Lagan enclave
A History of Conflict in the Short Strand
1886 - 1997
Published by The Ballymacarrett Research Group
Over the past two years The Ballymacarrett Research
Group (BRG) has been engaged in extensive research
which has resulted in a book on the history of the
Short Strand area of Belfast. Set in Ballymacarrett,
just east of the Lagan, the district has been to the
fore in the bitter legacy of conflict that has besieged
Belfast since 1886.
The book is an invaluable record of an area that has
both contributed and suffered in conflict since it
became established as St Matthew's parish in 1872.
During the period of 1920-1922 the area was often
described in the press as `the most dangerous in
Belfast', a comment borne out by the fact that
seventy-six men, women and children from both
communities died in this two year period in
Ballymacarrett, thirty-two of whom were parishioners of
St Matthew's.
The BRG has for the first time documented the daily
onslaught through which people had to live. These
chapters alone provide an invaluable base of research
for any person interested in Irish history. Also
covered is the 1922 IRA offensive carried out by the
`regular' IRA forces in the North with the full backing
of the provisional government in Dublin.
The 1930s covers the reorganisation of the IRA in
Belfast, and the part played by IRA Volunteers from the
Short Strand. Once again BRG has made the effort to
record the overall situation in the 1930s in relation
to socialism, and have included the role played by men
in Belfast, and especially Ballymacarrett, in the
Spanish Civil War; another aspect of history
unfortunately overlooked.
From internment in the 1930s and 1940s to the all-out
conflict in the 1970s, the Short Strand has been to the
fore. It was the ``Battle of St. Matthew's' in June
1970 that saw the `Provisional' IRA on the streets of
Belfast for the first time. Even this now famous
all-night gun battle is being covered in detail for the
first time. It was to lead to the ``Falls Road Curfew'
of July 1970.
Throughout the seventies, which the book covers in
detail, the Short Strand witnessed many gun and bomb
attacks, and unfortunately many deaths. In 1972 alone,
18 people were killed around the district, including 8
IRA volunteers. Up unto the ceasefire period of 1994
Mountpottinger RUC Barracks was one of the most
attacked RUC stations in Belfast. The area's closely
knit community also suffered from sectarian killings,
yet it has endured rebuilding and growth. It is worth
noting that the first Belfast IRA Volunteer to die,
which was in 1916 in Kerry, was born in the Short
Strand district. The social factor is entwined
throughout, making the book appealing to anyone with an
interest in Irish history.
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