Andersonstown Social Club

national | anti-capitalism | opinion/analysis Thursday August 09, 2007 15:38 by C.

Development and Memory; The Night I met Martin Galvin!

Having had our bags stolen in Belfast many years ago, we got invited to Anderstown social club by
some fellas who had tried to stop the snatchers and we went to the club. It is a memory etched
onto my brain and says something important about community memory and retaining those
places for the upcoming generations of this Our Island.

Politically naive southerners like myself did not know the North of Ireland, nor where it was 'safe'
to go , back in the nineties; but you learn quickly enough. our hiking trip coincided with some
appalling tragedies and personal dangers that are largely gone. The London type taxis
Which were 50p were operating and some drivers were being sniped on call-out.

We stayed on a hostel on the Ormeau Road which was known as the Murder Mile, Belfast was
divided into 'areas' and you really needed a guide not to be getting into hot water. There were
ghettoes. It was the night before internment day and there was to be a rally. Martin Galvin had been
invited to speak- he was a fund raiser for Noraid (amongst other things) and was in company.

Our rescuers had brought us to the top table and we met most of the propnonents of the
Nationalist side of the peace process, the club was well barbed on the outside and we were
searched on the way in- a quick frisk from head to toe. This is not an unusual practice it
has happened in Dublin to me. The club was darkly lit and there was music, it felt safe
though I remember not wanting to leave in the darkness after the almost mugging and
violence. We were escorted to a house where we stayed the night and the next door
neighbour's house had been turned over by the security forces. 'Turning Over' involves
a door being crashed in by lots of cops, armoured cars on the street, people being
pushed, kids screaming., underwear being shoved around and drawers containing family
memories tipped up- its psychological warfare. They used kango hammers and ye couldnt
tell them not to be in the tampax and oral contraceptive shelf- it didn't work like that.
Often the turned over house belonged to the family of a prisoner and the prisoner would
hear tell of the raid, later down the line.

The National Anthem was not allowed because it was considered incitement so
everyone would stand for one voice who would sing it quietly and unaccompanied.
The club is up for property development. I think it should be retained because it is a
special thing to the community of ordinary northern catholics- a memory place.
Its important in political change to retain places as the custodians or museums of
memory. There were good ones there and if ye can buy a can of lager up where
the Shankill butchers did their biz then a place of community and struggle is
important for oral and shared history.

I never went back, but remember two things about the visit. the welcome and help we
received was amazing and the city was truly beautiful. We are losing bits of our
Cultural heritage, it does not seem high on the globalised agenda but losing
Andersontown seems a bit much. People have fought for no16 Moore Street, you
never get back those things that are lost and symbolise community struggle.