Digging Up Ghosts
Troubles-era prosecutions reopening wounds in Northern Ireland
Despite 23 years of peace in Northern Ireland, the scars of a 30-year long sectarian conflict are yet to heal. Now soul searching on past wrongs by the British may be too little, too late.
Ex-soldier Dennis Hutchings is on trial over a fatal shooting in Northern Ireland which took place 47 years ago. His supporters are protesting his persecution: ‘pursuing [veterans] endlessly for years is the bottom of the pit for me', says former Armed Forces Minister Johnny Mercer. For many, however, the Troubles signify years of unanswered questions. Denise Mullen, whose father was shot, asks ‘my mother is 78 ... How long has she got to wait until accountability has been given?'. Reconciliation efforts may, therefore, fall short of addressing the hurt felt by many – says journalist Dennis Murray: ‘This has festered for so long now, I’m not sure that [reconciliation is] possible'.
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