A NEW book which explores many unreported acts of human kindness and humour during The Troubles has been released, containing almost 50 stories of everyday heroes.

The book, 'A Brighter Side of The Troubles', includes Ann Marie Loughran’s story. Ann Marie was 15 when she was shot in the head by a plastic bullet in August 1980 outside a community centre in Horn Drive, Lenadoon.

Speaking to us with Ann Marie at her home in Lenadoon was Alan McBride from Wave Trauma Centre, who helped compile the stories. Alan lost his wife Sharon and father-in-law Desmond in the Shankill Road bomb in October 1993. His cross-community work for peace since has earned him widespread respect and admiration.

Alan said he was influenced to launch the project after being intrigued by a similar work.

“The idea isn’t originally mine, it came from something I saw in South Africa," he said. "I was there around twenty years ago and I saw a book which was titled ‘A Brighter Side of Apartheid’. I remember thinking how on earth could they write about the brighter side of apartheid? It was apartheid – it was awful!

“When I looked closer I saw it was actually about all of the little acts of kindness which happened during apartheid, of black people helping white people and vice versa. All of the small acts of kindness which often get forgotten when the histories are told, histories which tend to focus on the bad things which happened.

“It took me 20 years to get it finished and I did so with the help of George Larmour who wrote ‘They Killed the Ice Cream Man’. It took us a long while to collect all of the stories and get them written down and edited.”

In the book, Ann Marie's story recalls that when she was rendered unconscious after being shot in the head by a plastic bullet, a neighbour, Joe McNamee, put her in his car and drove frantically to the hospital. At the time the entire area had been cordoned off and no ambulances were allowed through.

In Joe's desperate dash to reach the hospital, he passed an army checkpoint and a soldier opened fire, riddling the car with bullets, one of which hit Ann Marie in the head.

Despite being shot twice in the head in a short space of time, Ann Marie miraculously made it to the hospital, thanks to Joe. Ann Marie has dedicated her story – titled ‘Angels Come in Strange Packages’ – to her heroic neighbour Joe.

Ann Marie said: “Some people have said I was unlucky after getting shot in the head twice in one night, but I wasn’t that unlucky as I’m still here!

“Sometimes when you tell your story it’s all doom and gloom and you don’t really mean it like that. It was bad but there are also small acts of kindness. When I was in the ambulance later my ring came off my finger and the attendant saved it and later gave it to my mum.

“My story in the book is really the story of Joe McNamee because I was unconscious throughout all of the events. I had to ask Joe to get permission to use his name and I’ve since given him two copies of the book.”

Alan said the book is full of the self-deprecating humour for which we're renowned.

He said: “All of the stories in there are lovely, but also some are just funny. There’s a story in there about a wee boy whose father was badly injured in an attack on the Telegraph building. The story is told by the boy's mother and they were from quite a well-to-do family. 

“The boy had been running around telling his friends how proud he was that his uncle had joined the INLA and this then got related back after he had been telling everyone, only for them to realise he had meant the RNLI and got the two mixed up!”

There's even a story by Alan's daughter Zoe about a teacher who helped the family in the wake of their devastating loss. The story relates how the teacher did Zoe’s hair every school morning after Alan gave up on mastering the art of braiding and plaiting.

The book is available from Wave Trauma Centre and has proved such a success a second print run is being planned.  'A Brighter Side of The Troubles' is available at no cost except for postage.

If you're interested in receiving a copy you're invited to go online at wavetraumacentre.org.uk/connect/contact-us/