Yap Final

Northern Ireland Young Ambassador Programme 2008

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In August 2008 the Ulster Scots Agency and Foras na Gaeilge partnered with the Saint Patrick Centre to bring 12 ‘Young Ambassadors’ to Northern Ireland. The concept was to select young people with an interest in the Ulster Scots culture/traditions and the Irish language to become future representatives of the respective Agencies throughout America.

Young Ambassadors would promote, contribute and work on behalf of the Ulster Scots Agency, Foras na Gaeilge and the Saint Patrick Centre at events and festivals when required throughout their lives. They would grow awareness of all of the traditions of Northern Ireland internationally and develop on-going links with their respective agencies. The promotion, launch, administration and initial whittling down of the 2,000 applicants in America (from 28 States) was done by the Friends of Saint Patrick organisation, which has a growing group of ‘Chapters’ set up by the Saint Patrick Centre to promote the people and cultures of Northern Ireland. The Friends groups provide a potential forum for future Ulster Scots and Foras na Gaelige activities all over North America and ensure that, despite being 3,000 miles away, Young Ambassadors seek opportunities to promote the Agencies and continually fulfil their obligations over time.

Four Young Ambassadors were chosen by each organisation. The Ulster Scots Agency chose four 4 elementary teachers who were shortlisted from the considerable number of applicants to the Programme from 28 States. The four came from the final selections of the Friends groups in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Arizona.

The Young Ambassadors stayed for three weeks at Queens University in July 2008. The Ulster Scots Young Ambassadors attended the Scarva Sham Fight, spoke on numerous radio programs including BBC radio Ulster and fUSE FM, met Lord Laird and visited Orange Halls and exhibitions.

They attended numerous summer schools, received lessons on the Lambeg Drum and fife as well as the Ulster Scots Language with Gary Blair, Mark Anderson and George Holmes.

They visited the Boyne, Drogheda, Kilkeel, Ballymena, Ballymoney and Slemish with representatives from the Agency. The Foras na Gailege Young Ambassadors visited An Gaelaras in Derry/Londonderry, the Aisling Ghear Theatre Company and Culturlaan in west Belfast, the McCracken School in north Belfast, appeared on Radio Failte, Radio Foyle and Irish language Programmes on BBC Northern Ireland. They interviewed representatives from POBAL, worked with the Foras office in Belfast and Dublin the ILBF, learnt about Irish language broadcasting and its growing audiences and even appeared in the popular Television serial Seacht as extras.

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With the wider group the Young Ambassadors met the Lord Mayor of Belfast, the First and Deputy First Ministers (who very much endorsed the Program) and the President of the Republic of Ireland. The Young Ambassadors spoke about what they had learnt and performed at the final evening of their stay during a farewell concert at the Saint Patrick Centre which was broadcast live via the internet to a sizable audience in North America.

Outputs to Date Ulster Scots Jolene Connelly, a music teacher from Pennsylvania plans to bring Ulster Scots culture to the US through an assembly program for school aged students. Jolene helped with the promotion of the Ulster Scots at the Celtic Classic in Bethlehem Pennsylvania in September 2008 and plans to represent the Agency at future events.

Katie Gieseke, is moving from Minnesota to Arizona where she will teach primary aged pupils on aspects of Ulster Scots literature, drama, dance and history and hold an Ulster Scots festival. She represented the Agency at the Minnesota Irish Fair in August 2008 and lectured on her experience.

Caitlin Ward is an event management Major at the University of Central Florida and will spread knowledge of Ulster Scots in festivals throughout the United States. She created and manned the first Ulster Scots booth at Milwaukee Irish Fest in August 2008 – the largest Irish festival in the world founded by her father Ed Ward. She also lectured on her experience at the Festival and subsequent meetings. She hopes to make the Ulster Scots a key partner in Milwaukee every year, where interest is growing in the Agency.

Brook Ferguson is a trainee teacher in Northern Arizona and is planning classes around her experience with the Ulster Scots. She has written for the Ulster Scot and plans to develop her new bond with the Agency and encourage others to become interested in Ulster Scots Culture.

Foras na Gaeilge Gregory Long, an anthropology major and international relations political science minor at Beloit College in Wisconsin, provided a project

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on Irish language and its application in the north of Ireland in the 21st Century. He manned a stand to represent Foras na Gaeilge at Irish Fair Minnesota in August 08 and Milwaukee Irish Fest August 08 where he presented two lectures about his project. He will continue to build on his interest and work for Foras in the Wisconsin area.

Norah Carroll is a National Merit Commended Scholar studying languages Journalism and Mass Communication at Drake University Des Moines, Iowa.

She provided a project on Irish-Language Journalism in Northern Ireland and the Preservation and Promotion of Irish as a Growing Language. She manned a stand to represent Foras na Gaeilge at Irish Fair Minnesota in August 08 and Milwaukee Irish Fest August 08 where she presented two lectures about her project. She will continue to work for Foras in the Iowa area Elizabeth Nelson is a Fulbright scholar and final year graduate in Political Science and Global Studies at the University of Minnesota in Saint Paul with a linguistic background. She has provided a project on the relationship between the Irish language in arts and culture and the State. She manned a stand to represent Foras na Gaeilge at Irish Fair Minnesota in August 08 where she presented two lectures about her project.

Elizabeth also attended Milwaukee Irish Fest to represent Foras in August 08. She will continue to work for Foras in the Saint Paul area and build her linguistic skills with Failte Minnesota.

Colleen White is an undergraduate Linguistics Major and Irish Studies Minor at Boston College. She has provided a project on Irish language in traditional songs relating to Ulster and worked with Culturlann to produce a CD. She manned a stand to represent Foras na Gaeilge at Irish Fair Minnesota in August 08 where she presented two lectures about her project. Elizabeth also attended Milwaukee Irish Festival to represent Foras in August 08. She will continue to work for Foras in the Boston area.

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INDEX

Celebrating the Ulster Scots Caitlin Ward, Orlando Florida

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An Ulster-Scots Cultural Unit for 1st Grade Students in America Katie Gieseke, Saint Paul Minnesota A Young American’s View of Ulster Scots Culture Brooke Ferguson, Flagstaff Arizona Gaeilge I Tuaisceart Éireann The Irish Language in Northern Ireland Gregory Long, Beloit Wisconsin

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The Role of Irish Language in the Traditional Music of Ulster Colleen White, Boston, Massachusetts

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Irish-Language Journalism in Northern Ireland The Preservation and Promotion of a Growing Language Norah E. Carroll, Des Moines Iowa

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The Irish Language and the State: Performing Identity in Arts and Culture Elizabeth Nelson, Milwaukee Wisconsin

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Ethnic and Economic Segregation in Belfast Alexandra Marchuk, Nashville Tennessee

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Do High Walls Make for Good Neighbors?

Thomas Dennis, Phoenix Arizona

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Northern Ireland and its Application in the Classroom Anne Simmons, Saint Paul Minnesota

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Peace and its Reflection in Journalism in Northern Ireland Megan Hupp, Milwaukee Wisconsin

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Celebrating the Ulster Scots Caitlin Ward, Orlando Florida

Over the last summer I was fortunate enough to be chosen for the Friends of Saint Patrick Centre Young Ambassador’s Program. There were twelve young ambassadors chosen from throughout the United States. The purpose of this program is to bring young people to Northern Ireland in order to experience the cultures on both sides of the peace process. We did this by splitting into groups and working with Foras Na Gaeilge, the Ulster Scots Agency as well as the Saint Patrick Centre. I worked with the Ulster Scots Agency for three weeks, to study how the Ulster Scots celebrate their culture. My major is event management, so I was very interested to see how different their festivals and celebrations were in comparison to ours. It turned out I picked the perfect culture to study. The term Ulster-Scots is used to describe the Scottish planters that settled in Ulster during the plantation that started in 1610. Most of the settlers were from the lowland areas of Scotland. The Lowland Scots are known for their tremendous sense of pride. This pride has helped conserve the culture in the move to Ulster and build off of it once there. With the infusion of new customs and continuation of old traditions the Ulster Scots created a very unique and historically rich culture. The Ulster Scots celebrate the history of their culture through education, festivals, parades and many organizations through out the world.

In order to promote a culture, you must know the history and origin of that culture. The Ulster Scots Agency and the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland have been instrumental in providing this history to the people of Northern Ireland. The Ulster Scots agency was founded as part of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. It is a section of the North South language body, which also includes Foras Na Gaeilge. The purpose of the agency is to

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promote the Ulster Scots language and culture through supporting the Ulster Scots Heritage Council, summer schools and other promotional events. Many of the Ulster Scots I met from the agency stressed that influencing the grassroots level of society, on both sides, was key to peace in Northern Ireland. The summer schools the Agency provides are one great way to accomplish this. We visited three of these summer schools during our stay; each one gave us a different insight into the Ulster Scots culture. We were able to read poetry written by the students, learn about the Lambeg drum and fife, and interact with the students and school teachers. In order for a summer school to be sponsored it must pick eight out of ten classes designed for the schools by the agency. These classes range from Ulster Scots language classes all the way to cooking classes where the students are able to help make and taste dishes such as haggis. The agency also sponsors Scottish dancing and story telling workshops for adults and children. Classes like these are great in that they provide ways to celebrate and spread the culture while being able to network with people within the Ulster Scot community. The Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland has also been very influential in the Ulster Scot community. It was founded after the Battle of the Diamond in 1795 in honor of the Prince of Orange. It is a religious fraternity supporting Protestantism as well as the British Crown. In the past the Orange order may have been looked at in a negative perspective. Today, as the order rebrands itself, they are working at making their events, such as the events celebrating July 12th, more welcoming to tourists, as well as other members of the Northern Ireland community. They have also come out with promotional flyers promoting bonfire safety, and the history of the Orangemen.

Making the Ulster Scots events more welcoming to others is going to be important in spreading the culture in the future. There is a growing interest in the Ulster Scots in the USA, and now that the fighting has ceased people want to go to Northern Ireland to find their roots. One thing the agency has already started doing is taking advantage of the cruises that come into Belfast. Tours have been set up by the Heritage Council such as the Gateway to Ulster tour in which guests are able to see Carrickfergus Castle, as well as have tea and cookies at the Andrew Jackson Centre. Both the Ulster Scots Agency and the Heritage Council have created promotional materials about the Ulster Scots and their influence throughout American history. This generates more interest in the culture and will help to bring more tourists to Northern Ireland. Through the work of the Ulster Scots

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Agency, Heritage Council and Orange Order, there is an increased knowledge of Ulster Scots culture and history throughout Northern Ireland. Working together they will be able to further this knowledge and increase awareness of this unique culture.

Parades are very popular in the Ulster Scots community. There are three main types of Ulster Scots parades you may experience while visiting Northern Ireland. The first is town parades. These parades are not affiliated with the Orange or Black orders. They are independent bands, usually associated with specific towns or areas. These parades may coincide with town festivals such as the Dunloy festival in Ballymoney. Although they are not affiliated with the Orange order occasionally you will see an Orange band in a town parade if a lodge finds it appropriate. The second type of parade is Orange Order parades.

On the first and last Sunday in July Orange order marching bands march from the town’s Orange hall to church. They have an Orange service at church and then march back to the Orange hall. They also have their major parade on July 12, celebrating the defeat of James II by William of Orange at the Battle of the Boyne. Each Orange marching band carries a flag with either a biblical scene or picture of a past influential Orange man on the front along with the lodge’s name. The last type of parade is the Black Preceptory Order parades. The Black Order organizes a parade on a Sabbath day in August. The churches within the community take turns hosting the parades and masses. We were fortunate enough to see one of the main Black Order parades, the Scarva Sham fight. This is a parade and reenactment of the Battle between William of Orange and James II. The bands march twice during the day. They march before the reenactment and then again afterwards back through the streets of Scarva. A lot goes into planning all types of these parades.

Because of the troubles, the people planning the parades must work with the local police in order to solve any conflicts that may come up in the parade routes. These conflicts tend to rise when the parades march through Catholic parts of town. One town that continues to have problems with their parade routes is Portadown. “On the Twelfth the eight country lodges march up Obins Street, with their bands, to join with Portadown No. 1 district, before heading off to the major County parade, and then on their return march back down to Corcrain Orange Hall” (Melaugh). According to the Centre for the Study of Conflict this causes problems because Obins Street and Garvaghy Road are predominantly Catholic

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areas. The Catholics still are not too fond of a parade of Orangemen walking through their part of the town and believe they should have to change their route. The Orangemen believe they have a right to march through these areas. Although the march route is not disputed as much now as it was earlier in history, it is still a sore spot for many people. It is up to the head of the lodges and march coordinators to work with the community of Portadown to help keep the peace as well as preserve their marches.

You will often find parades coincide with a festival. Ulster Scots festivals are not the type of festivals we are used to in the States. Many times they are only one day events, where as in America most Celtic festivals take place over the course of a weekend. The festival takes place in the afternoon with the parade in the evening and night. There are street and town festivals where the entire town may be filled with food vendors, kid’s games and activities as well as decorations, in the states most festivals are held in a park of festival grounds with multiple stages of music and cultural exhibits. An example of a town festival in Northern Ireland like this would be the Scarva Sham fight. The main street of Scarva was blocked off to cars in order for visitors to sit along the side walks to watch the parade.

The site of the festival depends on whether or not the host town is prominently Nationalist or Unionist. If it is mainly nationalist the festival will be moved to a more unionist town.

We saw an example of this with the Dunloy Accordion Band in Ballymoney. The majority of Dunloy’s residents are Catholic. To have a unionist festival in a nationalist town may cause unwanted disturbances. Because of this Dunloy’s Accordion Band has their festival in nearby Ballymoney. Once the site is decided on colorful flags and banners are strung throughout the town. As for entertainment, you may see both large marching bands and smaller hired bands play on a portable stage. At the Dunloy festival, we saw highland Scottish dancers. They did a tribute to America by dancing an American “barn” dance for us. The members of the bands organize the festivals in order to collect money for the band.

At the festivals, band members and volunteers walk around with money buckets and thank you stickers. Festival attendees donate money and receive a sticker. It is my experience in the USA that we pay for our entertainment to come to our festivals. There is a popular phrase “You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours”. This explains the way the Ulster-Scots festivals work. A band will travel to a town and participate in their festival and/or parade

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and will expect that host town’s band to attend their festival and parade. Because of this festivals and parades tend to be fund-raising events so the bands are able to travel to other locations. While at the Dunloy festival there was actually a band from Great Britain visiting. The festivals also have activities for kids such as moon bounces and games.

Quincey Dougan from The Ulster Scot expressed the nature of Ulster-Scots festivals quite well in saying they are “Carnival like and [have a] family orientated atmosphere” (Dougan). Making these festivals family oriented will help the Ulster-Scots attract more tourists. It projects a very non-threatening image of marches and provides learning opportunities in a light and fun atmosphere.

The Ulster-Scots are a growing phenomenon in America. According to the Irish Time’s Bryan Coll “it is estimated that about 27 million Americans can trace their ancestry back to Ulster-Scots immigrants.” There are many things we can do in the USA to promote the Ulster-Scots culture. One of the main ways of doing this is to tap into the Irish and Celtic festivals that occur all over the states. The Ulster-Scots agency has so many great resources that could be used at American festivals such as brochures, newspapers and even the people themselves. Some of their summer school material could be incorporated into children’s craft areas. The Ulster-Scots have great stories to tell and deliver them in such a passionate way. Having a storyteller at a festival would teach about the history of the culture as well as encourage people to learn more. Unique items to the Ulster-Scots such as the lambeg drum and fife would also be beneficial if used in workshops. Who wouldn’t want to play the world’s largest two sided drum? The Ulster Scots Agency worked with Milwaukee Irish Fest to have an exhibit this year in the cultural area. Milwaukee Irish Fest is the largest Irish music and cultural festival in the world, and it was my pleasure to work with the Agency and festival in order to set up the display. In the booth we had many fliers, newspapers and books published by the agency. We also had a large historical timeline describing the history of the Ulster-Scots from before the plantation until the creation of the agency. Mr. Alister McReynolds from the University of Ulster made the trip to Milwaukee to do classes at the Irish Fest Summer School and the festival. He sparked a lot of interest in the fest- goers. It was beneficial having someone of his caliber at the booth talking to people and answering questions. Most of the questions that were

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asked were about family names and genealogy, which the Ulster-Scots tend to know a lot about. Having a booth like this travel to different festivals throughout the states would greatly benefit awareness of the Ulster-Scots.

The Ulster Scots use mediums such as parades and festivals to celebrate and promote their culture. In the future this is going to help make more people aware of whom the Ulster Scots are, where they come from and how they live. By pairing the festivals and parades with learning opportunities such as the agency sponsored summer schools, people within the Ulster Scots community will be able to learn about their history and how their ancestors lived. This will help to further revive the culture and assist in keeping it alive. I feel blessed to have had the chance to go to Northern Ireland and study the Ulster Scots.

Before the trip, I did not know much of the intricate and interesting culture of the Ulster Scots, but they welcomed me with open arms. I look forward to continuing the relationship between myself and the agency as well as creating new relationships in order to promote the Ulster Scots culture.

References Coll, Bryan. “Ulster-Scots Makes its Voice Heart”. The Irish Times 08 May 2008. 20 Sept 2008.

Dougan, Quincey. “Parades that Reflect Tradition and Culture”. The Ulster Scot July 2008: 10 Melaugh, Martin. “Political Rituals: Loyalist Parades in Portadown”. Centre for the Study of Conflict 25 Sept 2007. 20 Sept 2008 < http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/csc/reports/rituals3.htm>.

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Ulster-Scots Cultural Unit for 1st Grade Students

Katie Gieseke, Phoenix Arizona

Unit Goal: Promote understanding of Ulster-Scots Culture and Language through Art, Literature, Music, and dance in Arizona or Minnesota Schools that will facilitate continued interest in students, families, and fellow teachers throughout their lives.

Unit Objectives:

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Students will compare and contrast the geography and written spoken language of their city/state with that of Ireland and Scotland.

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Students will read age-appropriate novel that will help expand their knowledge of the Ulster-Scots Culture.

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Students will sponsor an Ulster-Scots Festival providing samples of music, literature, art, and dance for family and friends.

These books will be read throughout this unit during my read aloud time as an extension to my Ulster-Scots Unit.

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Animal ABC – a Scots alphabet by Susan Rennie

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A Moose in the Hoose – A Scots Counting Book by Matthew Fitt and James Robertson

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Katie’s Moose – a Peek-a-boo Book for the Wee Folk by James Robertson and Matthew Fitt

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Katie’s Coo – Scots rhymes for Wee Folk

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A wee Book o Fairy Tales by Matthew Fitt and James Robertson

Pictures from my experience in Northern Ireland will also be shown daily to enrich my unit.

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Day 1 Learning about a different part of the world.

Objective: •

Students will be able to identify that Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland.

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Students will get a map of Ireland and will colour each province a different colour.

Intro: Where is Ireland? After students share responses then show on a map where Ireland is and compare it to where they live.

On the interactive board – KWL Chart What do you KNOW about Ireland?

What do you WANT to learn about Ireland?

Write student responses.

Write student responses.

At the end of the unit, I will assess what students have LEARNED about Ireland? (Last part of the KWL)

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SHOW PICTURE OF IRELAND DIVIDED INTO PROVINCES

Ireland is divided into four parts â&#x20AC;&#x201C; called provinces. Ulster is in the North part of Ireland.

We are going to learn about a group of people called Ulster-Scots.

Why do you think they are called Ulster Scots?

Ulster-Scots came from another country called Scotland because they were looking for a better life for themselves and their families over 400 years ago.

Student will get map of Ireland and they will colour each province a different colour.

Closure: What did you learn about Ireland today?

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Day 2 Objective: •

Students will learn about the Scots travelling over to Ulster.

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Students will imagine that they are an Ulster-Scot by naming a castle and colouring it in.

Intro: Remember yesterday when we were talking about Ireland and Scotland? Today we are going to continue learning about these two countries, but we are going to focus on the Ulster-Scots.

When people travelled over from Scotland to Northern Ireland or Ulster, they travelled by Boat because it was so close. When they arrived to this new land they had to make a new life. What do you think they did when they arrived? Remember boys and girls that this happened hundreds of years ago.

LISTEN TO STUDENTS RESPONSES Then state that one of the first things that they had to do was build a home for their families. What do you think they built their homes out of? What are your homes made from?

Well the Ulster-Scots built their homes using stone rather than wood. When do you think they used stone?

They used stone because it is stronger than wood. Even though these homes were built hundreds of years ago, you can still go to Northern Ireland and see them today! They didn’t just build homes out of stone, but they also built castles out of stone too.

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INTERACTIVE BOARD â&#x20AC;&#x201C; show picture of Dunluce Castle -

This picture is called the Dunluce Castle.

The Ulster-Scots used this many years ago, but you can still visit it today.

Closure:

Castle Sheet- Imagine that you are an Ulster-Scot and you built this castle

many years ago. What would you name the castle? After you have named the castle, colour it in, but remember that you made the castle out of stone because you wanted it to be very strong.

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Day 3 Objectives: •

Students will learn about the Ulster-Scots influence in the shipbuilding Industry

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Students will sing The Belfast Titanic Song with the help of the UlsterScots website.

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Students will put actions to The Belfast Titanic Song.

Intro: Do you remember what the Ulster-Scots built their homes out of?

The Ulster-Scots ended up building so many homes that they started making towns. When naming these towns, remember that Ulster-Scots came from Scotland, so in Scotland they have their own culture just like you have your own culture in Mexico. But when you come Arizona, you bring your culture with you and so did the Ulster-Scots. They began naming towns using their Scottish influence.

The Ulster-Scots didn’t stop at building houses. They also helped start the Shipbuilding industry. Many people who travelled over to Ulster needed a job once they arrived. The Shipbuilding Industry helped provide many jobs for families. There was a man named WILLIAM RITCHIE who came from Scotland. He helped start the shipbuilding industry in Belfast.

SHOW PICTURE OF William Ritchie on interactive board.

Have any of you heard of the ship, Titanic? The Titanic was built at the same shipyard in Belfast.

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SHOW PICTURES OF THE TITANIC ON THE INTERACTIVE BOARD. Listen to The Belfast Titanic Song.

Closure:

Practice singing it and put actions to the song.

who can tell me the name of the man who started the shipbuilding industry?

Share with your neighbour what you learn about the Ulster-Scots today?

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Day 4 Objectives: •

Students will learn about different activities that Ulster-Scots enjoy doing.

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Students will label the parts of the bagpipe.

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Students will be able to recognise Neil Armstrong as the first man who walked on the moon and as an Ulster-Scot.

Intro: What did we learn about the Ulster-Scots yesterday? Do you remember the man’s name?

Let’s begin by practicing The Belfast Titanic Song!

Now the Ulster-Scots spent many hours working in the shipyard, but they did need some time away with their families. In their free time they liked to play games and activities that they brought with them from Scotland.

One activity that they enjoyed playing was the bagpipes.

SHOW PICTURE OF A BAGPIPE. The bagpipes are a musical wind instrument. Use information from workbook page 36 Another activity that they love was golf.

SHOW PICTURE OF A GOLF COURSE. There are many famous Ulster-Scots. What does famous mean?

Can anyone tell me the name of the first man on the moon?

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Neil Armstrong is an Ulster-Scot. He was the first man to put his feet on the moon on July 20, 1969. That was 39 years ago.

SHOW PICTURE OF NEIL ARMSTRONG WALKING ON THE MOON.

Closure: Today we learned a little bit about a bagpipe. Music plays an important part in the Ulster-Scots culture. Tomorrow we are going to learn more about Ulster-Scot music.

SHOW OUTLINE OF BAGPIPE Have students colour their own bagpipe. Then students will label the parts of the bagpipe.

Day 5 Objectives: â&#x20AC;˘

Students will be able to identify a lambeg drum, fife, accordion, and bagpipes.

â&#x20AC;˘

Students will draw their own dedication on a lambeg drum.

INTRO: Who remembers the instrument that we learned about yesterday?

Well today we are going to learn about a Lambeg Drum, fife and an accordion.

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Lambeg Drum – the Lambeg Drum plays an important part in the Ulster-Scots Culture.

The Lambeg Drum weighs 35-40 lbs. It is 3 feet and 1 quarter inch in diameter and two feet deep. SHOW STUDENTS HOW BIG THAT IS USING DIFFERENT MATERIALS. Use workbook pages 39-43 to teach students about the Lambeg drum.

Fife – The fife is much , much smaller than the Lambeg drum.

SHOW STUDENTS HOW BIG THE FIFE IS AND COMPARE IT TO THE MODEL THAT WE MADE OF THE LAMBEG DRUM. Use workbook pages 42-43 to teach students about the fife.

Accordion – An accordion is another instrument that the Ulster-Scots love to play and use in their music.

Use workbook pages 46 and 47 to teach about the accordion.

SHOW ACCORDION PICTURES ON INTERACTIVE BOARD. Look at both of these accordions. How are they the same and how are they different?

Closure: Who can tell me one of the instruments that we learned about today or yesterday? What’s another? Another and then who can tell me the last instrument that we talked about today? I’m going to name each instrument. I want you to raise your hand only one time when I name the instrument that you liked learning about the most.

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I will then give each child a copy of the Lambeg drum. Student will have to create a design for their very own Lambeg drum. While students are designing their Lambeg drum, I will play the CD of the Dunloy Accordion Band.

Day 6 Objectives: •

Students will review musical instruments of the Ulster-Scots.

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Students will review what William Ritchie and Neil Armstrong did and why they mean a lot to the Ulster-Scots.

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Students will take a trip to Scotland through a story on the interactive board.

Intro: Who can tell me one thing about the Ulster-Scots?

We have learned all about the Ulster-Scots traveling to Northern Ireland, but we have barely talked about Scotland. Who would like to take a trip to Scotland today?

Okay, well it’s a good thing I made plans to take a trip there today! Are you ready?

Listen and Watch Alan and Kirsty take a Trip to Scotland. http://www.ulsterscotsagency.com/weans/stories/trip_scotland/trip.html What was your favourite part of the story?

Did you notice anything different about the way they talked?

They do have an accent, but also the story included the Ulster-Scots language. Just like most of you speak Spanish at home and English at school, these boys and girls can speak Ulster-Scot and English.

Closure: Would anyone like to hear a little bit more of the Ulster-Scots language?

INTERACTIVE BOARD-BOOK OF NUMBERS http://www.ulsterscotsagency.com/weans/activities/book_numbers/book_numbers.html

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Day 7 Objectives: •

Students will learn about the Sword Dance, Seann Truibhas, and The Highland Fling.

Intro: Who likes to dance?

I’m glad that you all enjoy to dance because we are going to learn about the Ulster-Scots dance. There are three types of dance. The three types are The Sword Dance, Seann Truibhas, and the Highland ling.

Use workbook pages 49-52 to teach.

Closure: today we learned about three types of dancing. Who can tell me one of them?

Who can tell me another? Who can tell me the last one? I’m going to say the three dances again and I want you to raise your hand and tell me the one dance that you like the most.

Workbook page 54 – students colour and we talk about the Ulster-Scots Piper.

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Days 8-11 Objectives: •

Student will review what they’ve learned about the Ulster-Scots Culture.

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Students will begin planning for our Ulster-Scots Festival.

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Students will finish the KWL chart that we started on the first day of this unit.

Intro: Do the last part of the KWL What have you learned about Ireland?

Write student responses and then show students pictures of everything they mention in this chart on the interactive white board.

Play The Belfast Titanic Song We are going to have an Ulster-Scots Festival where we will invite your families and friends to come to the festival. You will teach your families and friends all about the Ulster-Scots.

We reviewed everything that we’ve learned about the Ulster-Scots today, so what would you like to share with your families and friends.

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Guessing some of the ideas•

The Titanic Belfast Song

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Ulster-Scots Piper

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The 4 instruments

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Book Read

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Music

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Dance

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Where is Ireland and Scotland on the map

Day 12 Objective •

Students will sponsor an Ulster-Scots Festival providing samples of music, literature, art, and dance for family and friends.

Closure: ULSTER SCOTS FESTIVAL IN THE GYM WITH FAMILIES AND FRIENDS.

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Education and Northern Ireland A YOUNG AMERICANS’S VIEW OF ULSTER SCOTS CULTURE

Brooke Ferguson, Flagstaff Arizona

As many people in the Ulster Scots community may have seen or experienced, Maynard Hanna and other members of the Ulster-Scots Agency, have been dandering about with four Americans, “Yanks”, as they so lovingly call us following at their heels.

For three weeks four young Ambassadors from various American states have been in Northern Ireland studying and experiencing the Ulster Scots culture through festivals, dancing, music, language, history and schools. Through the aid and sponsorship of Ulster Scots Agency and the saint Patrick centre of Downpatrick, we have been able to come to and experience many aspects of culture. Through an application process of nearly 2,000 young men and women aging from 18-25, 12 ‘Young Ambassadors’ were selected to come to Northern Ireland. As part, we created projects in order areas that we would like to study in order to enlighten America about modern Northern Ireland. Jolene Connelly, Katie Gieseke, Caitlin Ward, and myself, Brooke Ferguson, were lucky enough to have been placed with the Ulster-Scots Agency for the duration of our three week stay.

Jolene, a music teacher from Pennsylvania, plans to bring Ulster-Scots culture to the United States through an assembly programme for school-aged students. Katie, from Minnesota, is moving to the state of Arizona where she will be teaching primary school age students. She plans to create a unit she will be able to take to her classroom to educate students on the aspects of Ulster- Scots culture such as literature, music, dance and history.

At the end of her unit Katie plans to celebrate with a mock traditional Ulster-Scots festival.

Caitlin is an event management major at the University of Central Florida and hopes to spread the knowledge and traditions of the Ulster-Scots through the creation of an UlsterScots exhibit in festivals in the United States.

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I am an education major in the state of Arizona and study the education system in Northern Ireland, Comparing it to that of the United States. I hope to correspond with fellow teachers here and create an international bond between young students and help to improve both school systems. All ambassadors plan to promote travel to Northern Ireland and attend festivals back in the United States to educate the local community.

The Ulster-Scots community has provided the four of us with many wonderful experiences while on our journey.

Through the hospitality we found in each town and city we

encountered we had the pleasure of meeting with many knowledgeable and experienced members of the Ulster-Scots community. We have experienced a wide range of activities, such as, speaking on fuse FM radio with Gary Blair in Ballymoney and receiving a history lesson on the towns many interesting landmarks, as well as meeting with local MLA Mervyn Storey.

While on a visit to the orange hall, we were able to have tea with Lord Laird of Artigarvan as well as receiving a tour of the fascinating exhibit of historical Orangemen and events.

We were also able to attend a festival and parade including Dunloy Accordion Band and highland dancers while on our travels in a community event in Ballymoney. Along with taxiing our group of girls, Maynard Hanna was able to take us to the auspicious scene of the Battle of the Boyne, walking us through hour-by-hour the events that would have happened on that important day.

Throughout the three weeks, we were able to attend numerous summer schools sponsored by the Ulster-Scots Agency, where we spoke to a variety of teachers, students, members of the community, and also received a lesson on the Lambeg drums, the fife, and the UlsterScots Ianguage given by Gary Blair, Mark Anderson, and George Holmes. On the last day of our trip, we met with senior lecturers, Dr.Michael Levers and Dr. Brian Cummins, at Stranmillis University Colllege; received a tour of Bushmills Distillery, along with Ballymena Town Hall, and climbed up to the top of Slemish Mountain in county Antrim.

The experiences, people, and lessons we have encountered along the way have made our trip to Northern Ireland one that will never fade from memory. However, none of this

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Would be possible without the wonderful help and sponsorship of the Ulster-Scots Agency, because of the their dedication and love for their communities we will be able to take what we have learned back to the United States and spread the good word of the Ulster-Scots.

We would like to thank all of those we have been able to meet with and the people of the communities we have traveled to for their hospitality and interest. Every person we encountered was one with a smile and a welcoming word. We are excited to return home to our respective communities and share the stories and experiences you have shared with us with our students, families, friends and community members.

Some opportunities come and go, while others last a lifetime. Being fortunate enough to be selected as a Young Ambassador for the Saint Patrick Centre and having the opportunity to study the education system as well as form lifetime bonds is the perfect example of this kind of opportunity. Not only was I able to view the majestic beauty that Northern Ireland has to offer such as Giants Causeway, the Antrim Coast, and the hilly countryside of Slemish Mountain. I was able to forge friendships with members of various communities, further understand the progression of Northern Ireland since the troubles and the initiation of the peace process, meet and discuss with various important members of the government and society, as well as study the education system. Being a future educator from the United States, I find it vastly interesting to be able to study foreign education systems and learn and adapt in order to better my future classroom. Through the aid of the Saint Patrick Centre and Board of Ulster Scots I was able to speak with educators working at Ulster Scots summer schools, a current student at Stranmillis University College, as well as senior lecturers, Dr. Michael Ivers and Dr. Brian Cummins, all of whom were extremely welcoming and useful resources. I was able to attain reading material and workbooks as well as a friendship with a fellow future student and the opportunity to correspond with ideas and tools for the classroom in an international aspect. The education system, as with everything else, always has room for improvement in any country. There are things that both the United States and Northern Ireland can learn from one another as well as needs that both sides share. Through understanding, communication, and cooperation, our two

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countries can learn and adapt together to create a better system that works to benefit the youth and future of the country. Aspects such as funding, school set up, curriculum and testing are vital to the productivity and success of a school.

Funding and its source can often be a touchy subject. In the United States funding is derived from property taxes within the school districts that a school operates in. This can lead to many problems. Schools located in low income areas are often left scrounging for funds and are less productive and technology savvy as ones in wealthy communities with higher property taxes. Creating an imbalance in opportunities and applied curriculum from school to school. Often times the areas that are most in need of books, technology, resources, and teachers are over looked because of poor performance rates, created by the gap in funding. In this system, extra funding goes to schools with high performance rates rather than the ones of greater need. Furthermore, national acts such as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) put pressure on educators to perform at certain levels and meet standards without providing funding from the national government. America would benefit from taking a page from Northern Ireland’s book when it comes to funding and have a specific amount of money delegated to each school, determined by a national or even statewide board or committee. Once the debate on funding has finished, however, the question on testing and curriculum remains.

There are thousands of books, materials, information, and numbers in the world. How does one decide which ones are of importance, and which ones are acceptable to leave out? And once you have decided on a curriculum, how are you to measure and test the student’s ability to comprehend that curriculum? These, and many others, are both questions educators and boards of education struggle with from year to year. Keeping curriculum consistent and up to date are struggles that both the U.S. and Northern Ireland have in common. In the United States it is difficult for educators to teach in creative and innovative ways because standardized testing has become so stringent and cut and dry.

Teachers are often forced to “teach to the test” as we put it and only teach what is known to be on the test in order for students to pass and move on. Instead of taking the time to ensure students truly understand the concept they are being taught, the test takes

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precedence. States have resorted to lowering their testing standards to attain higher marks and remain in national ranking. However, this is detrimental to the student who is being less challenged and becoming even more bored within the classroom. On top of that, curriculum is having a difficult time, especially in language arts and literature, catching up with the times. Classical works, such as Shakespeare, that are part of the canon are taught, leaving out modern literature written from the perspective of different genders, races, ages, ideologies, etc. that are relatable to students. While speaking with lecturers from Stranmillis they expressed concern that secondary schools were no longer as beneficial and relevant as they have been in previous years. When Northern Ireland still operated and led in industries such as shipbuilding the schools were useful in teaching trade professions.

However, these schools are in need of adapting with the current trends and economy of the country in order to prove useful and productive. Also through speaking with educators I was able to hear concern for lack of motivation of students whose parents did not attend grammar school. Generally children feel stuck in the same track or path that their parents led and have a lack of motivation to move up, unable to achieve higher and better paying jobs. However, many are also of the opinion that students with drive see grammar schools as a way out, an opportunity to test and achieve more than their parents had the opportunity to. It is important in order for education systems to work that they be living and breathing, adapting with the changes of the country and the world.

In the United States public schools dominate the education system. These schools are subject to integration and separation of church and state laws, creating diversity within the classroom and community. Diversity within the classroom sets a precedent of tolerance and understanding of different cultures, religions, and ideas. The use of Controlled and Maintained schools as a division of Protestant and Catholic, while may be seemingly necessary only further widen the gap between these religious communities. Each year a new group of children begin school in an environment generally consisting of strictly their religious peers. It is difficult to create a society of forgiveness under these conditions.

While integrated schools are slowly becoming popular, teaching a balanced view, especially on regional history, can be difficult. Thus, the Northern Ireland school system is placed in a delicate situation. As an American and an outsider I see it being vitally

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important that children be immersed in a school where they will encounter children of the opposite faith so they may see that, while different in some views, they are all the same.

Much like the integration of blacks and whites in the U.S. it may be difficult and schools will surely meet resistance. However, there is a future that is ready for change. Speaking to students while visiting Northern Ireland I felt a general consensus that the young generations were ready to heal and accept one another if only allowed.

There are many events and people that tie together the United States and Northern Ireland.

Both countries are growing, learning, and adapting. Education of the youth of these countries is of the utmost importance, and through even the smallest of ties teachers can make a difference. I hope to keep in touch with educators I have met while on my trip and exchange ideas, curriculum, lessons, teaching tools, and support. It would be beneficial for American children to understand the international community and learn of Northern Ireland traditions and beauty. Through the use of an individual unit on Northern Ireland, books, and the building of friendships through â&#x20AC;&#x153;pen palsâ&#x20AC;? teachers can create a broader understanding of Northern Ireland and how we can all work together to create a bright future.

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Gaeilge I Tuaisceart Éireann The Irish Language in Northern Ireland Gregory Long, Beloit Wisconsin

The Irish language, once the native language across the whole island of Ireland, has been on a steep slope towards extinction for several hundred year. Only recently has Irish been developed and cared for so cautiously.

Now the Irish language is experiencing a

renaissance that has not been seen since the 15th century. Popular opinion often refers to the language as part of the old traditions - only useful when studying history or in folk culture. Organizations such as Foras na Gaeilge and Pobal are however, demonstrating the useful applications of Irish and promoting the language in all facets of life in Northern Ireland.

The Irish language has its roots in the ancient Celtic family of languages brought to Ireland around 300 BCE, with the contemporary form of Irish developing in the 18th century. Irish was the standard language until the 19th century when it began to decline due to mandatory English in school and the Great Famine, which saw a major decline and exodus of Irishspeakers. Although the Gaelic League attempted to revive the language at the end of the 19th century, it wouldn’t be until the 1970’s that the language experienced a true renaissance in Northern Ireland.

The Irish language is frequently politicized as being nationalist and republican, but Irish speakers are quick to point out that it is only a language. It is what one says in that language makes it political. A shining example of the language’s diversity comes from Presbyterian Ulster Scots in the 18th and 19th centuries who promoted Gaelic extensively.

They recognized Gaelic as part of their heritage just as it was part of the native Irish population’s.

Unfortunately, the Irish language in Northern Ireland faced numerous

obstacles during the 20th century. Printing and broadcasting in the language were not historically supported by the government which de-incentivised the use of Irish in radio 33

stations, local newspapers and other media. In the 1960’s, six families in Belfast formed a Ghaeltacht, or Irish-speaking area, in Belfast and opened An Bunscoil Phobal Feirste as the first Irish-medium school in Northern Ireland by importing teachers from Donegal.

Although it was not officially recognized as a school until 1984, it paved the way for other Gaelic movements in the area. By 2004, 3,713 children were enrolled in Irish-medium education throughout Northern Ireland. This has had a direct impact on the demographics of the language.

Belfast is now host to the fastest-growing Gaelic population, and

Northern Ireland has seen a large increase of Irish speakers within the past century. The 1911 census indicates about 2% of the population had an understanding of Irish, whereas the most recent census (taken in 2001) shows that 10.4% comprehend the language. The largest group with Gaelic skills is 12 to 15 year-olds. An astounding 21% of that age range reports Gaelic proficiency, which is up 2% from the 1991 census.

Because of the growing number of Gaelic speakers, a provision was added to the 1998 Belfast Agreement establishing Foras na Gaeilge, replacing Bord na Gaeilge, An Gúm, and An Coiste Téarmaíochta. This new body establishes cross-border ties that promote Irish-language usage in the home, schools, and businesses. By providing Irish-language publications, such as children’s books and magazines, they are encouraging parents, both English and Irish speaking, to engage the Irish language with their children and family. A popular scheme sponsored by Foras na Gaeilge is the “Everyday Irish with Liam Ó Maonlaí” educational system. This two-disk CD program taught a range of simple words, phrases, and expressions on everyday topics and was distributed free through the Irish Independent newspaper which included access to online learning materials. The program has seen huge success and has motivated people to study Irish at a more advanced level.

An Gúm, now a department in Foras na Gaeilge, publishes text books and learning materials for schools and home-learners. There are many subjects available, such as physics (Fisic don Ré Nua), chemistry (An Cheimic), biology (An Bhitheolaíocht), and math (Mata le Chéile), most of which are provided as a free PDF download from their website.

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Gnó is a project by Foras na Gaeilge that focuses on bringing the Irish language to local businesses by providing signage and materials.

Small businesses can receive match-

funding and free translation services for signs.

Gnó also supplies corporate identity

material, such as letterheads, logos, business cards, and cover pages. The focus is not to convert businesses to all-Irish, but to an equal-standing bilingualism that provides services for both English and Irish-speaking communities.

Pobal, which focuses specifically on the Gaelic community in Belfast, is an umbrella organization that works on all facets of the Irish language. Claiming a membership of 30,000 in Belfast alone, Pobal is constantly developing the language and resources. Their latest initiative is called Tá, which is a word for “yes” in Irish. Tá is a program that is marketing the language as modern and contemporary which hopes to raise a positive public profile for the Irish language by changing current political and cultural notions of the language. Its motto, “Teanga arsa, teanga bheo, teanga an uile duine” (Ancient language, living language, everybody’s language) invites all people to the Irish language without hostility or discrimination.

From the success and support of Foras na Gaeilge and Pobal, new community centers have been established throughout Northern Ireland. The two most successful of these are An Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich in Belfast and An Gaeláras in Derry. An Cultúrlann is a shining beacon of not only the Irish language, but culture and reconciliation in west Belfast. Established in 1991, the Cultúrlann moved into an old Presbyterian Church on the Falls Road. The name is in honor of Roibeard McAdam, a Presbyterian businessman who championed the use of the Irish language in the 19th century and Tomás Ó Fiaich, a leader in supporting the Irish language in the 20th century. The goal of An Cultúrlann is to not only provide language development, but community development and outreach which is why they chose their current facility and recognized the work of McAdam in Belfast.

Their facilities are extensive and the services they provide to the community are tremendous. The ground floor houses an Irish-language café as well as a small tourist office and Gaelic bookshop. Upstairs is home to a community art gallery as well as a theatre that is home to Aisling Ghéar, the only professional Gaelic theatre company in

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Ireland. They have been operating since 1996 and performing numerous plays in the Irish language.

An Gaeláras is similar to An Cultúrlann as a community space for language development.

They primarily serve as a school for Irish language classes but also promote the Irish culture through music, drama, and language. The classes provided are accredited through the University of Ulster and Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillaimh (The National University of Ireland in Galway) and go from beginner courses through diploma levels. Caife Fáilte, Derry’s first Irish-language café, is located across the street and will be incorporated into An Gaeláras’ new multi-million pound facility that will operate more like An Cultúrlann in Belfast. With the new building, An Gaeláras will be able to provide more services and space for the public and Irish-language community.

The various groups at An Gaeláras also help them apply Irish to the modern world. An Teanglann is a computer lab that provides a gateway for the Irish language into the technological career world.

It focuses on the newest information technologies in a

bilingual setting. Gairm is a scheme that bridges the gap between Irish and the community by working with local employers and vocational agencies in the Irish language. Their program teaches people a skill, through the medium of Irish, and assists them in developing it in a real-world setting. Gael-Euska is a cross-cultural program designed to work with other minority languages in Europe. Originally started as a project between the Irish and Basque communities it has since expanded to all of Europe to share promotional strategies for minority languages, share educational techniques, and provide a unified support structure. Bláthanna organizes public events through an Irish medium.

It

organizes a number of concerts, from traditional Irish music to jazz to rock, and has a policy of “of making the language accessible to everybody, regardless of their level of fluency, so anyone can come along and be able to understand and enjoy any of the festival events.”

However, the modern Irish language is in no way restricted to just schools and community centers.

Both mainstream media and local, community-sponsored media outlets are

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turning to Irish as a means to reaching out to the public. Recognizing the power of the Irish language, television, radio, and publications are all catering to the Irish-speaking public. Even companies that do not publish or broadcast in Irish support the language and recognize its bright future in Northern Ireland. As mentioned earlier the Irish Independent, an English-language newspaper, distributed Irish-education CD’s through partnership with Foras na Gaeilge.

In the Irish-language there is a multitude of resources.

Gaelic

newspapers are now on the rise with Lá Nua leading the way. Lá Nua is the oldest Irish newspaper in circulation with its first printing in Belfast in 1984 and now has a daily circulation of 7,000. Foinse is the largest Gaelic newspaper (10,000 circulation) and began in 1996 in the Galway Ghaeltacht. In addition to these two there is also Soal, a free monthly Gaelic newspaper as well as number English-language newspapers that feature Irish-language articles and columns.

In addition to newspapers Gaelic magazines have grown considerably and many cater to modern, eclectic tastes and styles. An tUltach is the oldest Gaelic newspaper beginning in 1924. Originally the official publication of the Ulster branch of the Gaelic league the magazine is now funded by Foras na Gaeilge and the Arts Council for Northern Ireland and is circulated in every county in Ireland and many countries throughout the world. Two current events magazines, Comhar and Feaste, aim to use Irish in a contemporary context and the recent nós* is the first youth-oriented Gaelic magazine designed for teens and young learners of the Irish language.

Gaelic radio also spans a wide variety of interests. The oldest Irish-language radio station is RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta.

With its first broadcast in April of 1972, Raidió na

Gaeltachta had it’s beginnings in providing Irish-language entertainment for the three main Ghaeltacht regions with limited broadcast hours. Since 2001 it expanded to a 24-hour format, but it is criticized because of its limited appeal and restrictions on Englishlanguage songs. In response to a demand for popular music in an Irish-medium Raidió Fáilte and Raidió na Life began broadcasting in Belfast and Dublin, respectively. Both moved away from the rural-based traditional format that Raidió na Gaeltachta is known for

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and opted instead for contemporary and popular music. Both Raidió Fáilte and Raidió na Life provide public broadcasting and all genres of music including songs with English lyrics. Raidió na Life has become especially popular for its morning talk show Fios Feasa, and Raidió Fáilte continues to provide Top 40 hits delivered in the Irish language.

Gaelic television is expanding as well. Although currently there is only one full time Irishlanguage television station, TG4, Irish is still common on other stations. RTÉ provides Irish programming and is proposing RTÉ International TV, which would bring Irishlanguage programming to an international audience.

Oireachtas TV is also being

developed to broadcast the meetings and sessions of the Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann to the general public, both in Irish and English.

Printed and broadcasted media are not the only way the Irish-language is being brought to the public. In an effort to get people to interact with the Irish language Foras na Gaeilge has assisted companies in developing Irish-medium software.

Microsoft Windows,

Mozilla Firefox, Facebook.com, and OpenOffice.org all utilize Irish-language interfaces.

Northern Ireland is beginning to reclaim its Gaelic heritage and realize the importance of supporting the Irish language. It is clear that the Irish language is of deep historical and cultural importance to the people of Northern Ireland, but now it is time to usher it into the 21st century. The language is on the rise and more people every year are finding out for themselves how versatile and dynamic it can be. Through new Irish-medium schools, radio, television, newspapers, and internet resources, the Irish language is more accessible than ever and is finally being recognized as a legitimate language with a rich culture and community of its own Bibliography An Gaeláras. October 20, 2008. http://www.gaelaras.ie/ An Ghaeilge, The Irish Language: All You Need To Know. Conan Kennedy. Dublin: Morrigan Book Company, 2003.

Foras na Gaeilge, September 2008. http://gaeilge.ie/ MacKinnon,

Kenneth.

"Reversing

Language

Shift:

Celtic

Languages

Today."

August

24,

2008.

http://www.sgrud.org.uk/anfy/celtic/aberystwyth/reversing_language_shift.htm Ní Mhathúna, Eimear. "Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich." http://www.culturlann.com/ Pobal. 1998. http://www.pobal.org/ Reflections: Irish Language Communities in Action. ed. Helen Ó Murchú. Dublin: Glór na nGael, 2006.

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The Role of Irish Language in Traditional Music

Colleen White, Boston, Massachusetts

When people in America are asked to think about life in Northern Ireland, the first thing that comes to many people’s mind is of the political turmoil and unrest of the past decades.

Northern Ireland has been plagued by a constant portrayal in the international media as a place of civil war and violence. As we move into the 21st century and see how the political agreements of the 90’s are having positive affects on the country, this image of the north is changing, and people are now starting to discover the rich heritage of ‘ceol agus craic,’ the ‘music and fun’ that plays an integral part of the culture of the north of Ireland. Traditional music however holds a unique place in Northern Ireland as being traditionally associated with one political party over another. As Northern Ireland moves forward, one needs to consider the new role that traditional music and song will take on in the years to come.

Along with music, Northern Ireland also has another aspect of culture that is often overlooked; the use of the Irish language in daily life. Spoken Irish is generally associated with the counties to the south and west of Ireland, in places like Galway, Kerry, and Donegal; many often forget that there are Gaeltacht communities located within cities in the north like Belfast and Derry. Like the music, Irish is another aspect of culture that has been associated with a political party. In the early years of the past century, the Republican Party came to be associated with many of the ‘traditional’ cultural activities of Ireland, including language, music and sports. It was commonly considered that many who spoke Irish or took an interest in traditional music were considered to be aligning themselves with the Republican Party.

In the past, music and language have been a divider separating those who identified themselves as Republicans with those who consider themselves Nationalists. The political nature of this divide still lingers in Northern Ireland today, and has meant that many of the attempts to try to share language and music across political borders has been met with 39

suspicion and hostility. There are men and women now who are working to try to eradicate these pre-conceived notions and make music and language a way not of expressing political opinions but a way to express art, creativity, and communication, they way other forms of music or language are used in the world.

It’s true that Northern Ireland is undergoing a kind of renaissance of the language. People are now able to read daily papers, watch television programs, and listen to radio show all in Irish, and without any kind of political agenda. One of the local television stations is producing a soap opera called “Seacht” or in English, “Seven.” It tells the story of seven art school students and their time at university. The people involved with the program talked about how through shows like “Seacht” they hope to bring Irish to a younger generation, and make it a part of pop culture and daily life. Another program offering an alternative to the traditional venues of Irish is the radio program “Blas”, which airs on BBC Radio Foyle. This program, presented by legendary sean-nos singer Brian Mullen, is a radio program all in Irish that plays modern music from around the world. Mullen said he tries not to play any traditional Irish music because he wants people to see that speaking Irish does not limit one to one form of music or entertainment, but offers the chance to connect with others throughout the world.

Even though it seems that many are trying to avoid the traditional forms of exposure to Irish – like music and dance – there are many who see traditional songs and tunes playing a huge role in the preservation and extension of the language. During my time in Northern Ireland, I had the chance to speak with many community leaders to hear how they are preserving Irish in the community and what role music plays in that preservation. Many felt that the music, songs in particular, got people interested in learning Irish. Eibhlín Uí Dhochartaign from An Gaeláras, a cultural center in Derry that offers language classes, music classes, and vocational training in Irish, offered an interesting insight to the roll traditional music, particularly song, plays in learning Irish. “Irish in music is still a wonderful way to get people interested in the language who might not have had exposure to it otherwise. This is particularly true for those who are not from Ireland, places like Canada, America, and parts of France for example.” And for community leaders like

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Eugene McPete, a fifth generation player of traditional music who opened a school for the music in the north part of Belfast, he sees the music acting as a way to get kids interested and familiar with parts of their culture, both music and language. Summer schools like the McCracken School in Belfast also draw in young and old alike with classes in music, song, and language. One thing that these and all of the non-traditional programs have in common is that they are encouraging people to get to know their culture through any means they find interesting; be it traditional songs, vocational training, pop music, or new television shows.

Music has always played an important role, in any culture. It is a way to express emotion, understand an event, provide a metaphor for things in life to painful of joyful to put into words, and a way to preserve history. Through music, we see a side of society that we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t normally get to see. The work being done in Northern Ireland, the careful balance of preservation and innovation, is characteristic of the kinds of steps being taken all over the world to maintain the old traditions in a way that will be understood and appreciated by the new generations. As for myself, I see traditional music still playing a crucial role in preserving Irish. I came to Belfast this summer with very little knowledge of Irish, but a great appreciation for the music. Interviewing people and researching the music has inspired me to want to learn Irish. I see it as a modern language that is very useful in the job and world markets. The music got me interested, and the modern application of the language got me motivated. I now take classes at my university to learn Irish. I feel this is a prime example of the ways that the old and the new are working together to encourage language. The role of music will always be one of inspiration, interest and expression, and it is something we can look forward to in the years to come.

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An Bonnán Buí A bhonnáin bhuí, sé mo lean do luí Is do chnámha sínte in éis do ghrinn; Chan easpa bí ach diobháil dí A d’fhág ‘do luí thú ar chúl do chin; Is measa liom féin ná scrios na Traoi Tú bheith ‘do luí ar leacaibh lom, Is nach dtearn tú díth nó dola istír; Nárbh fhearr leat fíon ná uisce poll.

Tá mo cheann tinn is níl atharach ann Óir d’éirigh a lán den trioblóid domh; Mo chaired cruinn gan áit gan roinn Nach ndéanann said díon nó foscadh domh; Do bhéilín binn a bhí a’ síorthabhairt grin Is b’aite liom do chomhrá carthannach; A’ murab é an díth céille bheinn féin saibhir, Ach ghlac mé de roghain an bhoichtineacht.

A bhonnáin álainn, ‘sé mo mhíle crá Do chorp ar lár in éis do ghrinn, Is gur iomaí lá a chluinfinn do ghrág Do luí ar an láib ar chúl do chin.

‘Sé mo thuirse mhór is mo mhíle brón Tú bheith sínte ‘mbrón i measc na dtom, Is na luchógaí móra a’ triall ‘un do thórraimh A’ déanamh spóirse is féasta ann.

Chuaidh mé ‘n a’ tórramh is mé tuirseach, brónach ‘Gus buidéal beorach le mo thaobh;

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Ar nós go n-ólfadh sé deoch nó dhó A fhliuchfadh a bhéal is a chorp istigh.

Ach hóm bóm bó ‘sé mo mhíle brón A’n deoir chan ólann sé a choíche ‘ríst.

Bhí an buidéal ólta a’s mé ar leathchois leonta A’ pilleadh ó thórramh an bhonnáin bhuí.

Chan iad bhur n-éanlaith atá mé ag éagnaigh, An lon, an chéirseach nó ‘n chorr ghlas; Ach a’ bonnán buí a bhí lán de chroí Gur cosúil liom féin é i nós is i ndath.

Bhíodh sé go síoraí ag ól na dí ‘Gus deirtear go mbím ar a’ nós sin seal; Chan fheil a’n deoir’ á bhfaighfinn nach leigfinn síos, Ar chéasta go chfaighfinn bás den tart.

‘Sé d’iarr mo stór orm stadadh den ól Nó nach mbeinn anseo ach seal beag gearr.

Ach dúirt mé léithe gur ársaigh sí bréag Is gurbh fhaide do mo shaol an deoch úd fháil.

An bhfeiceann sibh éan a’ phíobáin réidh A chuaidh in éag den tart ar ball?

Is, a chomharsnaigh chléich, fliuchaigí mbur mbéal Óir chan fhaigheann sibh braon i ndiaidh mbur mbáis.

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The Yellow Bittern O yellow bittern, for you I mourn, Stretched out bare-boned without quill or down; Not the want of food but a mighty drooth Left you lying there with your head upturned; Far worse than Troy long since destroyed, Your body laid on naked stone, For hurt or harm you brought to none; Not wine for you but a waterhole.

My head is sore and there is no cure For much troule o me has come; My neighbours here have naught to share, No house or home to shelter in’ Your sweet birdsong have non-stop fun And I used to long for your friendly voice; But for foolish ways I’d have wealth and gain, The path of poverty was my own choice.

O sweet bittern, my endless pain Is your outstretched frame and naked pelt, And many’s the dawn I’d hear you call, But now you lie in mud and dirt; My heart it breaks with a thousand achesYou in the ditch – my sore lament!

And the rats so great, going to your wake In jollification and merriment.

I went to the wake, though sad and frail, With a bottle of ale down in my coat;

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So that he might swill a drop or so To wet his bill and inside his throat; But hóm bóm bó my sorrowful woe, Not a sip will pass his beak again; The drink was done, I was drunk alone, Coming home from the wake of my bittern friend.

It’s not your songsters that I now mourn, The blackbird, thrush and grey feathered crane; But the yellow bird so full of love, Just like myself in many ways; He’d always be supping away alone, And it’s said that I’m sometimes like that too: Not a glass in hand but I’d swallow down, For fear that the thirst might kill me soon.

My love she urged me to give it up For my life would shortly end in tears, But I said to her that her words were false, For the drop o’ drink gave me extra year’s; See now the full-throated singing bird – How a thirst of late brought a silent end?

So, comrades dear, wet your lips here For you’ll not get any when you’re lying dead. * Written by Cathal Buí Mac Giolla Ghunna. Published in A Hidden Ulster: People, songs, and traditions of Oriel by Pádraigín Ní Uallacháin. Can be heard on the EP “The Rambler” by John McEvoy.

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Bríd Bhán Ní hionann liomsa an sliath ‘s a baile atá mo dhiaidh, Is trua nach bhfuil mé arís arm Thall sa teach mhór tá déanta ar thaobh an róid Is mé bheith ann gan bó, gan caora.

Ni bhéinn i mur gclúid anois teacht an Domhnaigh Bhéadh an tAifreann do mo chomhair is mo dhaoiní Is dá ba liomsa Éire an clas á loch Éirne Gur i dTeileann thiar a bhéinn ‘mo chónaí A Bhríd bhán a rún, glacmisneach a bhéas mór Is ná cluintear thusa i gcónaí ag éagaoin; Níl aon ní ar an domhan dá bhfaca tú le feabhas Nach mbéidh againn ins an áit a chfuil tú.

Caoirigh is gabhair, gamhain agus bó Dá mbéadh againn go chfaighimis féar daobh ‘S nach róddheas an ait, tortha agus grán ‘S an bradán ar an abhainn ag léimnigh?

Tá na caoirigh anseo gan dóigh, tá an crupán ar na ba Is an galar ar na gabhair ins na háltaibh Is an méadú ar mo bhrón, níl anseo ach móin Is an chíb dhubh ní maith an féar í.

An méid bradán agus éisc dar shnámh i gcuan Teileann ariamh Ní thabharfainn thart mo shúil le tuirse is le cumhaidh Mar tháinig mé i mur gclúid ghránna.

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Bridget White They are not the same to me, the mountain and the town I left behind, It’s a pity I am not back there Yonder in the big house built by the road Even if I was in it without a cow or sheep I wouldn’t be at your corner now with Sunday coming I would be at Mass among my people And if Ireland was mine down from loch Erne It’s west in Teelin I’d be living.

Fair Bridget my dear, take good courage And don’t always be heard complaining; There is nothing in the world that you ever admired That we won’t have in the place you are in now Sheep and goats, calf and cow If we had them we would get grass for them And isn’t it a pleasant place, the fruit and the grain And the salmon leaping on the river.

The sheep here look miserable, the cows are diseased And the goats too on the rough hillside And what makes me still more discontent there’s nothing here but turf And the black sedge that isn’t really grass As many salmon and fish as ever swum in Teelin harbour They always came right up to the gardens But I wouldn’t raise my eyes so tired and homesick I am, Now that I’ve come to this ugly corner of yours.

Song from Glencombkill Edited by Hugh Shields Reprinted from CEOL, vol III, No. 4 (1970) * This song tells the story of Bríd Ní Eochaidh of Teelin. In the year 1770, she married a teacher from Meenawania, and moved with him to his town. She hated the new town however, and this song is a call and response between her and her husband, expressing her hatred of her new town and her longing to return home.

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Dúlamán A níon mhín ó, sin anal n a fir shuirí!

A mháthair mhín ó, cuir mo roithleán go dtí mé!

Dúlamán na binnne buí, dúlamán Gaelach, Dúlamán na binnne buí, dúlamán Gaelach.

Tá bearad aus triús’ ar a’ dúlamán Gaelach; Tá dhá chluais mhaol’ ar a’ dúlamán Gaelach.

Rachamuinn ‘n an Iúir leais a’ dúlamán Gaelach; Ceannoidh mé bróa daor’, ars’ a’ dúlamán Gaelach.

Bróga breaca dubha ar a’ dúlamán Gaelach; Dearad agus triús’ ar a dúlamán Gaelach.

Tá bróga ‘s stocaí úr ar mo dhúlamán Gaelach; Tá boinéid agus triús’ ar mo dhúlamán Gaelach, Tá ceann buí óir ar a’ dúlamán Gaelach; Síoda agus seoda ar a’ dúlamán Gaelach.

‘Goidé rug tusa ‘un na tíre?’ ars’ a’ dúlamán Gaelach.

‘A’ súirí le do níon,’ ars’ a’ dúlamán Maorach.

‘Chan fhaigheann tú mo níon,’ ars’ a’ dúlamán Gaelach.

‘Maise gheobhaidh mé do níon agus fuadóidh mé liom í.’

Dúlamán na binne buí, dúlamán a’tsléibhe; Dúlamán na farraige, is dúlamán a’ Déididh.

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Seaweed My dear daughter, here come the courting men!

My dear mother, put my spinning wheel beside me!

Seaweed from the yellow cliff, the native seaweed, Seaweed from the yellow cliff, the native seaweed.

There’s a cap and trousers on the native seaweed; The native seaweed has two bare ears.

We will go to Newry with the native seaweed; I’ll buy expensive shoes says the native seaweed.

There are black speckled shoes in the native seaweed; The native seaweed has a cap and plaid.

There are new shoes and socks on the native seaweed; The native seaweed has a bonnet and a plaid.

There’s a golden yellow head on hte native seaweed The native seaweed has silk and jewels.

‘What brought you here?’ says the native seaweed.

‘Flirting with your dauther,’ says the shellfish seaweed.

‘You won’t get my daughter,’ says the common seaweed.

‘Indeed and I will get her and I will abduct her.’

Seaweed from the yellow cliff, the mountain seaweed.

Seaweed from the sea, seaweed from Déididh.

A Hidden Ulster: people, songs and traditions of Oriel by Pádraigín Ní Uallacháin. Four Courts Press (2003) Appeared on recording by Cran “The Crooked Stair” and by sean-nos singer Séan Corcoran.

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Mary Sweet of Belfast Town I straightaway walked to her and this I did say Are you lovely Flora the Goddess of May? Sure there’s no beauty or thing Ah now why would you frown?

Can vie with you, Mary of Sweet Belfast Town I said pretty fair maid, take pity, incline For my heart you have wounded, you angel divine How gladly I’d ransom Some emperor’s crown Just for to enjoy you in Sweet Belfast Town.

And she answered and said, please mind what you’re saying For the young man I love has gone over the main And I hear he is married on Some girl of renown Which is why I am single in Sweet Belfast Town.

And it’s then when he found she was loyal and true He said, look dearest Mary I’ve been true to you For the seven long years I have roamed up and down But my heart was still with you in Sweet Belfast Town.

She flew to his arms with much joy and surprise She ate him alive with the love in her eyes On a bank of primroses They both set down All near to the Lagen and Sweet Belfast Town.

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And early this morning, this couple they went To the church to get married with every consent For as he had great riches His love for the crown They lived quite contented in Sweet Belfast Town Ulster Songs and Ballads

By Richad Hayward Duckworth Pub. (1925) and Songs of Belfast Edited by David Hammond Gilbert Palton Pub. (1978)

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Irish-Language Journalism in Northern Ireland The Preservation and Promotion of a Growing Language Norah E. Carroll, Des Moines Iowa In the winter of 2008, Foras na Gaeilge, the Ulster Scots and the Saint Patrick Centre, announced that 2008 would be the inaugural year of the Young Ambassadors Program, a three-week cultural immersion where twelve young adults had the opportunity to learn about Northern Ireland through firsthand experience. The Young Ambassadors spent much of their time abroad working in three groups that corresponded with their individual cultural assignments. Four students worked with Foras na Gaeilge, four with the UlsterScots Agency, and four with the Saint Patrick Centre. The ambassadors also had the opportunity to meet with dignitaries and politicians in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, attend fundraisers and community events, and learn more about Saint Patrick’s Country in Counties Armagh and Down.

I was selected for the program by members of the Minnesota chapter of the Friends of Saint Patrick and representatives from several other organizations. When proposing a cultural assignment to this selection panel, I chose to focus on an area of Irish culture about which I knew very little. I was aware that the Twin Cities played host to a vibrant Irish language study group, Gaeltacht Minnesota, and wanted to learn if Northern Ireland’s efforts to preserve and promote the Irish language had been met with equal enthusiasm.

Because I am a journalism student, I focused on journalism in the Irish language and how journalists work to preserve and promote the language in daily life. Prior to my weeks in Northern Ireland, I had become increasingly interested in the preservation of the Irish language through media and technology. I explored various blogs, streaming videos, and interactive websites that focus on the experience of learning the Irish language. I was also interested in the ways in which journalists were promoting the Irish language as a medium for communication, specifically through resources like Lá Nua, Ireland’s only daily newspaper written entirely in Irish, and in broadcast form, such as the BBC’s nightly hour 52

of Irish language programming in Northern Ireland. As a result of the Young Ambassadorship Program, I planned to determine whether such efforts have been well received by the public and favorably reviewed by media experts. Furthermore, I wanted to look into ways in which Americans can better understand the current state of affairs in Northern Ireland and the important roles that the Irish language plays on a day-to-day basis.

During the nineteen days I spent in Northern Ireland, I had the opportunity to observe and explore many of the programs, organizations, and facilities sponsored by Foras na Gaeilge, the institute responsible for funding initiatives that preserve and promote the Irish language. Each day presented new opportunities to learn and to develop a greater understanding of the Irish language and its role in society through the people I met and the experiences they shared with me. Even when meeting with individuals whose work did not directly relate to journalism in the Irish language (called Irish-medium journalism), I gained new insight into the use of the language within the context of Northern Ireland in the wake of the Good Friday Agreement.

On July 17, 2008, I encountered my first experience with the Irish language community at Culturlánn McAdam Ó Fiaich on Falls Road in Belfast. The building, which housed Belfast’s first gaelscoil (Irish-medium school) in the early 1990s, serves as a community resource center for West Belfast, focusing on the preservation and promotion of the Irish language. Within the Culturlánn is a bookstore, café, theatre, tourism center, radio station (Raidió Fáilte), gallery, and policy-based community language organization. The Culturlánn has also served as the office of Lá Nua and has helped many other prominent Irish cultural and community organizations during their initial development years. It is an incredible resource for Irish-speakers and non-Irish speakers alike and offers a diverse range of opportunities to connect with the Irish culture.

The group that worked primarily with Foras na Gaeilge spent the morning touring West Belfast, spending time in Milltown Cemetery and in the neighborhoods that were most affected by the Troubles, as a man named Jake MacSiacais provided an in-depth history of

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the Irish experience in Belfast and the cityโ s growth after the Good Friday Agreement.

Though it was clear that the figurative scars from the Troubles are still there, it was incredible to observe the interactions between the close-knit families of West Belfast. As we stood outside of the Culturlรกnn, about to begin our tour, Jake recognized the Lord Mayor of Belfast, Tom Hartley, walking across the street and quickly introduced us to him.

Both men knew each other by name and exchanged a warm greeting. Our experience at the Culturlรกnn provided a thorough first look into the Irish language community in Northern Ireland and helped us to understand the context of the Irish language throughout history, which would prove invaluable during our upcoming weeks in Northern Ireland.

In order to gain an understanding of the Irish language beyond Belfast, we spent July 18 in Derry/Londonderry, first at An Gaelรกras and then at BBC Foyle. Like the Culturlรกnn, An Gaelรกras is an Irish-language resource center. However, while the Culturlรกnn serves a predominantly bi-lingual Irish-speaking community, the people of Derry are almost entirely English-speaking. Therefore, An Gaelรกras focuses its efforts on the instruction of the Irish language through music, dance, and theatre. The facility also offers an initiative that allows unemployed individuals to learn Irish and gain other valuable job skills at An Gaelรกras for a salary instead of being dependent on government benefits. Because Derry still faces political and cultural conflicts, the directors of An Gaelรกras also work with Ulster-Scots organizations on joint cross-border projects. As we discussed the upcoming development of new Irish-language facilities in Derry, the two individuals with whom we spoke at An Gaelรกras expressed a perspective about the importance of language in Northern Ireland that we had not yet heard. Because An Gaelรกras is a small business, the directors feel that they are in competition with the Ulster-Scots Agency for funding from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and other funding bodies. As the Irish language gains exposure and community support, leaders in the Ulster-Scots community wish to receive equal funding for their own programs, so the Ulster-Scots Agency is promoting the UlsterScots language more than ever before. I had never considered the possibility that these two languages and the language-speakers might be in competition with each other, but our discussion at An Gaelรกras allowed me to gain a better understanding of the complexities that still exist in the political climate of Northern Ireland.

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Later that day, during a visit to one of the BBC’s regional radio stations, Radio Foyle, I had to opportunity to meet with Brian Mullen, a well-known radio personality who presents a weekly program in the Irish language. He provided a unique perspective on the politicization of the language before and during the Troubles. Irish-medium journalism has helped the Irish language to become more accessible to diverse groups of people. Because the people of Northern Ireland can access Irish language media within their own homes and in their own communities, it is perceived as less threatening than it was during the Troubles, when the language was used as a political tool to intensify the barriers that had formed between communities. For an increasing number of people, the Irish language no longer holds that stigma, nor is it only accessible in the North to nationalist Irish Catholic communities. From individuals with Presbyterian, Ulster-Scots backgrounds to the large groups of immigrants entering Ireland from other countries, the demographics of Irishlanguage learners are more diverse than ever before, due in part to journalists’ commitment to preserving the language. It was inspiring to hear Brian’s sentiments on this matter, as it demonstrates a clear shift to community-based reconciliation efforts in Northern Ireland.

Despite this trend, Brian Mullen emphasized that contemporary Irish needs to be “a means of communication regardless of political or religious background.” His own program, broadcast on Saturday nights, features popular music in English but “just happens to be [presented] in Irish.” In his program, called “Caschlár” (Irish for “turntable”), Mullen tries to “keep the language as simple as possible for all without insulting native Irish-speakers.”

He believes he is able to achieve this delicate balance because he himself learned Irish at university in his thirties, so he understands the needs of both Irish-learners and fluent Irishspeakers. The Northern Ireland branch of the BBC also hosts several language learning tools on the websites for its programs, which work with the programs themselves to develop listeners’ understand and appreciation of the Irish language. As I spoke with Mullen, he mentioned that despite the large market for Irish-language radio programs, there is no coordinated effort between the different stations. Although each station has its own target audience and its own mission, it is very possible that they face similar obstacles. Their differing backgrounds and perspectives could surely allow them to serve

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as resources for each other, offering support and guidance within the other programs in their field.

On July 22, we spent the day at the “headquarters of the Irish language”, the Foras na Gaeilge office in Dublin. The representatives with whom we met reiterated a statement that we had heard several times before: there is no true statistic for the number of Irishspeakers across Ireland. According to the most recent census, approximately 1.5 million individuals speak “some Irish”, although a Foras na Gaeilge representative pointed out that the definition of “some Irish” is incredibly subjective. The actual number of fluent and nearfluent Irish-speakers within the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland is most likely closer to 100,000 people. This statistical discrepancy indicates a strong general interest in the Irish language, a trend that directly influences the programs and organizations that Foras na Gaeilge chooses to support and fund. The groups funded by Foras na Gaeilge range include the Culturlánn to Comhluadar (a support group for families raising their children through Irish), Glór na nGael (an organization that holds community competitions for businesses and groups that use the Irish language), Raidió na Life (the radio station that operates out of the Foras na Gaeilge office), and many others. Back in Belfast, we spent July 25 through July 29 observing (and taking part in) the operations of the Irish Language Broadcast Fund, the Irish-language division of Northern Ireland Screen. The Irish Language Broadcast Fund is responsible for funding many programs that air on TG4, a television channel aimed at Irish-speakers, and some of the Irish-language programs that appear on the BBC. In 2006, the ILBF funded its first feature film, Kings. The company also works to promote Northern Ireland for film and television production work. During a meeting with Áine Walsh, the head of the ILBF, I encountered a new consequence of the shaky political climate of Northern Ireland: state funding controversies. Per the Good Friday Agreement, Northern Ireland’s Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) provided the ILBF with £12 million over five years to increase Irish language broadcasting by at least 75 additional hours per year by 2008. However, as the culmination of DCAL’s funding approached, the ILBF had received no further confirmation of financial support from Stormont. Individuals from Sinn Féin worked with British Prime Minister Gordon

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Brown to secure additional funding for the ILBF. As a result, the ILBF can now continue to promote Irish-language programming throughout Northern Ireland.

On July 28 and 29, we had the opportunity to experience the ILBF’s work firsthand as extras on the set of “Seacht”, a TG4 program depicting the lives of seven young performing arts students attending City University in Belfast. We also met an individual who is part of the ILBF’s New Entrant Training Scheme, which places Irish speaking young people in production environments to gain on-the-job training in Irish language broadcasting. Once again, we were exposed to the usage of the Irish language as a medium for communication, rather than a political tool. In fact, TG4 alone attracts approximately 730,000 viewers each day, well above the estimated number of fluent or near-fluent Irish speakers in Ireland.

Our final interaction with Irish-medium journalists took place at the main office of BBC Northern Ireland on July 30, where we met with Lynette Fay and Tomaí Ó Conghaile. Fay and Ó Conghaile are the presenters of “Blas”, an Irish language program airing Monday to Friday on BBC Radio Ulster. As the BBC writes, “Blas covers every subject, the only difference being that we do so through the medium of Irish.” The mission of the program is to give listeners “a sense of just how alive the Irish language is here and that Irish speakers have a great time of it!” Because the program is broadcast on Radio Ulster, it reaches a wide demographic. Irish-speakers appreciate the program because unlike Raidió na Gaeltachta and other specialized programs, “Blas” serves multiple communities and recognizes the distinct contributions each community makes to the Irish-speaking population.

During my weeks in Northern Ireland, it became clear to me that the Irish language community is constantly growing and evolving, but also extremely inclusive. There is a strong effort in all aspects of Irish-language journalism to present news and entertainment that is accessible to Irish-speakers and Irish-learners. It is this focus that encourages the preservation of the language through learners, and the promotion of the language through fluent speakers. Throughout history, the Irish language was prevalent in all nine counties

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of historical Ulster, but the language began to die out with its native speakers. The Donegal Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking region) is now the only large settlement of Irish-speakers in the northern part of Ireland. However, as the language grows and flourishes in the north, areas such as West Belfast are working to develop their own gaeltachtaí (Irish-speakng regions) to further promote the language as a primary medium for communication.

The support within the Irish community for Irish-learners and Irish-speakers will encourage the use of Irish, but the language will not truly be part of daily life if it is not the language in which Irish-speakers receive their news and entertainment as well.

Journalism has played a vital role in the development and promotion of the Irish language, and as technology continues to advance and resources are more readily available, it is clear that an even greater number of people will become consumers of Irish-medium journalism through print, radio, and television. Unlike many other professionals, journalists are held accountable for presenting information in a clear and unbiased manner, and their work is only a medium through which to gain a greater understanding. As so many of the journalists I met emphasized, Irish-language journalists are committed to using the language first and foremost as a means of communication. It is their wish, and now my own, that the Irish language is no longer used as a means of political manipulation by the individuals involved in government, regardless of political affiliation, but embraced as a vibrant part of the Irish culture, history, and tradition in both the Republic of Ireland and in Northern Ireland.

Resources and Contacts Arts Council of Northern Ireland. Malone Road, Belfast.< http://www.artscouncil-ni.org/> “Blas.” Tomái Ó Conghaile, Lynette Fay. Radio Ulster, BBC Northern Ireland. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/irish/blas/> Comhluadar. East Lombard Street, Dublin. <http://www.comhluadar.ie/> Culturlánn McAdam Ó Fiaich. Jake MacSiacais, Gearoid Ó Headhra. Falls Road, West Belfast. <http://www.culturlann.ie/> “Caschlár.” Brian Mullen. Radio Foyle, BBC Northern Ireland. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/radiofoyle/programmes/caschlar/index.sht ml>

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Foras na Gaeilge. Ferdie Mac an Fhailigh, Therese Ní Longáin. Merrion Square, Dublin. <http://www.gaeilge.ie/> An Gaeláras. Eibhlín Uí Dhochartaign, Caoimhín Ó Dochartaign. Great James Street, Derry. < http://www.gaelaras.ie/> Gaeltacht Minnesota. Will Kenny. St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. <http://www.gaelminn.org/> Glór na nGael. Herbert Lane, Dublin. <http://www.glornangael.ie/> Irish Language Broadcast Fund. Áine Walsh. Northern Ireland Screen, Alfred Street, Belfast. < http://www.northernirelandscreen.co.uk/> Lá Nua. Cnoc Bhaile Haine, Belfast. <http://www.nuacht.com/> Raidió Fáilte. Eoghan Ó Neill. Culturlánn McAdam Ó Fiaich, Falls Road, West Belfast. <http://www.raidiofailte.com/> Raidió na Life. Dónal Ó Fiannachta. Foras na Gaeilge, Merrion Square, Dublin. <http://www.rnl106.com/> Saint Patrick Centre. Dr. Tim Campbell. Market Street, Downpatrick. <http://www.saintpatrickcentre.com/> “Seacht.” Andrea Bamford. Stirling Film and Television Productions, University Street, Belfast. <http://www.stirlingtelevision.co.uk/>, http://www.tg4.ie/Bearla/inte/seacht/seacht.htm

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The Irish Language and the State: Performing Identity in Arts and Culture

Elizabeth Nelson, Milwaukee Wisconsin Introduction Throughout much of the long history of Britainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s relationship with Ireland, the Irish language has been in delcine. The Good Friday Agreement of 1998 and the recent implementation of the European Charter for Minority Languages and the Irish Language Act have brought progress in the protection and advancement of Irish and led many in the Irish language community to be hopeful that the days of politicization of the Irish language are over. However, many issues still remain that are deeply embedded in the politics of the region. These issues are often related to fundingand often make promoting the arts through the medium of Irish a delicate balancing act at times. Thus while great strides have been made in Irish in everyday life - particularly in cultural sectors like theatre and film, there are still the possibilities for growth within the arts and how both traditions and languages can be celebrated without political maneuvering.

State Policy and the Irish Language

Since the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, much progress has been made in regards to state policy towards the Irish language. According to The Regional Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, as prepared by POBAL, â&#x20AC;&#x153;the North-South Language Body was

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established under the Good Friday Agreement (1998). It is made up of two agencies, one of which is responsible for Irish (Foras na Gaelige) and the other for Ulster-Scots (Thà Boord o Ulster Scotch)… Foras na Gaelige is responsible for the promotion of the Irish language on both sides of the border. Its remit includes supporting Irish-medium education, encouraging and advising on the use of Irish throughout society and corpus planning. It is one of the principal sources of funding for Irish language groups.” Another source of funding for Irish language activity, including activity in the arts, is the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. However, there has been some issues over the amount of funding and support received from the Arts Council by various Irish language groups: “Over the years, Irish language groups have been very critical of the lack of support from the Arts council and of the absence of a clear policy on the Irish language arts” (POBAL: The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, 2001-2002). Many groups believe that there should be more comprehensive and clear measures taken regarding funding and how it is to be carried out.

The same funding received by Foras na Gaelige to distribute to various organizations is also contributed to the Ulster-Scots Agency, or Thà Boord o Ulster Scotch, to promote the usage and protection of Ulster Scots in Northern Ireland. Funding is administered on the basis of equality, meaning that if Foras na Gaelige receives £12 million in funding, the Ulster Scots Agency subsequently must receive the same amount. This has caused certain concerns within the Irish language community in Northern Ireland, which is often unable to meet the demand for programming due to lack of funds and many believe that funding should be based on need, not on straight reciprocity of funds for both language bodies.

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Irish Language and the Arts in Northern Ireland

“The growth and development of the Irish language in the north of Ireland is reflected in the emergence of a vibrant Irish language arts sector. This activity has originated from the community and voluntary sector, while provision for the Irish language has been more limited in established arts and cultural bodies” (POBAL: The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, 2001-2002). Several different arts and cultural organizations have been established, including the Cultúrlaan in West Belfast, An Gaeláras in Derry/Londonderry, the McCracken School in North Belfast, and Aisling Ghéar, the Irish language theatre company in West Belfast. Several Irish language radio stations, including Radio Fáilte in West Belfast, Radio Foyle in Derry/Londonderry, and Irish language programs on BBC Northern Ireland, have also gained listeners and radio time. In addition, the Irish Language Broadcast Fund (ILBF) has received an extension of its funding from the Arts Council and will continue to operate within the Northern Ireland Screen Commission. Through the support of the ILBF, there has been an increase in Irish language films and television programs, including the popular soap opera Seacht, filmed in Belfast, and the full-length feature film Kings.

The Cultúrlaan in West Belfast is situated in the West Belfast Gaeltacht, and is the center for Irish language and cultural activities in the area. Several different Irish language groups inhabit the Cultúrlaan building, including Aisling Ghéar, Radio Fáilte, and POBAL, an umbrella organization for Irish language groups. The Cultúrlaan encourages activity and

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participation from both Irish and non-Irish speakers. For example, at Aisling Ghéar all plays are performed in Irish, but there is always an optional English translation headset available. This also opens up the arts to non-Irish speakers as well as those who do not identify as Irish, as they are able to participate in and learn about the Irish culture even without a full grounding in the language.

In that same line, Irish language radio has several programs, on Radio Foyle and BBC Northern Ireland in particular, that are aimed at giving non-speakers and beginning learners a taste of the language and a new and easy way to learn. These programs teach a phrase or few words with each episode, as well as posting grammar online that allow learners to build their vocabulary in a non-threatening environment. Programs on BBC Northern Ireland also attempt to incorporate Irish into everyday life by discussing news, art, and current events in Irish. This ‘normalizes’ Irish in a way, instead of making it something to which only academics or those who live in a Gaeltacht can relate. It also allows Irish language speakers to connect to their world in the indigenous language.

This is one of the bases for the drive for the Irish language in film and television as well.

Making programs and films available in Irish makes it a more everyday language and allows people to conduct more of their lives through the medium of Irish if they choose; and for many years this fundamental choice did not exist.

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Conclusion: the Politics of Language and Identity

Most Irish language groups share the desire for the Irish language to become depoliticized.

They feel that it is counterproductive for both Irish and Ulster-Scots to be part of sectarian political struggles, and that using a language â&#x20AC;&#x201C; part of a cultural tradition â&#x20AC;&#x201C; as part of political maneuverings is disingenuous and unnecessary. Instead, most activists feel that the language should be celebrated and that people from both communities should be encouraged to learn Irish as a part of their shared history. Aine Walsh, head of the ILBF expressed a genuine desire for the Ulster-Scots and the Ulster-Scots language to do well and to receive support for its arts programs and broadcasting. Echoing the feelings of many who work with the Irish language, she said that the more support the Ulster-Scots received, the less politics would be associated with either language â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and that would be intrinsically good for both.

However, there is a certain extent to which Irish, as well as Ulster-Scots, is inherently political in a society with a history of political and cultural divisions such as Northern Ireland. Language can be seen as a performance of identity, whether Irish or otherwise, and the furthering of the Irish language and/or the Ulster-Scots language through state policy has the risk of being seen as an endorsement of a specific community, and thus a specific political agenda.

Support for language growth in the arts is an opportunity for a neutral discussion about arts, language, and culture, and what that can and does mean in Northern Ireland, without

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attaching a political point of view. The arts are a unique way for people to deal with social problems within their community. The arts belong to everyone in a society, regardless of race, creed, or politics, irrespective of a societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current political situation. However, the arts can also be a way of working through issues, and of opening dialogue in a safe and non-threatening space. Promoting the Irish language through arts is an opportunity for celebration instead of divisiveness, and a chance for people of both communities to appreciate the contributions that Irish language and culture has made and can continue to make to a shared society.

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Ethnic and Economic Segregation in Belfast Alexandra Marchuk, Nashville Tennessee

Belfast, Northern Ireland is a complex city that faces challenges as its economic base changes and expands in the 21st century. Belfastâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cityscape today has an immense amount of construction and change is certainly happening in Belfast with over 5 billion pounds of investment in the past decade.1 The ethnic divisions within the city, in addition to the historic divisions among socioeconomic classes, make this economic growth a potential source of positive change, or of strife, for Belfast. A result of the economic growth within the city centre could be the formation of two Belfasts divided by socioeconomic status.

The middle class largely resides outside of the inner quarters of the city and rarely saw violence during the Troubles. In the North and West, working class communities were the most disrupted by the Troubles and encountered a large proportion of the violence. Today these working class communities could be excluded from the commercial investment in the city centre. The city of Belfast must find a way to work together, or face issues of economic segregation and its negative results.

In the 19th century planning and investment encouraged low density in Belfast and the middle class moved to the fringe of the city.2

This informal planning encouraged

socioeconomic divisions as people with greater incomes could spend more on housing and left the inner city. At the end of the First World War the city centre of Belfast experienced a period of growth as many people moved into Belfast from the countryside for factory work. After the initial economic boom there was an interwar depression and the working class was not a government priority. The people that moved into the city and resided in its 66

inner quarters for work faced staggering levels of unemployment. Belfast was considered to be the most disadvantaged industrial city in the UK during this interwar period because of the abject poverty of the working class.3 German bombs during the Second World War, combined with pre-existing poor housing conditions, created the need for a reconstruction plan in Belfast.4 The city government did not do anything to limit urban growth and to tackle the physical infrastructure problems of the inner city. The post World War II period was marked with a rapid expansion of the suburbs. Inner city areas where working class communities resided were designated for redevelopment without a program for action to follow through.5 In the 1960s the city governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Matthew Plan addressed the massive expansion of suburbs of the city and embraced British planning ideals to prevent further sprawl.6 Despite these efforts, after failing to deal with problems of urban renewal, public housing, industry, and traffic problems, an urban crisis began in the 1960s.7 Belfast displayed inner city problems that were not atypical of American cities in the 1960s, like the ever increasing distinction between the wealthy and poor as the middle class moved to the suburbs, but in Belfast these class conflicts were augmented with sectarian issues.8 In Belfast the working class communities increasingly delineated into perceived safe areas based on ethnic divisions, traditionally defined as Protestant and Catholic, and in 1969 there was an outbreak of ethnic conflict.

The sectarian bombing campaigns were most intense in early 1970s and had a devastating impact on the commercial centres of Belfast. The violence deprived the city centre of investment for decades as industry moved outward, or to other places altogether, and the inner city experienced intensive security checks that further gave industry disincentives to enter Belfast. From August 1969 to February 1973 8,000 to 15,000 families moved out of Belfast, or 6.6% to 11.8% of the Belfast urban area, contributing further to the segregation of the city.9 Historically Belfast has been segregated through socioeconomics and this division, in addition to ethnic divisions, did not impede violence.

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The Troubles enhanced and encouraged ethnic segregation as well as socioeconomic segregation. In 2004 the Belfast Telegraph reported that 92.5% of the 100,000 public homes in Belfast are segregated, which is the worst stratification ever recorded.10 The Ministry Group on Public Order and Community Cohesion found that increase in ethnic segregation and polarization are key factors underlying violence.11 Polarization is not only a negative indicator for community interaction, the city has to spend public money on security because of this segregation and it has less efficient public services. For example, bus lines cannot move through both Catholic and Protestant communities, further separating and dividing the communities.

In Belfast, if a person states where they are from one is able to identify their cultural and socioeconomic background. Today those differences are still very apparent. Frank Gaffikin, a city planner, described some current differences between some of the Catholics and Protestants in Belfast. He believes that Catholics in the city look to a brighter future, with less repression and the greater availability of government jobs.12 The backbone of the Catholic community has traditionally been education, as it is seen as a way to rise above one s current economic class. In the past Catholics used education as a way to improve their circumstances, whereas many working class Protestants know that jobs would be available for them in the docks or government.13 Today many working class Protestant communities are losing traditional areas due to the flight of their community members to the suburbs. They are losing traditional jobs as the shipping market diminished and civic jobs are awarded more evenly amongst both ethnic communities. Protestant university students were more likely to leave Northern Ireland for their education than their Catholic counterparts, and many settled in the UK after their education for employment. Working class Protestants face many challenges as they could lose traditional areas for Catholic housing as their community is now smaller.

Architect Kieran Macil explained the major issue of public housing in Belfast. Housing is highly segregated and certain areas of Belfast are considered to belong exclusively to one community. In the Catholic community there is a growing need for more public housing.

Area on the waterfront is available, but it would create instability because it may not be

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perceived as a neutral space after it becomes a housing area.14 This tension is exacerbated by the changing demographics of the city.

The use of housing in the ethnic-neutral city centre is a possible solution to the housing problem. Today the city centre is full of shops, however the floors above the shops are empty. Architect Kieran Macil explained that in some cases stairs to go to the upper floors have been removed to ease the commercial district below. This practice goes against successful urban theories on the most effective was to use city centres. For safety in city centres urban planner Jane Jacobs recommends having many eyes watching the streets, like on the upper floors of buildings that are occupied.15 The implications of some streets becoming residents for one community in the city centre, however, could be a major risk for increased ethnic tensions Belfast. City council has been taking steps in recent years to increase the usage of the city centre. For example, the About More Time campaign encourages more students, commuters, and residents to go to the city centre at night to stimulate consumption. The campaign began in 2006 to increase the appeal and vitality of the city centre as well as use a neutral space to fullest. Working class communities in Belfast, regardless of their ethnic ties, both face possible exclusion from economic developments. The presence of walls in their communities is a source of revenue for black cab tours to see the traditional murals, and the economic benefit from tourist traffic in local stores. However, during tense times, like July during Protestant holidays, the gates to these communities are locked at night. This largely prevents tourists, in the area possibly to see murals and the walls, from entering and contributing to the local economy. Tourists employ local cab drivers, convenient stores, and restaurants, and locked gates prevent this flow of capital. Within communities, however, the walls become a sacred cultural sight for residents that constructed them, like a church, and the idea of taking them down would be like losing memories and a sense of community. By eliminating contact through walls the city maintains a level of mistrust, as well as separates themselves physically from the changes in Belfast.

As the city expands economically, older communities in Belfast still feel the trauma of the violence. They are disconnected from the cosmopolitan city that is forming. In Belfast 63%

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of jobs in the city are within the public sector.16 This makes Belfast fairly immune from many fluctuations in the economy, but also makes the city very expensive to maintain. The national government thus has incentives for private investment to build up Belfast s economy so that the city becomes less dependent. The most major renovation is Belfast so far has been the transformation of the old docks to become the Titanic Quarter. The Belfast City Council and Laganside Corporation sponsored the waterfront transformation; a vacant inner city is not attractive to developers.17 The working class in the inner city could possibly feel threatened by the exclusive growth that is not affordable for all. Some critics consider the economic investment to be superficial and compare it to ‘putting lipstick on a gorilla’.

18

Social injustice within the city on a class base could be a catalyst for more

violence. Belfast has been called a city of strangers, where no one mixes. Cosmopolitan spaces that move beyond sectarian differences may just leave those that hold those entrenched values behind, locked beyond their peace walls. The city centre may be neutral from sectarian violence but it is not integrated, which is an ideal condition for Belfast’s recovery. For example, the Titanic Quarter was regained from the sea to create ports. It added a large amount of neutral land for city use. The new investment in the Quarter acts as a middle class leisure centre, and it excludes people that do not have a great deal of disposable income. The global culture that exists in Belfast’s new commercial centres can unite across ethnic community lines, like similar consumer habits or taste in entertainment like music and movies, but this is excluded from those who cannot afford it. The working class will decide the fate for Belfast and must be included in any enhancements of the city.

A global economy could break down cultural lines by shared consumerism, music and media. The Titanic Quarter will have global influences and attract workers from other areas of the world. However important shared habits may be in creating a new sense of identity for Belfast, retail does not in itself lead to regeneration. Popular global culture may cross cultural barriers but local measures are needed to truly change.

As a potential solution to the problem of identity in Belfast, Professor Dominic Bryan discussed the idea of creating an identity that encompasses all parts of Northern Ireland.

Activities like the ice hockey team move beyond traditional divisions, like football teams, 70

and are not exclusive to one socioeconomic class like shopping.19 Professor Bryan believes that the communities in Belfast are not as different as they believe, despite the fact that they see each other as polar opposites. Identity is malleable, but in its current state it can close down critical debates due to the use of feeling sentiments instead of rational thought.

Community is not tangible, and can be changed to facilitate reconciliation, like with new forms of shared activities and entertainment.

Belfast has accomplished incredible progress in restoring peace and growing economically in the past decade. Class divisions, however, may come more apparent over time as some communities literally lock themselves behind gates. Some critics fear that the middle class has “ebb[ed] away political responsibility and move to leafy suburbia.”20 The disconnect between economic classes is bolstered by consumption.21 However, Belfast is not fated to be a divided city and the city government has taken important steps to move beyond class and ethnic boundaries with a new kind of identity incorporating different leisure activities and working to invigorate the city centre. If anything, Belfast is a city where its residents care deeply about their home and if this energy is harnessed in a positive way progress will be indelible.

1 Investment Belfast. <http://www.investmentbelfast.com/why_belfast.aspx>.

2 Enduring Belfast 142.

3 Enduring Belfast 143.

4 Enduring Belfast 144.

5 Enduring Belfast 145.

6 Enduring Belfast 146.

7 Enduring Belfast 147.

8 Enduring Belfast 149.

9 Enduring Belfast 232.

10 "Executive to try and bridge housing divide." Belfast Telegraph.

11 Community Cohesion: Applying Learning from Groundwork Northern Ireland.

12 Gaffikin, Frank. Personal interview.

13 Gaffikin, Frank. Personal interview.

14 Macil, Kieran. Personal interview.

15The Economy of Cities 122.

16 “Addicted to state subvention, the north will suffer when it s gone.” The Times.

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17 Enduring Belfast 152.

18 Enduring Belfast 204.

19 Bryan, Dominic. Personal interview.

20 Pete Shirlow Belfast: Segregation, Violence, and the City 179.

21 Pete Shirlow Belfast: Segregation, Violence, and the City 101.

Works Cited â&#x20AC;&#x153;Addicted to state subvention, north will suffer when it's gone." Alan Ruddock, The Times. 8 January 2006. <http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/newspapers/sunday_times/ireland/article786274.ece>. Bryan, Dominic.

Personal interview. 19 Aug. 2008. "Executive to try and bridge housing divide." Belfast Telegraph. 7 July 2004. <http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/imported/executive-to-try-and-bridge-housing-divide13657722.html>. Gaffikin, Frank. Personal interview. 18 Aug. 2008.

Investment Belfast. Belfast City Council. 22 Aug. 2008 <http://www.investmentbelfast.com/why_belfast.aspx.> Jacobs, Jane. The Economy of Cities. New York: Random House, 1969. Jarman, Niel, Libby Keyes, Derrick Wilson, and Jenny Pearce. Community Cohesion: Applying Learning from Groundwork Northern Ireland. Belfast, 2008. Macil, Kieran. Personal interview. 24 Aug. 2008. Royle, Steve, and F.W. Boal, eds. Enduring City: Belfast in the Twentieth Century. Belfast: Blackstaff P, 2006. Shirlow, Pete, and Brendan Murtagh. Belfast: Segregation, Violence, and the City.

London: Pluto, 2006

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Do High Walls Make for Good Neighbors?

Thomas Dennis, Phoenix Arizona

High walls and being behind “the gates” are attributes highly coveted in the western world and a symbol of economic prosperity. The appeal of these communities is apparent; they allow the residents to escape to their own personal environment in which they share similar beliefs as their neighbors and provide a feeling of comfort and safety in their surroundings; something we all look for in the places we call home. So how is the typical gated community different from the segregated communities in Belfast, such as the Shankill Road or Falls Road areas? The difference is that the connotation of the high walls and gates are vastly different.

A wall has the ability to serve many purposes; providing shelter,

protection, privacy, marking a boundary, possesses defensive purposes or may delineate space.

Walls in residential communities have typically been used for privacy and

ownership. In the case of the walled communities of Belfast, the massive walls take on a physical and symbolic purpose; one of keeping those on the inside safe while keeping “others” out.

During the Troubles, Peace Walls were constructed to protect communities from fighting.

Since the cease-fire, more walls have been built than have been taken down. This is not evident in every community of Belfast that one might visit. Economic investment has spurred a number of developments throughout Belfast, which raises the concern that two Belfast’s may have emerged from the Troubles. One Belfast is still faced with the social implications of being a post-violence/conflict community in such areas as the Falls and Shankill. The other Belfast appears to have fully moved on from the Troubles toward a more mixed community. As Belfast grows and develops it is important to remember the

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established neighborhoods of Belfast and address their social concerns. Thus, any plan focused on creating a more integrated Belfast should have a conscious focus on the established neighborhoods that were most affected by the conflict, as well as those that have emerged after the Troubles. The largest obstacle to overcome is how in what form to move the reconstruction of the affected communities forward. The answer must come from the residents of Belfast themselves.

Luckily, Belfast does not lack social capital. Citizens exude a pride, understanding, and urgency to move forward after the Troubles. The issue at hand is how does a community that, in not such a distant past, isolated entire sections of the community begin integrate the affected areas. One idea espoused by Dr. Frank Gaffikan at the Queens University in Belfast is the concept of spatial planning. Spatial planning is a method of planning the distribution of people and activities about a city. It is less concerned with the land use designation aspects of traditional planning methods and more focused on the people who utilize the space and to what level they interact. There are different zones premised within spatial planning based on the interaction by the diverse population that occupy them. The four zones are Ethnic, Neutral, Shared, and Cosmopolitan. Ethnic zones are characterized by homogeneity of its inhabitants and many times its visitors. Examples of Ethnic zones in the City of Belfast are the Shankill and Falls Road communities. Neutral zones are those in which people from anywhere in the community come into contact, but do not necessarily interact with one another. Neutral zones might be major shopping malls such as Victoria Square or Castile Court Shopping Centre. Shared zones are areas where all facets of the community come together and interact on some level. A prime example of a Shared zone is Queens University Belfast. The University serves members of all the various communities and backgrounds of Belfast and Northern Ireland. The University context requires its patrons to work together at a basic level of understanding and acceptability with one another. Finally, Cosmopolitan zones are areas afforded or at times that demand a higher level of interaction and acceptance of its members. For a place to be Cosmopolitan it must fully embrace the multiculturalism of the community and the world as a whole.

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Cosmopolitanism is the ideal state for the entire community. Spatial planning, as defined by the four zones, is a way of characterizing an area and the many places that comprise it.

After there is an understanding of the types of zones within the community, communitybased planning should be initiated to confront Ethnic and Neutral areas in the aim of moving them toward Shared and Cosmopolitan spaces that the community as a whole may enjoy and feel safe and secure in. These plans must be community-based because it is ultimately the community itself that must embrace and adopt the principles on which they are grounded. It will undoubtedly take more than labeling an area as Ethnic or Neutral to spur a movement within the area. Fortunately, the Northern Ireland Life and Times survey demonstrate that a majority of Northern Ireland’s citizens want to live in mixed communities and would prefer to have ethnically charged identity markers such as flags removed from communities. The desire of the people of Belfast is present to create integrated communities. Now, with the resources of the academics and professionals to aid in the community planning process, a beginning towards the end can begin.

The first step towards the conversion of Ethnic and Neutral spaces to Shared and Cosmopolitan areas is not by breaking down physical walls, but the social barriers. By integrating the public education system numerous goals could be accomplished. First, education system would be truly public in that every school serves the entire community.

There can no longer be an “us” and “them” mentality in public education. By bringing the children of the whole community together to be taught, a new socialization can gradually take place. A socialization that accepts and understands the diversity of the world we live in.

Socialization that affirms in people’s minds that being surrounded by countless

different people is normal and that being segregated into homogeneous communities is abnormal.

Another benefit would be a more economically efficient public education

system in which resources are distributed equally among the citizens. The funding of two separate public education systems is wasteful and perpetuates the idea that there is a continued need for portions of the community to be segregated from one another. I believe that a mixed public education system and community-based spatial planning will cause a ripple effect for the City of Belfast to evolve into a more integrated community.

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Northern Ireland is without a doubt one of the most magnificent places I have ever had the opportunity to explore. The landscapeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s uniqueness surprises and astounds. The people of Northern Ireland are charismatic and inviting. There is always a story to be told of which countless are willing listeners. A city like Belfast never stays stagnant because it is a living and breathing thing created by its people. The people of Belfast possess an energy that can and will push Belfast forward to a new day.

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Northern Ireland and its Application in the Classroom Anne Simmons, Saint Paul Minnesota

As a teacher, I have a constant love for learning and am always seeking to find new ways to challenge my students. I have a passion for teaching history and finding ways to get students more involved in the classroom. My travels have recently led me to Northern Ireland to work on a cultural dissertation about The Troubles of Northern Ireland and how they have affected the landscape as well as changed the lives of the people who live there.

For thirty years, Northern Ireland was in a violent cultural conflict between the Protestants and the Catholics. During this time, neighbors became enemies, schools became segregated, and walls were built to divide communities. Very few people living in Northern Ireland at the time were untouched by the death in their families.

This conflict has settled down and in the last ten years, many efforts have been made towards the peace process. This conflict ripped apart a community and should have had international attention much sooner than it did. A lot can be learned from the conflict itself and how two very different communities have been building peace for over ten years.

It would greatly benefit American students to appreciate both sides of the conflict and how much progress two groups in the human race can accomplish in such a small amount of time. Conflicts will always happen in the world, and it is important for students to know how they have been dealt with in the past to help deal with problems and conflicts that arise in the future. As a teacher, it is my duty to help the students understand and evaluate the conflict. While in Ireland, I will interview people from both Protestant and Catholic backgrounds as a way to gather information. In a way to effectively use my research in the classroom, I will research, develop, and produce a

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reader’s theater in hopes that students will be able to understand The Troubles by taking on a role of someone who actually lived in Ireland at the time. □ How can I help students understand the conflict in Northern Ireland using a reader’s theater?

Review of Literature While teaching high school history, I have learned that strictly using the textbook is an ineffective way to teach. Students need to see history come alive out of the pages and become real in their lives. Minnesota state standards have been set up to guide the teacher and make sure that they are covering important material. Each teacher meets these standards in a different way. I have tried various ways to get students interested and involved in the material and found emotional attachment to be a very effective teaching technique.

As a teacher, it is a challenge to get high school students

emotionally interested in any topic, let alone any topic in history. I feel that a reader’s theater will greatly enhance the social studies curriculum by allowing the students to create an attachment to the material.

One way to get the students to make history come alive is to create a setting that places the students in the time period that is being studied. Another important step is to get each student to take on the role of a person from that time period and explore the topic through the eyes of that person. This allows the students to critically analyze an event without feeling self conscious of their opinion because they are that of a different persona. This process creates an atmosphere where students can understand a complex problem in history by looking at it from the point of view of different people that were involved. Seeing students struggle to understand hard history material has led me to inquire how I can change my practices as a teacher to help them. This has led me to my inquiry question: How can I help students understand the conflict in Northern Ireland using a reader’s theater?

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Duerr writes, “80 percent of elementary and high school teachers use textbooks in their classrooms, and nearly half of class time involves textbooks...those numbers probably understate teachers’ and students’ dependence on textbooks” (2008). I believe that teachers need to have other means for students to learn besides just handing out textbooks and expecting information to be understood. I strongly agree in order for students to retain information that teachers expect them to learn, the teachers need to provide other ways to learn the information such as fiction books or a reader’s theater.

Integrating textbooks with outside resources is a change of pace that is usually welcomed by students and teachers alike. Students are often looking for something new to keep them interested. A history teacher’s job is to get the students to think, read, and analyze like a historian.

The teacher should guide the student to be

independent learners of history, rather than providing the answers for them (Duerr 2008). Many textbooks do not offer the students the chance to do this while instead focusing on recall and recognition. Bullion-Mears explains, “Textbooks frequently develop multiple concepts using unfamiliar vocabulary in a brief passage” (2007). If schools expect students to come out with the knowledge to be critical thinkers, than they must have the opportunity to do so while they are in school. Teachers need to push students to be active rather than passive learners.

Duerr believes that teachers and students alike need to begin rethinking the concept of the curriculum. She writes, “curriculum should be not a dusty, brittle list of goals and objectives but a flexible set of relationships and activities that evolve from a group of adults (teachers) and a larger number of young people (students) interacting with a set of resources (2008). This view is different from the traditional view of curriculum in that it is more elastic depending on those participating in it. Many students feel that school subjects are unrelated and distant to them.

These students feel very

unconnected to their studies (Duerr 2008). If students are allowed to have input as to what they are learning, many times they will feel more attached to what they are learning.

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Another concept to be considered is literacy in a specific content area. Reading and writing should be used for authentic language tasks in specific content areas to help successfully gain literacy in that area (Hadaway 1994). A history teacher that expects her students to be analyzing history like a historian needs to provide opportunities for meaningful practice. This could come in a variety of formats such as incorporating graphic organizers, visual aids, vocabulary, multiple perspectives, and writing into that content area (Hadaway 1994). A new concept such as the Northern Ireland conflict could be reinforced by the student filling in a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting both sides of the issue.

Giving students organizers also helps students that have

difficulty with attention, auditory processing, or listening (Steele 2008). Along with the reader’s theater, the Venn diagram could help students analyze the information.

Teaching one perspective of an issue walks the fine line of indoctrination of ideas. To become a critical thinker, one must look at all sides of an issue and then reason out their own opinion. In order to do this, multiple perspectives must be looked at. Often times at school, students are introduced with ideas or concepts in which they have no prior knowledge. They will read their textbook only to encounter one perspective on the issue (Hadaway 1994). Teachers must search for supplemental materials to fill in the gaps so that students are exposed to more than one side of an issue. A reader’s theater gives students the opportunity to investigate an event by looking at all sides of an issue through different characters in the play. Based on each character’s words and responses, the students can understand what the position is of that character. A teacher who has used a reader’s theater commented, “Students would often compete to see who could read the part most convincingly” (Prescott 2003). The Troubles in Ireland could open student’s eyes to many different perspectives using this format.

According to Bullion-Mears (2007), “Performing text in the form of choral reading, rap, reader's theatre, and/or simulations offers students a powerful vehicle for understanding and recalling key concepts and significant details culled from textual material. Reading out loud not only helps the student that is reading, but others in the classroom, especially the ones with lower learning abilities. It reinforces concepts and

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ideas that are important for the student to understand. According to children’s author Judy Freeman, “If you want to get your kids reading with comprehension, expression, fluency, and joy…there’s nothing more effective than reader’s theater” (Prescott 2003).

Although a reader’s theater is one of the most effective ways to get students involved, there are other ways to encourage students to use active participation with text in the classroom.

Poems, scripts, simulations or raps would also get students actively

engaged in their learning. “Creating a simulation involves students in translating abstract textual concepts into a concrete model” (Bullion-Mears 2007). A reader’s theater is a type of simulation and has the same effect in which it helps students make an abstract concept more real to them.

A reader’s theater can be very effective in the classroom because of its ability to reach all levels of learners. “Reader’s Theater has the ability to develop interpersonal, social, and collaborative skills – particularly among struggling students” Prescott (2003). It is a hands-on approach to an issue in which many students feel they can participate because it is a way for students to express themselves by taking on the role of another person. What the character says (or the student reads) is not necessarily the opinion of the student, but the character. This makes the reading non-threatening to many. Risa Stern, an arts coordinator at a school, has worked with teachers and students on reader’s theater for years and commented that the reader’s theater, “increased the children’s self-esteem tremendously” (Prescott 2003). During a reader’s theater, a struggling student could be assigned a role in which more than one person would be reading with them or they could be assigned to a role that had fewer speaking parts (Steele 2008). This would allow everyone in the class to participate while using their abilities.

One of the strengths of implementing a reader’s theater in a classroom is that it encourages participation from everyone in the class. It is a restricted way of doing drama so it is great for even the shy students in the class (Prescott 2003). Even a student that is not normally comfortable with drama should be comfortable in this

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environment. Prescott offers simple suggestions to get the class comfortable with choral reading before using the reader’s theater, if the teacher feels it is necessary. She suggests having the students practice expressive reading, reading in unison, or informal reading where the students pass a script around a circle and read the next line (2003).

It may be beneficial to do this if working with elementary or middle school students, but at the high school level, this may not be needed unless working with low level students.

Reader’s theaters have many benefits to the students that participate in one. A reader’s theater encourages emotional growth, motivation, and engagement for all those involved (Prescott 2003). I strongly agree that students will grow in a variety of areas because of all the skills that are used when performing a reader’s theater. A student participating in a reader’s theater is working on listening skills, strengthening public speaking abilities, and exploring multiple perspectives of an issue/event. These are skills that the student will use in school and out of school alike.

The students take on the role of a character which results in the students actively participating in the learning process. A reader’s theater also “helps students create detailed and vibrant mental pictures that enhance comprehension” (Bullion 2007). It is significant for any topic in history for the student to be able to create a mental image of what the scene would look like. By doing this, the student is more likely to remember the material as well as the feelings associated with the events.

The reason that I am choosing to explore a reader’s theater for the topic of The Troubles in Northern Ireland is because I feel that it is a topic that the students will be able to relate to. The students should know about this conflict as an important part of world history and the reader’s theater is a way to get them interested and engaged in the material. In a reader’s theater, there are characters that the students can relate to because they are real, just like themselves. It is the similarities that should be focused on, rather than the differences of the two groups (Holliday 1997).

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As Americans, there are things that we can learn from the Irish culture. There are many differences in the way that American schools and Irish schools approach the subject of history and this reader’s theater combines the strengths of both cultures.

Barton writes, “Those in the United States have internalized the emphasis on national history” (2001). While the American curriculum places emphasis on our own place in history, the Irish system looks at different groups of people during a certain time period. The Irish focus on differences in human societies (Barton 2001). A reader’s theater combines ideas from both countries. It would serve our students well to branch out and learn about historical events outside our borders.

With the reader’s theater in mind, I set out to research The Troubles in Ireland through books, articles, and interviews of those who witnessed it firsthand. I also wanted to see some of the sights and artifacts with my own eyes to further my own understanding of The Troubles. The Troubles took place in Northern Ireland from 1968-1998. During this thirty year span, there were 34,000 shootings, 14,000 bombings resulting in over 40,000 injured people as well as over 3100 deaths (Holliday 1997). If this would have happened anywhere else in the world, the numbers would have been so staggering that the international community would have had to take notice (Symington 2008). This conflict has had a profound impact on the landscape and people of Northern Ireland.

During the summer of 1969, with the changing of political leaders and civil unrest, paramilitary groups were on the rise for both the republican and loyalist sides. The majority of republicans were Catholics who wanted a united Ireland while the majority of loyalists were Protestant who wanted to remain loyal to Great Britain. “In fact, the Catholic/Protestant conflict is more of an ethnic conflict between two culturally distinct groups over land and civil rights than a war about religious doctrine” (Holliday 1997).

Although there had been tensions for decades, the two groups were becoming increasingly confrontational by the end of the 60’s (Madden 2007). In 1969, both sides began bombing with the belief that they were fighting for what was right. At that time, a very outspoken 21 year-old won a seat in Parliament which became a very visible sign of unrest in the Catholic community. “In August, British troops had arrived in

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Northern Ireland and by September they had erected the Berlin Wall of Belfast, the first of many so-called Peace Lines that confirmed the absolute division between the two communities and the fact that they could not live together in peace” (Holliday 1997).

There was increasing violence all throughout the 1970’s as there was much urban resistance dealt with by a heavily armed British response (Neville 2007). Throughout the 1970’s and into the early 80’s “successive British governments experimented with a variety of initiatives in an effort to solve the Northern Ireland problem” (Madden 2007). The government did not seem to be having that much effect trying to restore normality and peace to Northern Ireland.

During the 1980’s, there were PIRA

(Catholic paramilitary) members that were imprisoned for their actions of fighting for Irish freedom. They wished to be treated like political prisoners, but were instead treated like criminals. These prisoners decided that actions must be taken and they began a hunger strike. 10 prisoners died while on a hunger strike, creating much publicity, but little change by the government (Madden 2007).

The fighting ensued until a ceasefire in 1994. Even then, the fighting was not over until the Good Friday Agreement was signed in 1998. The peace process has been going on since 1998, and many people argue that it is not over today. According to some, The Troubles could have ended much sooner if international pressure had been put on the local governments to end what was going on. America or UN should have noticed (Symington 2008). What both sides can agree on is that the situation is much better today than it was 20 years ago. The Troubles did not affect everyone in the same way. There were many wealthy citizens of Northern Ireland that saw the problem as a lower/working class problem. It is still that way today because it is the lower class that lives along the peace walls (Rogan 2008).

Northern Ireland today is much different from that during The Troubles. Today, 55% of Northern Ireland’s citizens are civil servants (Campbell, 2008). The economy is slowly getting better for Northern Ireland, which helps both sides of the issue.

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Although the peace walls still exist in Belfast, there are more mixed communities today than during the height of The Troubles. Protestants still own more land, which means that they have more to lose as the country begins to reach equilibrium (Campbell 2008).

Belfast, a city located where the heart of The Troubles took place, is looking to move past where it was and move into the modern world today. Lord Mayor of Belfast, Tom Hartley, says people at local levels, those living in communities, need to learn to trust each other more. He argues that change can not always come from the government (2008). Hartley also argues that the city can not move past The Troubles until the walls in the city are torn down (2008).

Although Northern Ireland still has a long way to go to move past its’ “peace walls”, segregated schools, and prejudice attitudes, the international community should recognize the achievements that Northern Ireland has made. Northern Ireland is no longer a place that tourists should avoid, but rather a place that should be noticed for extreme beauty and the heritage of the people that live there. It is of great importance that Americans understand this conflict and the impact it has had in the people of Northern Ireland. The best way to get this message across to high school students is a reader’s theater. A reader’s theater would be the most effective way because it would give students the chance to actively engage in history instead of just reading about The Troubles from a textbook.

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Annotated Bibliography: Barton, Keith C. (2001). History Education and National Identity in Northern Ireland and the United States: Differing Priorities. Theory into Practice: v. 40 no.1, 48-54.

Retreived August 4, 2008 from Wilson Web. Barton writes this article to challenge the current belief of the social studies school curriculum. The United States focuses on national identity and remembering the details of narratives while Northern Ireland curriculum focuses on the nature of human societies at different periods throughout history.

Bullion-Mears, Ann, Joyce K. McCauley, & J. YeVette McWhorter. (2007). Erupting with Great Force: Performing Text to Enhance Reading Comprehension. Science Scope: 31 no1, 42-7 S. Retrieved June 23, 2008 from Wilson Web. This article focuses on ways for teachers to help students understand expository text through performance. It gives teachers ideas as to how to create performance materials and then how to use them wisely in the classroom. This article was a good resource as to how to start creating my own readerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s theater about The Troubles.

Campbell, Tim PhD. (July 22, 2008). Personal Interview.

Dr. Campbell is the director of the Saint Patrick Center in Downpatrick, County Down in Northern Ireland.

He works with international groups to work on

reconciliation. Campbell has done a lot of research on the history of Ireland and lived through The Troubles himself.

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Duerr, Laura L. (2008). Interdisciplinary Instruction. Educational Horizons: v.86 no. 3, 173-80. Retrieved August 4, 2008 from Wilson Web. This article discusses the benefits of constructivist education and how teachers need to teach beyond the textbook. Textbooks form the basis of what the students need to know, but in order to fully delve into an issue, outside resources must be used.

The article focuses on the middle school level, but this would be beneficial for all age groups.

Hadaway, Nancy L. & Terrell A. Young. (1994). Content Literacy and Language Learning: Instructional Decisions. The Reading Teacher: v. 47 no. 7, 522-527.

Retrieved August 4, 2008 from Wilson Web. This article is a few years older than the others, but it provides information of how teachers can successfully integrate textbooks and supplemental materials to broaden student literacy. It provides specific examples for incorporating graphic organizers, visual aids, vocabulary, multiple perspectives, and writing into the content areas.

Hartley, Tom; Lord Mayor of Belfast. (July 24, 2008). Personal Interview.

Tom Hartley is the Lord Mayor of Belfast from the Sinn Fein political party. He grew up in Belfast and is very involved promoting Belfast as a modern city. He wants the city to move forward from The Troubles.

Holliday, Laurel. (1997). Children of â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Troublesâ&#x20AC;?: Our Lives in the Crossfire of Northern Ireland. New York, New York: Pocket Books.

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This book is a great collection of stories, poems, and other writings from children across Ireland during The Troubles. Each child represented in the book explains how they viewed The Troubles and how it affected their life. This book focuses on the similarities of those involved, rather than the differences.

Madden, F.J.M. (2007). The History of Ireland. Ohio: McGraw-Hill.

This book is a comprehensive history of Ireland. It includes history of Northern and Southern Ireland. It discusses important moments in Ireland’s history and investigates the development of The Troubles.

Neville, Peter. (2007). A Traveller’s History of Ireland, Fifth Ed. New York: Interlink Books.

This book gives a good synopsis of Ireland’s history. This is a good resource to help create the readers theater as well as a good resource to understand how The Troubles began in Northern Ireland. This shows that the problem was ongoing and poses the question to the reader, ‘Were The Troubles inevitable’?

Prescott, Jennifer O, ed. (2003). The Power of Reader’s Theater. Instructor. New York, New York. 112 no5 22-4, 26, 82-4. Retrieved from Wilson Web June 28, 2008.

This article discusses how a reader’s theater can be beneficial in a classroom. It discusses how a reader’s theater can make dramatic changes in student fluency in writing, listening, and social skills.

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Rogan, Saoirse. (July 22, 2008). Personal Interview.

Rogan is a 24 year old Catholic school teacher that currently lives in Belfast. She grew up along a section of the peace wall and has seen many horrific sights of The Troubles growing up. She is very interested in sharing her story to help Americans understand what it was like to grow up in a community where fighting is what they thought of as normal. She wants others to understand so that nothing like this happens to other communities.

Steele, Marcee M. (2008). Teaching Social Studies to Middle School Students with Learning Disabilities. The Clearing House v. 81 no. 5, 197-200. Retrieved August 4, 2008 from Wilson Web. Many students with mild disabilities are now being taught in general education classrooms resulting in the teacher having to deal with a wide variety of ability levels. In this article Steele defines what students with disabilities are like in the classroom and what techniques will help the teacher reach that student effectively.

The author gives specific examples of modifications that can be made to help students with certain mild disabilities.

Symington, Paul. (July 21, 2008). Personal Interview.

Paul Symington is the editor of a weekly newspaper in Downpatrick, known as The Down Recorder. He has been in the newspaper business for the last 26 years. His father was a police officer during the conflict so Symington heard stories every night, and then experienced The Troubles first hand as a reporter telling the story of the fighting.

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Plan of Action/Implementation 1. Teacher creates a sense of Irish atmosphere. Hang up Irish flag along with large pictures of Northern and Southern Ireland. As a class discuss what you know of Ireland and the people that live there. Have students write two items on a post-it that they know/or think they know to be true of Ireland’s past or present state.

When finished, have the students place the post-its on the board. discussing the post-its, have the students take the pre-test (attached).

Prior to When

everyone has finished their pretests and handed them in, discuss the post-its that are on the board. Do the students agree with one another about what was written?

Where were there differences?

2. The next day, show students some photographs that I took of Belfast. What can we conclude about the city by looking at the photographs? If time – split up the photographs so that the students are in small groups 3-4 students per group with one photograph. Have them look at the photograph and describe it to the large group. What did their group think the photograph tells us about Belfast today?

3. Assign students to each of the roles in the reader’s theater script. Have students write in the names of those playing each role. This helps the students remember which character they have chosen. Read the reader’s theater. Explain that the entire class will speak the lines for the “Group of Protesters,” so all students will have at least a small speaking role. Make sure to have the students read with enthusiasm. They should act like their character would act and sounds like they think the character would sound!

4. When finished with the reader’s theater, split the class into groups of two or three.

Allow the students 15-20 minutes to fill out Activity 2 in their groups. They may need to review the reader’s theater script to answer the questions. When finished, review student answers to the questions in Activity 2.

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5. Set up the room for a â&#x20AC;&#x153;fishbowl discussion.â&#x20AC;? Place five chairs in a small circle in the middle of the room with the rest of the chairs in a larger circle around the first five. When students are in chairs, the middle five students should start a discussion about The Troubles of Northern Ireland. This allows them the opportunity to ask questions of each other and learn from the opinion of others. Be sure to guide the discussion to include why the conflict started and whether or not they believe it is over for good.

When students in the outside circle want to jump into the

conversation, they tap one of the students on the inner circle on the shoulder and take their chair. Every student should make their way into the conversation at some point.

6. When the fishbowl discussion is finished, each student will write one good paragraph (at least 6 sentences) about their reaction to The Troubles. How do they feel about it today? These paragraphs will be handed in and I will be able to asses their understanding of The Troubles. students will take a post-test.

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When finished with the paragraphs, the

Reader’s Theater See full reader’s theater Pre & Post Test for Students Name: ____________________________ Class: _____________________________ Northern Ireland Pre-Test & Post-Test Timeline: Put the following events in chronological order. Number 1 happened first and number 5 was the most recent event.

_____ The Good Friday Agreement was signed _____ Northern and Southern Ireland were divided into two different countries _____ A conflict called The Troubles took place in Ireland. _____ The North and South were working together to create common bonds. _____ The potato famine killed many Irish and many more immigrated to America.

True/False: Write a “T’ in front of the statement if you believe it to be true. Write an “F” in front of the statement if you believe it to be false.

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_____ 1. I have heard of The Troubles. _____ 2. The Troubles took place in Northern Ireland. _____ 3. There was a religious war going on in Ireland. _____ 4. Loyalists sided with the Irish government. _____ 5. Over 10,000 people died in Ireland from 1968-1998. _____ 6. The conflict was going on between the Protestants and the Catholics. _____ 7. Northern Ireland is ruled by the British government. _____ 8. Hunger Strikes were used to gain attention for the conflict. _____ 9. Children were the main targets during the conflict.

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Venn Diagram: Fill in the two sides of the Venn diagram with differences of each culture of Northern Ireland. The middle category are the similarities that the two sides share.

Protestants

Catholics

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Implementing the Inquiry Plan Data Collection/Analyzing The learners that will participate in this reader’s theater are the Social Studies students at St. Mary’s High School in Sleepy Eye, MN. It will be used in a World History class.

The students are juniors in high school and the class sizes participating are around twenty-four students. Most do not have any prior knowledge about the separation of Northern and Southern Ireland nor the conflict that arose there.

I will collect, graph, and analyze the pre and post tests to see if understanding of the conflict has improved. I will also collect both Activity 2 worksheet and the paragraphs that that students have written. When the students are done with the whole activity, after the post-test, I will ask them if they enjoyed the reader’s theater and what they would do if they were to change it. I would either have the students write these responses or we would make a list on the board as a class. I would collect the data as soon as the students were done with the mini unit so that the data would be most accurate. Based on the results from this data, I would know what I would need to change for future time with the reader’s theater.

I would hope that the students enjoy the reader’s theater and that they become interested in the topic. I hope that the post-tests prove that the students did learn what the differences are between the two sides of the conflict and where the situation is today. I am open to hear student suggestions of what could be changed for next time. I could see the students wanting to do more reader’s theaters for other topics in history.

Plan for Future Action There are many ways in which I would like to continue my inquiry into reader’s theaters. I am very interested in looking at other types of expository texts. In the future, I hope to guide the high school students to be able to write their own reader’s theater on different topics. It is my goal to do this for an American history class where I would split the class into different groups and assign each group a time period in

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which to create a reader’s theater. High school students are very capable of doing this.

It would also help me enhance my skills by giving the students a chance to have meaningful practice with expository text. I will be able to see what works and what does not.

My teaching is changed as a result of this inquiry because I have seen what a difference expository text and a reader’s theater can have on the classroom. I had not used a reader’s theater in my classroom prior to this inquiry, but plan on using more in the future. I also have seen what a difference it makes for the students to be very involved in a topic. I hope this will benefit my students my creating an atmosphere in my classroom where students feel that they are a part of the decisions and have input as to what they are learning. My students will be strengthening their reading skills as well as their critical thinking skills. I also hope that the students become more aware of cultural and global issues.

In the future, I plan to specifically use a student-led reader’s theater for my American History class. I also plan to use more primary documents such as newspaper articles, photographs, and interviews that I have collected to enhance this Northern Ireland reader’s theater. My inquiry will also benefit other teacher with whom I will share copies of the reader’s theater and my experiences in Ireland.

Reflective Summary This experience has given me much insight to myself as a teacher. I had always known that teachers should not rely on the textbook as much as they do, but I was unaware of the amount of research that has been done to prove why this is true. I believe that many teachers know they should not rely solely on the textbook as much as they do, but they often end up teaching this way because of time and energy. This inquiry has shown me the incredible benefits that reader’s theater has on a classroom and students.

This inquiry has also led me to new parts of the world that I had not experienced before. I was able to meet many people in the Irish culture and interview them about

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their experience during The Troubles. I was impressed with how willing the Irish people were to talk about their experiences and have an American understand their story. When they found out what I was working on, many were very intrigued and interested in helping out. I was able to interview people on both sides of the issue, photographers, newspaper reporters, former paramilitary members, children from the time, city council members, Lord Mayors, and more. It was truly rewarding and I was excited to be able to put their words into a format that will help American students understand the atrocities that happened in Ireland during that time period. The Irish feel very strongly about wanting people in the larger world community to understand what was going on so that it does not happen again to another community. They also want people to be aware that it is safe to travel there today. Although there were a lot of killings during the thirty years of The Troubles, that threat is over today and I never felt unsafe while I was there.

I believe this experience has had a profound impact on me as a educator and on my students. Having first hand experience and new passion for sharing this knowledge, I have been able to motivate students to be interested in this topic and care about a conflict that may seem very distant to the students here. This inquiry has given me a deeper understanding of The Troubles myself and allowed me to share that new knowledge with my students. The students have been impacted by learning about a different culture through a medium that most have probably not experienced before.

They have also been actively participating and working on communication skills. The students also benefited by learning about history through the eyes of someone that lived through the time. The students did this by reading as though they were actually the character they were portraying.

By making the characters real, it helped the

students understand the complexity of the issue.

This inquire challenged me to open new doors as a teacher. I have never been involved with drama and am not very familiar with writing plays. I found out how valuable research can be and was impressed with the resources out there for creating a readerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s theater as a teacher. It was also a challenge to create a readerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s theater out of such a

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complex issue. It is easy to show The Troubles as a polar issue, but difficult to show students with no prior knowledge of the topic how complex the conflict really was. It is also difficult to ask tough questions of the people that lived through The Troubles.

Most people that I interviewed had family members or close friends that were killed.

The conflict is still real for them, and it was challenging to listen to their stories and it felt like a great responsibility to be able to write them into a story.

I have been able to use what I have learned not only to help myself and the students in my class, but also to help others. I have shared my experiences and parts of the reader’s theater with those at the Irish Fair in Minnesota and am an Ambassador for the Friends of St. Patrick where I speak to groups about The Troubles. I have also given copies of the reader’s theater to those that I worked with in Ireland as well as fellow teachers that I know at my school and in my district. I hope that in the future, I will be able to get the reader’s theater published as a part of a book explaining The Troubles. I am passionate about the topic, and have been able to share it with many people, and hopefully many more.

This play is designed to help secondary level students at my school understand The Troubles of Northern Ireland and the continuing peace process. This conflict raged for 3 decades and impacted countless lives.

This Reader’s Theater is to help students

understand the sides of the conflict and look at the steps both sides have taken to become closer to having peace. Each person involved was affected in different ways. This was written after speaking to many people on both sides. The names have been changed, but the events and the emotions are very real. Because the conflict is so complex, some of the ideas have been simplified to help those with no prior knowledge begin to understand this “war.”

Background Information: The two ‘sides’ represented in the 30 years of conflict called ‘The Troubles’, are Nationalists (largely composed of the Roman Catholic Faith who believe in a United

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Ireland) and Loyalists (largely composed of the Protestant Faith who believe in a United Kingdom).

The terms are used to distinguish two completely different cultures, not

necessarily just two different types of Christian faiths. To an outsider, the two faiths may seem to have many similarities, but in Northern Ireland these terms take on a new form. A person is born into their culture, it is not for them to choose. In much the same way, you are born into your culture of Catholic or Protestant regardless of your church attendance or religious beliefs. While efforts were being made to rectify this conflict early on, it raged from 1969 until 1998 when the Good Friday Agreement was signed. Even after the agreement was signed, the fighting subsided but did not completely disappear. Northern Ireland then entered a new phase of peace process. This is an ongoing process that is not nearly complete, but has made significant changes to the lives of those in Northern Ireland.

Although there is not absolute peace today, Northern Ireland has progressed into a safe, booming country that has a strong economy and attracts tourism from all over the world.

For the first time in history, more people are moving into Ireland than are leaving.

Lesson Description: This lesson is designed to provide an overview of The Troubles and the peace process of Northern Ireland for an American high school class.

1. To start discussion, teacher should create a sense of Irish atmosphere. Hang up Irish flag along with large pictures of Northern and Southern Ireland. As a class, discuss what you know of Ireland and the people that live there. Have students write two items on a post-it that they know/or think they know to be true of Irelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s past or present state. When finished, have the students place the post-its on the board. Prior to discussing the post-its, have the students take the pre-test (attached). When everyone has finished their pretests and handed them in, discuss the post-its that are on the board.

2. The next day, show students some photographs that I took of the city of Belfast.

What can we conclude about the city by looking at the photographs? If time â&#x20AC;&#x201C; split up the photographs so that the students are in small groups 3-4 students per group

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with one photograph. Have them look at the photograph and describe it to the large group. What did their group think the photograph tells us about Belfast today?

3. After the brief introduction paragraphs above, students are assigned to various roles in the readerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s theater activity that takes place at a television station in Northern Ireland. Following a brief discussion of this skit, students collect and organize arguments on both sides of the conflict, and then work in small groups to discuss peace process solutions.

Characters: Narrator 1: Narrator 2: Bill Malone (News Director): Nate Smith: Jill Connolly: TV Reporter Susie Reynolds: Norah Kelly (Catholic High School student) TV Anchor Bob Miller: TV Reporter Ryan Camp: Patrick Gallagher (Protestant High School student) Thomas Moore (Store Owner): Protestant clergy member: Catholic clergy member: Lord Mayor of Belfast:

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Reader’s Theater: Setting: (Read by Narrator 1): Present day in Belfast, capital of Northern Ireland. Two American college students from the Midwest are both studying to be broadcast journalists (news anchors) and have dreams of working for CNN.

They were both chosen for an

exchange program with Northern Ireland where journalism students from Ireland come to the U.S. to learn about television broadcasting, and students from the United States do the same in Ireland. For the last two weeks, Jill and Nate, the two American students, have been working with WLBE, an Irish television station.

Narrator 2: They have been working to prepare for their live broadcast on the midmorning show that will air both in Ireland and the United States. Neither Nate nor Jill knew very much about Ireland so they knew they would have a lot to learn upon their arrival. Since their arrival in Northern Ireland, both Nate and Jill have learned a lot about the history of Ireland and are excited to be downtown Belfast sharing their understanding of Northern Ireland with people across the world.

It is a busy Tuesday day during

lunchtime in the city center of Belfast in the middle of the summer. Because it is during lunchtime, the city center is bustling with thousands of people walking by.

It’s almost

time for the live broadcast to begin.

Bill Malone, news director: …(in a quiet voice)…Ok we are live in 3, 2, 1…(In a regular voice) Welcome to WLBE, Northern Ireland’s most watched lunchtime news program.

We are also partnering with our sister station in Pennsylvania to have the program broadcast there as well. We have special guests Nate Smith and Jill Connolly here from the United States with a special program on how they view Northern Ireland coming in with very little knowledge about the country. To see how they have been getting along the last few weeks, let’s go to our newest reporter Nate Smith……Nate?

Nate Smith: Thanks Bill, I’m here live in Belfast with an exciting story! Northern Ireland is the turn-around country of the last century! It has gone through tumultuous times and now it is a thriving country. Today we want to tell you about what Northern Ireland is like

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today and how it came to be this way. It has a very dynamic history; one that has surely had an impact on those that live here today. For more, I am going to turn it over to my coanchor Jill Connolly.

Jill Connolly: Thanks Nate.

First of all, I want to clarify something for those at

home…Northern Ireland is NOT the same thing as the Republic of Ireland (Southern Ireland). I don’t know why people get this wrong, but they are very different. The North is a part of England; it has its own government and uses the British Pound for currency.

The Republic is a completely different country with a different government. It is a part of the European Union. The two are very intertwined, but we need to keep in mind, that they are different places.

Nate Smith: Thanks for clearing that up Jill. I believe that you also wanted to tell the viewers about the recent history of Northern Ireland…

Jill Connolly: Yes I did. Ireland has a history marked with violence and domination, much like our own country. I don’t have time to take you through hundreds of years of Irish history, but I do want to focus on the more recent years; the reason that my family members did not even want me to come to Northern Ireland in the first place. You see, most people in America believe that Northern Ireland is a dangerous place…one that is filled with bombings and daily killings. They do not realize that this may have once been true, but it is no longer true today.

Nate Smith: This time period Jill is referring to is known as The Troubles. Although the name implies something not that horrendous, The Troubles had a huge effect on the people that lived through it. From 1969 when violence escalated until thirty years later, The Troubles wore on. To help explain what it was like, we found an archived news clip from WLBE to explain what it was like. Let’s head back to the newsroom to watch the clip.

Bill…

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Bill Malone: Thanks Nate and Jill. The clip that we are about to watch is one from 1989.

The Troubles had been going on for two decades at this point. Let’s roll the clip.

NEWS CLIP FROM 1989: TV Reporter Susie Reynolds: We are here live with Norah Kelly, a secondary school student from North Belfast.

Norah lives in a predominately Catholic neighborhood.

Norah, how has this conflict affected your life?

Norah Kelly: How could this conflict not affect your life? I don’t know anyone who has not been affected by it. Most of my friends have had family members or close family friends killed by Protestants. You have to be very careful about where you walk and who you talk to. I have a long walk to get to school because I do not want to walk through a Protestant neighborhood to get to my school. I just don’t feel safe doing that; you never know what could happen.

TV Reporter: What type of school do you go to?

Norah Kelly: I go to a Catholic school of course. All Catholics that I know go to a Catholic school. We know that if we are going to get anywhere in today’s society, we need to be educated. Education is what will help us get ahead. When the British came to Ireland many years ago, they created harsh rules to punish the Catholics just for being Catholics. The way that the Catholics dealt with this was to become educated and be successful. This is the same idea that we have today.

TV Reporter Susie Reynolds: Do you have many friends that are Protestant?

Norah Kelly: None. It is hard to become friends with someone who is so different from you. They attend different schools than we do, look different, they hang out at different places, and they eat at different restaurants. I see us having very little in common. This

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killing has to stop, but they seem so different and hate us so much that I don’t know how it will ever stop. They even march through our neighborhoods to threaten us.

TV Reporter Susie Reynolds: Isn’t there anyone to stop the Protestants from doing this?

Norah Kelly: Well it should be the police, but most of the police are Protestants or from British backgrounds. They don’t like us, so many times it seems like the police are against us too. This is why many Catholics feel like they have had to take things into their own hands, for example paramilitary groups such as the Irish Republican Army (IRA).

TV Anchor Bob Miller: Thank you Susie and Norah. We’ll have to check in with you later. We have reporter Ryan Camp with another young person. Ryan…

TV Reporter Ryan Camp: Thank you Bob, I am live here with Patrick Gallagher, another teenager from North Belfast. Patrick lives in a Protestant neighborhood and attends a state school. His family has been affected by the fighting and he is ready to tell us about his recent scare with death.

Patrick Gallagher: Well I go to a state school. I wouldn’t want to be caught near a Catholic school. Heaven only knows what those Catholics will do to me. Last week I was headed to my house from school and I was met on the path by some members of a Catholic paramilitary group. They were waving their semi-automatic weapons at me and trying to make me run away. I tried to pretend I couldn’t hear them and I just kept walking. They started shouting at me and throwing things at me, so I just started walking a little quicker.

Then one of them threw a petrol bomb at a car right by where I was standing. It blew the windows out of the car and ended up with glass shards in my arm and leg. That is why I have these stitches today. I consider myself lucky to be alive.

TV Reporter Ryan Camp: That sounds like a very scary incident. Why do you think they chose you?

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Patrick Gallagher: I don’t know, I just happened to be walking through the streets. I was on the side of the street that I was supposed to be. I don’t know what they were doing over there. I mean, don’t they have enough of their own space? Just because I am a younger male walking down the street doesn’t mean that I deserve to get attacked.

TV Reporter Ryan Camp: Have your friends and you done anything to get back at the people that have done this to you?

Patrick Gallagher: Well of course...that’s the nature of war, and the same reason why this problem has gone on so long. Neither side can give it up. There is a wall that is still being built behind my home to keep the Catholics away from us, which is good. I like that the wall is there. But now we just have to make different kinds of paint bombs to throw over the wall so that they will hit the homes on the other side.

TV Anchor Bob Miller: Boy, things are sure rough out there. Before we go, we are going to check in with Reporter Susie Reynolds, I believe she has a store owner for use to hear from…Susie.

TV Reporter Susie Reynolds: I have here, Thomas, a business owner from Northern Belfast. He owns his own family grocery store in a predominantly Catholic neighborhood.

Thomas, could you tell us how things have changed for your business since your father ran the company?

Thomas Moore: Yes, things have been very difficult for the business in recent years. Each community now has its own grocery stores that people shop at, so business is limited only to those that live in the few blocks around the store. Our store is located on a street that separates a Catholic community from a Protestant community. When fighting broke out in Belfast, our store was one that was targeted. I was being threatened to close up shop and warned not to sell products to certain customers.

TV Reporter Susie Reynolds: Did you listen to those warnings?

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Thomas Moore: Well I didn’t intend to listen to the first warnings, but after my life was being threatened I really didn’t have a choice.

TV Anchor Bob Miller: I hate to cut you off Thomas and Susie, but we are all out of time here. We will check back in with Thomas tomorrow to hear the rest of his story. That is all we have for today on WLBE. End of Old News Clip

Nate Smith: That shows a little bit about what life was like for two teenagers from the same community during The Troubles. What I still don’t get is how the Protestants and the Catholics are so different, I mean, I thought they were just two religions. They’re both Christian, they seem pretty similar to me.

Jill Connolly: To help answer that question, we have clergy members here from both the Catholic and the Protestant sides. So can you explain to us how religion was involved during The Troubles?

Catholic Clergy Member: This was not a religious war at all, more of an ethnic conflict.

It seems that the names Protestant and Catholic were used to identify two ethnic groups that were not fighting over religious ideals, but instead fighting over land and civil rights.

What I mean by this is that the Catholics are seen as the ones that want independence from England and would like Northern Ireland to be united with the Republic of Ireland, or the southern half. In Ireland’s history, the poorer people were the Catholics and the Protestants were seen as the oppressors that came in to squelch the Catholics. The Catholics were oppressed when it came to employment, housing, education, and civil rights. When you see the tri-colors of green, orange, and white (or the flag of the Republic) those are often seen as Catholic colors, even today.

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Protestant Clergy Member: As for the Protestants, many were from England and came to Northern Ireland in the early 1700’s. They came and took land that had belonged to the Catholics, but were there supporting the Queen of England (who at that time had control of all of Ireland). It was not necessarily the Protestants that the Catholics hated, but the rule of Great Britain. Protestants were and still are a minority in Northern Ireland and it is to their benefit to remain united with England. They fly the Union Jack, or the British flag (red, white and blue) because that is who they associate themselves with. You see, this was not a conflict of religion.

Jill Connolly: So the terms we should be using today would be Unionists (those that want Northern Ireland to be in ‘Union’ with England), which are mainly Protestant and Loyalists (those that want to be ‘Loyal’ to Ireland) which happen to be mainly Catholic?

Protestant Clergy Member: That’s exactly it! But you have to keep in mind those are stereotypes, not the rule.

Nate Smith: Are the differences between the two still true today? Is it also true that Unionists and Loyalists still are educated in separate schools?

Catholic Clergy Member: Unfortunately there is some truth to that still today. The state schools are still mainly Protestant while the Catholics are still mainly educated at Catholic schools. Many communities are trying to start integrated schools to get students from both sides communicating with each other, but it is still a struggle.

Jill Connolly: Thank you for all of your insight. I believe the mayor of Belfast, just stopped by while he was walking through the city center. Mayor, may we have a word with you?

Lord Mayor of Belfast: Why yes, what can I help you with?

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Jill Connolly: Lord Mayor, we have been discussing The Troubles, and how we see that conflict in the community today. While walking around here, I have noticed that there is still a wall that divides the city into two parts. Is this wall still necessary to have up?

Lord Mayor of Belfast: I wish I could say that it isn’t, but unfortunately that is not true.

The wall has not been torn down out of necessity. It still protects the people on each side.

It used to divide Catholic communities from Protestant ones, but that is not always true today. There are people of both beliefs on each side. I believe that we won’t truly have peace here until the wall is torn down, but we have not been able to do that yet. We still need to keep people safe.

Nate Smith: Is it true the wall is still being added to today…even after The Troubles are over?

Lord Mayor of Belfast: Just because The Troubles are over, does not mean that all opinions have changed and people are willing to move on. These feelings still live in people and it’s too bad that some people still choose to act out in hateful ways towards other people in the city. In recent years, we have added onto the top of the wall to make it taller to deter people from throwing objects over the wall.

Nate Smith: Mayor we can see that you are busy, but we appreciate your time with us today.

Lord Mayor of Belfast: Yes, thank you. You are always welcome here. Come back anytime!

Jill Connolly: After hearing about all of killing and bombings that went on here, I can see why my family was worried that I was coming here. It seems that the only news about Northern Ireland that Americans here is bad news! I have never felt unsafe since I have been here.

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Nate Smith: I know what you mean! It is obvious while being in the city center and watching all these people that Northern Ireland is a much different place today than it was even 15 years ago. Step by step, slowly Northern Ireland as been walking through a peace process.

Bill Malone: It seems that our two young Americans have learned a lot in their short time here. This country really has come a long way. You are no longer searched when entering a store, no longer worried about your home being damaged, I can sleep peacefully at night.

This is a country that I could only dream about when I was a kid. That is all the time we have for today on WLBE. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll see you tomorrow morning.

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Peace and its Reflection in Journalism in Northern Ireland Megan Hupp, Milwaukee Wisconsin

Ten years ago, Nigel Gould joined the staff at the Belfast Telegraph. But rather than take a notebook and pencil out into his community to find sources and stories to write about, Gould would spend most of his days sitting about the Telepgraph office with his fellow journalists, simply waiting for the next day’s front page story to happen.

“We used to sit in the office all day and twiddle our thumbs waiting for a bomb to go off in the city centre,” said Gould, now Deputy News Editor of the Telegraph.

During the troubles, the day’s news was defined by events. Northern Ireland’s newspapers lead their editions with bombings, shootings, trials, funerals and burials. The stories that dominate today’s headlines – healthcare, education, housing and petrol prices – were pushed to the back pages, if they were covered at all. For Northern Ireland’s journalists, the number one sign of a lasting, successful peace agreement has been the development of a more sophisticated type of journalism that involves more than just waiting for the next tragedy to occur.

Newspapers all over the world both guide and follow the interests of their communities.

But during the Troubles, newspapers in Northern Ireland did much more leading.

According to Gould, conducting a reader survey to ask citizens about issues they would like to see explored in the newspaper was unheard of during the period of conflict twenty to thirty years ago. Bluntly put, Gould said, what readers wanted did not matter much to the editors and reporters at the Telegraph in those days. The stories that mattered were those of violence and mourning, regardless of which communities Belfast’s major newspapers served.

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Now, community interests have shifted, and the journalists who had cut their teeth in covering the conflicts had to change their priorities as well. New coverage areas and beats have been designed, and old beats have been renamed.

For example, what was the

“security” beat at the Telegraph through the 1990s is now called the “crime” beat.

Reporters are now assigned to write about health care, education, housing and wages full time. Geoff Hill, features editor for the Belfast News Letter, has watched the shift in interests over the past 20 years.

“The agenda has shifted at the newspaper from bombs and bullets to issues of lifestyle and aspiration,” Hill explained. “We are concerned with more universal issues than throwing bricks at each other.”

For the journalists who were accustomed to waiting around for their stories to happen, the change has been difficult. Reporters are asked to seek out stories in their communities, to “do real journalism,” said Chris Thornton, chief reporter for the Telegraph.

The irony is that for journalists, a certain amount of boredom has come along with peace.

No journalist in Northern Ireland would return to the days of the Troubles, but many admit that the drama that once filled their jobs has dulled.

“As a member of society, (the period of the Troubles) was terrible. But as a journalist, it was an incredibly exciting time,” Hill said.

No reporter will argue that the Troubles were not horrific. Many expressed dismay at how desensitized they became to the violence they had to cover for their newspapers. In an editorial piece for the News Letter looking at how journalism in Belfast has changed over the past 20 years, Hill wrote of the stories that became just another drop in the news bucket, rather than as individual tragedies.

“There was a massacre at Darkley Church Hall, the no-warning bomb at the Droppin’ Well, and common or garden murders so countless that I cannot recall them in individual

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detail, except to remember how disturbingly normal it was to knock up a front path to a house with drawn curtains, quietly knock the door and ask someone how it felt to lose their husband, son, father or wife,” Hill wrote.

Northern Ireland – and Belfast, in particular – has an oversaturated news market as a result of the period of the Troubles. Most small towns and cities in Northern Ireland have at least one weekly local newspaper, and many have two or three weekly newspapers. Each morning, newsstands in Belfast offer around 17 different newspapers.

Hill explained that the reason for so many newspapers is that Northern Ireland contains two distinct communities, each with its own interests and focus. He explained that the News Letter has traditionally served the unionist community while the News Letter’s rival, the Irish News, is considered by most in Northern Ireland to be the news source for the republican community. As the largest daily newspaper in Northern Ireland, the Telegraph is typically viewed as the more moderate of the region’s many media sources, although as Hill explained, some might say the Telegraph simply “takes the middle easy”.

Neil

Jarman, director of the Institute for Conflict Research, agreed. Jarman said Northern Ireland’s civilians are generally aware of each newspaper’s editorial biases.

“The print media is opinionated, and readers know where they stand,” Jarman said. Each individual reader simply chooses to read the newspaper with which he or she agrees, he said.

Ironically, while the newspapers of Northern Ireland serve distinct, separate communities, the reporters, editors and photographers at each do not necessarily associate themselves with the community their newspapers reportedly serves.

Many of the News Letter’s

reporters have worked for the Irish News and vice-versa. Reporters and editors said they have been able to bounce between newspapers with supposedly conflicting biases because journalism inherently calls for neutrality. Keeping a neutral tone in their reporting and writing was critical for journalists during the Troubles. Out of a necessity to stay objective

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grew a keen ability to separate personal feelings form the stories on which journalists reported.

According to Jarman, the Troubles increased the media presence in Northern Ireland, leading to the myriad newspapers, radio stations and television news outlets.

“Without the conflict, Northern Ireland is rural and provincial with only 1.7 million people,” Jarmam said. “You certainly wouldn’t have three daily newspapers in a place with a similar population in the United States.”

But like many newspapers in the United States, newspapers in Northern Ireland are experience declining numbers in circulation and advertising revenue. While the Telegraph still prints two editions each day and still holds the title of Northern Ireland’s largest daily newspaper, the Telegraph has experienced a 16 percent drop in circulation. The News Letter and the Irish News are not doing much better, Hill explained.

Strangely enough, Hill and Jarman both indicated that the decline in the number of newspapers in Northern Ireland, especially the decline of local community newsparers, actually demonstrates how successful the peace process and reconciliation have been.

Fewer newspapers means that those in individual communities feel they are being accurately represented and portrayed in the mainstream media.

Of course, there is much work to be done. Gould said that the first question asked by reporters and readers alike when random, even petty, crime occurs is, “Was it sectarian?”

But Northern Ireland’s journalists have seen those questions become more irrelevant in recent years.

Journalists are optimistic that someday, Northern Ireland will not need a different newspaper for each of its communities. The amount of media in Northern Ireland will change for economic reasons as print journalism becomes more expensive to produce, print circulation and advertising revenue decline, and growth of Web journalism continues. But more importantly, the number of small, community newspapers will decline for political

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reasons as newspapers in Northern Ireland work to reach across community boundaries to touch members of all faiths and traditions.

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