One of the side effects of the early terrorist campaign ,was the issuing of anti hysteria medication.Also the introduction of danger pay,for people who worked in the city centre. Another feature of city life was the absence of crèche provision in Belfast,as a direct consequence of the threat levels.The comment made by commercial travellers,is that Belfast is now much more of city with cafes and restaurants and has lost a lot of its northern industrial atmosphere.As normalcy continues let’s pray that when we move beyond Covid,that like the song ”things can only get better”! When Linda and I lived in Bangor,one of our really good Christmas memories was of Bill Clinton’s visit to Belfast’s City Hall and the switching on of the Christmas lights.An amazing occasion and one we still remember!
Paul gives an effective and informative talk here.He was a gifted student and leader at QUB.Good to see things opening out for him.The events mentioned here,are also mentioned in Tony Geraghty’s book “The Irish war”,aswell as Robert Fisk’s book “ The point of no return”.May prove helpful to someone.For me of the three books written by the Christian author Ben Forde, his “Hope in Bomb City” is a brilliant book. Written reflectively from experience,with pathos in places,it definitely deserves a mention among the plethora of books that relate to the subject of the troubles.It’s almost as if for a short period of time,Belfast became like a type of Malta.One of the belfast telegraph articles that traced a women who had recovered back to czechoslovakia,made the point that the soldier who had comforted her,has never been traced.Maybe he could have been ,a heavenly sentinel sent to be in the right place,at the right time!
my dad was in the troubles he told me all the things that happened his friend was shot at a boney and his cousin was killed from a bomb outside a police station and he was in the police
i worked in the abercorn for many years (after the bombing )im told the people planting it tried to get in to the upstairs lounge but where asked by the doorman (tommy ) if he could search thier bags they refused and went downstairs to the restuarant if they had of got in upstairs many more people would have died sadly i heard later that tommy died of naturual causes in the abercorn after i left can anyone confirm ?
I was across the road from the Sandy Row bomb that went off that day. I was only 4 yo visiting friends. Never forget diving for the floor on the second floor of my friend's house.
