Latest news with #Bogside
Irish Times
10-06-2025
- General
- Irish Times
‘I'm not going to do anything that isn't possible to do together': peacemaker Lord Eames celebrates 50 years since consecration
Fifty years on from his arrival in Derry as the city's Church of Irelan d bishop, Robin Eames , has vivid memories of two things: the suffering of the city on Bloody Sunday and its aftermath, and being reunited with the man who would go on to become a lifelong friend, his Catholic counterpart, Bishop Edward Daly. 'I broke with tradition and made history because, without realising it was the first and only time it had happened, I invited him to my consecration and he walked beside me,' Lord Eames said. 'That friendship and that hope image of what we wanted to do together took me through all the years of my service here, and Edward and I became very close friends and we did lots of things which were never publicised, but I hope were for the good of the people of this place. 'We treated each other as men, as people, forgot about the fabric of office ... We acted together.' READ MORE Speaking following a service in St Columb's Cathedral in Derry to mark the 50th anniversary of his consecration as Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, Lord Eames recalled going, at Bishop Daly's suggestion, 'into the Bogside all by myself and going from door to door simply saying look, 'I'm Robin Eames, the new Church of Ireland bishop, I just called to say hello, I'm glad to meet you.' 'It was there in one of those houses, when the door opened, and a hush fell over the conversation, and somebody walked through the door straight over to me with a hand outreached. 'He said simply, 'Welcome to Derry. I'm John Hume', and that was the meeting of two people who were to work together in the years to come.' In 1986, Lord Eames became Archbishop of Armagh and the head of the Church of Ireland; serving in this role from 1986 to 2006, he known for his work in peacebuilding and reconciliation, often, as in Derry, working in conjunction with his Catholic counterpart. He had been due to preach the sermon for Remembrance Day sermon in Enniskillen in 1987, a service that never took place. Eleven people died when an IRA bomb exploded at the town's cenotaph; Lord Eames spent the day in the hospital, and later wrote that the experiences of that day 'will never leave me.' As Church of Ireland primate he had a direct role in trying to resolve the Drumcree dispute of the mid-1990s, and in 1998 was an advocate for a 'yes' vote in the referendum on the Belfast Agreement . Throughout, his approach was inspired by his belief in human connections. 'It's what's always made sense to me in my ministry ... I have emphasised over and over again that I'm not going to do anything that isn't possible to do together. 'That's been the way of it, and I hope that's what people will remember when they bury me,' Lord Eames said. Following his retirement in 2006, Lord Eames became co-chair, along with Denis Bradley, of the Consultative Group on the Past, an independent group set up to examine how to deal with the legacy of the North's Troubles. Its recommendations included an independent commission to examine legacy cases over a five-year period, but it became embroiled in controversy after a plan for a £12,000 payment to victims' families was leaked, and its proposals were never adopted. 'That report, quite honestly, turned out to be before its time,' Lord Eames said. 'If there had been time before we published it, I think it might have had more effect. So much that has happened since could have been avoided ... But I don't regret one word of it.' To move forward, Ireland must 'look back on its past with humility' and acknowledge 'hurts have been inflicted on both sides'. 'If we can only have the humility to say yes, these things happened, but they've no part and place in our future,' he said. 'Let's learn from the past, let's learn from the mistakes. 'In Ireland we've so much going for us, so many opportunities, and if only we can be a generation that takes these opportunities, I believe the future is bright for us all.'
BBC News
29-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Londonderry: Contractors 'unwilling' to remove bonfire material
A housing association in Northern Ireland has said it cannot find a contractor willing to remove bonfire material from a site earmarked for multimillion-pound Housing said enabling works for the £11m redevelopment of Meenan Square in Londonderry's Bogside had been due to start within that cannot happen until it finds a firm willing to remove the material currently stored on the derelict site, where bonfires have led to trouble in previous years. "We have explored all available options to remove bonfire materials from the site; however, no contractor has been willing to undertake the work due to significant health and safety concerns," a spokesperson said. The initial works on the site, Apex said, had been due to get under way in early June."But due to the ongoing unauthorised activity and associated safety risks, these works will be delayed unless the site can be cleared and safely accessed," Apex told BBC Radio Foyle's Mark Patterson submitted a full planning application for the site, which it owns, in February for a development that includes housing, retail, office and other commercial bonfires in Meenan Square have attracted some criticism in recent could also not source a contractor in 2024 to remove materials in the run-up to the said it was continuing work this year "to find a resolution that prioritises the safety and wellbeing of the local community." SDLP MLA Sinead McLaughlin said she understood Apex's concerns which, she said, had left her disappointed."The enabling works which were basically due to start next week are now being delayed – that will push back the development process," she said."We want to see this site regenerated and for the proud people that live in the region of the Bogside to have what they deserve in the midst of their community."She said the majority of people in the community did not want a bonfire on the site and a resolution was needed urgently. 'Forced entry' Apex said work to repair the site's boundary fences was currently ongoing following "repeated incidents of forced entry".A spokesperson said it was "committed to progressing with the planned development as soon as possible."Stormont's Executive Office (TEO) is working with Apex on the redevelopment project. BBC News NI has contacted TEO for comment. In a statement, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said they recognised the cultural significance of bonfires in some communities across Northern Ireland, while also acknowledging the concerns they may raise. They said they worked closely with councils, statutory bodies, community representatives and landowners to "address community safety issues" related to bonfires. "Where criminal offences, such as the suspected theft of pallets, are identified, police may seize materials as part of ongoing enquiries," they said. "While we do not comment on individual security matters, we take all potential risks to individuals seriously and act accordingly." Why is the bonfire being lit? Bonfires on 15 August are traditional in some nationalist parts of Northern Ireland to mark the Catholic Feast of the bonfires are also lit in nationalist areas in August to commemorate the introduction of internment without trial of republican suspects, which was introduced by the government in year police said they were treating the display of flags and banners - including union flags, a King Charles coronation flag and the flag of Israel - on the bonfire as a hate names of US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were also written on that flag next to a swastika and police investigated shots being fired near the site in 2022 and also investigated reports of political material - including flags and poppy wreaths - being placed on the bonfire as potential hate placed on the bonfire in 2021 referenced former Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Chief Constable Simon Byrne and one referred to the murder of Catholic police officer Ronan Kerr was killed when dissident republicans fitted a booby-trapped bomb to his car in Omagh, County Tyrone, in 2011.
