Product Description

Nearly 4,000 people were killed over the thirty or so years of the Northern Irish Troubles. And the killings were as intimate as they were brutal. Neighbours murdered neighbours. Susan McKay's book explores the difficult legacy of this conflict for families, friends and communities. By interviewing those who loved the missing and the dead, as well as some who narrowly survived, McKay gives a voice to those who are too often overlooked in the political histories. Old enemies are now in government together in Belfast, and the killing has all but stopped, but peace can only endure if the dead can finally be laid to rest. "Bear in Mind These Dead" is a moving and important contribution to that process.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #84740 in Books
• Published on: 2008-06-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 432 pages

About the Author
Susan McKay is an award-winning Irish journalist and the author of two critically acclaimed books, Sophia's Story and Northern Protestants: An Unsettled People.

Customer Reviews

Fascinating and respectful account
Susan McKay, the journalist who previously brought us "Northern Protestants" - a no-holds barred account of the bitterness of extremists within her own community - returns to the topic of Northern Ireland's Troubles with a very thought-provoking assessment of the impact of violence on the lives of ordinary people. This is an area where it would be easy for an author to fall into the traps of sensationalism or mawkishness, but McKay manages to treat her subjects with care and respect, and really brings to life the hurt and pain which persist after nearly 40 years in some cases. It's a deeply moving account which possesses the power to shock, even with the passage of time. My only quibble is that McKay keeps straying off her main subject and quoting poets and playwrights who have written about the Troubles - my feeling was that these sections (mostly towards the end of the 400-page book) are a bit of a distraction and are too excessive. But that aside, it's still a very powerful book which deserves to be read, if only as a reminder of the lasting (and often not very visible) impact of extremist violence.

Transcending Politics
This book is part of a voyage of discovery for me. My wife complains that my politics are too black and white. I have set about balancing them off by reading a diverse selction of books from all angles of the Northern Ireland "troubles". So far these have included biographies of Gerry Adams and Ian Paisley. Add to this histories of the IRA and loyalist paramilitaries and writings by Bobby Sands and others, I hope that, even if people disagree with me, they realise that I back up my politics from an informed standpoint.

Interestingly this is the first book that I have felt strongly enough to write a review for. Why? Because this lays bear the human stories behind the statistics and the politics. It introduces us to the victims of this terrible conflict and hammers home the importance of making sure the current peace endures.

Any reader with a partisan view of this subject will have their own ideas as to which of the victims were "justifable targets" and which were innocent before they begin. By the middle it really won't matter. People that I had dismissed as legitimate targets were just that - real people with heartbroken families and much deeper reasons for doing the things that they did.

Much of the story of Northern Ireland is steeped in paradox and this is never more so than here. I shed as many tears for those that died on both and, more often than not, neither side. This tragedy knows not Unionism or Loyalism, protestant or catholic, Nationalist or Republican.

This book has changed my life. My politics remain extant but my sympathy is now equally shared. Nobody should suffer in this way. Let us all hope that the future delivers what it seems to promise. Next time I am in Belfast I will lay flowers at memorials to both sides, not just one.

Read this book.

A valuable contribution to Northern Ireland's history
Having lived through the times described in this book and having read many books written about them I have read this book from cover to cover over a one day period. It was totally engrossing, deeply moving and tremendously informative. It honed in on individual stories setting them against the backdrop of the troubled times. I consider myself to have a good memory and to have been well informed of what was taking place but I was moved to tears by stories which I had not heard or had simply skipped over when faced with a torrent of bad news. This brought us up to date, enabling anyone to see that few people here have been untouched by our past and yet we look forward with hope to the future. An excellent piece of work showing great respect without fear or favour to those who have suffered. Unlike the previous reviewer I feel that references to poetry positively enhance the book.