LISTEN - Victims and Survivors of 'The Troubles' remembered in Quilt Exhibition

by Gráinne Connolly

A Memorial Quilt Exhibition has gone on display at the Parliament Buildings at Stormont, in tribute to innocent victims and survivors of 'The Troubles' in Northern Ireland. 

Local support groups from across the region have each contributed to the production of the quilts and dealt closely with victims' families to ensure they were created with a personalised touch. 

According to Kenny Donaldson, the Director of South East Fermanagh Foundation (SEFF), the Key messages of the quilts are: 

• Violence was futile and totally unjustified 
   
• Those remembered were wholly innocent 
   
• The legacy of those represented will live on amongst those left behind

(Your Legacy Lives on quilt contributed by SEFF to the exhibition) 
 

While SEFF has exhibited three quilts, a number of partner groups and organisations from across Northern Ireland also contributed with the help of victims' families. 

That included: 

• South and East Tyrone Welfare Support (SaETWS)
   
• South Down Action for Healing Wounds (SDAHW) 
   
• West Tyrone Voice (WTV) 
   
• The Castlehill Foundation 
   
• Families Acting for Innocent Relatives (FAIR)
   
• Mourne Action for Survivors of Terrorism (MAST) 
   
• Mid Ulster Victims Empowerment (MUVE) Project on behalf of Stewartstown and District Support Group. 

Speaking about the quilts, Kenny Donaldson told Q Radio that they tell a story of 'The Troubles' in a humane way.

It encourages people viewing the patches to consider the individual being remembered and not just the particular badge or affiliation they had with a particular organisation or group; which for some "made them a legitimate target for assassination." 

In contributing to this exhibition, all of the partner groups involved wanted to raise awareness of victims' issues to impress upon politicians, policymakers, other key opinion formers and the wider public, that legacy issues remain unresolved. 

They want people to "understand the legacy of 'The Northern Ireland Troubles' and how it impacts upon tens of thousands of people across Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales, mainland Europe and beyond. 

"When people are better informed then there is the potential for Government policy, services and actions to follow which meet the legitimate rights and needs of those impacted."

(GB and RoI quilt contributed by SEFF) 

The Memorial Quilt Exhibition will be on display at Stormont until Monday 19th March, 2018.