Contents
Foreword ............................................................................. 3
Introduction ......................................................................... 5
Rosemarie McGrath ................................................................ 7
Quilt of Remembrance ......................................................... 8-9
Tina Vernon ........................................................................ 11
Patricia McWilliams .............................................................. 13
Eithne Fleming .................................................................... 15
Sandra Riddell ..................................................................... 19
Margaret White ................................................................... 21
Participants’ Personal Statements .......................................... 22-23
Acknowledgements .............................................................. 28
Background WAVE Trauma Centre ......................... Inside Back Cover
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Foreword
This “Quilt of Remembrance” tells a special story: it starts in the 1960s,
displays significant events during the ‘Troubles’ and closes with the Good
Friday/Belfast Agreement in 1998. Although many viewers will recognise
events and might identify with certain situations, this is a very personal
quilt.The participants put their heart and soul into the making of this quilt.
There were many tears, but also much laughter and the recognition that
suffering takes place independent of religion or cultural background. Over
a period of four years, the quilt became alive, and the emotional support within the group was mighty.
The wounds of psychological trauma can be seen all over the world. In Peru, India, Zimbabwe,
Northern Ireland and many other places, groups create quilts to tell their story of hardship and to bear
witness to situations that should be remembered. This quilt tells the story of individuals who suffered
because of the conflict on this island, but who also gained strengths by sharing their experiences with
each other, and through the medium of the quilt with all of us. It is a powerful testimony for peace.
This remarkable quilt would not have happened without the skills and dedication of facilitator
Rosemarie McGrath, who guided the group, provided the vision and contributed significantly to
the project. WAVE Outreach Worker Velma Irvine supported the group throughout the process,
sharing the ups and downs and making sure everybody felt safe and encouraged. Many individuals
and staff members helped and contributed along the way, therefore this quilt also represents the
wider support within WAVE Trauma Centre and beyond. However, it was the participants who had
the perseverance and the courage to open their hearts and to create this striking quilt, displaying their
individual experiences, an important part of history and an amazing piece of textile art.
Although packed with difficult and complex memories, the quilt created by a cross-community group
of WAVE participants also tells the story of hope for a better future, based on mutual understanding
and respect. Viewers are encouraged to reflect on the past and to move into a brighter future...
Sonja Tammen
Project Manager, WAVE Ballymoney
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Introduction
It has been four years since I embarked upon this creative project in which
we envisaged a quilt that would portray the impact of the ‘Troubles’ as seen
from individuals from various backgrounds and communities. Our intention
was to have an account of life in Northern Ireland, beginning pre conflict in
1969, and moving onto various incidents during the ‘Troubles’ and working
towards the Good Friday Agreement, which was signed on 10th April 1998.
Our first challenge was to find a facilitator who could work with us to
produce such an historical account with the ability to bring this plan to fruition. After meeting
with Rosemarie McGrath it was evident from her creative expertise, she had the skills to make this
project successful; although we never anticipated the length of time it would take to complete this
work. We discussed the pathway to ensure the participants involved would come from both sides
of the community to reflect and express fully our conflicted history. We wanted to have a focus
on remembrance, education and building new relationships within the group setting, and we felt
strongly that participants should be prepared to work not only on their own incidents of the conflict
but be willing to explore other’s experiences of hurt and pain also.
We then encouraged participants to engage in this creative work, many of those involved had no
previous knowledge of how the quilt would come together but they all came into this project with a
willingness and passion to see the quilt come to life. And as I’ve already mentioned we had no idea
it would be four years before we would see the completed article. During that time frame some
participants had to withdraw from the project due to health and family reasons and we also had a lot
of clients/volunteers offer help and support to the core group, helping them complete many difficult
pieces and we want to say thank you to everyone who participated in any way during the four years
this project has been going.
It has been very humbling for me to oversee this project emotionally, therapeutically and practically
and I am very proud of all who have engaged in this process. There have been many tears, much
laughter, food and lots of respectful banter. Seeing the finished quilt re-emphasises the importance of
storytelling within our communities and the need for exploring the past which has been healing to all
those involved. My hope is that when you see this marvellous quilt project it will help you to draw
out your own personal experience of living over 40 years of conflict in Northern Ireland and bring
enlightenment to you also.
Velma Irvine
Outreach Case Worker
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Project Facilitator
After all the brainstorming was done it was now my responsibility to get
everyone to begin work on the quilt, my biggest problem was getting
people to come from the view of, “I can’t do that” to “I’ll try” or “Oh I can”.
My greatest pleasure was seeing their faces when they did.
Personally, I had forgot a lot of what happened in “The Troubles” but
working on the quilt brought a lot of what happened back to me. I am a
person that lives for today and what has happened in the past, is gone and
there is nothing you can do to change it. However, I quickly recognised that this was a very selfish
view as there are a lot of people that are still suffering from what happened to their friends and family.
With this in mind, if by working on the quilt it has helped them or even just one person, then this has
been a very worthwhile project.
I have worked on many other community quilts and I am very proud of the work that my students
and I have completed, however, this quilt is very special and will be my proudest work. It is priceless.
There have been times of tears, lots of laughter and I am glad to say a great sense of fellowship. I am
also proud to say I have made a lot of new friends, in fact, friends for life and a special mention to all
the cooks as many a Friday after a long week thinking of what was for lunch in WAVE gave me the
boost I needed to go that extra mile. Working on a project like this you get to know people very well
and it has been very humbling to have had the privilege of sharing in their inner thoughts and feelings.
Believe me when I say I got more from the quilt than I gave and once again thank you all.
“If I am to be remembered for the gift God has given me in my hands, let it be for the
‘Remembrance Quilt’ as being my greatest work”
God bless everyone who was involved, everyone who done little or lots, I value your worth. It has
been a great experience for me, thank-you to each and every one of you.
Rosemarie McGrath
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I choose my particular panel because it was a picture of me being
taken to hospital after being in a bomb explosion in May 1976. I have
only in the last three years seen this picture of myself as I never wanted
to know any information on what had happened as for thirty years I
referred to my injuries as being from an accident instead of a bomb
explosion.
Being a participant in the quilt with other people who had also suffered through the ‘Troubles’ made
me feel comfortable to talk about the explosion.
For a long time I was embarrassed to tell people that I had been blown up. I now know that
what has happened to me was not an accident but a result of the Troubles in Northern Ireland and
not my fault.
I have come away from this experience with some great friends and the confidence and the ability to
talk about my traumatic experience which I’m now dealing with much better.
Tina Vernon
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I came to WAVE nearly 5 years ago for help after being intimidated out of
my family home of 45 years.
Being a participant in this project helped to lift my mind. Working in a
group with people who have all been through difficult times and sharing
each other’s stories was encouraging.
I felt proud that I had achieved so much. Seeing it all come together was really good for me and of
course I am really pleased with the final result.
In terms of the positive outcomes I experienced, I would say that I got my confidence by working
with other people again. Also talking to others in the group taught me so much in terms of my own
experiences and what others have gone through.
I decided to work on the panel with the ‘Car Bomb’ as I was sitting in a bar with others when we
had to evacuate it because there was a bomb in a van. We walked by the van and within 30 minutes
it had exploded damaging a lot of buildings. I was not far away from it and seeing the wreckage of it
reminded me of this time.
I could have been in the middle of it if someone had not noticed the wires in the van.
Patricia McWilliams
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The reason for me choosing to work on a piece representing the Royal
Victoria Hospital is that it made such an impact in my life as a student
nurse in 1975.
The main corridor was the hub of activity during the day; wards one to
twenty were on one side with administration, lifts to theatres and in the
middle a shop kiosk which served staff visitors and patients alike.
With ‘The Royal’ being so close to the city centre it got the majority of casualties during the
‘Troubles’. On hearing on the media of explosions, medical and nursing staff came to lend a hand
on their day off; this enabling patients to be treated sooner. Two patients (one victim/one a bomber)
could be treated next to each other as all patients received one hundred percent care irrespective of
who they were. One of the things that frightened me and the nurses was when we pushed through
the heavy plastic doors; this startled the soldiers who were guarding the patients by turning the rifles
on us.
The Royal Victoria Hospital is known worldwide for its expertise in dealing with trauma and many
doctors have come from around the world to gain experience in that field.
Sadly the hospital I remember is gone and a new one stands in its place; but the memories live on.
Eithne Fleming
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Quilt Pre
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paration
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I chose to complete a panel depicting the funeral of my dear brother.
It had taken me a considerable amount of time in being able to face the
memory of the terrible events as it was too painful. The church had to
be ‘perfect’ and this was achieved by closely replicating photographs.
In doing so and in working on this panel with help from others meant so
much to me, it helped me get some peace, closure and acceptance.
Sourcing full length photographs was a problem as most were waste high.
I took more photographs of the buildings and surrounding area in order to obtain greater detail.
This Hymn “Make Me a Channel of Your Peace” which we sang at my brother’s funeral is very
personal to me and will always remind me of my brother.
“Make me a channel of your peace
Where there’s despair in life, let me hope
Where there is darkness, only light
And where there’s sadness, ever joy”.
The memories of my brother’s funeral opened up emotions which I hadn’t previously dealt with,
however WAVE provided me with support by taking part in this project.
I felt it was cathartic in moving from trauma to inner peace.
Sandra Riddell
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As a child before the ‘Troubles’ I lived beside a ‘B’ Special range and my
father was on the ‘B’ Specials. We had the range as a play-place when there
were no practices going on. Being young, it was amazing what we could
make out of spent bullets and the debris left behind at the range. Our
imagination ran riot when we were at the range.
But growing up, I realised things were more serious than I ever imagined.
In addition to this my best friend’s brother was killed during the ‘Troubles’. I have experienced the
sadness and hurt this had on her and the family.
None of us had the experience of making a quilt, and in the beginning I honestly thought we
would be stitching together pieces of textile. It wasn’t anything like that! We had to learn
the skills of quilt making whilst reengaging with our difficult past. That wasn’t easy, but we
all did it with the support of each other. I for example also worked on the H-Block panel. I didn’t
like it at all, whether it was a reminder of bad times or something else I don’t know, but I could
accept it as a piece that was important for others and part of our history. We were all on a journey
together.
I have nothing but utmost pride and appreciation to the other participants who suffered greatly and
shared their stories within this quilt.
Margaret White
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Participants pers
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“This quilt to me summarises
and exemplifies creatively many painful
memories including my own which we
live with everyday. Hopefully this
quilt will touch people’s hearts and give them
the opportunity to share the pain and
suffering our communities suffered
with comfort and healing.”
“I hope lots of people in this
country see this quilt and have their
Eithne
reflections about it,
Fleming
but I hope it does not bring too many
sad memories.
We are supposed to be moving on as a
“From experiencing the
community and country.”
bomb explosion I never really dealt
with it until recently when I received
help and support from WAVE.
Margaret
I hope this quilt shows others if we
White
deal with our problems we can move
on as people and as a country”.
Tina
Vernon
onal statements
“I found a real sense of pride and
satisfaction in taking part
in this project and in seeing the various
panels coming to life.
I experienced mixed emotions during
the process but the achievement
was tangible.”
Sandra
Riddell
“From experiencing a personal
trauma I was given support from the
Ballymoney WAVE centre which helped me regain my
life back and feel part of society again. When I was asked
to be part of this project I didn’t think I would be strong
enough emotionally to do it, but with the support of other
participants I was surprised how much I enjoyed it and my
capabilities. Seeing the quilt grow gave me a sense of pride
alongside making very good friends. I have been on a journey
of healing and this quilt has been a big part of it.
Without the support from WAVE and my family I
would not be where I am today.”
Patricia
McWilliams
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Over the period of four years, numerous individuals and organisations contributed to the making of
this quilt. We want to express our sincere thanks to everybody who made this quilt come alive.
Many in WAVE worked on the quilt directly; others provided for example much needed emotional
support, delicious food, textiles or background research. For all of them, it was a time consuming
and emotional journey. Thanks to Agnes, Alison, Brian, Christine, Eithne, Elaine, Elizabeth, Emma,
Francis, Hilary, Jimmy, Karen, Katie, Laura, Margaret, Michillo, Patricia, Sandra, Shauna, Stephanie,
Rodney, Tina, Vanda and all the others involved.
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Quilt Maker Rosemarie McGrath and Outreach Worker Velma Irvine supported the project
throughout. Former WAVE Ballymoney Project Manager Pat McCauley started the venture,
followed by Dawn Love, Alan McBride, Gary Mullan and Sonja Tammen. Many staff at WAVE Trauma
Centre assisted with the making of the quilt and the booklet. Libraries, museums, hospitals and other
institutions offered the necessary background information to create an authentic picture of the events
displayed in the quilt. Others got involved by taking pictures or producing the booklet; image zoo and
Coleraine Printing Company were skilful partners in completing this task.
This project was funded by Ballymoney Borough Council, Coleraine Borough Council and
Inner Wheel Ballymoney as well as the Community Relations Council and the Victims and Survivors
Service on behalf of the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister.
Thanks to everybody. The “Quilt of Remembrance” could not have happened without you!
COLERAINE
BOROUGH COUNCIL
This publication is funded by Ballymoney Borough Council Good Relations
COLERAINE
BOROUGH COUNCIL
Layers of Memories
Thank you to all who helped with
the “Quilt of Remembrance”
Quilt Prepara
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LAYERS
COLERAINE
BOROUGH COUNCIL
of