| Description | Track 1: recording of church bells 5.53 mins
Interview with Kath Beadsworth. She discusses housing conditions in Wapping Lane in the Fountain Street area of Derry and points out some of the repairs that are needed. She emphasises the efforts that people make to keep their homes clean and describes the layout of her own home, to which she has added a bathroom. She discusses her feelings about the planned improvements and demolition of some of the houses, and another woman joins the conversation to talk about the broken promises of the local authorities and her fears that the younger generation will find it even harder to get a house. Kath Beadsworth points out houses that were condemned in 1939 and are still standing and gives her opinion about the new housing that is being built. The other woman talks about the difficulties in dealing with damp and making repairs on a low income, and her feelings that the needs of people living in the Fountain Street area are neglected even though they are living in slums. She thinks this is possibly because they have not fought hard enough, unlike some in the Catholic community (tracks 2-5).
Track 6: John Wray joins the conversation to talk about the damp condition of his house, which has been condemned. He thinks that the Catholic community have had greater benefits in the provision of new housing 2.09 mins
Kath Beadsworth continues to discuss housing conditions in the Fountain Street area and the ineffectiveness of the Commission. John Wray continues to express his resentment about the difficulties in getting a house, and his feelings that the Catholic community are treated better. He describes the DIY work he has done in his house and the overcrowded conditions he was living in when he lived with his mother. He talks about an incident when his brother was beaten up in the family home by a group of Catholic men because he was a Protestant, and being beaten up and almost being hanged by a group of Catholics himself, despite being friends with Catholics when he was a child. He goes on to discuss his experiences of being discriminated against in trying to find work at Catholic firms because he is Protestant and being unemployed. He gives his views about the presence of the British troops in Northern Ireland and feels that some of them have failed to do their job. Kath Beadsworth rejoins the conversation to express her relief at the presence of the soldiers and her difficulty in understanding why sectarian tensions are so high. She talks about having Catholic friends when she was younger and the difficulty of her Catholic work colleagues in understanding the current situation (tracks 7-12).
Total: 33.06 mins
Dubber's reference number: PLA KF565D0879380 |