The Fire Service are treating a Monday afternoon blaze at a derelict apartment complex on Ross Street as deliberate.

BALLYMURPHY native and community stalwart Eilish Rooney has put pen to paper to publish a book of poems charting the Ballymurphy massacre inquest and commemorating the victims. Discussing how the idea for the book came about, Eilish said that she was sitting in the court as a supporter of the families and began to take some notes. “I found the experience of the inquest at times to be very tough and I took notes on anything that I thought was striking. “As time went on, things happened that I found remarkable and these are reflected in the poems. When the inquest was over I started to get the idea that some of these notes that I had taken could make the subject of a poem. “To begin with, it felt like one particular poem needed to be written. The very first poem, ‘Waste Ground’ was written on the basis of listening to military evidence at the inquest. “When I started with that, I didn’t have any notion of publishing these poems. As I stayed with the writing of that poem I began to think of other notes that I had taken down and also the experience of being there.” Recalling her experience of attending the inquest, Eilish continued: “There was one day that a member of the families who sat in the jury box facing the witness box, listening to a senior military figure giving their evidence. She didn’t look at him, she looked at the wall beside him the whole time he was giving evidence. “That experience struck me as a remarkable way to refuse to give your attention to the witness in a way of protest.  It reminded me of a colleague at Ulster University who did research on Palestine and she observed women who wouldn’t look soldiers in the eye. It reminded me that if you have nothing else with which to protest, the women in Jerusalem used their eyes and their bodies as a form of protest. “Each poem is a reflection of some of the experiences that the families went through in the inquest. When I got a number of the poems written I started to think about writing a poem for each of the Ballymurphy families and their loved ones.” Eilish said that she started writing some poems based on the personal testimonies that each family submitted to the inquest which she got access to thanks to the families and Ciarán Cahill at Springhill Community House.  “I didn’t disclose at this stage that I was writing poems until after I had a set written. “I used material from each of the testimonies to write a poem about each person, including their name, date of birth and death date.  “When I started writing those poems they took a shape of their own. Some were long, some were short and I started to think about how the families may feel about getting poems that are different lengths.  “One of the most famous forms of poem that are written is a sonnet. It is something that you write for a special occasion and has lots of rules. One of the rules of a sonnet is that it is 14 lines long. I decided to adapt this and develop a sonnet for each person.” Detailing the response of the Ballymurphy families to her poetry, Eilish said they have been grateful. “I have to say the response of the families has been heartfelt, people have been grateful. When it came to launching the poems in Corpus Christi, a number of the families stood up and read the poem of their loved one. I have to say it was a very moving experience to hear the families read the poems of their loved ones.  “It has met with a great welcome from them, friends and neighbours. The books are free but the families are asking for a donation of £5 to raise some money for the memorial garden that they are fundraising for at the moment.” She continued: “I would very much like a reader to grasp the significance of the introduction of internment on the Ballymurphy area at the time and to have some sense of this assault on the community. “On another level I would really like readers to come to some grasp of what it was like for families during the inquest who sat for days listening to the evidence. I would also like them to realise that for the families, for the wider community and indeed even for the courts, the verdict of the inquest was a significant and profound achievement. “Also, I hope that readers get a sense of the individuals who were killed. I would like to extend that sensibility of reading about the individuals to the experiences of the conflict that we have all had.  “It applies to the individuals of the Ballymurphy massacre but in as much as it was possible, every individual who lost their life is entitled to a poem. Perhaps some family member will write a poem about them as poetry captures a depth of feeling and knowledge that other forms of writing don’t.” Ballymurphy Poems by Eilish Rooney is available from Springhill Community House, the Cultúrlann bookshop or online here.  

AS the giant cruise ship Anthem of the Sea sailed through the darkness towards Belfast last week, two unusual passengers hitched a lift. The pair of sooty shearwaters were more than welcome to take a breather on deck – but what the crew didn’t know was that once they arrive on dry land, these amazing birds can’t take off. They have evolved to be almost useless on land – their feet are too far back on their bodies to enable them to sit up, and their wings are so straight and thin that they can’t get the necessary uplift. And so began an incredible rescue mission which ended in them being returned safely to sea to continue their journey – a journey that is actually planet earth’s longest migration.These wee stowaways happened to land on the biggest ship to visit Belfast for almost half a century –  the Anthem of the Sea can carry 4,950 passengers and 1,500 crew, although those numbers are now restricted by Covid. The crew got concerned that their hitchhikers didn't seem interested in returning to sea and so the captain contacted Belfast Harbour Police. The Harbour Police immediately knew who to call – Debbie ‘Doolittle’ Nelson. “I’ve worked with the Harbour Police many times,” Debbie told Dúlra this week. Debbie is a phenomenon who tours the country rescuing birds and animals, if necessary taking them back to her Country Antrim home to recuperate. She has saved many thousands of creatures. “They’d actually sent me a photograph of the birds and I thought they were Manx shearwaters until they opened the box and I realised they were a bit bigger and more black.” In Irish the two species are differentiated only by their colours – canóg dhubh is the Manx, while canóg dhorcha is the sooty. Debbie certainly is familiar with Manx shearwaters, a seabird not many readers would recognise if it landed on their head. Which isn’t actually impossible, because recently they've been literally falling from the sky and Debbie has been travelling the country rescuing them. “It’s been crazy over the last two weeks," she said. "They’re all young ones who are leaving the burrows and the parents have left them, and they get distracted by street lights. Just like the sooty shearwaters on the cruise boat, they navigate by the stars and the bright lights confuse them. “When they fly inland they think the dark road is the sea and they land and can’t get back into the air. Once on the ground they need a hand to get back into the sea. Yesterday I freed one in Ballywalter and I’ve another today, while one was killed on the road. “They’re so dark that drivers wouldn’t see them at night. At the minute there’s usually four or five a night.” Light pollution leads to the death of many seabirds who fly at night to avoid predators, only to find that we’re an even more dangerous predator, even if we don’t mean it.And while Manx shearwaters breed here – one of a pair on Copeland Island in County Down trapped in 2003 is still the oldest bird on record at 55 years old – the sooty shearwaters breed in the Malvinas near Argentina, heading up to the Arctic along the Pacific, passing Ireland in September on their way back to breed. And they don’t travel in flocks but in pairs, like those on the cruise boat, and can travel 45,000 miles in a year, about 400 miles every day. And although few of us knew that sooty shearwaters even existed, we’re all familiar with something that they inspired. Alfred Hitchcock produced his famous horror film The Birds after thousands of sooty shearwaters fell dead on the streets of Santa Cruz in California in 1961. Others were being sick on the shore or flying into objects. It transpired they had eaten poisoned algae from leaky septic tanks. Debbie freed the cruise boat shearwaters at Whitehead on the Antrim Coast.“It’s right on the border of Belfast Lough and it’s a straight route out to sea, far enough from the city and the bright lights,” she said. Hopefully, this time the stars will guide them safely on their epic 10,000-mile journey to their breeding ground. • If you’ve seen or heard anything interesting, or have any nature questions, you can text Dúlra on 07801 414804. 

DERRY group the Holywell Trust is in the process of reviewing the language used by the media in the North. The research it’s engaged in is part of the Future Relationships Conversations Project, which is part-funded by the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs, which of course is headed up by unionist Brexit bête noir Simon Coveney. So some crowd from Derry’s involved. Dublin’s involved. Simon Coveney’s involved. Ergo it must be a dastardly plot to do down the PUL people of This Here Pravince and advance the cause of a united Ireland. Loyal Ulster reacted with thrillingly predictable fury. East Londonderry MP Gregory Campbell told the Belfast Telegraph: “People have a right to be concerned about the Irish government̵’s contributions to ‘language’ in the media in Northern Ireland. “It is absolutely right that the media should be held accountable for inaccuracies or biases, but this report smells like an attempt to sway the language and promote coverage that is sympathetic to nationalism and funded by the Irish government. The case for Northern Ireland’s place in the UK is strong and unilateral reporting needs are exposed, as I have often done, but this politically toxic way of doing it is unacceptable.” The DUP man added: “I will never shy away from criticising the media when they do something wrong, while maintaining a free and independent press is the cornerstone of a fair society. Simon Coveney’s departmental funding for evaluating what is communicated to the public should also be subject to public scrutiny.” The TUV’s Steven Cooper told the Irish Government to “mind its own business”.“The broadcast media in Northern Ireland is regulated by UK law. The Dublin Government has no role in formulating or, potentially, amending that law,” he said. “What is broadcast in this part of the United Kingdom is no more part of Dublin’s remit than the content of RTE is of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport in London. Frankly, Dublin should mind its own business and not be permitted to continue their belligerence and unwanted interference in UK affairs.” The Ulster commentariat weighed in too. Writing in the News Letter, Henry McDonald noted: “I find it telling that the tender also refers to an organisation called the Future Relationship Conversations team, which talks about Brexit and the possibility of a border poll being more likely. “This suggests to me that those behind the project are nationalists and that it is they who are somewhat upset about the uncomfortable topics and issues the Nolan Show and perhaps others in journalism might cover locally. “It find it equally revealing that Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney’s department is co-funding the ‘research’ into the Northern Ireland media. It is deeply troubling that a state, any state let alone one at present which is regarded as increasingly hostile by a majority of unionists, should be sponsoring a project that many believe is designed to shut down debate, censor reporting and dictate media agendas.” But wait. What’s this? In a statement responding to queries about its funding of the project, the Deparment of Foreign Affairs in Dublin said: “This funding was to support a broad ranging project involving dialogue and research in relation to options for future relationships and constitutional arrangements on the island of Ireland without any predetermined outcome or agenda. The project was intended to draw out diverse views, with a particular focus on those from a Protestant, Unionist, or Loyalist tradition. “It also envisaged conducting research into relevant topics intended to support an informed and constructive dialogue that would support reconciliation. “The particular topics for research were to be identified during the project through dialogue and engagement by the Holywell Trust. “The Department of Foreign Affairs had no role in deciding what particular areas should be included.” So, let’s see now. The project places a particular focus on the concerns and view of the PUL community. And Mr Coveney’s department had no say in drawing up the subjects that the project would tackle. So Ulster was exhibiting its familiar furious furiosity about an initiative that was designed to be nice to it. Nice. And because there are certain people out there who wouldn’t believe a word that came out of Dublin’s mouth, here’s what Paul Gosling of the Holywell Trust, had to say about the nature and make-up of the media language initiative: “It has to be stressed the idea came from engagement with unionists.” More proof, if more proof were needed, of unionism propensity to kick off even when there’s nothing to kick off about. Mr Gosling added: “It’s really important to stress that the Holywell Trust is a non-partisan peace and reconciliation charity and the purpose of this work is to make sure we have a sensible, rational conversation that brings people together whatever the future of the constitutional arrangement.” Now Squinter’s doesn’t know whether those who claimed this project was a dastardly republican plot were unacquainted with the facts or were fully aware of the facts of the case but cracked ahead anyway because anger is their factory setting. But as much of the critical commentary took place well after Mr Gosling had laid out his stall in an interview with the Belfast Telegraph, you do get the feeling that this was more than a failure of due diligence.

GLENGORMLEY School of Traditional Music is to be awarded a prestigious Gradam Ceoil Award.