Mothers Of War

"Get out your bin lids ."

Screamed the mothers of sons who were dragged out of their beds in the middled by British troops s in my little village of Ardoyne .

Men and boys over sixteen years of age were rounded up and thrown into the back of armoured cars and trucks .

Mothers stood in shock helpless to protect their little homes as British troops kicked in front doors and went on a wild rampage wrecking furniture and destroying household items .

The loud rattling sound of bin lids banging on the streets was the way Mothers sent a warning signal that the night raids had started . Some men and boys were able to escape before the troops arrived at their door .

Internment was an act that enabled the British troops to arrest and place into prisons anyone without trail who was considered a terrorist .

Within a week of the introduction of internment Mothers of the district had lost their sons . They were taken from their homes and put into into prison camps like The Maze at Long Kesh and on ships like The Maidstone .

Soon the cemeteries and prisons all over Northern Ireland were full .

No room was left to bury or intern the victims of a harsh and cruel system .

Mothers had to come together united in their effort to be heard .

The male population of mu district had slowly being eroded .

Daily confrontations of Mothers and British soldiers saw ugly scenes .

I saw a Mother shot in the eye at point blank range with a rubber bullet by a British soldier who could not handle the situation .

The focus of Mothers now was justice .

Wide support came in from overseas thanks to American media sources who got the story out . The ranks of Mothers now were swelling .

Global awareness of the situation became a big thorn in the side of politicians who went all out in their effort to stop the Irish republican Army from gathering strength in Northern Ireland .

Interment was seen as a method to get the terrorists off the street . But the real truth of it was many innocent men were placed in prison camps without trial .

Mothers were now left alone to rear their small babies .

Young children had lost their brothers and their Dads .

The Government of the day introduced an archaic method called internment to end conflict . But it did just the opposite , it increased it .

As photographs of bruised bodies and inhuman conditions got out some Mothers could not contain their anger and frustration .

Some with a vendetta to settle they took matters into their own hands .

There were mothers who took rosary beads into their hands and said prayers night and day for the troubles to end . The churches were full of people praying daily for God intervene and bring peace again to the land .

Others had an axe to grind and a cause to follow . So instead of rosary beads they took up arms and did training with the paramilitaries who taught them how to make and plant bombs . These mothers of mayhem went all out in an effort to send out a message to the establishment . God help us all .

Many lives were destroyed .

The only solution was that there was no solution .

When that hit home districts like mine all over the province became battlegrounds .

After a number of years internment had an impact on each side of the religious divide . Now loyalist paramilitary members had been placed in the prison camps as well as Irish Republican prisoners .

One by one Irish mothers began to loose sons who went on hunger strikes in these interment camps .

Standing on the precipice now were catholic mothers and protestant mothers who both wanted things to change . A new day had dawned and the only way forward was together .

Mothers of a new day joined ranks and stood side by side for the sake of their children and the future of Northern Ireland .

Linked together by their suffering common ground was found .

Mothers spoke to their sons in prison and to Government leaders .

International support grew and now regular meetings and prayer groups were organized for mothers of freedom .

In the troubled years this event was unparalleled .

Even though some had their heads shaved and were punished these Mothers continued to stand against violence and those who tried to control their districts . In front of their so called leaders they stood defiant .

They had separated themselves from protests and martyrdom of the past .

They had unleashed an new force on the conflict .

It was called motherly love .

Stop the fighting now , they said . We've had enough .

Put away your guns and bombs . Stop the killing .

Freedom of speech could not be denied .

Each new day brought more mothers together in their effort to change how things had been .

A generation had already tried to battle it out . That had failed .

Now it was their turn to try something different .

They chose life for their children and a peaceful future instead of conflict .

The message was driven home through the doors of democracy and behind the halls of justice ,

Agreements were now being made between the paramilitaries and the government .

A new kind of trust developed .

The complexity of a mother love brought about concessions between every side of political and religious movements and now what followed was the welcome release of some internees from the camps .

One again the laughter of children returned to the streets of Northern Ireland .

Homes again were harbours of hope and the family unit had been reunited .

By Paul McCann

The End