Everything For Peace by Daniel Connetty

Author:Daniel Connetty
Format: epub

Looking out from behind the banner at the back of the stage, Derek Roberts prepared himself for his role as master of ceremonies. Ten minutes to go to the two o’clock start, and all he could see were people in all directions. Turning to the others, he said, ‘This crowd has got to be double our normal attendance. I’d say there were two hundred thousand people out there. They’re all over the place. How on earth are some of them going to see or hear us?’ Davison climbed the stairs to look for himself; if anybody had seen him, they would have seen a self-satisfied smile broadening across his face. ‘God help us if there is any trouble,’ Roberts added, ‘the police won’t have been expecting this.’

As the bells from a far-off church struck two, Derek Roberts walked out onto the stage to begin proceedings. Instant recognition from his many appearances at the Prayers for Peace gatherings led to rapturous applause, which lasted for an uncomfortably long time. While waiting for the noise to abate, Roberts continued acknowledging the crowd until all had quietened. He thanked the expectant throng and introduced the first speaker, Kevan Davison.

Davison’s speech was intentionally flat and factual. A climax should come at the end, not the beginning, he had argued with a touch of innuendo when outlining his speech to Roberts and Kennedy earlier in the week. He concentrated on the desire for prosperity in Northern Ireland, how the Party would be non-aligned, and how businessmen, not pseudo-politicians, had started it. The applause at the end of his speech was respectful but not deafening.

What followed was a series of heartfelt speeches from individuals affected by the Troubles: people who had lost brothers, fathers, friends and even babies. Six of them had lined up in front of the banner, coming forward in turn to tell their hugely upsetting experiences. The speeches were raw, delivered with passion, yet carefully orchestrated. The hatred directed not at the perpetrators of the crimes but at the politicians’ lack of action to solve Northern Ireland’s problems. There was silence throughout the crowd; only the constant rumble of distant traffic accompanied the speakers.

When the last speaker had left, a helper came onto the stage and placed a lectern by the central microphone, and as he departed, Roberts came forward to introduce Thomas Kelly. When rehearsing this moment, he thought he would introduce Thomas with a certain amount of razzmatazz. A big introduction, a “and now folks, the moment you’ve all been waiting for, heeeeere’s Thomas Kelly.” But the sombre mood left by the affected kerbed his natural desires for the ostentatious primer. Instead, Roberts announced, ‘Friends, Thomas Kelly.’

A roar broke the silence, a roar loud enough to be heard across the whole of Belfast. Thomas’s moment had arrived.

Placing his notes on the lectern and standing still in front of the central microphone, he waited patiently for the ovation to die before saying, ‘Let us pray.’

‘Lord, in these times of trouble, help us to find peace.

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