To ask what it was like living in NI during the Troubles

[ViscountTheVoraciousVampire]

Growing up and living in Northern Ireland during those turbulent years before the GFA, whether the GFA had much of an impact?

I watched the documentary last night, there was one years back on BBC1 on Panorama which looked at how the Catholics were treated. If you were around during the 1970's, the media portrayed it as if the Catholics were the problem, they were causing the problem. I remember as a child / teen, we were put off going places due to attacks in the Mainland. It's interesting to see a side that was never really reported. It must have been hell to live through for everyone?

From the little I know, I think it's the Historical Enquiries Team working for families to get answers to questions.

Is life better now, is there more integration? Do you think a hard border would reignite tensions? Did you want to integrate before, or was it a no go situation?

flossie: I guess because I grew up with this men I don't see it them as baddies. The estate where I live doesn't have a drug problem because they don't allow drugs in. The people that have been beaten or thrown out of their homes were "punished" like this because of their own behaviour.
I have deleted so many sentences here as it all comes across like I am on their side, and I'm not. I just seen them as my friends, I didn't look to deep into their actions. Some of these men didn't want to be in it either but they had to. Eg, if they done something wrong, I dunno like smashed a window for example then they had the choice of being beaten or joining up, at 15 or 16 joining up seemed to be the thing to do. It was the easier option. When these same men were sent to beat someone else, if they didn't then they would have gotten beaten. The big bosses weren't soft. They didn't want to hear sob stories.

As I have gotten older I have seen and heard things that I hope my son never has to.

There are so many things that were normal here that would be baffling to an 'outsider'. Like, if your dad was a police officer you didn't tell anyone he was a police officer. All these tiny children who were trained that it was life or death and they must not ever say that their daddy was in the police, they had to say he was a bus driver (or something else that would explain shiftwork).

I was born mid eighties and we lived in the sticks so I was sheltered from the majority of it. I also deliberately was not baptised and received virtually zero religious education (very thankful for that) However my aunt had a 'mixed marriage' and then lived in a unionist area. Their family surname was a very Irish Fitz-something. She had to teach her pre-school aged children a different surname for themselves so no other families (of the kids' nursery friends) would know. When they moved away finally, a few went out at night to repaint the red white and blue kerbstones back grey.

I remember stop points in the car. Being tiny and having my dad questioned in the front seat by men with guns. Scary.

Years later at uni in a different country, my friend and I came across an abandoned gym bag left near the quiet back entrance of a busy shopping centre. My friend's thought was homeless person intending to bed down. My thought was bomb. (Bomb would not have occurred to him).

A school friend of mine left and relocated to England with her folks because her dad was in the police and he'd been targetted. His car exploded outside their house, thankfully with no one in it.

As I said, my school was not religious but as kids you pick up that there's a difference between a kid who's been given an über-Irish name like Caoimhe or Meadhbh, and ones called Victoria and Elizabeth. (Although it was mostly Sarah Emma Lindsay Claire and Nicola on repeat!).

Some friends of my parents were killed in the bombings.

Ilive- there may not be a drug problem on your estate but could that be because the paramilitaries are selling else where?? Like in the coach?? I remember being in a dodgy nightclub in the city centre and well known loyalist being there openly dealing drugs without a care in the world. The people being out of your estate maybe aren’t because they are selling drugs but actually because they are effecting the trade of those you see as protective.

Interesting thread, I'm from a very, verrrryyy republican estate and was a child in the 80s so don't have too many stories other than 'the brits' (soldiers) standing at the end of every street in our estate day in and day out. My parents are not in the least bit political so we were always told just to smile/say hello as we passed as my Mum didn't want any trouble. Some of the soldiers would be polite but others would call us names, tell us to fuck off or jab the butt of their rifle at us to scare us. Our street was one of many regularly raided in the middle of the night and we would be turfed from our homes to stand in the cold in our nighties while they ransacked our homes and would smirk when they'd stand about wasting as much time as possible before allowing us back home to the whole house turned upside down.

We wouldn't be allowed to go far from home as bombings and shootings were still happening and going to the 'other side' of town (where the protestants lived) was a massive no, as if you were found to be Catholic you wouldn't get out without a beating at least (and vice versa if they came to our side).

Things have definitely gotten a lot better now but it is STILL the undertone of our city. There are many who still live in the past and I think it will be a long time before they move on.

I lived in NI for many years, There is a great sense of community, although there are still lots of hard felt attitudes scarred from the past. If you look on youtube at the trouble on the 12th of July 2018 for the Orange March. It was a disgrace at the bonfires, The previous year a black coffin for Martin McGuinness on the bonfire.

My friend is a catholic and she works as a carer on the protestant area, She has to pretend she is a protestant or same nothing, Some of her elderly clients ask her are you a Dirty Taig. (Catholic)

My other friend leaves her DH to come to her Mams during the marching season as she cannot stand the remarks made while they are preparing with their flutes.

flossie: Think I was in the Coach one as it was too far for us to travel to. My dad would have taken us and then stayed outside as by the time he got home he would have had to turn around and come back again. He used to just nap in the car instead. Our usual haunt was Paradise Lost at the weekends or the Deerpark on a Sunday night.
You are obviously from NI as well so I am sure you have heard of the split between the UDA groups as well documented in the Sunday Life. Well, where I live is where the split off group is. They are not big on drugs, I am aware and not naive enough to think that there is no drugs at all, but we don't have any drug problem. They do still collect the protection money but then they throw parties for the children at events like Halloween, Christmas and lets not forget the 12th (although I am away every year for this as it causes more problems that it is worth)
I am not a loyalist. I don't care if the bonfires get lit, if the bands don't march or the flag never gets flown. I am happy enough in my wee cocoon. Like I said before this was all when I was younger. I don't see the men as baddies as I knew them before this but it is not a "career path" that I would want my son growing into.

They use their intimidation money to put on parties for the kids? Sounds a bit like coercive control on a massive scale. ‘Let’s make the community think we are the good guys by doing stuff for the kids, whilst similarenously doing lots of dodgy things behind closed doors, and when we are pulled up for it, say it is in the interests of ‘the community’.
I am not meaning to be facetious- it just genuinely shocks me.

I’m in my mid 40s and have lived in NI all my life. Predominantly in North and West Belfast, apart from a few years around late primary where my parents decided to move us out into a mixed area (I don’t mean boys and girls —old bad joke—).

Looking back now it’s so very hard to describe growing up in that kind of tinderbox. It was just how we lived - out for bombs scares, evacuated at night, my parents car was stolen twice - when it was found my dad was told he could go and get it, police or army weren’t touching it incase it was booby trapped, but he needed his car to work. Bag searches, army in gardens, my parents fear of us playing out, the sick feeling when plastic bullets were used, how quickly things could turn, army checking the buses into town, the humiliation of having to open your bag in the street, to have to say where you were going and why. I remember watching Newsround and asking why our street was on - it was one of those desperately patronising pieces about children growing up in dangerous areas.

I remember when the GFA was signed, I voted for it. I still have the Belfast Tel from the day after. It was so important, it’s currently being shat on and I feel so so angry. I’ve bypassed sad and went for angry and scared.

As an aside my husband took the head staggers in his mid thirties and decided to go for his childhood dream and apply to join the PSNI. That was just not open for him when he was younger. He’s been in for over 10 years. He checks his car every morning (although the devices are now so small and sophisticated they really can’t be seen), he takes a different route to work every day. As previously mentioned we have an array of cover stories about what he does. None of the kids know, we are currently having a “discussion” about telling the oldest. He wants to, I don’t. His job affects everything we do - we had to move house, it affects where our kids go to school, I lie everyday to my kids and school parents, albeit a sin of omission about his work.

My youngest asked me were we Taigs, she saw it written on a side of new housing being built and it wasn’t a welcome sign although the spelling was fucking atrocious.

That is exactly it. Everything that they do is for the community. When I was younger I fully fell for all of this. If a local business is giving money and then this money is used to buy sweets and drinks then surely it must be good. That is what they want people to see. I know people even now that would be happy if their son joined up.
When I was late teens/early twenties then this was what I seen and to a certain extend probably believed. We were far enough from Belfast to be able to ignore what was happening there. To me those paramilitaries were bad, the ones local were just wee Jimmy or big Billy. Even know I look at them and see wee Davy that I use to sneak a cig with, I don't see wee Davy with a hood and a baseball bat.
I suppose it is different when you grow up with these people, when we go to school with them, socialise with them, work with them. They are not the same people that I see on the news or read about in the paper

As 15 year old girl I was was badly beaten up by gang of protestant lads (similar age or older) because they were able to identify me as a catholic. Upon giving my statement to the RUC the openly laughed when I told them what they called me as they tried to kill me ...fenian this, taig that.

Every time you were pulled over by the army and they identified you as Catholic by ur name they put you out of the car and tried to intimidate you. Once I watched them put a gun to my fathers head, threatening to shoot him in front of.

Bombs, shootings etc were normal, we didn’t bat an eyelid.

There is no difference in anyone taking a life, murder is murder no matter what way you dress it. The British army is no different to the taliban. I’m quite sure the British army are doing the same thing in every other country they are in but the media isn’t reporting it either. You always hear of the soldiers dying but not the victims they killed.

Far afar it seemed the IRA were the bad guys, Though within the Catholic community they really suffered intimidation.

Even with jobs 10 years ago I worked for a Facilities company in Belfast, The CEO owner a nice protestant man. The office staff was mainly protestant, there were 4 catholic including me, with the engineers on the road, possibly 60 protestant and 10 Catholic. Things are changing.

This thread has me thinking of Zombie, Aw Delores O Riordan, I am heartbroken, sorry to derail.

I was born in '89 so really wasn't alive/ have no memory of any of the troubles.

I still live half an hour from Belfast in a relatively small town. My family aren't political and never speak about politics however people still judge you straight away based on your name, what sports you play, where you are from and what school you went to.

For example I have an Irish name straight away people would guess I am a catholic.
If they knew where I was from and what school I attended they would be nearly sure of it.
Schools are still very segregated. Sports are still quite segregated too.
My DH is a Protestant and when we got together many of his friends made jokes about him being with a catholic, they also made jokes about us getting married in a Catholic Church but they all came to our wedding. It's not an issue and we just laugh them off it doesn't annoy either of us.

I would say it is generations away before people stop automatically guessing what religion someone is.

Am I the only one doing quick mileage, time and description, to work out where posters might be from? 😁

Didn't go through it as in Australia but mum's family are 'mixed' - dad's family are Catholic, mum's are Protestant from Belfast. They were a bit funny about the marriage (to the point of locking my mum up in her room).

I grew up near Derry in the 70s, then North Antrim in the 80s, so remember all the checkpoints and soldiers and bomb scares mentioned already. But it was just normal, we were used to it. Looking back it was pretty horrific though. I remember taking my husband to Belfast for the first time in the early 90s and him nearly freaking out when he saw the armed soldiers crouching in the door way of M &S. And the choppers constantly hanging over head, I'm still not keen on the sound of helicopters. So I got the hell out as soon as possible, and only go back to see my family, and even then not often. For some reason, beautiful as it is, it never felt like home to me and I know I will never move back, not for all the tea in China.

@GreyCloudsToday I'm English in NI and I feel totally welcomed. Never had any bother from anyone - a bit of harmless ribbing but never with malice. I absolutely love living here. Loads of things I miss about London obviously, but our quality of life here is substantially better.

We were just chatting recently in my office about how when we were growing up we never heard any non local accents, but there are loads and loads of English people living in Belfast now. About a third of the staff in my workplace are from England. It's great to see people actively choose to live here.

@treaclesoda yes loads of English people where I work too, I don't feel out of place at all. The only time anyone's really commented is when I apologised to a guy when he bumped into me (it was clearly his fault but I said sorry as a reflex!) and he said "you don't need to say sorry for things that aren't your fault, you're not in England any more you know!" I love it here. It has its quirks and foibles like any other place but the beautiful landscape, proximity to the sea, work life balance, low cost of living and above all, amazingly friendly people more than make up for it. I can't see us ever moving back.

This will help some ‘outsiders’ understand the North of Ireland a bit more. 😉😁

theulsterfry.com/world-news/10-things-you-never-knew-about-northern-ireland-a-guide-for-english-folk/

Am I the only one doing quick mileage, time and description, to work out where posters might be from?

Are you Gerry Kelly?

I grew up in Northern Ireland in the 70s and 80s . I had family working for the RUC and UDR . They would all check their cars religiously. A couple of my mums cousins were shot by the IRA . They tried to kill my uncle but put a bomb under the wrong car and blew up his neighbour instead .
I left to go to university but came back and have been living rurally here for the last 20 odd years . Yes it’s not perfect but it’s home and I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else in the uk .
Things are peaceful atm but I don’t think it would take much to start the troubles again . There’s a lot of hatred on both sides . St Patrick’s day and the twelfth bring out all the arseholes . Unfortunately those arseholes are the ones influencing the next generation and so it continues .
Someone mentioned poor social mobility, I think you have more opportunities to move up from a working class background here simply because we have grammar schools . I know a lot of kids who have gone to university from a lot bacjground who are not doctors , solicitors , architects etc
I disagree with integrated education as religion still plays a part in school life . I would like to see “ schools “ just schools for everyone regardless of the church you do or don’t attend . Religion is for church not school .

I sat two of my O'levels with a bomb squad outside the assembly hall trying to figure out if they were dealing with a hoax or a live device. They didn't detonate until we had finished the second exam. We had the curtains pulled for "safety"!!!

I saw bombings, shootings, punishment beatings and riots. It was no surprise to be woken in the night by the sound of bin lids warning of trouble.

That was growing up in NI during the troubles.

I pray my dc never experiences what I did, but with Brexit and our laughable government both in Westminster and Stormont I fear my prayers are in vain.

Are you Gerry Kelly? 🤫

😁

I was born early 70’s so grew up during the Troubles, but we lived in mixed areas in Belfast (Catholic background) so we were relatively unaffected compared to a lot of people. As others have said, it was just our normal. At one point we lived near a business who refused to pay protection money and so was regularly targeted... any time it was bombed, the explosion would make our windows rattle and we’d all roll our eyes and go ‘not again’.

It was normal to see armed police/army everywhere, as were the checkpoints and barriers around the city centre. It was quite exciting to see a controlled explosion. Bombscares were normal. I practically lived in Lavery’s bar in my teens... occasionally there’d be a bombscare and we’d all try to get served another drink to take out with us, there wasn’t really a sense of urgency, it was just a nuisance. I lived near an Orange March hotspot, where riots would break out every year. I saw a couple of guys shot dead, was friends with someone who’d been kneecapped, and another friend had been forced to drive a van bomb. Bit weird writing all that after saying I was relatively unaffected!

But it was only when I got older that I realised just how bad it was for people in certain areas, I really was lucky not to be affected more by it all.

A hard border could be devastating in my opinion