| Description | Track 1: recording setup 0.20 mins
Interview with Kevin Mitchell from Derry. He talks about his involvement with Republicans who were patriots, interested in Irish music, culture and games, their dislike of sectarianism and admiration of the Presbyterian leaders who were involved in the 1798 rebellion. He explains that the Unionist authorities identifies people who like Irish music and culture with rebellion and Nationalism and thinks that the authorities have made efforts to split Catholic and Protestant activists. He discusses the establishment of the Orange Order and the attitude of the British government towards the organisation in its infancy, and the association of elements of the British Conservative party with the Order. He goes on to talk about his childhood in the Bogside in Derry, squatting at Springtown camp after American servicemen had left and the living conditions there and the community spirit amongst the predominantly Catholic families he remembers living there until people from the Belmont camp moved in. He remembers the improvements that the council made to some of the huts at the camp and the deterioration of the buildings, which were outside the boundary of Derry city. He goes on to talk about the reluctance of the Unionist government to change the city boundary because of fears about a Catholic majority (tracks 1-5).
Kevin Mitchell talks about his upbringing, his awareness of his Catholic identity and religious stereotypes, the division of jobs in the city along sectarian lines, and the lack of opportunity to attend non-sectarian schools not run by religious organisations. He discusses the political activities of his family on both his mother and father's side, the existence of both Catholic and Presbyterian elements and the location of his school on the site of St Columba's first monastery. He gives details about the legend of St Columba and the use of stones from the monastery to build Derry city walls. He goes on to talk about aspects of Derry's history, the location of medieval ecclesiastical buildings, the use of local clans as forced labour to build the city walls during the seventeenth century, the history of English attempts to establish plantations in Ireland, the survival of Norman names and the assimilation of some earlier settlers into Irish culture, and the influence of Scottish culture in Northern Ireland. He thinks that Ulster had the strongest Irish culture because the region was not infiltrated by the English until later, and discusses the unity of both Catholics and Presbyterians in earlier periods because both groups were persecuted by the English church. He discusses the survival of the Irish language in Northern Ireland, Armagh as a focus for Nationalist feeling and culture and the popularity of Gaelic games and hurling (tracks 6-15).
Total: 33.01 mins
Dubber's reference number: PLA KF549C0133080 |