Historic government files will be open to the public for free

BY FIONA AUDLEY

RECORDS related to the Troubles in Northern Ireland will be made publicly available under a new project funded by the British Government.

Government records from the period, which saw years of violence and civil unrest blight the North, will be published online through a new digitisation project announced this week.

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris has confirmed a £5million legacy memorialisation fund as well as the digitisation project, which are designed to support recommendations made as part of the controversial Troubles Legacy Bill, which is currently progressing through parliament.

Mr Heaton-Harris made the announcement after visiting the recently opened Northern Ireland: Living with the Troubles exhibition at the Imperial War Museum in London.

“It was my privilege to visit the Imperial War Museum’s exhibition on the Northern Ireland Troubles,” he said.

“Showcasing new artefacts and oral histories, this moving exhibition is an excellent example of how we can remember and learn from the events of the past in an inclusive way through multiple experiences,” he added.

“I’m therefore delighted that the UK Government has committed £5million to support the recommendations of the memorialisation strategy that will be commissioned through the Government’s Legacy Bill.”

The planned digitisation project will make Troubles-related records held at the National Archives “more readily available to all, virtually and free of charge”, the government has confirmed.

The first phase of this will be the launch of a new web portal featuring government files focused on the Troubles in Northern Ireland from 1994 and up to the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.

“I welcome the launch of this online initiative which demonstrates the Government’s commitment to making accessible as much information as possible about an important period of Northern Ireland’s complex history,” Mr

Heaton-Harris said.

“By encouraging reflection and consideration of our Troubled past, we can hopefully recognise the progress made since the signing of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement and towards a shared and more prosperous future.”

The government’s planned memorialisation strategy aims to “identify, and fund, inclusive new structures and initiatives to remember those who were lost during the conflict, and help ensure that the terrible events of the past can never be allowed to happen again”, they claim.

However, critics of the Troubles Bill continue to slam the intended law as “fundamentally flawed” as it seeks to limit prosecutions for crimes committed in Northern Ireland during the Troubles period. The suggested law offers conditional immunity for those who cooperate with a proposed Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR).

minutes with... SEBA SAFE

What are you up to right now?

I am currently living in Lahinch in the west of Ireland. Writing tunes, serving coffees and learning to surf. It’s a great place. Summer is here, what do you have planned for the season?

My new EP Rainy is dropping this month so I’ve been busy with that. I have an Ireland/UK tour coming up and after that I’m playing a few shows around Europe. I love this EP so I’m excited about playing these songs to new faces all summer.

What are your goals for 2023?

To gig and travel as much as possible. To get better at surfing. To whittle my vast amount of songs down to a debut album sized collection. To make my own lemon meringue pie.

Who are your heroes?

My parents, my brother, my sister, John Prine.

What record sends a shiver down your spine?

How the Ash Felt by All the Luck in the World.

Which musician influenced you most?

As a spotty faced 12 or 13-year-old I discovered Nirvana and the songwriting of Kurt Cobain. I think he sparked the dream for me.

What is your favourite place in Ireland?

I realise saying the ‘west of Ireland’ is a little broad but it’s all just so beautiful. Being by the sea here in Lahinch in the sunny weather it really doesn’t get much better.

What makes you angry?

I’m quite a chilled out person but I have been told by friends and family that it’s when I’m woken up anger arrives. Fury is risen in the moments between asleep and fully awake, don’t wake me up.

What is the best lesson life has taught you?

There are many versions of this lesson but they all mean the same thing. Here’s a few:

Just keep swimming

Keep on trucking

Don’t jump ship

Keep your head up

Don’t lose faith

Life’s gonna be tough regardless of whether you try or not so you may as well try.

What do you believe in?

Being sound (nice) to people has a real power to it. It affects you and everyone

SEBA SAFE is the brainchild of Galway songwriter Michael D’Alton, who is currently based on Ireland’s west coast, and is set to become a force to be reckoned with in the blossoming Irish music scene.

Writing candidly and honestly on personal relationships, love, loss and change, the musician’s pertinent lyrics are wrapped in a sound that combines elements of pop, folk, indie and R’n’B.

Seba Safe’s new EP Rainy is out on June 30 and he tours the UK this July.