Minute by minutes

My second steering committee call was 31 January, from 10pm - 11:30 pm. Not a bright eyed and bushy tailed time for me. I wrote as fast as I could with an aim of providing a verbatim report. Not easy when you don't know shorthand. I spent Friday typing up the handwritten notes into a 10-page document, single spaced. A long day. My reward was watching a show on my laptop called Cold Feet, which has a wonderful cast, including James Nesbitt.

Saturday night Ann O'Dwyer invited me to join her at a play about a man who served in the Ulster Defense Regiment. Afterward, there was a panel discussion featuring three UDR veterans. The UDR was a regiment of the British Army, supposedly professional soldiers. All three veterans spoke highly of their comrades' commitment to serving the public and of the role they played in preventing full on civil war in Northern Ireland. Some of the people I spoke to afterward confirmed my suspicion that some UDR members were involved in some of the atrocities, throwing in with Protestant paramilitaries. It was a very one-sided perspective.

The play was part of the 4 Corners festival, which seeks to bring people together from different communities in Belfast. The theme of this year's festival is Scandalous Forgiveness. When asked if they could forgive the people who threatened their lives or killed their fellow soldiers, the three UDR veterans were not so inclined, saying IRA members would have to first apologize and seek forgiveness. The festival organizer told Ann and I afterward that he wasn't much pleased with that response. They were also obviously livid that men who had been convicted of killings during the Troubles were released as part of the Good Friday Agreement. I think there was an amnesty on both sides that has not gone down well with either side. So the forgiveness agenda has a long way to go.

Jan 31, Feb 1 & 2.