Forthspring, based on the Springfield Road, exists as a shared space and has worked since 1997 to build relationships between the neighbouring Protestant and Catholic communities. Part of building relationships is having an understanding what divides and separates people. In addition to living apart, divided by a peacewall, local people have a very different experience and understanding of the recent conflict. The 5 Decades Project was established to explore the differing experiences and memories of the ‘Troubles’ with the goal of creating a shared, but not agreed, account of the conflict and its impact on local people and communities. Shared in the sense that everyone lived through the conflict whatever their particular experience of it and shared in the sense that people literally sat down with each other and shared their stories, their memories, their hurt and pain and, on occasions, the humour of the conflict. These are some of those stories, organised into each of the decades they cover.

If you would like to read stories from the following decades please click on the links below.