October 2006 Archives
GIs in Ulster: a Pocket Guide to Northern Ireland
Browsing in
the Linenhall Library the other day, I came across A Pocket Guide to Northern
Ireland published by the United States War and Navy Departments,
Washington DC, for American soldiers based in the Province.
The little booklet was intended to give GIs
stationed here some idea of what the people here were like: ‘You are going away from home on an important
mission - to meet Hitler and beat him on his home ground. For the time being you will be the guest of Northern
Ireland. The purpose of this guide is to
get you acquainted with the Irish, their country and their ways.’
The opening chapter informs the GI that
‘There are two Irelands'. It offers sage advice for Americans abroad,
‘particularly important in Ireland: (1) Don‘t argue religion. (2) Don't argue politics.'
Some parts of the booklet still come across
well. ‘Northern Ireland - usually called Ulster - is a small country,
only slightly larger than the State of Connecticut‘ The climate is is ‘damp, chilly, rainy‘; ‘the sun is only an occasional visitor in
Ireland; there are about 200 rainy days a year.’ ‘It is
the always-present dampness which makes the cool summers and mild winters seen
colder than they are.' Optimistically, the guide says that ‘Dampness chills the bones of visitors, but
it makes Ireland green and beautiful.’
The underlying politics of the ongoing war
against Hitler's Germany are not forgotten. One chapter warns the GI that Eamon
DeValera protested against the landing of US troops in Ulster and that Axis
legations operate in Eire: 'Axis spies
sift back and forth across the border constantly, be on your guard! The Nazis
are trying to find out all about the AEF.
Watch what you say in public. Enemy ears are listening.’
On social matters, the GI reader is told; ‘the male social center in Ulster is the
tavern or public house. While there are
temperance advocates and a few prohibitionists in Ireland, you won’t see much
of them…. Up in the hills you may be
offered an illicit concoction known as “potheen.” This is a moonshine whiskey
made out of potato mash. Watch it. It’s
dynamite…’ However, the poor
American soldier on leave might find some disappointment; 'There is virtually no night life. Pubs closed early and the floor show and juke
joint are nonexistent.'
Ulster's religious divisions are not
overlooked. GIs are warned that; 'Religion is a matter of public as well as
private concern in Ulster and you’ll be wise not to talk about it. In America
we ask where do you come from? In Ulster
they ask What church do you belong to?
If the question is put to you tell the truth and then change the subject.'
GIs are informed of two historical links
with Co Antrim. Beneath a photegraph of Carrickfergus castle and harbour a
caption reads; 'For centuries,
Carrickfergus, near Belfast, was the chief port and town of Northern
IRELAND. Ancestors of Andrew Jackson,
seventh President of the United States, kept a inn near the north gate of the
city (sic). Offshore, in 1778, John
Paul Jones fought a victorious naval action in his ship ‘Ranger’. Diplomatically,
the booklet omits to mention that the founder of the US Navy captured a British
vessel during one of the first naval engagements of the American war of
independence.
In a section near the back, soldiers are
advised on the use of Pounds, shillings and pence; 'Ulster uses British money' and weights and measures. The difference
between tanners, bobs, half-crowns, farthings and guineas is patiently
explained. Soldiers are advised not to show off their comparative wealth around
poorer Ulsterfolk and allied servicemen and not to brag or put down local ways
of life or to provoke resentment against them. These were the days when the US
war department saw themselves as helping allies rather than reshaping the world
in their own image, Then the US war department thought it necessary to give
their soldiers some idea of what lay in wait for them before arriving in the
strange surroundings of wartime Ulster. For twenty-first century readers it's
an interesting snapshot of Ulster life
as it was for our parents or grandparents.
SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL PIPE BAND!
ONE of my regrets about the annual Twelfth demonstration in
I was recently invited to see members of the Star of Eden Pipe Band at their weekly band practice in Kilroot Orange Hall. I mentioned this to an acquaintance who plays in the North Belfast Pipe Band. He didn't realise that the Star of Eden was still going. Few people outside the Carrickfergus area seem to have heard of it even though it has been established since 1923.
Certainly numbers have dropped off a fair bit since the band won the All-Ireland Piping competition in 1958. Some members have moved away, some have died and others have been 'poached' by more well-known bands. These setbacks, however, have not dented the enthusiasm of young and old members alike. William McDonnell has been involved with the band since 1944. At 85, John Turner is still blowing away with gusto, while 12 year-old Jade McNeill is regarded as the best learner in the band. I was very impressed by this dedication during my short visit.
Nevertheless, the band's members sense that the current revival of interest in Ulster-Scots heritage and culture is likely to benefit them, if people know they're out there. Their ambition is to get back out on the road as soon as possible. Currently they are down to six pipers, two side drummers, two tenor drummers, a bass drummer and a pipe major, so there's plenty of room for new recruits. Would-be junior learners – on pipes or drums - can turn up at Kilroot Orange Hall between 7:00 and 9:00pm each Wednesday evening. More experienced would-be recruits, perhaps even former members of defunct bands, can go along to the band practise each Monday evening between 8:00 and 10:00pm.
Members of the band participate in the annual Burns Night supper organised by Kilroot True Blues LOL1544. Tickets for the forthcoming Burns Supper on January 26th 2007 are likely to be snapped up very quickly as local people flock to hear the pipers and Willie Macpherson's celebrated Address to the Haggis. Band members are also available for various functions, including weddings and funerals.
The Star of Eden can
have a great future ahead of it, given the goodwill of the people of Carrick
and the wider
Radicals in Rosemary Street
One building which has always fascinated me, although I had never previously set foot in it is the First Presbyterian Church in Rosemary Street in the centre of Belfast. Presbyterians have met together on this site since 1695 although the congregation was founded in 1644. The present meeting house dates from 1783, which makes it Belfast's oldest surviving place of worship within the old town boundaries. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, preached there in 1789.
At one time there were three Presbyterian churches in Rosemary Street. The Second church stood behind the current building. The congregation moved to Elmwood Avenue in 1896. A multi-storey car park occupies the site today. The Third church had a fine building further down the street. This was destroyed by German aircraft in 1941. The Masonic Hall with its fine John Luke mural of the building of the temple of Solomon now stands on that site. This congregation now meets in a building on the North Circular Road - Rosemary Presbyterian Church. Despite damage from terrorist bombs during our own recent troubles, the First Church still thrives and keeps its building in good order.
The first thing to catch my eye in the vestibule was a magnificent marble 1914-18 war memorial by the sculptor, Rosamund Praeger. The inscription reads, “They whom we gratefully commemorate were, 'numbered among those, at the call of King and Country, left all that was dear to them, endured hardness, faced danger, and finally passé out of the sight of men by the path of duty and self-sacrifice, giving up their own lives that others may live in freedom. II Sam X.12.”
Entering the main meeting area the most unusual feature of the church becomes obvious. The building is oval. Indeed, with its carved wooden pews it resembles a boat. The elevated pulpit gives a commanding view of every part of the building, so the preacher can be seen and heard from every space in the pews.
The sides of the building have a number of carved memorials and plaques to the memory of former members and ministers of the congregation. There appear to have been two William Bruces. A fine stained glass window showing jesus teaching children is in memory of Samuel Martin of Shrigley, Co Down, Founder of the Sick Children's Hospital, Belfast who died in 1872. A carved tablet of a man studying a book commemorates William Tennent 1759-1882 “A consistent advocate of free inquiry and rational liberty.”
This last inscription gives us a clue that the First Church was a major player in the political and religious controversies that engulfed Presbyterianism in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries.
William Drennan of the United Irishmen was born in the manse of the church where his father was minister. He wrote a number of political pamphlets and became a founding member of the Society of United Irishmen. In 1794 he was tried for sedition, but was acquitted, whereupon he withdrew from the Society but without giving up his interest in radical politics, particularly the question of Catholic emancipation.
He wrote a good deal of poetry, largely forgotten today, but coined the phrase, "the Emerald Isle," his poem When Erin First Rose. He is buried in the Clifton Street graveyard. A blue plaque to his memory can be seen on the Central Hall, the site of the manse where he was born.
A major religious issue was over the subscription to a doctrinal standard known as the Westminster Confession of Faith. The orthodox 'subscribing' party was led by Dr Henry Cooke whose statue -the black man - stands at the top of Wellington Place. The champion of the liberal 'non-subscribing' party was Dr Henry Montgomery. He led seventeen congregations out of the Synod of Ulster to from the Remonstrant Synod in 1830. This merged with another body in 1910 to become the Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church which has some 34 congregations, largely in eastern Ulster.
Anyone curious to see what they're all about can attend Sunday services at 10:30am only. I understand that the building is now also open to the public on Wednesday mornings and is well worth a visit. The sedentary can check out www.firstchurchbelfast.com
DICKIE
ROCKS!
I'd heard of Dickie Rock of course. He had been big in the early sixties and represented Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1964. Apart from that, I knew nothing, so I was quite unprepared for the storming show that I saw in the packed Spectrum Centre. When I say 'packed' I mean packed. Every seat in the main hall was taken. According to a local newspaper, this was the largest audience ever for an event in the Spectrum Centre. Quite a few folk were in their seats a good hour or more before the gig began. Whatever else I might have thought of him I soon observed that Dickie Rock certainly has a very keen fan base.
When the show began, Dickie hit the stage running. 'Were you expecting somebody older?', he quipped before launching into Love is in the Air. The crowd loved it. They went wild. As Dickie warmed up the crowd began to get into the swing of things. The opening bars of familiar songs brought out more cheers of approval and rapturous applause from the body of the hall. A party from the Shankill Gateway Club - many with Downs Syndrome - began to dance in front of the stage. These young folk had a real ball.
I was impressed by the effortless way that Dickie switched from one style of singing to another. Every now and then he broke into a medley of songs. Elvis standards like Don't be Cruel, Teddy Bear and The Wonder of You preceded a complete change of rhythm to Try a Little Kindness melded into Gentle on my Mind and Things We Used to Do. I picked up on a medley of Neil Sedaka classics and some powerful renditions of Stevie Wonder's Happy Birthday, It's Now or Never, and I Can't Get No Satisfaction, complete with Mick Jagger-style attitude!
He kept up this constant change of pace throughout the show – all on his own. No backing tracks and no backing singers. The man must have some stamina. I was blown away by it all. The audience was ecstatic; all the more when Dickie left the stage and passed through sections of the audience. The members of the Gateway Club could hardly contain themselves with delight. He shook hands with me too with a good firm grip. Some ladies of a certain age in the audience looked like they might pass out with excitement. Others looked as if they'd smother Dickie to death! He just kept on singing through it all. What a pro!
Before I knew it, the show was over. The crowd bellowed for more, but Dickie had left the building. Knots of happy, smiling people reluctantly began to make their way home. Dickie Rock had given many of them their best night out in years.
