Documentary made to tell Derry women's experiences during the Troubles to get first official screening next month

A documentary has been made telling the story of a group of Derry women’s experiences during the Troubles.

The documentary, which previewed at a United States Institute of Peace international conference in Washington last month, will be officially broadcast for the first time next month in the Ráth Mór Centre in Derry.

The documentary, ‘Unheard Voices – Beyond the Silence’, was introduced by Carol Cunningham, representing Creggan Enterprises, at the conference which focused on Northern Ireland’s lessons for Israeli – Palestinian Peace.

The United States Institute of Peace international conference examined what had worked in advancing peace in Northern Ireland and what lessons might be applied to the challenging process of peacemaking and peacebuilding between Israelis and Palestinians.

Former Senator George Mitchell who was instrumental in securing the Good Friday Agreement delivered the keynote address.

‘Unheard Voices – Beyond the Silence’, video produced by Leapfrog Communications and the Hive Studios/Creggan Enterprises, explores the lives of women whose experiences of the Northern Irish conflict have gone untold up until now.

The film is drawn from the book of the same name, published last year, and features the harrowing stories of 29 women drawn from across a range of communities here.

The publication was widely hailed by academics, political representatives and community representatives and is now recommended reading at a number of US universities, including Yale. Ms Cunningham, Coordinator of the Unheard Voices project, presented Former American Senator George Mitchell with a copy of the book at the event.

The new film includes interviews with Marie Newton, whose husband John Toland was killed by loyalists, Sharon Austin whose brother Winston Cross was killed by the IRA, and Collette and Christine Devenny whose father Sammy was killed by the RUC. It also hears from a former (female) RUC Reservist ‘Elizabeth’, who served in Derry at the height of the Troubles.

The Unheard Voices project was established by Creggan Enterprises and supported by the International Fund for Ireland to bring together women who for different reasons had been unable or unwilling to recount their experiences of the conflict.

Conal McFeely of Creggan Enterprises said it was very important that the women’s stories should be preserved.

“These stories, some of which are traumatic and distressing, show how the pain of the conflict afflicted every level of every society here,” he said.

“This film gives you a chance to hear first hand from these unheard women for the first time. Their testimonies are powerful and gripping, and contain lessons for us all.”

The film will be premiered on Thursday 4th May 2017 at 7pm in the Hive Studios, Ráth Mór Centre.