Comments on The Pensive Quill: Speech. Not silence. Jerrycan.

A great read Joe. Loved every page of it.

2009-10-08T19:29:28.549+01:00

A great read Joe. Loved every page of it.

Read Sam Millar's brilliant ward-winning memoi...

2009-10-08T11:45:00.032+01:00

Read Sam Millar's brilliant ward-winning memoir, On The Brinks about life on the Blanket protest. It's not a kiss-and-tell, but blood, sweat and tears (and piss-out loud laughter) account of his time in Irish and American prisons and beyond. Gerry and his gang of nodding heads get a good kick in the balls, in some of the chapters. What a page turner! A classic.
Joe Murray

it reminds me of the time when I thought about doi...

2009-10-06T13:13:42.203+01:00

it reminds me of the time when I thought about doing a paper called modern day republican. it was a paper on those who jumped to join sinn fein after the guns had fell silent. I had intended it to be an honest look at many of the activists in cumanns outside of the main areas, the party had allowed anyone and everyone to join in order to have numbers in areas were there had been nothing or little before. one good example being antrim town. I came up with the idea after meeting many of these new activists and put it to the six country office... without even giving an reading of the thing they looked at me with mouths wide open and told me.."Jesus don't be getting into that shit..that is better left alone" it would appear what the thought police really don't want people thinking let alone specking their thoughts. what was to happened in antrim town just a few years after I had thought of doing that paper was an good example of the sort of thing I believed could happened.. the stuff around M meehan and ex-prisoners and the manner in which the cumann members there failed to see the signs.

AM.. Can you give me a link to order this book. I...

2009-10-06T02:36:43.977+01:00

AM.. Can you give me a link to order this book. I swear being in the states is like pulling teeth to get these books. Thanks in advance..

Is there a prisoner's anthology? I asked AM th...

2009-10-05T23:08:53.560+01:00

Is there a prisoner's anthology? I asked AM this a while back; being overseas I wonder if there's one that I overlooked, beyond the "Nor Meekly Serve Their Time" or "Out of Time" books. Any other recommended first-person account collection, or one edited from previously published memoirs, or a combination of the two?

Thank you for this "heads up"--Still wan...

2009-10-04T23:54:09.878+01:00

Thank you for this "heads up"--Still wanting to learn! Ordered the book. Please keep up the list of references. Best, Will Mauthe, US (for reference to any thought police or lifestyle coppers)

Sharedtroubles, thought police are never happy wit...

2009-10-04T20:15:30.830+01:00

Sharedtroubles, thought police are never happy with any outlet they don't control. This is why every outlet, every memoir, every thought expressed is a boundary pushed back

I am really impressed that people see the merit in...

2009-10-04T18:24:31.732+01:00

I am really impressed that people see the merit in Sharedtroubles and thank you all for your positive comments. As rightly pointed out many people I have asked feel that their story is 'unimportant' however I personally feel we all lived through challenging times, both in cultural identity (For some of us) and the constant fear of being in the wrong place. Sharedtroubles is there as an independent outl;et for all stories regardless of how 'unimportant' they may seem.
The thought police are everywhere as I have found to my naivety. I am sure they are not too happy with a freedom of speech outlet like Sharedtroubles.

Mark, many lived lives of fear if not about themse...

2009-10-04T17:20:46.322+01:00

Mark, many lived lives of fear if not about themselves certainly for their children. People worried terribly about their children going out at night or into town during the bombing campaign. Many had to work in areas where they could have been killed for no reason other than they had a religious tag stuck to them. Theirs is not a story of activism but is worth telling nonetheless. One story alone would not make a book but Shared Troubles would be a useful venue or anchor for them.

SharedTroubles has a problem it is nearly impossib...

2009-10-04T16:54:33.154+01:00

SharedTroubles has a problem it is nearly impossible to overcome - the majority who lived the 'troubles' don't feel they have a story worth documenting. No action, no personal loss, no massive drama. For most it is just a story of living during difficult times. Documenting the interesting tales ignores the fact most don't have something dead exciting or emotional to write. Fitting the ordinary lives of most into a narrative driven by protagonists and victims is nigh on impossible.

AM is correct on both points, sharedtroubles is a ...

2009-10-04T16:36:05.692+01:00

AM is correct on both points, sharedtroubles is a real decent idea and more power to it. and the thought police are still out indeed, cases such whitey Bradley and T.C show us that but there may be more to link the two then people have given thought to. the only may to break down the thought police is to refuse to go down on our knees. people need sorly to speck out more not less in order to disempower the thought police and sites such as shared troubles are there. they once asked "who fear to speck of easter week" let not the thought police have us asking "who fears to speck"

Sharedtroubles, it is a decent idea but as you can...

2009-10-04T15:23:29.613+01:00

Sharedtroubles, it is a decent idea but as you can see from the experience of Gerry Bradley, as reported in the Irish News and Sunday Times, the thought police are still on patrol

The Sharedtroubles website project is toatlly open...

2009-10-04T14:43:49.285+01:00

The Sharedtroubles website project is toatlly open to anyone who wants to share their experiences regardless of background or involvement. I have met a wall of resistence even though the opportunity is totally in the words of the story teller.
Sharedtroubles would welcome anyone who wants to say how it was.

Rob, I am aware of the issue you raised. However, ...

2009-10-04T13:02:30.213+01:00

Rob, I am aware of the issue you raised. However, I do not know if your comment was private. In any event because it could easily be libellous, although well meaning, I would not have been able to carry it in full. It is a terrible outcome to previous events. Get back to me if you wish

Seán Mór, we could even call it the IRE - Irish Re...

2009-10-04T11:52:32.356+01:00

Seán Mór, we could even call it the IRE - Irish Republican Eegits! A page to each. Memoirs increasingly come into play once conflicts are over, somethimes during them. Sean MacStiofain's and Maria McGuire's for example. I think it is much better to have them than not. They are best regarded as one narrative amongst many that help fill out the mosaic.

I'd get my performance into the one A4 sheet o...

2009-10-04T11:19:23.032+01:00

I'd get my performance into the one A4 sheet of paper. I wonder would there be another 500 eejits out there to make up the rest of the book?

John for a movement so grounded in censorship - an...

2009-10-04T08:40:32.008+01:00

John for a movement so grounded in censorship - another shibboleth

A conflict as protracted as the one you lived thro...

2009-10-04T01:06:43.855+01:00

A conflict as protracted as the one you lived through deserves a wide and diverse literature - from reading here and elsewhere there are obviously many stories and perspectives that deserve perhaps even need to heard.

Good for all of you for telling your stories regardless of the threat to free speech. Ironic as that threat may be.

Mark, if the official memoirs are all that emerge ...

2009-10-03T21:37:38.061+01:00

Mark, if the official memoirs are all that emerge who would know anything about the serious conflicts of the world? Before the Dawn - how accurate is that? If George Best left behind a life story but failed to mention playing for Manchester Utd you would feel robbed.

Anthony, A few years ago, when still up to my eye...

2009-10-03T21:19:22.540+01:00

Anthony,

A few years ago, when still up to my eyes in shinnerdom, I had considered trying to put together a book with 12 interviews from 'ordinary' IRA volunteers. Slice of life from the bottom end of armed struggle kinda thing.

Was told in pretty point blank when I suggested it 'no chance'.

Stories are waiting to be told and it seems the voices are silenced by themselves or others.

Fairplay to Gerry and anyone else that decides they own their life and can speak about it how they wish.

Right on Mark. The more memoirs the better. His be...

2009-10-03T21:08:18.974+01:00

Right on Mark. The more memoirs the better. His best option is to face them down and print at every opportunity. They can do little about a voice determined not to be censored. They can resort to murder of course but that is all the more reason to keep writing.