Chief Justice Donal O’Donnell on growing up in the Troubles: ‘The threat was always there

Chief Justice Donal O’Donnell has stated that those who experienced the Troubles in Northern Ireland now

“live with a permanent mark.”

Many people in Northern Ireland “have traumatic stories and a traumatic past,”

according to Chief Justice O’Donnell,

who made this statement during a broad discussion hosted by the University of Galway Law Review and the School of Law.

He talked on the effects of growing up in Belfast during the Troubles as well as his enduring passion for Celtic Football Club.

After been asked so nicely and frequently,

the Chief Justice made a joke about how he had finally accepted the invitation.

Speaking with Tom O’Connor,

co-editor-in-chief of the University of Galway Law Review,

was the Chief Justice (66) during the first such gathering since taking the helm of the judiciary in October 2021.

While Mr.

O’Connor acknowledged that it was challenging to study Chief Justice O’Donnell,

he did find out that the judge had a passion for Celtic music.

He remarked,

“I think it was something people would not usually expect from a chief justice.”

In response, the Chief Justice said,

“I’ve been a fan] since I was a young lad.

It’s something you were born into in my family.

“There’s a good chance you’ll grow up to be a Celtic fan if you live in West Belfast.”

The early years of Chief Justice O’Donnell’s career were marked by extreme hardship and tragedy in Northern Ireland.

Turlough, his father,

was involved in the civil rights struggle and went on to become a judge on the UK High Court and then the Lord Justice of Appeal in Northern Ireland.

The Chief Justice remarked,

“I remember that period very well.

I was 11 or 12 in 1968 and 1969.”

When questioned about his father in particular and the dangers to his life,

he responded, “People didn’t live through that time.”

It leaves an indelible imprint on those who experienced it.

He mentioned that he was reading Dirty Linen:

The Troubles In My Home Place, a book written by Martin Doyle about The Troubles.

“It evokes a great deal of the terror,

especially from the early 1970s to early 1980s when the Troubles were very challenging,”

the man remarked.

“Several Catholic judges were killed in assassinations.

And that started to consistently occur in our lives.

The menace never really went away.

“Among the items

“Everyone who experienced that time doesn’t have scars.

It was undoubtedly a defining moment in my life.

“You listened to the news from Northern Ireland,

BBC Radio 4, RTÉ, and then you started over at my grandfather’s house.

According to Martin Doyle’s book,

the people of Northern Ireland are the true heroes.

He describes incidents in which bombs killed children and their families came out to say there should be no reprisals,

shattering families.

“Despite the fact that their family was destroyed,

they wanted the cycle of violence to end.”

Get more news on…https://dailysportnews.co.uk/