On the ride to Derry in a bus we saw considerable snow. Some started to stick in the grass and little nooks. The tops of the hills were white.
We toured the walls of Derry with John McCourt during no rain, light rain, and with wind. John said five people in his school class were killed in the troubles. He asked us to think of that happening to so many classes over the years.
Most recent figures show 18 percent of students in NI are mixed community schools where children from both the Catholic and Protestant communities attend. The figure could be 23 percent now. Usually, there is a wait list to get into those schools.
Protestant churches inside the city walls are empty and being repurposed. The protestant former members have left for areas outside the city.
John McCourt spent ten years in a boys home on the fringe of Derry. His brothers entered at the same time and he didn't see them for eight years. After his experiences going through the Troubles, John had the perception and commitment to support the movement to call for inquiry into institutional abuse. Without the Troubles, John might not have been able to do that.
John gave us the hard facts of the slaughter on Bloody Sunday, the failures of the first inquiry into how it happened, and the eventual success of the final inquiry which told the surviving families what they already knew.
Tom Kelly, one of the Bogside Artists, gave us a tour of the murals he and his other two partners painted. The human subjects of murals who were local were consulted personally by the artists before being depicted on a mural. The Bogside Artists formed the opinion that John Hume did a lot for peace.
All of the murals have thoughtful non-sectarian messages about discrimination, violence, and peace.
One depicts a 12 year old in an old World War era gas mask which was ineffective against tear gas. The boy is also holding a Malitof Cocktail fire bomb. The mural invites you to ask - How did the boy get to be there? What would have this result for such a young man?
Tom sometimes sees the children Bogside artists took in art workshops years ago. Now these children are in their 20s and 30s and have friends in the community living opposite from them.
Once we got to Corrymeela, we ate, attended an introductory meeting, and we went to a service at the Chroi which was conducted in the manner of the Taizé. We met with Kyle and AJ to learn about each other's experiences in Northern Ireland.
Submitted by Rod Aldrich
Snow on the way to Derry
Start of tour with Jon McCourt
On the walls of Derry
On the walls of Derry
Helen and Abby at Columb Cathedral
Team with Bogside Artist Tom
Tom with Team in front of Peace Mural
Peace Dove Mural
No comments:
Post a Comment