A NORTH Belfast man has successfully published three books written 100 years ago by two brothers.
Conor Bradley’s father Charles passed away in 2010 at the age of 88 but before he died he handed over to his son an unfinished manuscript written by his own father Cahal Bradley in 1935.
Born in Brookfield Street in Ardoyne in 1886, fluent Irish speaker Cahal helped form the Charles Kickham GAA Club and was actively involved in the Irish Republican Brotherhood, the IRA, Sinn Féin, the National Council and the Anti-Partition League.
After moving to Derry in 1919 he was appointed the first nationalist Deputy Lord Mayor in Derry City Council and interestingly, given more recent context, used the first council meeting to second a motion calling for the removal of the Union Jack from Council offices.
The family returned to Ardoyne in 1926 to run the family business on Herbert Street, which was responsible for exporting carrageen moss from the North Atlantic Coastline to the USA. When the last of the Bradleys moved out of Herbert Street they donated the row of houses to the community, enabling the first Ardoyne Community Centre.
Cahal Bradley was elected as a member of the Anti-Partition League to the Senate at Stormont in 1951 and for six years until his death was recorded participating in many debates on the economic and political impact of partition on the people of Ireland.
However, despite his fascinating successes as a public figure in the political, historical, cultural, literary and business life of Belfast, Cahal’s history remained relatively unknown to his family.
Next Stop Heaven is a true love story set in Ardoyne, profiling the lives of a group of young families working amongst degrading discrimination from as young as eleven-years-of-age in the mills.
The book’s love story, based on the characters Sheila and Ned, unfolds against the threat posed to it by immigration. Political and economic struggles are teased out through mill workers, the clergy and the rich, as are the merits of protesting and organising for social change. It was published in 2015.
Seven years on, Conor launched two more books during Féile An Phobail – 'Next Stop Martyr: The Life and Death of St Patrick, also by his granda Cahal and 'Next Stop Romance: A Story of Old Belfast' written by his great uncle, Hugh Bradley.
With the series now complete, Cahal's grandson, Conor explained how the three books came together.
"The first book, Next Stop Heaven: A story of Old Belfast came from a manuscript which had been lying gathering dust for around 50 years," he said. "When my dad told me to get it published, I had to do a lot of research for it. I knew very little about my granda Cahal.
"After it was published, I was doing a bit of research into the family. I knew Cahal’s brother Hugh lived in New York. I managed to track a cousin Mike McDermott down on Ancestry. He told me he had a manuscript which was over 60-years-old, written by Cahal's brother, Hugh.
"I read it and it was set in old Ardoyne from 1905 to 1921 and was more of a romance story. We both decided to get it published into a book and Next Stop Romance: A Story of Old Belfast was complete.
"It follows the main character, Art O’Neill, from his first encounters with Irish republicanism as a boy of 15, through the Irish War of Independence.
"Along the way Art finds himself in a plot to kidnap a famous actor as well as a village-saving shootout with the Black and Tans, all while trying to carry on a romance.
"The final book, Next Stop Martyr: The Life and Death of St Patrick is made up of two manuscripts from granda Cahal as well, one of which was found in Holy Cross Church."
Conor says the feedback from the Next Stop series has been "amazing".
"There is a lot of history there in the books. Cahal and Hugh were well-known in republican circles," he added. "The books are sort of like forgotten history that was lost before we published them.
"The feedback has been amazing. People have said how the books bring back so many memories of Ardoyne. Others lived beside or knew Cahal so that was pretty special too.
"I have found out so much fascinating information and I think it’s only doing Cahal and Hugh justice by allowing people to read their work.
"I know my father and great uncle would be proud and it’s been a real privilege to be involved in such a project."
The 'Next Stop' series books are available to buy in Hercules Bar (Castle Street), Holy Cross Church office and online at Amazon.
