Robert Ullrey's Project Page
Contents
Contemporary Context of the Wall
Introduction
|
The Derry Wall
Festival, June 2001. This photo is taken from the wall looking across the
quad towards the London Guildhall. |
The meaning of walls comes to us from ancient times. Wallsprotect
and keep humanity has used walls both explicitly and metaphorically,
torepresent separation from what we do not like, as well as division,
protection,and rewards. “May there be harmony within your walls, [and] peace
within yourplace[1]“(Tanakh,
Psalm cxxii; 7). The Berlin Wall was thepenultimate version of this in our own
century, showing in physical terms thephilosophical separation between the west
and the east, the good and the bad,the right and the wrong. This is the context
that I bring into the symbol“wall” as well. A product of my times, I have seen
walls built to keep peopleout, to define lines of territory, and to keep those
not wanted in societyhidden.
Northern Ireland uses the meaning of walls in just thissense
as well. The British government has made a grand art of wall buildingdefining
areas that one can be in from those forbidden, portioning off wholesections of
cities between Unionists and Nationalists. It was under thisinitial
understanding of walls, and after the first sight of the oppressiverazor-wired
“peace walls” of Belfast that I experienced the festivalcelebrating the Wall of
Derry/Londonderry.[2][
The greeting I received as I arrived in Derry was the
sightof brightly costumed school children dancing before the old stone Wall of
thecity, a loud bass drum pounding out the rhythm. Crowds of locals gathered
towatch, many upon the walls, or turned their attention to shopping in the
nearbycraft village. I had to wonder why, in a country where walls symbolize so
muchoppression, would a city celebrate its Wall. This essay is a search for
thatanswer. I posit that the city of Derry, a city with a long and
tumultuoushistory around its Wall, is in the process of redefining the meaning
of wall.My thesis is that the city of Derry is reinterpreting the meaning of
wall torepresent the reconciliation, through the shared history of the Wall,
betweenNationalist Catholics and Unionist Protestants.
In this essay, I use levels of analysis to refer
toindependent causal variables for an understanding of how the Derry society
isreinterpreting their Wall. In seeking what Dilthey calls a verstehen[3][ (understanding)of a classic symbol like
the Wall of Derry, it is logically possible and infact desirable to combine
different levels of analysis to the multiplevariables operating on a society.
To do this, I will first explore the implicithistorical-traditional
interpretation of the meaning of a wall as seen throughlanguage in Western
culture. Next, I will look at the explicithistorical-institutional interpretation
of the Derry Wall, i.e., the historicalexistence of the Wall through various
political times. Finally, I will look atthe contemporary social-cultural
interpretation of the Wall for thetransitioning community of Derry.
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Derry: Its history
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The “Bogside” as seen from the wall. The small white wall in the center of the photo is what’s lift of the “free Derry” wall, The area to the right of the grassy area is where the “Bloody Sunday” Shootings took place. |
History begins with the movement of one’s understanding
fromthat of immediacy, in this case, the Wall of Derry as experienced
today,towards that of reconstructing the series of antecedents in accordance
withconnections to the motives and reasons alleged by the historical
actors(Ricoeur 139). To achieve verstehen forthe history of the Wall of
Derry I will continue using levels of analysis,specifically on the antecedent
variables of Ireland’s conflict with England,then the city of Derry itself, and
finally the Wall. It is with a fullerunderstanding of the importance that the
Wall has for the culture of Derry thatwe can seek verstehen of
theemerging neo-symbolism the Wall now has.
Tradition is that Saint Colmcille (Columba) founded the
cityof Derry circa 540C.E.; however, archeological evidence shows traces
ofprehistoric settlements thousands of years prior. Originally named Diore,
a Gaelic term for the oak grove on the shore of theFoyle Bay, Derry is in
northwestern Ireland in the province of Ulster.
The history of the relationship between the English and
theIrish is one rooted in conflict. As early as 1170 C.E., English
settlersarrived in Ireland, conquering much of the Isle; however these settlers
couldnot conquer the province of Ulster. In the early 17th century
theEnglish made a concerted effort to conquer Ulster resulting in King James
I“plantation of Ulster” requiring the colonization of Ulster and the city
ofDerry by loyal English and Scots. These migrants were predominantly
Protestantin contrast to the indigenous Irish Catholics. Derry was slow to
incorporatethe plantation plan, characterized as “being “deserted”, and rather
shunned,“by planters” (Hill 359). One reason was the threat that the
indigenousclansmen of Ulster might reclaim their land. James I, therefore,
concluded thatsettlement of the region had to be by a powerful party and
offered it to theLondon Guildhall Corporation (359). The Guild quickly worked
to “makeimpregnable” the city by constructing a fortified wall at a cost of
£16,790(360). Derry became the crown jewel of the Ulster plantations with a
“moderncity” plan affording protection by a massive stone wall, one mile
incircumference, which completely enclosed the city, separating the English
andScottish Protestant undertakers[4]inside,
and the indigenous Irish Catholics outside. This walled city plan wasthe last
built in Ireland and the only wall that remains complete.
The watershed event for the community of Derry regarding theWall
took place in 1689C.E. in the battle of the Boyne. Jacobite forces loyalto the
deposed Catholic King James II, along with indigenous Irish, laid siegeon the
city for 105 days, while Protestant forces inside, loyal to newlycrowned King
William and Queen Mary, vowed “no surrender.” Eventually reliefcame for the
loyalist Protestants from English troops sent by the crown downthe Foyle. The
celebration of this event by Protestants today is part of themuch controversial
“parading season” and the source of riots and much of theviolence that has
taken place recently during Derry’s “Troubles”. In the nextsection, I will look
at how contemporary citizens of Derry see the Wall,especially within the
context of the very violent “Troubles”.
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The Wall over looking the “Bogside” District of Derry. The Nationalist graffiti reads, “When the law breakers are the law makers, their <sic> is no law”. |
Contemporary Context of the Wall
The “Troubles” exploded on Sunday, January 30, 1972, when
apredominantly Catholic civil rights march of approximately 20,000
endedviolently as 320 British paratroopers fired live rounds into the march,
killingfourteen. Dubbed “Bloody Sunday,” the march was staged to protest
theinternment without trial of over 900 Catholic Nationalists by the
Unionistgovernment of Northern Ireland. Its route was from outside the Wall in
theCatholic Bogside, to the Wall, and eventually to the London
GuildhallCorporation building for speeches from prominent civil rights leaders
andmembers of Parliament. However, when the march approached the Wall, small
levelrioting started causing the army to use CS gas (tear gas), rubber
bullets,water cannon, and finally live rounds to put down the march. The
aftermath forthe next years was to see all but two businesses bombed and burnt
down withinthe city Wall, riots ensuing from Unionist “parades” along the
length of theWall, and finally a complete use of the Wall as a modern military
fortressbounded by razor wire and high caliber machine guns.
Here again the Wall became a symbol for the much
largerseparation of the city, that of segregated housing and business ownership
basedupon which side of the Wall one lived. However, despite these bitter
internaldivisions, Derry does have many integrating factors absent in many
otherNorthern Ireland cities like Belfast. One of the strongest is a
commongrievance against an unsympathetic government. For example, the rejection
ofDerry, Northern Ireland’s second largest city, for the new university in
1965,still overcomes sectarian differences (Darby 35). Derry addresses more of
itsconcerns to the institutions that create its problems, i.e., Westminster,
theStormont (Parliament of Northern Ireland), and it is because of this State
versuslocal context that many of Derry’s citizens can, and do, interact more
thanmost citizens of Northern Ireland.
Change came for the city with the passage of the Belfast-GoodFriday
Agreement of 1998[5][5]. The Agreement called for
sharedGovernance of Northern Ireland, and Derry’s local versus State
philosophyquickly embraced a system of representative governance and peace.
|
The New face of the
Wall. The British Army tower and instillation overlooking the “Bogside” area
of Derry. The tower has high Tech cameras for observation. |
Derry’s Unionist and Nationalist citizens, who in 1965
onlyinteracted at work or in the shopping complex (Darby 48), were now
growingcloser over issues of education, commerce, and the future of the Wall.
With thepeace that developed after the signing, local security forces opened
the Wallto the public for the first time in its approximately 400-year history.
TheWall has now become the object of Derry’s integrated nonsectarian
attentionand, as such, is a sign for the rebuilding of the city and attracting
oftourism that can bring prosperity to the city.
The Wall of Derry is richer in history than I can capture
inthe scope of this web page; however, the “Battle of the Boyne” and
“BloodySunday” are defining moments for the identity of the wall, the City, and
thepeople. The early verstehen of the Walldid not just symbolize
separation, division, and protection; the Wall actuallydid perform these
functions up until the signing of the Belfast/GoodFriday Agreement. Now,
under conditions ofpeace, the community is reconstructing its verstehen of
the Wall as one of attraction for tourismbenefiting both Unionists and
Nationalists as well as bringing both of themtogether in peace. The festival is
an attempt to show just thatreinterpretation, separating a Northern Ireland in
peace from its more violenttimes.
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Conclusion
I started this essay by positing that in seeking verstehen
for the symbolism of walls, one must understand whatthe wall separates and why
it was constructed. This conclusion does notprohibit either of these variables
from changing in the particular, as a verstehen of a symbol must address
the context of the timesfor that symbol, and that context will change for each
that uses that symbol.Derry’s communities have done just that with the
symbolism of their Wall.Starting with a meaning of Wall as a fortress
separating insiders fromoutsiders, and built of stone, the community of Derry
has reinterpreted Wallinto a meaning of peace separated from a violent past,
built upon sharedhistory as well as hope for a continued peace.
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A statue commemorating the signing of the “Good Friday Agreement”. |
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Works Cited
Darby,
John. Conflict in Northern Ireland: TheDevelopment of a Polarized Community.Dublin:
Gill and MacMillan, 1976.
Gadamer,
Hans-Georg. Truth and Method. London: Sheed & Ward, 1975.
Hill,
George. An Historical Account of thePlantation in Ulster at the Commencement
of the Seventeenth Century, 1608-1620.1877. Introduction John G
Barry.Shannon Ireland: Irish University Press, 1970.
Ricoeur,
Paul. From Text to Action: Essays inHermeneutics, II. Trans.
KathleenBlamey and John B. Thompson. Evanston, Illinois: Northern University
Press,1991.
Tanakh,
JPS Hebrew-English: The Traditional HebrewText and the New JPS Translation.
2nded. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, 5759 (1999).
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Sites of Interest
CAIN: Northern Ireland Conflict
Northern
Ireland- County Londonderry/City of...
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Biographical Information
Robert Ullrey
Sacramento City College, Sacramento California
Honors English Composition.
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Contact Information
Electronic mail address
rullrey@mac.com
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International Copyright Asserted, Robert Ullrey.
Last revised:.
[1] “Shalowm cheyl shalvah'armown;” Translation mine.
[2] Derry/Londonderry is a cityin division even unto its name. Nationalists, those who seek to rejoin the restof Ireland as one nation refer to the city as Derry, from its ancient Gaelicname Diore or oak grove. Unionists,those seeking to maintain their alliance with England as part of the UnitedKingdom, refer to the city by its plantation name of Londonderry given by theLondon Guild ownership of the province from 1609 to current. For the purposesof this essay, I will refer to the city as Derry.
[3] Dilthey’s analysis, set inthe context between Naturwissenschaftenand Geisteswissenschaften, is ananalysis between verstehen (understanding)and Erklären (explaination),where verstehen seeks the truthof a meaning within a specific context, by a community. Erklären is the method by which we seek that verstehen. Dilthey’s verstehen, therefore, is an agreed upon truth for those thatare within that context. For further reading on Dilthey’s verstehen, see Gadamer, 192-214.
[4] Undertakers were thosegranted fee-ownership of the majesty’s lands. Holdings were in 1,000, 1,500,and 2,000-acre lots (Hill 78).
[5] The agreement, facilitated byU.S. Senator Mitchell of Maine, called for power sharing through an Assemblyamong the five legal parties of Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom, and theRepublic of Ireland. The agreement’s name is even controversial with Unionistscalling it the Belfast Agreement, andNationalist the Good Friday Agreement.