IRISH-SPEAKING SOLDIERS FROM EAST BELFAST IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR
GAEILEGOIRÍ AN CHOGAIDH MHÓIR AS OIRTHER BEAL FEIRSTE
Exhibition
Over seventy soldiers, from working-class communities of East Belfast, who had previously identified as Irish speakers in the 1911 census, enlisted to fight in the First World War.
The exhibition presents a snapshot of their lives before, during and in some cases after the war. The research was undertaken by a team from Cairde Turas (a sister organisation of Turas, the East Belfast Irish Organisation) and it was supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
1-30 November | Vertical Gallery | Free
IRISH-SPEAKING SOLDIERS FROM EAST BELFAST IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR
Talk
Drawing on a range of historical sources and contemporary research, this talk presents the findings of research into Irish-speaking soldiers from East Belfast who fought in the First World War. They included Catholics and Protestants who lived in the working-class communities of inner East Belfast.
Before the war they were neighbours, and many worked together in the local shipyards and factories. They also fought together in the trenches. Not all survived but those who did return to a very different Belfast than the one they had left. Dr Carmel Duggan, who coordinated the research will discuss this little-explored aspect of east Belfast life at the outbreak of the war.
Wednesday 2 November, 2 pm | Performance Area | Free
In partnership with the JoinHer Network
This November, one year on from the extraORDINARYwomen project, we are delighted to have another opportunity to hear the stories of more extraORDINARYwomen making history and impacting our diverse community. Join us at The Linen Hall for an inspiring panel discussion that will bring to life the authentic experiences of women in media.
Featuring Lata Sharma (playwright), Alison Morris (journalist), Carol Nyaka Chana (actress), and Jayne McCormack (journalist)
Tuesday 8 November, 2 pm | Performance Area | Free
MIDNIGHT AGAIN: THE WARTIME LETTERS OF HELEN RAMSEY TURTLE
Talk
Join Julie Mackie at The Linen Hall for a vivid account of the wartime letters of her mother Helen Ramsey Turtle. The letters are a beautiful evocation of Ulster during the Second World War.
Turtle, an American, provides a clear-eyed perspective of an outsider, although very much part of her adopted community. She recorded life in and around Belfast during this traumatic wartime period with insight and without pretence.
Wednesday 9 November, 2 pm | Performance Area | Free
Workshop
Poet Maria McManus will lead two creative writing workshops responding to archival items from the Irish War of Independence and the Civil War. Participants will examine and discuss archival items from The Linen Hall Library’s collection in the first workshop. Participants who have family stories or materials relating to the revolutionary period are invited to share these, but no family connection is necessary, and all are welcome.
The second workshop will focus on honing your writing skills and completing a piece of work. Participants will be invited to submit their creative writing to UCD Special Collections to form an archive of commemorative practice for future generations.
PARTICIPANTS ARE REQUIRED TO ATTEND BOTH WORKSHOP SESSIONS.
Talk
Join Joseph Quinn at the Linen Hall Library as he discusses Belfast’s role in the Second World War. Joseph is the project coordinator of ‘Their Finest Hour’, a crowdsourcing initiative by the University of Oxford that aims to collect and digitally archive the everyday stories and objects of the Second World War.
Thursday 10 November, 2 pm | Performance Area | Free
Talk
The Northern Ireland football legend, Gerry Armstrong, makes a return to The Linen Hall by popular demand.
Born in Belfast, brought up amidst the Troubles, as a rising star in Gaelic football and hurling, Gerry Armstrong found his niche when football came calling in his teens. A move to England followed, a goal in Valencia changed his life and a gift for commentary took him all over the world.
From being locked up in Holywood to getting the freedom of the Bernabéu, via Best, Maradona, and Elton John, nobody tells a story the way Gerry Armstrong does.
Join us at The Linen Hall as we welcome Gerry Armstrong for what promises to be a very special occasion, a little more than 40 years on from that night in Valencia.
Copies of the My Story, My Journey book will be available to purchase at the event.
Monday 14th November, 1 pm | Performance Area | Free
BELFAST BOYS: HOW UNIONISTS AND NATIONALISTS FOUGHT AND DIED TOGETHER IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR
Talk
This is the story of men from either side of West Belfast’s sectarian divide during the Great War. Richard Grayson follows the volunteers of the 36th and 16th divisions who fought on the Somme and side-by-side at Messines, recovering the forgotten West Belfast men throughout the armed forces, from the retreat at Mons to the defeat of Germany and life post-war. In so doing, he tells a new story which challenges popular perceptions of the war and explains why remembrance remains so controversial in Belfast today.
Tuesday 22 November, 2 pm | Performance Area | Free
The Linen Hall (Belfast Library And Society For Promoting Knowledge) is registered with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland NIC 104 564.
