‘History is the sum of the stories we tell to define who we are’

Implemented by Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company
In partnership with Corrymeela Community and High Wire Limited
In association with CAIN (Conflict Archive on the Internet) and the University of Ulster INCORE International Conflict Research Institute

Funded by the European Union’s PEACE III Programme

Archive Material

The Memory Project, implemented from 2012 to 2015, is an innovative arts-based project using drama and storytelling workshops, theatre performances and post show discussions and the screening of a television documentary to address a legacy conflict in Northern Ireland and the Southern border counties and to promote a peaceful and shared future for all. The project was implemented by Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company in partnership with Corrymeela Community and High Wire Limited and in association with CAIN (Conflict Archive on the Internet) and the University of Ulster INCORE International Conflict Research Institute and funded by the European Union’s PEACE III Programme and managed by the Special Programmes body (www.seupb.eu).

The archive material generated through The Memory Project is available to view on the Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company website and is archived digitally online by CAIN and the University of Ulster INCORE International Conflict Research Institute. The material is available to remember, for education and historical documentation and for future research or reference by students, academics, community leaders, and the general public.

The Archive Material consists of:

• 12 Interviews with 15 people recorded on film
• 12 Written transcriptions of the 12 Interviews recorded on film
• One-hour television documentary called Stories from the Shadows
• Copy of Script for Thou Shalt Not Kill
• Final Report and Evaluation Summary

The archive material can be found at www.smashingtimes.ie/centrefortheartsandhumanrights and on the following website:

Accounts of the Conflict – A Digital archive of personal accounts of the conflict in and about Northern Ireland
INCORE International Conflict Research Institute
University of Ulster
www.ulster.ac.uk/accounts
Link for CAIN will come shortly

The Television Documentary is dedicated to the memory of our friend Jim Arbuckle. Jim was involved in The Memory Project as a Community Relations Facilitator and will be sadly missed.

12 Interviews

The 12 interviews are each available as a recorded interview (password for all is st) with a corresponding Written Transcript (pdf):

• Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company, Interview Recorded for The Memory Project 2014. Jim Arbuckle, Community Relations Facilitator, Londonderry.
Jim worked with Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company, Towards Understanding and Healing and a range of other organisations. Interviewed at The Lyric Theatre, Belfast, 30 May 2014.
Interview with Jim Arbuckle Transcript The Memory Project Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company

• Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company, Interview Recorded for The Memory Project 2014. Eamonn Baker, Community Relations Facilitator, Northern Ireland.
Eamonn works for Towards Understanding and Healing. Interviewed at The Junction, Towards Understanding and Healing, Derry/Londonderry, 23 November 2013
Film Interview with Eamonn Baker, The Memory Project, Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company
Interview with Eamonn Baker Transcript The Memory Project Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company

• Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company, Interview Recorded for the Memory Project 2014. Fiona Bawn Thompson, actor, facilitator and choreographer. Interviewed in Baileborough Arts Centre, Baileborough Co.Cavan, 25 January 2014.
Film Interview with Fiona Bawn Thompson, The Memory Project, Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company
Interview with Fiona Bawn Thompson Transcript The Memory Project Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company

• Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company, Interview Recorded for The Memory Project 2014. William Caughey, Ex-British Army Soldier, Northern Ireland.
Billy, originally from Newtownards, County Down, was a member of the British Army in Northern Ireland and a psychiatric nurse. Interviewed at Ards Arts Centre, Newtownards, 31 September 2013
Film Interview with William Caughey, The Memory Project, Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company.
Film Interview with William Caughey, The Memory Project, Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company.

• Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company, Interview Recorded for The Memory Project 2014. Peter Conlon, Ex-Member of An Garda Síochána, Ireland. Interviewed at Abbey Arts Centre, Ballyshannon, 6 October 2013
Film Interview with Peter Conlon, The Memory Project, Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company
Interview with Peter Conlon Transcript The Memory Project Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company

• Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company, Interview Recorded for The Memory Project 2014. Carol Doey and Tony Mc Gurk, Community Drama Practitioners who set up The Hub in Cookstown, County Tyrone. Interviewed at The Hub, Cookstown, County Tyrone, 21September 2013
Film Interview with Carol Doey and Tony Mc Gurk, The Memory Project, Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company
Interview with Carol Doey and Tony Mc Gurk Transcript The Memory Project Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company.

• Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company, Interview Recorded for The Memory Project 2014. Kay Green, (Née Duddy). Kay’s 17 year old brother Jackie Duddy was killed in Bloody Sunday. Interviewed at Gasyards Arts Centre, 23 November 2013
Film Interview with Kay Green (née Duddy), The Memory Project, Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company
Interview with Kay Green Transcript The Memory Project Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company

• Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company, Interview Recorded for The Memory Project 2014. Maria McBride, Anne Blair, Sheila McBride, three sisters from Newry, County Down. Interviewed at Metropolitan Arts Centre, Belfast, 26 October 2013
Film Interview with Maria McBride, Anne Blair and Sheila McBride, The Memory Project, Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company
Interview with Maria McBride Anne Blair Sheila McBride Transcripts The Memory Project Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company

• Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company, Interview Recorded for The Memory Project 2014. Charlie McMenamin, whose false conviction for killings during the Troubles at the age of 16 was later overturned by an appeal court. Interviewed at Gasyards Arts Centre, 23 November 2013
Film Interview with Charlie McMenamin, The Memory Project, Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company
Interview with Charlie McMenamin transcript The Memory Project Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company

• Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company, Interview Recorded for The Memory Project 2014. Olivia O’Hagan, Portadown, works for Invest NI and a Board Member of Smashing Times. Interviewed at the Metropolitan Arts Centre, Belfast, 26 October 2013
Film Interview with Olivia O’Hagan, The Memory Project, Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company
Interview with Olivia O’Hagan The Memory Project Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company

• Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company, Interview Recorded for The Memory Project 2014. Andrew Redican, Retired Secondary School Teacher, Drumkeerin, County Leitrim. Interviewed at Abbey Arts Centre, Ballyshannon, 29 September 2013
Film Interview with Andrew Redican, The Memory Project, Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company
Interview with Andrew Redican Transcript The Memory Project Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company

• Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company, Interview Recorded for The Memory Project 2014. Eileen Weir, Shankill Women’s Centre, Belfast. Interviewed at Shankill Women’s Centre, Shankill Road, Belfast, 30 September 2013
Film Interview with Eileen Weir, The Memory Project, Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company
Interview with Eileen Weir Transcript The Memory Project Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company.

Stories from the Shadows Television Documentary

The Memory Project: Stories from the Shadows is a one hour television documentary with high cinematic production values, directed by Mary Moynihan and Mark Quinn, produced by Freda Manweiler and Mary Moynihan of Smashing Times and Mark Quinn of High Wire and edited by Oliver Fallon. The documentary Stories from the Shadows explores the work of The Memory Project and how it uses theatre and storytelling workshops; professional performances and post-show panel discussions to promote peace building and reconciliation and ways forward for a peaceful and shared future for all. The television documentary features interviews with people from Northern Ireland and the Southern Border Counties that reflect a diverse and broad range of lived experiences during The Troubles in Northern Ireland.

This hour-long film charts the work of the company as they carry out The Memory Project over the course of two years, in Northern Ireland and border areas in the Republic. The documentary showcases the voices and stories of those affected by the Troubles, as well as the experiences of artists, facilitators and directors from Smashing Times who engage with young people and adults to explore a legacy of the conflict through creative processes and ways forward for a peaceful future for all. Themes include empowerment, transformation and the telling of untold stories, through engaging, provocative and emotional theatre. The documentary follows Smashing Times as they build trust and collaborate with segregated communities, in a compassionate, honest and fascinating exploration of what it means to ‘break down walls that keep us from the unknown, ourselves & each other’.

Script of Thou Shalt Not Kill by Paul Kennedy

Written by Paul Kennedy and created by Mary Moynihan, Thou Shalt Not Kill was one of two productions presented as part of The Memory Project. Thou Shalt Not Kill is the overall title of a series of original monologues or ‘living theatre’ installations exploring themes of conflict, trauma and peace.Based on research and interviews, each monologue tells a personal story exploring experiences of living through and remembering conflict and trauma in Northern Ireland.All performances are followed by post-show discussion with the artists and invited guest speakers.

Here is the link to the final script for Thou Shalt Not Kill
Thou Shalt Not Kill Final Script The Memory Project Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company 2015

Final Report and Evaluation

The Final Report and Evaluation documents events conducted as part of The Memory Project including an outreach programme; 10 Storytelling through Theatre workshops; 10 performances and post-show discussions of Thou Shalt Not Kill and Uprising; 10 performances in schools; 75 schools and youth workshops; 12 direct interviews with 15 people and the creation of a one-hour high quality television documentary to record memories and experiences of The Troubles. The evaluation measures the success of the project in meeting it aims, objectives and targets and in meeting the Aid for Peace indicators.

Here is the link to The Memory Project Final Report and Evaluation
The Memory Project Final Report and Evaluation 2012-2015

For further information contact Freda Manweiler,
Company Manager,
Smashing Times Theatre and Film Company
Tel: + 353 (0) 1 865 6613
Tel: + 353 (0) 87 221 4245
Email: freda@smashingtimes.ie
Website: www.smashingtimes.ie
Facebook:www.facebook.com/smashingtimestheatreandfilmcompany
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Smashing_Times

About the PEACE III Programme for Peace and Reconciliation:
The Special EU Programmes Body is a North/South Implementation Body sponsored by the Department of Finance and Personnel in Northern Ireland and the Department of Finance in Ireland. It is responsible for managing two EU structural funds Programmes PEACE III and INTERREG IVA designed to enhance cross-border co-operation, promote reconciliation and create a more peaceful and prosperous society. The programmes operate within a clearly defined area including Northern Ireland, the Border Region of Ireland and in the case of INTERREG IVA, Western Scotland.

The Peace III Programme, funded under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), is worth€333 million and is aimed primarily at reinforcing progress towards a peaceful and stable society and promoting reconciliation. It focuses on helping Northern Ireland and the Border Region of Ireland to reconcile communities and contribute towards a shared society. For more information on SEUPB please visit www.seupb.eu.