Victims group exhibition in Armagh cathedral spotlights 600 Troubles lives lost and marks strain on women during conflict
A victims’ group’s Troubles exhibition in an Armagh cathedral spotlights almost 600 lives lost during the conflict while “highlighting the futility of violence”.
Opening today in St Patrick’s Church of Ireland cathedral, it will see memorial quilts created by volunteers working with the group SEFF on display until May 21.
A new tapestry will also be unveiled during a special service of remembrance, thanksgiving and reflection on the afternoon of Sunday 17th. Titled ‘the Quiet Courage’, the new piece reflects the strength of women during the Troubles years, when they were often the anchor within families and communities.
Panels on the memorial quilts remember approximately 600 victims, men, women and children who lost their lives to paramilitary violence.
Said SEFF director Kenny Donaldson: “The quilts humanise those being remembered, who may be said to be ordinary people but were extraordinary to those who knew them best.”
The quilts on display have themes ranging from remembering innocents to uniting innocent victims, as well as commemorating the legacies of those who lost their lives and highlighting that terrorism knows no borders.
The exhibition also includes SEFF’s organisational tapestry, which depicts a tree whose branches represent growth and development over the years.
Mr Donaldson continued: "Each of the quilts reflects core messages we wish to represent through the lives being remembered and honoured.
“The basis for the quilts comes from comments made through the years by many families – that no-one remembers them, no-one cares, they are forgotten. The SEFF family always remembers and will continue to, ensuring that the true legacy of those taken is preserved.”
Individuals and groups from across Armagh and beyond, including schools, are all welcome to the exhibition, he added, and SEFF personnel will be on hand throughout.
The organisation is also to make a collection of interviews available on the SEFF YouTube channel, featuring the stories of women who carried the strain of the Troubles or were part of families in which female members had to take on new roles as a result of loss during the conflict.
Mr Donaldson added: “SEFF’s doors are open to all who meet our ethos. The organisation is not defined by constitutional politics or denominational religion; it’s our values that unite us, consistent opposition to all criminal violence.”