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AS PART OF the government’s marking of the Good Friday Agreement, a cultural celebration was performed in the Abbey Theatre on Sunday, 1 April.
Sharing Peace, Sharing Futures aimed to celebrate “a diverse set of voices and perspectives on this island”.
As part of the programme, two young people from the creative arts and writing organisation Fighting Words took to the podium to look to the future – and don’t just explore the Good Friday Agreement anniversary through the lens of the past.
We re-publish, with permission, Jenny Maguire’s speech here, while Benji Mobeeky’s contribution can be found at this link.
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I am from Artane on the northside of Dublin city. My family has always been from the
northside. We’ve cleaned banks, pushed trolleys and stood at reception desks for hours on end. All while searching for anything and everything we can have a bit of a moan about.
Our personal favourites include the weather, the buses or the bleedin’ state of yer one over there.
When I think of what this island has become and also where it is going, I think of my Nana Anne. My nana has always loved telling stories. When I was younger I would stay up way later than my Mam was aware of just to hear one more, no matter how many times we’d heard it before… or how many embellishments she would add to them.
She would never let the truth get in the way of a good story, some of yous [looks at politicians in the audience] are very good at that.
These stories have never really left me, I mean if anyone has ever met me before I’ve
probably told them to ye word for word, no matter how much you tell me you’re late for your bus or how we are in the middle of the show and how you can’t talk side stage or you will be removed, miss.
They’re all absolutely off the wall as well. A wife in labour sitting in the basket of a
bike going to the hospital. A dog being chased around the house with the grandfather’s teeth in its mouth. Crying into chipper chips when you find out Elvis has died, truly a tale as old as time. All stories about the joys, trials and tribulations of the lives of people who really didn’t have much. Their humanity and resilience is what makes these stories so special.
And I’m sure that many people here have met people like my nana. Whether on a bus,
in your homes or just in some queue. Maybe you have your own nana who is like her. Now mine is the best, but I’m sure yours are fine too.
It is a privilege to meet people like this, they are shining examples of people who despite all of the trouble life throws at us, they still see its joy, and wish to add more to it.
Whether you’re in Dublin or Belfast, people like this are everywhere, and we must treasure them.
It’s my belief that we have a responsibility to these people, the modern day seanchaí, to ensure we have people just like them in 25, 50 and 100 years time. That we mind and care for the joy we get to show the world. That we treat each by recognising and celebrating our differences, and only holding judgement if they are absolutely no craic whatsoever.
That we provide homes to those who need them, no matter how much money they have… I mean cop on to yourselves.
That we provide accessible, free and top quality healthcare, whether it be for transplants or transitions. That we make sure they have a bleedin’ planet to tell stories about. And stories from every community, the day we can finally hear each other’s stories, happiness and sorrow is a day I desperately look forward to.
I want to hear them, and the Good Friday Agreement took a massive step to get to that reality, but it is wrong to say that there is no violence still. Not on the streets so much, but in poverty, discrimination and the systems that don’t work for its people.
Let’s continue to, yes, celebrate peace, but also ensure we achieve it in every corner, because until we do, the impact of the agreement is frankly undermined.
The world is too scary and silly to not look after everyone who needs us. Born here or not. They have stories too. That is how we foster and treasure the joy and stories of those past and present. And the bleedin’ state of you if you don’t.
Jenny Maguire is a writer and activist from Dublin.
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Great idea from an Post.
I was in SuperValu shopping this week. I saw a lot of people who were definitely over 70.
Some seem to have no choice but to go out, collect pensions, go shopping for food, fuel etc.
It’s next to impossible to get an online delivery slot for shopping to be delivered.
You can’t ask people to stay in and offer minimal support, the Guards are helping some people, and this is a good initiative. But more needs to be done if the elderly are to be housebound.
@Mark Walsh: what p#sses me off is a neighbour of mine in good health and in her mid 30′s is still getting Tesco delivered when she is probably taking a slot from somebody that really needs it, I’m sure she is one of many around the country.
@Sharp Elsi Mate: how do you know your neighbour isn’t in an at risk group? It’s not just the elderly. Neighbour may have medical condition you don’t know about
@karen: she has been doing it for the last 2 years at least so unless her and her husband could see this coming or are that unfortunate I’d be very surprised. Not to mind the tesco is over 20 miles away and there is a fine big Supervalu on their doorstep. All i am saying is people need to be a bit more sensible.
@Sharp Elsi Mate: is your neigh our high risk?
Brillaint idea, as a concconer I hope these ideas are used after the emerengcy. Let’s build a better society where we all are involved in everybody’s care…
@David Dineen: absolutely. Cocooning too.
@David Dineen: that’d be lovely David, but Cant see it happening.
People are selfish, as long as it doesn’t effect them, they don’t really care.
Apart from the odd nice person
And living in a flat most of us don’t even know each other
Which makes me sad ,
we just hardly ever see each other
What about the post persons families?the more interaction they have the more likely it is they will get c19.they do have homes to go to as well.
@Stan Kowalskis: read the last line of the article. In practice they knock on the door and stand back a few metres until the person answers. If they don’t answer then they alert authorities
newspapers are yesterday’s news full of bacteria and virus they should be left on the shelf.
@Richard Russell: True Also all the food delivered could have germs.
Everything could. Even if the items are picked off shelves by a person using gloves, that means nothing, gloves still pass the virus from item to item!
But what else Can We do. There aren’t many solutions
It seems everything has a risk
@Richard Russell: everything is full of bacteria.
News papers only available in cities and counties just outside Dublin. For those living in the countryside and rural areas, as per usual no service available.
I just wanted to put it out there
my partner is my carer, he had to wait in a Que over 2 and half hours outside Tesco
He was in Bits by time he got back.
Then all I wanted to do was wipe everything with anti bacterial wipes.
Its a very frightening time especially for the more vulnerable amongst us
I really Feel for them.
If I didn’t have him, even without him being my carer, I couldn’t Que that long, I have terribly painful bad back and over active bladder!
@Fox&hounddog: Bacteria are different from viruses so anti-bacterial wipes don’t affect Covid-19.
have your say