June 2008 Archives
BOOK REVIEW: Belfast in the 1940's
Compiled by Joe Baker Glenravel History Project,Belfast 2008. £5.00 ISBN 978 0 955916500 2
Watching a parade of the Royal Irish Rangers OCA passing by the other day, a friend remarked to me that now veterans of the Falklands conflict in 1981 are approaching retirement age. Few of the veterans on parade were under sixty. To me the Falklands conflict was only a while ago so I find this astonishing. Thinking about this though, I now realise that my parents’ memories of the Second World War were as fresh to them when I left school in 1974 as the Falklands are to me today.
Few folk of my parents’ generation remain. Their personal reminiscences of the war will mostly die with them. My own mother who died in 1980 was an ARP warden in Belfast. My father who died in 2006 lost his home to the Luftwaffe while he spent a long night trying to extinguish parachute incendiary bombs on the roof of Ewart’s mill in Bedford Street during the fire raid of May 5th 1941. Those who remain of this generation are now well over eighty.
When the personal memories die out in the next few years or so, we will be left with written records, photographs, films and sound recordings. In this respect, Joe Baker from Glenravel Publications has done sterling work in compiling this short booklet, Belfast in the 1940’s.
I was impressed by the mixture of narrative, contemporary photographs, newspaper advertisements and propaganda items. You’ll find something here for everyone.
My mother had told me of the horrors of the blitz on Easter Tuesday 1941 when the largely unprotected city was devastated by hundreds of bombs. The Falls swimming pool was drained and used as a makeshift mortuary for over fifty bodies. This booklet tells the full horrific story as an attendant recalled, “One coffin contained ñ all open ñ a young woman with her two dead children, one in each arm. One lovely girl of sixteen lay in a coffin in her white confirmation robe with blue silk ribbon and black hair.”
This booklet carries many superb pictures of wartime Belfast: cheery female ARP wardens, children awaiting evacuation to the countryside, sobering images of the extensive damage caused to homes, workplaces and places of worship. Some of the public notices are priceless! One calls for builders ìfree to undertake First Aid Repairs and make Dwelling Houses reasonably habitable to get in touch with the Corporation. Another invites lorry owners to make their vehicles available to help clear large amounts of rubble. More tellingly, an advertisement from the Belfast Civil Defence Authority advised “The bodies of unidentified victims of the recent air raid may be seen by relatives in St George’s Market on Friday 18th April, from 3 p.m. Until 7 p.m. Unidentified and unclaimed bodies will be buried by the above authority in the reserved ground at the City Cemetery on Monday, 21st instant, leaving the above market at 12 noon.”
The booklet then looks at the birth of the National Health Service after the war with contemporary pictures from the Ava Hospital and the RVH. The section of post-war pictures are all optimistic: the launch of new ships at Harland and Wolff, busy scenes at Queen’s Bridge, the rebuilding of the York Street Mill and St James’ Church on the Antrim Road and adverts for new cars, fashions and even new-fangled refrigerators.
This booklet will probably delight many of the surviving members of my parents’ generation: those who still recall Belfast during the Second World War although for some, the memories are still bound to be painful. For some younger folk the accounts may be as remote as those of the Victorian era. Nevertheless, all will find endless items in this booklet to fascinate them. At only a fiver it’s money well spent.
Compiled by Joe Baker Glenravel History Project,Belfast 2008. £5.00 ISBN 978 0 955916500 2
Watching a parade of the Royal Irish Rangers OCA passing by the other day, a friend remarked to me that now veterans of the Falklands conflict in 1981 are approaching retirement age. Few of the veterans on parade were under sixty. To me the Falklands conflict was only a while ago so I find this astonishing. Thinking about this though, I now realise that my parents’ memories of the Second World War were as fresh to them when I left school in 1974 as the Falklands are to me today.
Few folk of my parents’ generation remain. Their personal reminiscences of the war will mostly die with them. My own mother who died in 1980 was an ARP warden in Belfast. My father who died in 2006 lost his home to the Luftwaffe while he spent a long night trying to extinguish parachute incendiary bombs on the roof of Ewart’s mill in Bedford Street during the fire raid of May 5th 1941. Those who remain of this generation are now well over eighty.
When the personal memories die out in the next few years or so, we will be left with written records, photographs, films and sound recordings. In this respect, Joe Baker from Glenravel Publications has done sterling work in compiling this short booklet, Belfast in the 1940’s.
I was impressed by the mixture of narrative, contemporary photographs, newspaper advertisements and propaganda items. You’ll find something here for everyone.
My mother had told me of the horrors of the blitz on Easter Tuesday 1941 when the largely unprotected city was devastated by hundreds of bombs. The Falls swimming pool was drained and used as a makeshift mortuary for over fifty bodies. This booklet tells the full horrific story as an attendant recalled, “One coffin contained ñ all open ñ a young woman with her two dead children, one in each arm. One lovely girl of sixteen lay in a coffin in her white confirmation robe with blue silk ribbon and black hair.”
This booklet carries many superb pictures of wartime Belfast: cheery female ARP wardens, children awaiting evacuation to the countryside, sobering images of the extensive damage caused to homes, workplaces and places of worship. Some of the public notices are priceless! One calls for builders ìfree to undertake First Aid Repairs and make Dwelling Houses reasonably habitable to get in touch with the Corporation. Another invites lorry owners to make their vehicles available to help clear large amounts of rubble. More tellingly, an advertisement from the Belfast Civil Defence Authority advised “The bodies of unidentified victims of the recent air raid may be seen by relatives in St George’s Market on Friday 18th April, from 3 p.m. Until 7 p.m. Unidentified and unclaimed bodies will be buried by the above authority in the reserved ground at the City Cemetery on Monday, 21st instant, leaving the above market at 12 noon.”
The booklet then looks at the birth of the National Health Service after the war with contemporary pictures from the Ava Hospital and the RVH. The section of post-war pictures are all optimistic: the launch of new ships at Harland and Wolff, busy scenes at Queen’s Bridge, the rebuilding of the York Street Mill and St James’ Church on the Antrim Road and adverts for new cars, fashions and even new-fangled refrigerators.
This booklet will probably delight many of the surviving members of my parents’ generation: those who still recall Belfast during the Second World War although for some, the memories are still bound to be painful. For some younger folk the accounts may be as remote as those of the Victorian era. Nevertheless, all will find endless items in this booklet to fascinate them. At only a fiver it’s money well spent.
For people of a certain age, Belfast was the home of a fascinating and innovative record shop: Good Vibrations. I first remember it in the mid-1970s as a wee pokey shop above the Sassafras wholefoods shop in Great Victoria Street. It later crossed the street and opened as a proper shop by the bus stop just down from the Presbyterian church.
Terri Hooley, the shop’s owner, is one of Ulster’s legendary characters. He has long had a passion for sharing music with ordinary people. HMV and Zavvi may sell lots of CDs between them but they are soulless and dull in comparison. That was the secret of Good Vibrations. It caught the imagination of many people at a time when Belfast was a cultural desert. The troubles raged daily and the city centre was abandoned and empty by six o’clock most evenings.
Thirty years ago, Terri launched Good Vibrations Records and signed up a number of new exciting bands; notably Rudi and The Undertones. The Undertones’ terrific song, Teenage Kicks was taken up by Radio One’s John Peel and shot them to lasting fame. Since then he has been celebrated as the Godfather of Punk in Ulster.
A gig celbrating Good Vibrations’ 30th Anniversary took place in the Mandela Hall at the end of April. To Terri’s amazement he received a letter of support from the former US President, Bill Clinton.
Ex President Clinton wrote:
In his letter (full text below), President Clinton said:
Warm Greetings to everyone celebrating the 30th anniversary of Good Vibrations Records.
Music is a powerful, unifying force in our world, bringing people together across boundaries of geography, background, religion and culture. Good Vibrations provides a unique and inspiring example in that endeavour. By supporting young musicians in Northern Ireland and introducing them to audiences in England and elsewhere, Good Vibrations not only helped individual musicians to realize their dreams but also offered listeners the opportunity to better understand and appreciate one another through the common language of music.
As you probably know, Northern Ireland holds a special place in my heart. Good Friday, April 10, 1998, the day that all the parties in Northern Ireland agreed to a plan to end 30 years of sectarian violence, was one of the happiest days of my Presidency. While I’m proud of my contribution in bringing about the Agreement, I know that no government policy can truly succeed without the grassroots efforts of those people the policy would affect. I commend Terri Hooley, and all those involved in Good Vibrations, for giving young people something positive to say, “yes” to.
Best wishes for a memorable and meaningful anniversary celebration.
Bill Clinton (signed).
When Terri showed me the letter he wasn’t sure whether a commendation from a former American president was a good thing for his reputation or not as in the sixties he used to picket the US consulate in protest at the Vietnam war.
Terri’s shop, Phoenix Records in the tiny Haymarket Arcade off Royal Avenue has closed for the last time on the last Saturday in June. This shop did not do a lot of business as many folk didn’t even know it was there. It was a refuge for Terri’s business after his previous shop in North Street Arcade was destroyed by unknown arsonists who have never been brought to justice. The closure of Phoenix Records is a good thing, though. It’s not the end of an era but the return of a legend.
Good Vibes is back! A new shop - Good Vibes - has just opened in Winetavern Street opposite Smithfield Market close to the side doors of the CastleCourt shopping centre.
Haymarket has little passing trade, so the shop there tended to rely on a few regular customers. I caught up with an excited Terri Hooley as he put the finishing touches to the new shop. He is really looking forward to new customers coming in through the door to peruse his eclectic mix of CDs, DVDs and vinyl LPs. Check it out the next time you’re in Belfast.
Terri Hooley, the shop’s owner, is one of Ulster’s legendary characters. He has long had a passion for sharing music with ordinary people. HMV and Zavvi may sell lots of CDs between them but they are soulless and dull in comparison. That was the secret of Good Vibrations. It caught the imagination of many people at a time when Belfast was a cultural desert. The troubles raged daily and the city centre was abandoned and empty by six o’clock most evenings.
Thirty years ago, Terri launched Good Vibrations Records and signed up a number of new exciting bands; notably Rudi and The Undertones. The Undertones’ terrific song, Teenage Kicks was taken up by Radio One’s John Peel and shot them to lasting fame. Since then he has been celebrated as the Godfather of Punk in Ulster.
A gig celbrating Good Vibrations’ 30th Anniversary took place in the Mandela Hall at the end of April. To Terri’s amazement he received a letter of support from the former US President, Bill Clinton.
Ex President Clinton wrote:
In his letter (full text below), President Clinton said:
Warm Greetings to everyone celebrating the 30th anniversary of Good Vibrations Records.
Music is a powerful, unifying force in our world, bringing people together across boundaries of geography, background, religion and culture. Good Vibrations provides a unique and inspiring example in that endeavour. By supporting young musicians in Northern Ireland and introducing them to audiences in England and elsewhere, Good Vibrations not only helped individual musicians to realize their dreams but also offered listeners the opportunity to better understand and appreciate one another through the common language of music.
As you probably know, Northern Ireland holds a special place in my heart. Good Friday, April 10, 1998, the day that all the parties in Northern Ireland agreed to a plan to end 30 years of sectarian violence, was one of the happiest days of my Presidency. While I’m proud of my contribution in bringing about the Agreement, I know that no government policy can truly succeed without the grassroots efforts of those people the policy would affect. I commend Terri Hooley, and all those involved in Good Vibrations, for giving young people something positive to say, “yes” to.
Best wishes for a memorable and meaningful anniversary celebration.
Bill Clinton (signed).
When Terri showed me the letter he wasn’t sure whether a commendation from a former American president was a good thing for his reputation or not as in the sixties he used to picket the US consulate in protest at the Vietnam war.
Terri’s shop, Phoenix Records in the tiny Haymarket Arcade off Royal Avenue has closed for the last time on the last Saturday in June. This shop did not do a lot of business as many folk didn’t even know it was there. It was a refuge for Terri’s business after his previous shop in North Street Arcade was destroyed by unknown arsonists who have never been brought to justice. The closure of Phoenix Records is a good thing, though. It’s not the end of an era but the return of a legend.
Good Vibes is back! A new shop - Good Vibes - has just opened in Winetavern Street opposite Smithfield Market close to the side doors of the CastleCourt shopping centre.
Haymarket has little passing trade, so the shop there tended to rely on a few regular customers. I caught up with an excited Terri Hooley as he put the finishing touches to the new shop. He is really looking forward to new customers coming in through the door to peruse his eclectic mix of CDs, DVDs and vinyl LPs. Check it out the next time you’re in Belfast.
DVD REVIEW
La Vie en Rose
Certificate: 12
Director: Olivier Dahan
Edith Piaf, one of the finest French singers of all time, had a short and tragic life. She had a miserable childhood after her mother abandoned her. As her father had to fight in the Great War she was shunted round a number of relatives and brought up in a brothel owned by her grandmother. She later accompanied her father as a street performer in Paris. As a teenager she busked in the streets with her friend Mômond before her discovery by Pere LePlee, a gay sleazy nightclub owner. He was sleazy. He was linked to organised crime but he did recognise real talent when he saw it. He changed her name to La Môme Piaf: the little sparrow.
This biopic is often confusing with a range of flash-forwards and flash-backs. We see Edith the sickly child, Edith the dying performer. Edith the lively busker. Edith the performer with the world at her feet. Edith falling for the boxer, Marcel. Edith mourning Marcel after his death in a plane crash. A tired and worn out Edith getting a new lease of life with a new song, Je ne Regrette rein which she recognises as her life in song.
Marion Cotillard gives a blistering performance in this superb biopic of the troubled chanteusse. In her later years Piaf was crippled with rheumatism and afflicted with alcoholism. Cotillard uncannily mimics Piaf's gestures and style in later life as easily as she does her fresh and lively start in showbusiness. Based on this performance she should go far in her future career.
This has to be the best biopic since Walk the Line told the story of Johnny Cash and June Carter. The music is superb too. On its release in France the film broke box-office records and has been well-received in North America and Britain. The new DVD release has a second disc of fascinating extras including a short film about the real Edith Piaf based on the memories of her friend Mômond.
La Vie en Rose
Certificate: 12
Director: Olivier Dahan
Edith Piaf, one of the finest French singers of all time, had a short and tragic life. She had a miserable childhood after her mother abandoned her. As her father had to fight in the Great War she was shunted round a number of relatives and brought up in a brothel owned by her grandmother. She later accompanied her father as a street performer in Paris. As a teenager she busked in the streets with her friend Mômond before her discovery by Pere LePlee, a gay sleazy nightclub owner. He was sleazy. He was linked to organised crime but he did recognise real talent when he saw it. He changed her name to La Môme Piaf: the little sparrow.
This biopic is often confusing with a range of flash-forwards and flash-backs. We see Edith the sickly child, Edith the dying performer. Edith the lively busker. Edith the performer with the world at her feet. Edith falling for the boxer, Marcel. Edith mourning Marcel after his death in a plane crash. A tired and worn out Edith getting a new lease of life with a new song, Je ne Regrette rein which she recognises as her life in song.
Marion Cotillard gives a blistering performance in this superb biopic of the troubled chanteusse. In her later years Piaf was crippled with rheumatism and afflicted with alcoholism. Cotillard uncannily mimics Piaf's gestures and style in later life as easily as she does her fresh and lively start in showbusiness. Based on this performance she should go far in her future career.
This has to be the best biopic since Walk the Line told the story of Johnny Cash and June Carter. The music is superb too. On its release in France the film broke box-office records and has been well-received in North America and Britain. The new DVD release has a second disc of fascinating extras including a short film about the real Edith Piaf based on the memories of her friend Mômond.
ALFRED HITCHCOCK'S THE BIRDS
Birds gather all around the houses. First in their ones and twos. Then more begin to gather. Nobody quite knows why. People begin to get uneasy even if they’re not quite sure why. After all, they’re only birds. What harm can they do?
This sets the scene for one of Alfred Hitchcock’s most remembered films. It caught the imagination of many cinemagoers by striking a nerve with the public. Many folk to have a fear of birds fluttering too close to their heads. The Master of Suspense harnessed this latent fear and brought it to the surface in this truly terrifying film classic based on a short story from Daphne DuMaurier.
As the story continues, the sense of menace grows. Isolated incidents suggest that birds have lost their natural shyness in the presence of people. They seem to have become more aggressive, perhaps even malevolent. We don’t know why, but birds don’t like us any more.
This film scared the living daylights out of me when I was a youngster, Even today I find it almost painful to watch the terrifying scene where a huge swarm of birds try to get into a school and finally break in through a chimney. Part of the sense of terror comes from the thought that this maybe could happen. Dracula and Frankensteins’s monster seem implausible. Birds gone bad seems like a much more likely plot device. Add to this fine performances from Tippi Hedren and Rod Taylor and you have a classic that is unlikely to be bettered. We may get to test this for ourselves soon as rumours abound of a remake due for release next year. This horror chassic is readily available on DVD and as part of a boxed set of Hitchcock’s finest films. Nobody’s film library can be called complete without a copy of The Birds.
Birds gather all around the houses. First in their ones and twos. Then more begin to gather. Nobody quite knows why. People begin to get uneasy even if they’re not quite sure why. After all, they’re only birds. What harm can they do?
This sets the scene for one of Alfred Hitchcock’s most remembered films. It caught the imagination of many cinemagoers by striking a nerve with the public. Many folk to have a fear of birds fluttering too close to their heads. The Master of Suspense harnessed this latent fear and brought it to the surface in this truly terrifying film classic based on a short story from Daphne DuMaurier.
As the story continues, the sense of menace grows. Isolated incidents suggest that birds have lost their natural shyness in the presence of people. They seem to have become more aggressive, perhaps even malevolent. We don’t know why, but birds don’t like us any more.
This film scared the living daylights out of me when I was a youngster, Even today I find it almost painful to watch the terrifying scene where a huge swarm of birds try to get into a school and finally break in through a chimney. Part of the sense of terror comes from the thought that this maybe could happen. Dracula and Frankensteins’s monster seem implausible. Birds gone bad seems like a much more likely plot device. Add to this fine performances from Tippi Hedren and Rod Taylor and you have a classic that is unlikely to be bettered. We may get to test this for ourselves soon as rumours abound of a remake due for release next year. This horror chassic is readily available on DVD and as part of a boxed set of Hitchcock’s finest films. Nobody’s film library can be called complete without a copy of The Birds.
DVD REVIEW
In the Valley of Elah
Directed by Paul Haggis
Certificate: 15 Runtime: 121 mintes
BIBLE students may recall that the Valley of Elah was the place where David slew the Philistine giant, Goliath.
This film's 'David' is a former military policeman. Hank Deerfield (Tommy Lee Jones) is a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War. He's one of the old school; straight as a die and steeped in respect for the US Army and all its military virtues.
Deerfield finds himself up against more than one Goliath as he contends with the military top brass and the indifference of the local police in an effort to find out the truth about his son. The younger Deerfield had been reported missing after a night out with some of his platoon mates shortly after his return from a tour of duty in Iraq.
In trying to discover what happened to his missing son, Deerfield finds himself stymied at every turn. When his son's remains turn up Deerfield, who is basically a decent man bewildered as his world is turned upside down, finds an ally in a newly-appointed detective (Charlize Theron). Gradually, he begins to learn disturbing things about his son and his comrades during their tour of duty in Iraq.
Tommy Lee Jones gives a sterling performance as the proud but bewildered ex-military man and grieving father who is trying to make sense out of his sons disappearance and murder. The role of Detective Sanders was written with Charlize Theron in mind and it shows. She excels in it. Theron is fast becoming a strong character actress in the mould of Meryl Streep and this can only enhance her box-office bankability.
In the Valley of Elah is in video rental shops now. This is not superficial anti-American propaganda but a thoughtful and rewarding tale of an honourable man wanting to do the right thing for his lost son. This one is not to be missed.
In the Valley of Elah
Directed by Paul Haggis
Certificate: 15 Runtime: 121 mintes
BIBLE students may recall that the Valley of Elah was the place where David slew the Philistine giant, Goliath.
This film's 'David' is a former military policeman. Hank Deerfield (Tommy Lee Jones) is a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War. He's one of the old school; straight as a die and steeped in respect for the US Army and all its military virtues.
Deerfield finds himself up against more than one Goliath as he contends with the military top brass and the indifference of the local police in an effort to find out the truth about his son. The younger Deerfield had been reported missing after a night out with some of his platoon mates shortly after his return from a tour of duty in Iraq.
In trying to discover what happened to his missing son, Deerfield finds himself stymied at every turn. When his son's remains turn up Deerfield, who is basically a decent man bewildered as his world is turned upside down, finds an ally in a newly-appointed detective (Charlize Theron). Gradually, he begins to learn disturbing things about his son and his comrades during their tour of duty in Iraq.
Tommy Lee Jones gives a sterling performance as the proud but bewildered ex-military man and grieving father who is trying to make sense out of his sons disappearance and murder. The role of Detective Sanders was written with Charlize Theron in mind and it shows. She excels in it. Theron is fast becoming a strong character actress in the mould of Meryl Streep and this can only enhance her box-office bankability.
In the Valley of Elah is in video rental shops now. This is not superficial anti-American propaganda but a thoughtful and rewarding tale of an honourable man wanting to do the right thing for his lost son. This one is not to be missed.
