Families -An early piece on Northern Ireland Copyright Robert Fullarton 2007

 Families

-An early piece on Northern Ireland

Copyright Robert Fullarton 2007

Introduction

It was 1924.

There was a short break in the bout of troublesome affairs which afflicted the surrounding lands. The island of Ireland was divided literally not just ethnically, religiously and politically, it was written on paper, in the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1922. The Northern Ireland Government at Stormont in Belfast was set up. Paranoia and deep distrust arose amongst the loyalist Protestant people of the newly formed state, against their Catholic

Irish countrymen and now the boundaries were formed from the blood that divided entire communities. Catholic people became subject to harassment, boycotting and sectarian intimidation. There were pogroms on the streets of Belfast. Both peoples of Northern Ireland felt threatened and under siege both mentally, physically and geographically. The Loyalist B Specials were formed that same year out of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) there job was to put down all intimidation to the new state and suppress the movements of Republicanism. They kept a close watch on the boundaries of north and south Ireland. They were a reserve police force and many were part time in there services. While the Irish Republican Army and the Irish treaty Irregulars launched hit and run attacks across the border and local IRA men in South Armagh and county Tyrone  carried out ethnic cleansing on the Protestant population through murdering, pillaging, burning and kidnapping prominent Orangemen and other authorities.

The actions of men such as these set in motion the violence of the coming generations and the beginning of a terror war of ideology from the heart to the mind and in the culture fed to the young.

This is the background to the story at hand here.

Set in 1924 showing the story and prominence of two men on both communities and the isolation from their families, a power struggle a confrontation and a tragedy that strikes the lives not just two families but also two communities.

It charts the events of the Campbell family from Co. Antrim and the Donnelly’s from Co.Tyrone.

Chapter 1

The assignment

The sun rose high in the crimson sky above the peak of Slemish on the mountains of Antrim. A lone buzzard hovered about swooping low to catch a hapless rabbit for an early morning breakfast. The presence of God could be clearly felt across the lands, as the grey austere menacing clouds were blown away by the wind that blew across the valley and across the shimmering water. No man dwelt in the surrounding glens and so peace reigned supreme. The air was fresh and there was a feeling of great serene power in the landscape forged from the mind of God. Only a couple of miles east one could be taken anew in romance from the sheer beauty that hits the eye. The smell of the salty sea the sights of the ships moving through the coast coming from Stranrear in Scotland to Larne a couple of miles south east. Yes it was a tranquil summer’s day at the heart of the month of June. The landscape is rich in the colour green like an almighty brush that painted the valleys, plains and forests of Antrim.

                                                                       In the tiny little village of Carncastle or Cairncastle as it is also known as, there was an adorable traditional thatch cottage beside an enchanting little forest not far from the main old stoney road. Larne was only 7 miles south east and close to the neighbouring village of Ballygally. There were eloquent Tudor styled local Presbyterian and Anglican churches. At the window on the second floor of the large cottage there was a young woman who outstretched her arms opening the ivory coloured silver paneled windows. The sun beamed right through the windows offering warmth while the sound of the Robin and the joy of the Blackbird gave her a morning’s song and an earful of inner calm. The young woman wore a citron coloured pair of pyjamas and had her wavy, chestnut brown hair tied back She was the only daughter of the Campbell family who originally owned a large house with an estate in Carncastle but who recently moved to the Belmont estate in east Belfast, not far from the Stormont Parliament.

The woman was beautiful and her skin was sallow in complexion and her eyes were the focal point of a man’s attraction, for they were the colour of emerald marble and her cheeks were rosy. Her looks come from her mother’s side of the family who were descendants of French Huguenots who had settled on the shores of Larne and Carrickfergus. Her name was Emma Campbell, the only daughter of a local RUC police sergeant and former factory owner on the building of parts and navigational development for the Royal Air force stationed beside the town of Larne.

Her mother Cecelia was as a senior hard experienced worker in the linen mills in Belfast.

Emma had two sibling brothers. One of her brothers, Michael who was a shoemaker’s apprentice and studying a degree in theology in the Queen’s University the other brother David was applying for service in the RUC near the city center. They moved over five years ago as a result of Andrew deciding quite on a random turn to join the police force and the family wanted a change of pace from the quite Antrim countryside.

                                                                                               That morning Emma sat in the small sun drenched kitchen eating porridge and drinking down several cups of tea from the pot that was freshly made by her mother. She sat by herself pondering innocently on what outing, what caper and adventure would the family get up to today. Maybe they would all take their bicycles out and cycle up to the glens not far to the north or go on a daytrip to the seaside somewhere. The weather was a promising sign and by now it was twenty five minutes past seven in the morning. Her father had been awake since before seven o’clock and he had been out on bicycle to the local bakery returning swiftly home with some freshly baked rolls. Andrew was an athletic man for his age with a good muscle tone, with a good head of slick black hair. He went nearly everywhere on his Raleigh bicycle and he was obsessed            with the construction and engineering of trains and particularly planes. He was an avid reader of English Victorian era novella and Irish playwrights such as George Bernard Shaw. He also enjoyed reading his bible on a Sunday afternoon for he was a self convinced Presbyterian. While he caressed his solitude he often sat on the deckchair in the garden smoking his pipe and laughing reading the criticism from the Belfast Telegraph on the local plays in the Ulster Hall.

There was a healthy relationship from the rest of the family to their father, whom they saw as a rather idiosyncratic man but a uniquely driven and aspiring man who poured his energy into the work involved with every major job he held. He inherited a small fortune from his father along with his factory which he worked in particular on horse drawn carriages and it manufactured the body work of trains on the old Belfast-Dublin line. Andrew later converted the factory into a mechanical engineering workshop which made the propellers along side many other parts including the wheels and the engine itself. The factory was used later on in good praise as a site for model aircraft on the Royal Air Force.

          Andrew sat in the kitchen dividing in half a large roll for his daughter. He then poured out two cups of tea and they began to chat quietly, because the rest of the family was still asleep in bed upstairs. “Good morning sunshine! It’s a Lovely day for an outing later this afternoon, but not before going to church at half ten.’’

Emma was still quite asleep and in a dozy state, but she responded cheerfully to his delightful manner. “Good morning daddy! I didn’t know that you were up and out so early this morning, I’m surprised’’

“I like to keep myself busy, and look after my own family’’, he responded with a slight grin on his face.

She then added excitedly “What are we getting up to for Michael’s birthday next week, maybe we could go on a trip down to Bangor or maybe stay on here in Carncastle for another week.’’

 Andrew laughed before responding “I have to return to work tomorrow and you young lady have to return to college. I’ve got to catch up on some much needed paperwork that should have been done already” they both chirped and laughed together at the table eating their breakfast. “When you’re finished eating go and get dressed and be ready to go to church at half past ten, I will wake up the rest of the family. Their like a couple of warthogs lying up there in bed probably snoring their heads off’’ he said cheerfully as they both smiled and laughed.

He strolled slowly out into the garden for an hour, reading an old newspaper and eating a scone with jam on top while occasionally sipping his cup of tea which he left perched on the right hand side of the garden chair. In his heart he missed the quiet life in the countryside and he lamented solemnly the disappearance of his much frequented social outings with his collages and several employees at the old factory. He sold the factory to an English entrepreneur who tried to turn the factory into a permanent Royal air force base and to clear the space for a small runway.

Upstairs Michael and David shared a room together with two small beds in a pokey but attractive little room and Mr. and Mrs. Campbell slept in a large finely decorated room with a double bed coated in fine linen with soft feather pillows and a closet that had a fine old Georgian dated mirror which was made in Kilmarnock in Scotland. It belonged to Andrew’s dad who came from Kilmarnock and emigrated over to Ballymena in Co. Antrim.

          Michael woke up in his bed and stretched his arms, letting out a roar of a yawn. He rose to his feet and called to David. “Are ye getting up or what!, today’s Sunday so I am going to the races with or without yah’’ David had his eyes closed and was facing the right hand wall with the covers gripped in his hands, grunted and told him to “go away”

At the breakfast table Michael sat down and was shortly joined by the tired and dishevelled looking David, “It’s only nine o’clock” he said wearily

Michael was munching on a piece of bread and talking at the same time.

 “Last night you drank too much and ye were wasting you’re time with them girls afterwards, they play a game with you’re mind, don’t bother, Protestant girls are too tight to live with, at least around here, sheer their all controlled by their father’s anyway”

David began to speak “I only got drunk in the pub because I knew that straight afterwards I would call around to visit Sarah, and maybe have a chance with some of the other girls in Ballygally. I forgot everything I had planned to say to Sarah, I guess I find courting a lady very frightening. If only there were no games involved and two people could let their emotions be known to one another.”

“What’s there to eat anyway,” he stopped abruptly “you know I hate horse racing so why did you ask the question in the first place”

   “I only wanted to get out for the day, before I’ve got to head back to work tomorrow”,

said Michael.

 David was a sensitive man, he was a genuine man who had been recently denied a position within the local branch of the RUC, he felt depressed inside because he was unemployed and he had to constantly borrow money from his father and his reluctant brother.

           

At half past ten the Campbell family sat at the third pew from the front. The wooden seats smelt fresh with a coat of varnish and the little church itself in Carncastle was crowded with parishioners, all dressed up fancy for Sunday church. The men wore suits some wearing ties, with shinny black shoes and neatly pressed trousers and the women had their hair tied back and they wore fine jewellery, some women also were wearing fancy hats. The congregation had all come out because there was the annual summer fair on afterwards. People from miles around would often turn up. There were cakes on display and fine champagne and white wine. The young lads would occupy their time playing a round of cricket or playing a quick game of rugby, but more popular to their interest was to flirt with some of the young ladies that occasionally turned up. People from Glenarm,

Carncastle, Ballygally and Larne would generally go to the fair.

The old Presbyterian church dated back to the days of the 17^th century planters, who came from Scotland across the Clyde and over to the shores of Ulster.

The Rev. Robert Moore was the local minister of the parish. He was a man who enveloped and gave out the words of a true pacifist; he took truly to heart the words of the Gospel and the teaching of universal humanity that was preached by Christ himself.

Robert was friends with many Catholics from county Tyrone and in particular with one of the local priests in Cushendall in the North of Antrim.

His sermons reached the heart of the congregation, he was gifted with great oratory skills and he envisioned a true joining of the Protestant and Catholic people of Ireland in harmony.

He spoke to his parishioners this Sunday on the subject of St Luke. He spoke in a soft and pleasant tone.

“He came to be known as the most literate and affluent of the apostles who travelled with St.Paul on his varied journeys facing death every day, but not giving up because the presence of Christ had not left the apostles at all they were driven with a spirit of brotherhood and salvation to the needy the afflicted and to oppressors themselves.

His Gospel is seen by many as the most accurate, but truthfully all four Gospels show a different side to the man that God encompassed it shows how he lived on Earth amongst common normal men.”

                                   He finished his sermon and said the blessing before the final hymn was sung out. After the service he chatted privately with Andrew Campbell while his family waited outside the grounds. The congregation walked out slowly chatting and greeting each other. The weather was still warm and the birds could be heard chirping outside in wondrous beauty. They spoke in confidence to one another.

“So Mr. Campbell I wanted to have a wee chat with you about something.

You’re a member of the Orange Lodge over in Larne, well you must know the grandmaster of the Lodge Alastair McDonald.”

“Aye what about him?”

“Andrew, he came to visit me last night with several men from the order and two prominent men from the Specials. It was about half ten at night, I was lying in bed when I had a visit from them. Alastair spoke to me in a hushed tone sounding nice and friendly.

“Ah sorry to disturb ye, did I wake ye up!”

“No, its fine, what seems to be the problem, MR. McDonald” I said

 “the problem is, the fact you’re preaching republican, fenian ideology

to people in these villages. You’re supposed to be a man of God but you’re preaching for the Vatican and the popery of the Free Staters!

Now the real reason were here is the fact that you were helping fenians in Belfast trying to give them our jobs. Furthermore if you ever speak out against the marching season next month, or continue being a fenian lover, we’ll burn ye from yer home and give ye good kick about. Do ye understand?”

He made me so angry inside myself I spoke out to him in as brave a manner as I could. “You have no right to put an entire people down, and I am a man of God, but you’re not, I don’t give a damn what you savages do to me, go on and feck off to yer Orange Halls, you bloody animals!”

I gave them all a good look of defiance, but they simply spat on the ground and shouted curse words at me. One of them, a Young lad had a knife in his hand with a large wooden baton. I think he was a member of the specials too. At first I thought they were going to strike me down or smash the windows of my house.

Instead they looked at me and laughed at me they walked off and in the distance I heard McDonald mutter

“We’ll keep an eye on the fenian lover, aye?”

I was awake that night just thinking about that whole episode in my mind.

Maybe I am frightened deep down. I need you’re help Andrew, please, you’re

A sergeant in Belfast city. McDonald can’t control this neck of the woods forever,

Now can he?”

“I can’t believe McDonald would threaten a man of the cloth with such violence,

I’m disgusted with him and with the Order for allowing him to become Grandmaster.

I tell you what, I will leave immediately tomorrow and I’ll have a word with the Commissioner himself, we’ll watch him. If he goes near you I’ll take action against him on grounds of the Protection of Church and state statutes.”

“Thanks for doing a favor for Me.” said Rev. Moore

The pair smiled and said farewell to one another. The Campbell’s began to walk off into the distance and the Rev. Moore looked anxiously ahead with a worried look on his face

Michael and David both made a clear decision to get out for the day to their own leisure on the tram to Larne to go watch a football match and later to meet up with a couple of friends of theirs. Emma made a conscious decision to go of with her parents to the seaside in Glenarm. They traveled on their bikes which they went back to collect at the cottage after the church service.

On Monday morning the family were back to their regular routine like clockwork in Belfast City. At nine o’clock in the morning Andrew Campbell was looking in the mirror fixing his tie and putting braces around his shirt, which he covered with a smooth suede coat. He wore a fancy black hat and he smoke a thinly rolled cigarette which he smoke while he walked out the door. He gave a quick wave and a flash of a smile to Cecilia and Emma who were both in the kitchen eating breakfast in a mad rush to get on schedule.

Andrew walked up the roads and watched people going to and fro across several streets

He strolled happily quite contently after a thoroughly enjoyable weekend into the RUC station near York St.

The police station dated back to Victorian times, it was quite wide both vertically and horizontally. There were numerous policemen some worked on the typewriter others answered calls while other men went through various files regarding notorious republican prisoners and one man sat questioning another man. They all wore navy blue police uniforms and most of them carried a large baton for protection, some even carried guns if necessary for protection or even intimidation.

He walked in greeting several colleagues and smiled a toothy grin to his supervisor the Commissioner himself.

He spoke in a rather cynical and austere manner, he gave off the idea that he was made of aristocratic roots. He sounded more like an upper class Oxford professor.

“Ah! Good morning to you Mr. Campbell I trust you’re weekend went wonderfully”

“I always adore a weekend break” said Andrew trying to start a conversation cheerfully.

“Ah! Wonderful, I need to talk with you post haste, step inside for a moment, I will discuss things with you privately.”

They strolled into a small office at the far right corner of the room.

The commissioner sat at his desk, lighting a cigarette while he spoke.

“Take a seat”

“Republican activities in the past couple of years have threatened the safety of this state itself. The Protestant people are threatened particularly in the border areas, especially while raids have occurred across the border with the Free State. The Protestant people look to men in the Specials to guard and maintain the border area and to intern any republican troublemakers. The IRA will not get a foot in our doorway. Lord Craigavon himself has had to increase the number of regular RUC recruits and to increase the powers of the Specials in keeping law and order. Hundreds have died in mob street battles in Belfast and in other areas of the country. Innocent protestant people have been murdered in a most gruesome fashion, including kidnapping pillaging on rural farmland

and the very threats from the Free State itself keeps the men on their toes. I have thought well and hard on many good decisive plans of action and I want you to lead an investigation with several B men to the site of brutal murders near Pomeroy Co. Tyrone.

I will give you the file on the matter, it will brief you on all you need to know.”

He handed a large brown paper envelope to him. Andrew looked concentrating hard on what to say.

“Thanks for this appointment, I won’t let you down, I’ll take the train down to Dungannon, tomorrow morning at nine o’clock sharp.”

“By the way I need ask for a favor from you”

“Yes,”

“In my home village of Carncastle, the local Reverend has received threats against his life from several members of the Order including two B men. I know this man, he’s a good friend of mine and I’m worried for his safety. I am going to inform you and the police to keep an eye on him and on Alastair Mc Donald, grandmaster of the Orange Lodge in Larne.”

                          “I will see what I can do. I’ve got to go off I’m afraid, my wife and I are scheduled to have lunch with the mayor and a quick visit to the botanical gardens afterwards. Good look on the investigation”

He walked out briskly carrying with him a fancy Swiss watch, which he glanced at from time to time.

Mr. Campbell sat upright in the old leather chair studying and scouring the information on the file. He muttered quietly to himself “I don’t fancy all the work involved, but it might bring that long deserved promotion I’ve been after.”

That night he sat quietly beside the kitchen table talking to Cecilia.

“I’ve got go on an important assignment tomorrow to Co. Tyrone

I am meeting up with the others at the station. I’ll be up and wide awake by about seven o’clock. I’ve left fifty pounds in case of an emergency.”

Cecilia was exhausted after a hard days work in the linen mills and she seemed distant and distracted to the words he spoke in general.

“Don’t worry I wont need the money, I hope that everything goes well I’ll make some sandwiches for you if you like”

He responded in laughter “Just like my schooldays going on a trip up to Coleraine, me mam in the kitchen making food”

“I’m tired and I’m not in the mood for pleasantries, I’ve got to get some sleep.”

She stated rather sternly.

“Go off then!” he shouted angrily

Emma slept peacefully upstairs with not a sound heard from her.

They both decided to go to sleep and rest for what tomorrow had to hold for each of them.