What a day!
And after a brilliant day, what an evening!!
A month ago I would never have dreamt that I would have had dinner with a Methodist minister who had been the Protestant witness to the arms decommissioning, and who had some of the most prominent people, from both sides, as his closest friends; or taken an extensive tour of Belfast, which had included the Catholic and Protestant areas of the city, looking at the "muriel's" (yes, that is what they call them), visiting two nuns who witness in Protestant area, seeing the Peace wall in various parts of the City, visiting a Primary School on Springfield Road; met people who work on a Community Project in a Methodist Church; cemeteries, City Centre sites, and meeting Dr Dessie Hamilton and his wife Daphne, who were both so friendly and welcoming.
In the Evening, I had dinner with Rev Dr Harold Good OBE a retired Methodist Minister who over many years had won the trust and respect of both sides in the Troubles, and was much involved in the Peace Process - witnessing the decommissioning of weapons, and knowing all the leading players in the conflict.
He was a wonderful, wonderful man.
There has been so much to take in and reflect on, that I will need time put pen to paper, or rather finger to keyboard.
But I offer 3 quotes from today.
1. From Dr Dessie Hamilton
"Those who suffer the most, are the most willing to offer the hand of friendship and forgiveness"
2. From Rev Dr Harold Good
"God is in everything, and of everything"
3. From Rev Dr Harold Good
....speaking of the Troubles "all are part of the story and all share responsibility - by what we have done, or not done, and by what we have said, or not said"
Richard, I suppose much has changed in the last 40 years but on the 1st August 1972 I was a part of Operation Motorman, when the TRA closed and blockaded the some of the catholic areas across the whole six counties.
ReplyDeleteI was in an RE Field Squadron that went into Andersons Town, for us very much bandit country and continued to be for many years after.
I had already done one Operation Banner tour working to up armour the RUC stations along the boarder with the Irish Republic and lost one of my friends. I will admit that before I firs went, I thought if it spoke with an Irish accent, shoot first and ask questions later.
How wrong on so many levels was I as then I had no understanding of the history, nor did I know the peoples on both sides of the divide.
I was then posted to Germany, where I was bored and wanted to go back to the six counties, I volunteered and when in early 1973 to Londonderry for another 4 months that they was the length of the Operation Banner tours. While there an opportunity came up for a two and a half year posting to Antrim.
I met many good honest people in my time in Northern Ireland, although with some of the memories I have now that haunt me even now.
Richard enjoy you time over there and if you can get up to Postrush and the Giants Causeway.
Regards
Charlie