Ordinary men, from across NI, who have been through extraordinary situations, penned a glimpse into their incredibly brave lives
Ordinary local men, who have been in extraordinary situations suffering unbelievable trauma and serious illness, have managed to capture their memories with humour in an amazing book of short stories.
It was an emotional night at Craigavon Civic Centre as some of the men took to the podium at the launch of 'Our Stories, It Happened to Me' on Monday night.
-
-
Part of a very successful group HIM run by Fitzone in Craigavon, they spent 2 years, guided and encouraged by author and poet Martelle McPartland.
HIM (Health In Mind) was set up by Fitzone founder Sean Collins who noticed many women’s groups but few places for men to call their own.
With the backing of Fitzone and Martelle, the men dug deep into their past and wrote some of the most amazing stories of heart break, courage, pain and resilience.
Martelle said: “These men sat down not as writers, but as witnesses to their own lives. For many, it was the first time they’d spoken certain truths – even to themselves.”
Martelle revealed the ‘process was raw, emotional, overwhelming’. "They are not just life stories. They are testaments to resilience in the face of unimaginable trauma.”
Vivian O’Dowd, the eldest of 8 children, lived in a thatched-roof house of mud and stone in Ballydougan which was filled with the chaos and laughter of a large family. Getting up to mischief with his cousins was part of the craic growing up followed by a break in a Carmelite College to train as a priest. It was not to be and when Vivian left school he started as a barman in McGreavy’s Inn in Lurgan.
Later, after being made redundant from a Lurgan factory in 1970, he bought a Honda 50 and went on holiday with his cousin Barry. “Little did I know then that Barry would be dead in six years,” he wrote.
It was January 4, 1976 and Barry’s family were having a party with 16 people including women and children. “A number of gunmen entered the house shooting dead Barry, aged 24, his brother Declan, aged 19 and their Uncle Joe aged 61. My uncle Barney, Barry and Declan’s father who was the local milkman, was wounded, shot 5 times.”
That trauma overshadowed Vivian’s life forever – ‘the happy carefree days of our growing up in Ballydougan were gone.”
David Cooney, recalls ‘The Beast that almost took my life’ sharing the story of a brutal workplace accident – a gripping machine trapping his body, slowly squeezing it until he passes out before he is eventually saved.
"I remember asking my wife to switch everything off and let me go,” he says. He fought and lived. His story is one of huge heroism and strength after a life-changing injury.
Retired firefighter Eugene Greene recalls the callouts during the 70s at the height of the Troubles but there are many things Eugene still can’t talk about to this day – the trauma is so deep.
The Lurgan man shares how as a fireman he was expected to enter a building in the 70s, something which is not done today. Back then he was blown from a building by a bomb blast – losing his Wellington boots which must have been blown off him.
In 1979, while on duty in Belfast, Eugene was tasked to bring a turntable ladder to an incident in Warrenpoint. “Nothing could prepare us for what we were about to see. It was a scene of total devastation, two bombs had exploded outside Narrow Water Castle,” he said
"When I have occasion to drive past, it is hard not to revisit the horrors of that day.”
Peter Morris, who’s brother Pat was also in a showband and met Elvis Presley, found his escape from the Troubles through music – he joined a showband aged just 17.
A Strabane man, he played across the country with a number of showbands but when work became scarce in 1968 Peter and his wife Ann moved to Craigavon where he got a job in the newly opened Good Year factory. As well as starting a new group ‘Spring Fever’ Peter, Ann and four others started a new club called Eire Og GAA Club.
After the loss of his son Peter to cancer in 2016 and his wife Annie who died last year, Peter struggled until he joined Fitzone HIM. “It gave me a reason to get up in the mornings,” he said.
Jim Conlon, a former dental technician, recalls the absurdity of the conflict – once standing before a soldier with a pocket full of false teeth. He said: “I have a lot of teeth in my pocket.” The soldier replied: “If you don’t empty your pockets … you’ll have a lot more.”
Gordon Owens journey through Covid and almost death. It’s not just the physical toll it has taken on him but the fear that lingers. He calls it ‘the Covid cloud.”
Tony Campbell shares the devastating memory of his sister Martha, aged 13, shot in Springhill, Belfast as she returned from Mass. It was grief beyond belief. “It didn’t sem right that she should be in that coffin.”
Paul McVeigh spoke about his early life in Aghagallon, surrounded by the warmth of a large loving family and a mother who he says was ‘the glue that kept our family together’.
He writes about living in Craigavon during the Troubles. "Within a few miles of our home, we witnessed random shootings which left grieving families heart broken and decimated.”
Brendan Cassidy worked as a conductor in the Falls Road Depot where he was hijacked 3 times at gunpoint and his bus burnt out. “Meeting Patricia Montgomery was the best thing to have happened in my life. She is dead now five years and I miss her greatly.”
If you would like a copy of the book, please contact the Fitzone at Legahorry, Craigavon Tel 07780 812312 or email [email protected]
.