Post-Trip Reflection

My participation in this course in the North of Ireland has further developed my understanding of the world and justice movements. To be honest, I did not directly connect my experiences during this course to my career aspirations, which are in the film industry. In fact, I found myself in a bit of a crisis when it came to sizing up what I had wanted to pursue after college, and what individuals we talked to have committed their lives to. There were several moments on the trip where I considered going a completely different path– especially after we spoke to Paul O’Connor from the Pat Finucane Center. I thought the work he was doing was incredibly admirable and while Paul said the Center could not necessarily attain justice for its clients, I still found that they were doing considerable work in offering closure to people who experienced trauma from the conflict. It took reflection after the course to understand that my original career aspirations could align with what I learned and even uplift it. After traveling around the North and talking to locals, it’s clear that there are so many stories that can be written, especially from people who desperately want to be heard. As a writer, I can narratively capture those and I hope to write something about my time in the North of Ireland that can be adapted for the screen.

When I made my first blog post, I had consumed a lot of media about the North of Ireland, but it did not feel real. After the first talk we had on June 2nd with Professor Bill Rolston, the history we learned became palpable. Before coming to the North, I was skeptical about those who claimed the conflict had roots going back as far as seven hundred years. However, it became clear to me that the conflict did not start in the 1960s or with Partition, but rather, at least, four hundred years ago with the forcible removal of Ulster Scots from their lands and placement onto plantations, put forth after the ethnic cleansing of Irish Catholics from their lands. It was hard to reconcile that such injustices occurred that have been either forgotten or rewritten to cleanse the harm done by the British. Something I had difficulty with was hearing from the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) on June 3rd. Hearing from the Chairmen of the RUC came after we heard from a panel of nationalists, loyalists, and a former British soldier, Lee Lavis– the last of whom eloquently explained the socialization that soldiers go through to equip them to act violently on behalf of the state. I could not help but think back to Lee’s words as we heard from the Chairmen of the RUC, who did not hesitate to use the word “terrorist” to describe anyone outside of the state who took up arms. Even if I did not agree with the stances of the paramilitaries who took up arms, there was a severe lack of nuance and historical context in the conversation that frustrated me. As I heard from the RUC, I unfortunately let my emotions take over, though I had questions that came up as they spoke to our class. Above all, the question I wish I could have asked in the moment is where they would place the start of the conflict. I came into this course with a focus on history, as it is my minor, but I did not realize it would be such a major part of the course. Ultimately, history informs the actions taken by all the sides of the conflict– for Republicans, it was the history of man-made famine and occupation. For loyalists, it was the historic cultural connection to Britain. For the British state, it was an imperial pursuit that fell in line with their other efforts to colonize– reaching from Myanmar to what became The United States.

Day 5 – Visiting the Border Region

Day 5 – Visiting the Border Region

Today, June 5th, our Peace Communication class had the privilege of being guided by two knowledgeable people who have different connections to the conflict: Lee Lavis, a former British soldier, and Declan Murphy, councilor of the Camlough Community Association. We started the day off by driving to an unassuming, walled off part of Camlough, which we learned was where some British military and the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) were stationed with helicopters and watch points. We continued our travels, making stops at a monument for the Irish who died in 1916, a cemetery, and the Garden of Remembrance, a dedication to volunteers of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and the people of South Armagh who were a part of the struggle for a united and independent Ireland.

As Declan spoke in front of the wall, his telling of the past made it clear that propaganda was a huge driving force in the conflict and the British forces’ ability to have leverage over their objectors– particularly by controlling the narrative through popular media sources such as the BBC and The Sun. Declan remarked that the BBC was a major driving force in spreading propaganda about the actions of the British and that they often directly took the statements of the RUC in the aftermath of violent incidents and put their narrative forward as the truth. The actions by the BBC, especially when it came to portraying the British military and government in relation to the North of Ireland, connect to Cultivation Theory– that media, particularly television, largely shapes our perceptions of reality. In application, the BBC’s presenting of the RUC’s statements as fact, even though statements released by paramilitaries defied their narratives or showed concrete proof of falsities, directly influenced the way that viewers of the BBC came to understand The Troubles.

On a similar note, Lee added that the language that each side chose to use was intentional and that through the years, he had made a mindful decision to exclude words like “terrorist” from his vocabulary. He said, “Terrorism is a way of naming something to stop questions.” When listening to members of the RUC on Day 3, they often utilized “terrorist” to describe resistance forces and did not do further investigation of who the supposed terrorists were. The difference in language and conscious choice in labeling leans into Message Framing Theory– that even slight changes to the presentation of information can create different perceptions. The RUC’s blanket labeling of IRA volunteers as terrorists can lead to an uncritical condemnation of them on the basis of an adjective being applied. When considering the Republicans’ description of their own actions as “freedom-fighting”, there is much more of a positive connotation applied, even if it does not address their actions. The terms that each side chooses to apply to themselves and others shapes the way that their audiences receive their actions, especially if they are only hearing the message framing from one side.

Ultimately, there is a lot to be reflected on when considering propaganda and the role it played, and continues to play in the perception of The Troubles. Without recognizing these important communication theories, audiences who trust media like the BBC can be swayed without receiving the full breadth of the truth. This complicates the idea that people, especially young people, should look beyond online media and rely largely on news networks, seeing that they can have an agenda in the defense of governments and institutions, instead of providing unfiltered narratives.

Introduction

Hi! My name is Gabi and I use they/them pronouns. My major is Writing For Film and Television and my minor is history. While I have not formally taken Peace Studies or Communication courses, I have found that similar themes have shown up in my history classes. An example of this is the class HIST 215 Israel-Palestine, which goes in depth about conflict through time and strategies to pursue peace. I was attracted to this study abroad course because of the history involved in conflict resolution, specifically pertaining to The Troubles and how the political climate evolved to what we see today. From this course, I hope to gain more knowledge of the history of Ireland, as well as understand how conflict resolution strategies have played a part in the successes and flaws in the current state of peace in the region. I look forward to the challenge of receiving the stories of both sides on equal footing, as it is an essential part of history and understanding how they came to the ceasefire that has been in place for decades.