May the Lord in His Mercy Be Kind to Belfast [Paperback]

Tony Parker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1995

In an inspirational collection of portraits, the author of Russian Voices captures the lives and experiences of the people of Northern Ireland's beleaguered Belfast, including the priests, politicians, Catholic and Protestant extremists, children, and other ordinary citizens.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Parker ( Russian Voices ) has compiled an involving collection of some 60 vignettes profiling both Catholics and Protestants on the struggle in Belfast. Upon his arrival, the British writer had to learn the subtleties that mark and separate the two religious groups. Belfast people will never ask outright which you are, but they will look for clues. Parker interviews Vicky Murray, who doesn't follow any religion but is "afraid because I don't know what's going on." There's Catholic Rose Murphy, whose 17-year-old son under threat from the Protestant militia fled to London. Pat Taylor is the product of a "mixed" marriage and still thinks every day of his younger brother who was killed in sectarian fighting. Sammy Wilson is a Belfast City Councillor and Democratic Unionist who proudly recalls the siege of Londonderry in 1690 and calls Catholics "fascists." Eamon Collins is a Republican terrorist who spent time "on the blanket" in Long Kesh prison and considers himself "100% anti-British." Parker's interviewing technique, which is reminiscent of Studs Terkel's Working , supplies the reader with a valuable guide to one of the most tortured cities in the world.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA-A collection of 60+ interviews with people living in Belfast that gives a vivid and poignant picture of the appalling situation in Northern Ireland today. There are no simple solutions; there are no clearly defined good guys or bad guys. YAs whose introduction to the troubles in this area has come solely from popular films would do well to listen to these voices. With a few deft phrases, a rain-soaked anorak here, a ginger mustache there, a cozy tea-room or a noisy youth center, the scene is set and the people tell their various stories. The selection is scrupulously evenhanded: men and women, old and young, Catholic and Protestant are all heard in heartbreaking clarity. The dialect rings true whether the speaker is a college professor or an "ordinary Belfast housewife." Those who have decided that the situation is simply a matter of Catholics and Protestants learning to get along will be awakened to the underlying and more complicated economic and political issues facing the country. The book is long, but easy to read. The individual interviews are quite short, two or three pages at best. These voices offer valuable insight into many of the world's problems.
Pamela Beggan, Good Shepherd School, Alexandria, VA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Henry Holt & Co (P) (May 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080503806X
• ISBN-13: 978-0805038064
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,806,200 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An unparalleled reading experience., November 8, 2000

By 

Melody (Cincinnati, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: May the Lord in His Mercy Be Kind to Belfast (Hardcover)

This book is a series of interviews with people from all walks of life in. Parker opens with an introduction that explains his introduction to Belfast. He follows that up with quoted conversations from various people that he dealt with when he first arrived in Belfast. They uniformly asked him to show to world, especially England, that Belfast is not nearly as bad as the media has made it out to be.

The rest of the book is dedicated to over sixty interviews. Parker briefly sets up each interview with a description of the setting, including the outward emotional appearance of the interviewee unless specifically asked to do otherwise. That small description at the beginning of each interview is the only time that we hear Parker's voice.

Parker interviewed ordinary people, children, elderly people, teachers, professors, students, political party leaders, army personnel, police, priests, clergy, people trying to make a difference, and people considered terrorists.

The main point of this book was to give a voice to the people of Belfast. The point was to provide an opportunity for people to explain how they felt and why they felt that way without being edited or judged. The effect was that each person was able to be heard exactly as they had expressed themselves.

Father Michael Brown expressed his disappointment that the church (either of them) had not taken more of leadership role to "build bridges . . . to keep the peace. . ." (p. 61). This book was perhaps the only format in which he was able to express his disappointment without being branded a traitor of sorts.

Parker interviews several people from both sides of the Troubles who are seen as terrorists by the other side. To say the least none of them sees himself or herself as being a terrorist. Here they get a chance to explain why. Marie Jones is a member of the IRA. The intelligent manner in which she spoke lent credence to her philosophies. She spoke of her first moment when she began to feel anti-British sentiment. She had been walking home alone from school when two British soldiers stopped her with rifles pointed at her head just to ask her name and address. Given this opportunity she is also able to express her dislike and distrust of the Catholic Church. This opportunity would never present itself to her in any other format. Being a member of the IRA it would naturally be assumed in most circles that she is Catholic and proud of it. Parker's theme was kept throughout the entirety of the book. With each interview the reader understands that the speaker is speaking from a place of non-judgement as they get their chance to be heard. I was convinced throughout the book that Parker went to whatever extreme was necessary to make the interviewee as at ease as possible so that they would speak honestly and openly. On many occasions this was very obvious. Nowhere was this more obvious than when he interviewed members of the Royal Ulster.

"The agreement was simple and straightforward. A completely false and misleading name, no description of appearance or manner, and no indication of where the interview took place." (p. 199)

With that agreed upon, "Max Harvey" was able to talk openly without fear of being identified by a paramilitary group.

When he interviewed members of the British Army he was just as honest with the reader about the main point of his book being compromised in that section.

"(Only after a long delay did the Army authorities agree to interviewing of (their) selected personnel: and only on the condition that it was carried out in the presence of a `minder' who tape-recorded the tape-recorded interviewing. An undertaking had to be given that they could sensor any parts they wished to: and a further condition was that these conditions should not be mentioned.)" (p. 175)

The result of Parker's relentless quest for honest, open, and non-judgmental interviews is that the reader learns so much about the people of Belfast that a news-media blitz can never be watched the same way again.

From an American's point of view there are many acronyms, phrases, and words that are quite unfamiliar. When this book was released for publication in the United States it would have been more than helpful to have had a glossary that defined the acronyms and explained who the groups were.

Before reading this book I would suggest that the reader have at least some knowledge of the large incidents that have occurred in Northern Ireland's history with regards to England. I stopped midway through chapter five and read a brief history of Northern Ireland so that I could better understand what the interviewees were referring to.

Parker organized his book superbly. I never expected a book of interviews to flow so well. Each interview was as exciting as the last and always for a different reason. I found myself grabbing the book every spare moment I got.

This book is a wonderful contribution to historical studies. It presents a view not often seen in history books-that of the people living through the making of history. If not for a book of this nature the history of the Troubles would be told probably only by party and government leaders. Now for decades and centuries to come the world will know how the people of Belfast were affected, how they felt, and how they as individuals affected the history of Northern Ireland.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who has any interest in Northern Ireland, England, or in the human condition.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Understanding the Troubles, June 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: May the Lord in His Mercy Be Kind to Belfast (Hardcover)

With this book Tony Parker puts a face on those who suffer the 'troubles' in Northern Ireland. He puts aside the political mumbo jumbo to look at how the fighting affects individuals. In a non-biased way, he presents the personal stories from Loyalists, Unionists, and those who are caught in between. We hear the voices of terrorists, housewives, priests and pastors. Their stories help the reader to understand what is behind the troubles -- and all wars.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars If Only They Could Be Kinder To Each Other, August 15, 2000

By 

MopedLad (los angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: May the Lord in His Mercy Be Kind to Belfast (Hardcover)

The Irony of the generally hopeless tales that this book recounts, is that in an increasingly borderless and unified Europe the apparently ceasless sectarian hatreds of Belfast seem so absurd an anachronistic. The Protestants, fanatically clinging to and celebrating a Britishness completly alien to this contemporary Englishman. The Catholics, trumpeting a gaelic nationlism that if the truth were told embarrass most modern-day cosmopolitan Dubliners. What is so pitifully revealing about the book is the circular cycle of resignation to hatred that "The Troubles" have bought to this corner of the world. While the rest of the Island enjoys an economic boom that makes the Irish Republic one of the more desireable places to live and do business, northerners bicker about allowing marches in silly costumes to celebrate battles fought 400 years ago. Sadly there is little hope contained in the words spoken by the various individuals interviewed for this book. It is miserable, depressing though perhaps necessary reading.