Transcript

INTERVIEWER

Beatrice, where and when were you born?

BEATRICE

I was born on the Shankill Road, Mountjoy Street.

INTERVIEWER

How many would have been in your family?

BEATRICE

Including my three brothers and one sister, my mother and father, would have made seven.

INTERVIEWER

Was that a two-up, two-down house?

BEATRICE

No, a one-up, one-down. There was only the one bedroom.

INTERVIEWER

I’m sure it was very tight for you’se?

BEATRICE

It was very tight, very poor.

INTERVIEWER

In and around that area, what school would you have attended there?

BEATRICE

I went to Mayo Street School Primary first, and then when I came eleven I went over to Glenwood Intermediate. It was called Glenwood Intermediate on the Shankill Road. I was there until I was fifteen.

INTERVIEWER

And did you leave school then and start work?

BEATRICE

Yes. I left school on a Friday and started work on a Monday up in Ewart’s Weaving Factory, learning the weaving.

INTERVIEWER

During that time, Beatrice, would you have had Catholic friends then? Would you’se all run about together?

BEATRICE

Oh aye, yes, oh aye, certainly. Catholic friends, Catholic friends in work. We used to run about and go to the dances, down to the Jig, the Plaza and the Tudor Hall. And we would have went over to the Kashmir Road, I think it was 15th of August they had their bonfire, and we used to go over there and watch their bonfire and they would have come over to us on the eleventh night to watch our bonfire, the eleventh of July like. We just went about, danced together, got boyfriends and carried on and all that.

INTERVIEWER

So there was never any really bad feelings?

BEATRICE

No, no, there was no talk about politics or Orangemen or nothing like that. You were just talking about your boyfriends, and what clothes you were wearing, and how much money you had. We didn’t even smoke nor drink then. It was just good fun, good clean fun.

INTERVIEWER

So, moving on now, when you actually got a job and you were working and you had your own pocket money, you said you started going out around the dances and stuff like that. I take it you met your husband then?

BEATRICE

No, no, no. I would have went to the Jig that was in Coates Street that was near the Falls Road, the bottom end of the Falls Road. We would have went to the Plaza, you had to dress up and make yourself older looking to go to the Plaza. Then you would have went to the Tudor Hall, like, everybody just all mixed together. The Plaza, the ones from the Markets and all went to that, the other side, the Catholics.

INTERVIEWER

The Catholic side and the Protestant side both got on well together then?

BEATRICE

Yes, uh huh, yes.

INTERVIEWER

Moving on, Beatrice, when you met your husband and got married, where did you live then?

BEATRICE

I was married in 1963 and I lived in Kenmore Street, right at the bottom of Kenmore Street, that was, right at the bottom of Kenmore street, about three hundred yards from Cupar Street which is now the Peace Line. I lived there. My first daughter was born in '64, my second daughter was born in '68, my third daughter was born in 1972. Now the one, the first daughter, Joanne, we used to take her up to the Falls Park and the children from Kenmore Street walked up to the Falls Park; take them out for a wee day and went up to the Falls Park.

INTERVIEWER

And there was never any problems or anything; you could have gone anywhere?

BEATRICE

Anywhere, yes, certainly. Shopped anywhere, went anywhere.