Professor Monica McWilliams (notes from a BBC interview)

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In this post, there is a list of the advanced words and phrases from the BBC Radio 4 Desert Island Discs interview with Professor Monica McWilliams - a Northern Irish social scientist.   Aggie and I are currently creating a podcast (in which we will explain some of the words) and it will be launched on 11th October!

You can listen to the interview here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0005szy


INTRO




0.48 In a bid to find peace (brought women together - Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition party

 

0.53 despite facing intimidation..

 

0.59 two years later she was a signatory to the Belfast Agreement (the Good Friday agreement)




1.03 setting out terms for peace in Northern Island




1.19 her area of expertise is domestic violence, especially in society’s touched by conflict




1.40  I have learnt …. to shift




1.55   The Northern Ireland power sharing talks have begun again after breaking down in 2017

 

2.00 It’s always an unfinished business peace building

 

2.27 the atmosphere has changed …..It’s because of a tragedy - the death of Lera McKey the Journalist  

 

3.05  The cessation of conflict had been declared the ceasefires

 

3.27 every shade of diversity were there (when Clinton came)

 

4.54  A great deal of domestic terrosism is also going on behind the scenes

 

4.56 The women can’t speak out, they can’t seek out the support that the need (police 

 

5.49   There’s criminal justice reforms, police reforms

 

5.50 That makes it more representable, more accountable, more transparent 




1st track




6.13 He pictures a scene of devastation

 

Childhood




7.28 My father was a cattle dealer 

7.38 he told me not to chase after the one that left the flock

 

8.05 I won a few prizes,  they called in elocution

8.14 That wasn’t always going down too well with the nuns

 

I thought nothing of putting it into my bag (the gun)

8.29 It was quite a picture to watch the hockey teacher (a nun) flying down the field in her full habit.




8.50 It was at the height of the troubles

 

8.58 she nearly fainted

 

9.13 which has gone on to be very ironic (the fact that she’s remembered as the girl with the gun)

 

9.19 how much did you mix with your protestant counterparts?

 

Third disc - The Postman

 

10.10 it became such a divisive issue (Corsica - needing to have a water supply). The person was killed

 

10.18  It was very poignant

 

11.43 she worked in a creamery, in a buttery factory

 

12.13  we felt incredibly privilidged (her mum’s friends)

 

12.14 in a country like ours, where there was so much division

 

12.32 Queen’s university was a place like a sanctury




12.49 It was devastating (friend murdered)

 

13.03 what should have been and were happy days…..were also tinged by incredible tragedy

 

13.20  It must have been foremost in your mind that it was a good time t (scholarship from Michigan)

 

13.45 I couldn’t bear watching places at home burning down

 

14.09 you should go home and make use of it (if you have the chance to get a good education)

 

Talks about her sister being a very good friend - chose a song at her wedding because of her.

 

15.04   You became one of the founders of the NorthernIreland Women’s Coilition

 

15.22 Many of us had cut our teeth asking for the sex discrimiation act to be extended to Northern Ireland

 

15.58 And ‘wave goodbye to dinosaurs’ (written on the posters)

 

Political leaders wrote back and said ‘how dare you call us dinosaurs’? They said ‘your name isn’t on the poster so why are you self-identifying?

 

16.15 And that’s what we brought to the table (spirit and attitude) 

 

16.29 we’d already experienced quite a lot of humiliation and derogatory remarks, some of it was misogynist

 

17.27 I think the dinosaurs have morphed (wouldn’t be caught on camera saying what they said but attitudes have also changed)

 

17.36They were quite dismissive of us as a novelty

 

17.55   Time will tell (if more female politicians will make a difference)

 

Sang a song on International Women’s day ‘we march for men too because they are some mothers children’. 

 

THE GOOD FRIDAY AGREEMENT 

 

20.28 The substantive issues were really important 

 

SOUTH AFRICA

 

Listened and listened to Nelson Mandela and others. They were different people afterwards.

 

21.10 I think it was the most profound learning experience of my life

 

22.05 IRA recalled the cease-fire

 

South African national Anthem - feels very honoured to have had that experience

 

THE GOOD FRIDAY AGREEMENT (THE BELFAST AGREEMENT)

 

 23.34 Negotiations ..before the Belfast agreement...were long and arduous

 

23.49 it was hard labour

 

Mo Molem - absolutely phenomenal 

 

It started to snow - something symbolic 

 

24.4 I thought it was going to end at midnight...but it didn’t ….it spilled over

 

Saw grown men cry - so emotional 

 

NEXT TRACK  UPTOWN FUNK

 

Invited to do Strictly Come Dancing

 

WAVE - widows against violence empowered

 

26.03 It was a very daunting task  

 

26.22 takes me back to the night when I had to put on my glad rags and perform

 

27.04 I saw a bit of a shoulder shimmy

 

 

OTHER WORK 

 

Works for the Independent Reporting Commission (helping to stop paramilitary activity and organised crime)

 

We need to say to these guys... Get off our patch 

 

Go home and be grandfathers

 

A bit of toxic masculinity in there too 

 

28.26 Disband, disrupt but we don’t want you here.

 

LYRA MCKEE’S DEATH

28.32 Were people able to be more outspoken after Lyra Mckee’s death than they might 

 

28.50   need strong witnesses 




BEING ON THE ISLAND 

Looking forward to it - loves the sea, long walks 




LAST TRACK - EDITH PIATH ‘NON JE NE REGRET RIEN’

Ordinary woman that gets thrown into extraordinary times, you do the best with what you’ve got

 

Luxury - a snorkel