Abstract
This book explores how ordinary people responded to the Northern Ireland Troubles. It exposes the devastating impact of violence and its effects on everyday life. It also examines the role of Christian faith for people in the midst of conflict, considering how religion could be both a comfort and a burden.
It is based on interviews with 120 people, mostly Presbyterians, with a variety of experiences. They include ordained ministers, victims, security forces, those affected by loyalist paramilitarism (including ex-combatants), emergency responders and health care workers, quiet peacemakers, politicians, people who left Presbyterianism, and critical friends from outside Presbyterianism. These included 50 women, and 77 people from border counties (including the Republic of Ireland). The heart of the book is stories about how these people, from many walks of life, coped when they found themselves in the midst of the violence and mayhem of the Troubles. While the book focuses on Presbyterians, the stories they tell resonate with wider human experiences of anger, pain, and healing. There are stories of faith and doubt, fear and courage, suffering and forgiveness, and division and reconciliation.
It is based on interviews with 120 people, mostly Presbyterians, with a variety of experiences. They include ordained ministers, victims, security forces, those affected by loyalist paramilitarism (including ex-combatants), emergency responders and health care workers, quiet peacemakers, politicians, people who left Presbyterianism, and critical friends from outside Presbyterianism. These included 50 women, and 77 people from border counties (including the Republic of Ireland). The heart of the book is stories about how these people, from many walks of life, coped when they found themselves in the midst of the violence and mayhem of the Troubles. While the book focuses on Presbyterians, the stories they tell resonate with wider human experiences of anger, pain, and healing. There are stories of faith and doubt, fear and courage, suffering and forgiveness, and division and reconciliation.
Original language | English |
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Place of Publication | Dublin |
Publisher | Merrion Press |
Publication status | Published - 04 Oct 2019 |
Keywords
- Northern Ireland
- Troubles
- Conflict
- Religion
- Dealing with the Past
- Reconciliation
- Forgiveness