Peace Babies #4: Connor and punk culture
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Kate GallagherDuring The Troubles in Northern Ireland, the punk movement went as far as creating a feeling of union beyond the conflict. Connor, a revolutionary and dreamer musician is our fourth 'peace baby'. Meeting in another bar, he tells us how music has always brought souls together in Belfast.
One Saturday night in Belfast, we meet at The National. It’s a popular city centre pub, where all the expats meet to have a drink. On stage, Connor sings protest songs with his band that get the crowd dancing.
He makes a living by busking: “Belfast has always been a place where you can earn money that way. This custom has always been appreciated and respected, even during The Troubles. Obviously, I think things have changed because before, people were afraid of going out and getting into trouble.”
In this episode, Connor talks to us about punk culture in Belfast. For this musician, it matters less about the origin of his heritage, and more about sharing it with people around him. Between two pieces of music and a bunch of stories, he also raises the issue of the legacy of The Troubles for young people, and the serious consequences that they can still have today, from depression to the forming of sectarian parliamentary groups.
Peace Babies is a bilingual podcast in French-English. This 4th episode is available with English subtitles here!
Peace Babies is a short audio documentary on young people who grew up post-Troubles in Northern Ireland. Find all the episodes on Ausha, Deezer, Spotify, SoundCloud, Apple Podcast and Podcast Addict.
Translated from Peace Process babies #4 Connor et l'héritage punk