50 kids in attendance. Several different community groups that are working together on this project set up tables and displays, all having to do with eating right and taking care of their teeth.

Jennifer’s display included soda cans and various candies and energy drinks with a large label on each displaying how many teaspoons of sugar were in each of the items. The display also had a lot of models of various teeth and gum disorders. Her goal was to advocate parents taking their children to the dentist every six months to keep up with their oral health. The children were also treated to live music from a singer with an acoustic guitar. Healthy sugar free lunches were provided by the people from Gasworks café.

I think that this event was really a good idea because there definitely is an understanding within the community that now is the time to address health issues like this , and they are putting a lot of time and effort into improving the quality of life of the people who live in these communities

Bucknell Hits Dublin

This past Saturday was spent in Dublin within the whole group. The trip down there was long and arduous because the roads in both Northern Ireland and The Republic of Ireland are less than metropolitan and are very slow going and winding and combined with bus seats that make your lower back scream for mercy made for quite a trip.

We started our day in Dublin at Kilkenny’s , which in on the bottom level of a store that sells a wide assortment of Irish souvenirs and clothing. The top floor has a café which had a very interesting soup, that no one knows for sure what the ingredients were made from but the general consensus was that was most likely squash or a similar plant. I was disappointed in this café because for a seemingly very Irish store, the food provided felt more like it came from a cookie-cutter Starbucks like establishment and not very Irish. I was hoping for a bit more traditional meal, in the city that is the heart of the Irish Republic.

After a brief layoff we regrouped and started our walking tour which focused on the history of the 1916 Easter Rising. The Rising was the pivotal jump off for Irish independence from Great Britain or at least that is for the southern part of the Island. To be honest, I had little knowledge of the 1916 rising, and for the past few weeks we have been focusing on The Troubles, so I figured that this would be a pretty informative and a good mix-up from what we had been learning. It would also give me a chance to learn more about the history of the Republic of Ireland as all of my maternal great- grandparents immigrated from here. When we began the tour in what I would assume was the quad at Trinity College (just a guess), our tour guide gave us a lot of background on the rebellion itself ( such as the fact that it actually happened on Easter Monday as opposed to Sunday.) As the tour continued, I really liked how the tour guide went off the beaten path and tried to give us a view of what these people were like and where they lived. Unfortunately I think that I and the rest of my group (though I cannot speak for them) were not prepared historically enough for this in-depth download, much of the time was spent try to catch up and digest what figures the guide was talking about. I really feel that without a better understanding of history an extremely fast paced and deeply informative tour on the busy streets of Dublin, losses its effectiveness. This was the kind of tour that I think would have been really helpful in Derry especially in the Bogside with all its history of conflict instead of getting the same information in lectures. As great as the tour was, in my opinion it was a little bit over everyone’s head unless they really knew the background and players in the 1916 rising.

The rest of my time in Dublin was spent on the go for the most part. Since we were in such a historic city it was only natural for the (ugh men) to head off to the Guinness factory and so we did. We realized too late that it was a serious hike to the other end of the city for us weary travelers . I do not wish to romanticize drinking in anyway, but it was an extremely enjoyable experience. The factory tour provided an informative historical insight of the undeniable connection with the St. James Gate brewery and the city of Dublin. Afterwards we went to the oldest pub in the whole of Ireland for dinner; the Brazen Head Pub has existed in some form or another as a pub on the same spot of land from 1198 A.D. till now. It is crazy to think that this one spot people have been coming to eat and drink for centuries. The stone entrance supposedly dates back a few hundred years. Overall my trip to Dublin was great and I would love to return again someday.