Beyond the Silence: Women's Unheard Voices from the Troubles

Women are so often the backbone of communities – and frequently the most isolated. Nowhere is this more evident than in today’s postconflict society, where women can often find themselves marginalised and without means of expression. Creggan Enterprises’ Unheard Voices Programme sought to connect with many such women across Northern Ireland, fostering understanding and reconciliation as they begin to examine the recent history of which they were a part. Within these pages, twenty-eight participants of the Unheard Voices Programme share their intensely personal experiences of life here during the Troubles – many for the first time. These reflections offer just a glimpse of how ordinary families coped in extraordinary times, and how these various experiences now empower them within the broader context of peacebuilding. Our aim was simple – to ask and to listen. What emerged from this process is a truly powerful collection of stories that have proved cathartic for all involved. Filled with raw emotion and compelling honesty, Beyond The Silence will inspire, provoke and challenge anyone who reads it. Through stories like these, women everywhere can find a voice.