HOW MUSIC HELPED IN TROUBLED TIMES
F ROM the primal roar of punk rock to today’s conquering heroes Snow Patrol, music has always had a part to play in Northern Ireland’s history.
These days it’s easy to forget how it coloured the landscape of the north and was actual intertwined with bringing the peace process to fruition.
Now a new book has gathered together all the songs and stories that connect music to The Troubles and explored the impact the violent times had on singers and songwriters from the north and beyond.
Trouble Songs was written by long-serving music writer Stuart Bailie and explores how musicians from punk to rave, folk and rock have responded to the violence on Northern Ireland’s streets. Some you undoubtedly know about — U2’s righteous anger against pointless killings and Christy Moore’s relationship with prisoners in Long Kesh that led to some of his most famous tunes.
But few will know the story of Thomas ‘Kidso’ Reilly, a 22-yearold from West Belfast who followed his SLF member brother Jim into the music business.
He worked in London as a merchandiser for the likes of Depeche Mode, Spandau Ballet, Altered Images and The Jam.
He was home for a holiday and was playing football with his pals when they had a disagreement with some soldiers.
Thomas walked off towards Turf Lodge but was shot in the back. An 18-year-old soldier later became the first to be charged with murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment but served only three years.
There is an iconic photograph in the book that shows Bananarama bearing wreaths in Thomas Reilly’s funeral cortege. His death sent shockwaves through the pop community and inspired songs from many of the bands he worked with, including King Of The Jungle and Rough Justice by Bananarama, and Spandau Ballet’s Through The Barricades.
As a Belfast boy who made his own way to London, the book has been somewhat of a labour of love for Bailie. He had spent the previous years creating and manning the Oh Yeah centre in Belfast, with members of Snow Patrol, which offers young people access to many different kinds of musical experiences.
‘I had been chipping away at the idea for ages and by accident it has landed at a time when everyone is thinking about it, around the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights movement, the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement,’ he says.
‘A lot of people I was interview- ing told me things they had never talked about before and are opening up a wee bit.’
There is an exclusive interview with Bono who reveals how Ash were the driving force behind U2’s on-stage appearance with John Hume and David Trimble to encourage a ‘Yes’ vote for the Good Friday Agreement.
Bailie has a relationship with Bono from his NME days and says the U2 star called him a ‘tough nordie’ at the start of this year. And Christy Moore speaks frankly about his relationship with the hunger strikers in Long Kesh and how the Enniskillen boming led him to question his opinions.
‘It is the soundtrack to my life,’ Bailie says. ‘I was seven when the Troubles started so I don’t really remember what it was like before then. And I moved back to Belfast in 1996 when things were getting exciting and I was able to watch all that unfold.
‘When I was in London, I had still followed the local bands like Ash and the Divine Comedy so it was a glorious period to come home in.’