A potential story idea that kept crossing my path is the story of Martin Corey, an IRA-volunteer in 1973 who was arrested, then released in 1992, and arrested again in recent years. Unfortunately for many reasons, this was not to be. (I do recommend a quick google though, you won’t be disappointed).
And so I find myself circling around an original idea that seems like more of an existential quest:
What does it mean to be Irish today?
It should be noted that I’m asking this question at an interesting point in history, given the looming Scottish vote for Independence. Due to come in September, there are a number of articles arguing the potential effects of the Independence vote on Northern Ireland. Most of these articles are coming from large cities and political centres- Belfast, London, the BBC etc. I’m interested to see what the people of Armagh think of such an issue. Will the Scottish Independence vote change the feelings of the inhabitants of Armagh? Does it make them feel any more or less tied to the United Kingdom? And what does it really mean to be an inhabitant of Northern Ireland today?
There are specialists and scholars crying for a “crisis in unionism“, saying that an independent Scotland would kickstart the transition “from Great Britain to little Britain“. But I’m curious, does small-town Northern Ireland truly feel those close ties to the U.K? Or would Scotland’s independence just mean a smaller United Kingdom?
Clare Bonnyman 