Connor DalyDespite the tragic circumstances of the coronarvirus pandemic, across Northern Ireland we’ve seen communities coming together during the ongoing lockdown and, if not exactly unity in governance among politicians then unity of purpose.
We could all do with some optimism at the moment! Here, some members of the Northern Slant team share what has inspired them as communities have responded to the pandemic in Northern Ireland, their hopes for Northern Ireland’s future after the crisis subsides, what they’ve missed most during the lockdown and what they’re looking forward to doing when things start to open up again. If you’d like to contribute too, get in touch via our Contact Us page.
Images found throughout the article are of Northern Ireland, shared on Northern Slant down the years.
You can follow local news relating to the public health situation on our dedicated page here.
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Richard Garland
Who or what in Northern Ireland has inspired you most during the crisis? The ordinary people who have stepped up when we needed them to. There are too many to list: NHS workers, teachers, police officers, journalists, fire fighters, government and utility workers. I’ll also give a special mention to retailers who are sometimes overlooked in these circumstances.
What are your hopes for NI after the pandemic? This crisis has brought out the best in us. We have our disagreements but it is inspiring to see a newfound unity and respect for each other. It’s primarily the lowest paid workers who are out there risking their lives to provide for us, this has to lead to the question of how we can continue to ignore the gross inequalities in our society. And if we are serious about removing the concept of “them” and “us” in NI then we need to work to end segregation, both in our education system and in our homes.
What are you missing most during the lockdown? I’m missing my friends. The one thing that makes me feel better when times are tough is getting out of the house to see them, and times have been tough, particularly during the early stages of this isolation. I’m not complaining; this is absolutely necessary to save lives, but it isn’t easy. I think we need to remember that and reach out to people around us who may not have the same support network that we do.
What are you looking forward to doing most when our lives return to normal? I can’t wait to have a night out. I also really want to book a holiday! I have already started saving, but I’m well aware that this might not happen for a considerable length of time so I guess we will see how it goes.
Laney Lenox
Who or what in NI has inspired you most during the crisis? I’m so impressed by the efforts of Framewerk’s soup kitchen. It highlights the importance of having local businesses that care rooted in our communities.These are the spaces that rise to the challenge in a crisis and reach out to help our most vulnerable.
What are your hopes for NI after the pandemic? Every day I take a walk in the green space surrounding the Black Mountain. I find an isolated spot to sit for a while and just bear witness to the world around me. In my normal life, this would’ve been an unthinkably luxurious use of time. Today on my walk, I saw a man sitting alone and singing while watching a stream flow. I hope this is part of his daily lockdown routine. My hope for myself and this man, and for anyone else lucky enough to spend so much time outside during this time, is that we remember how sacred this felt and prioritise these moments in our lives after the pandemic.
What are you missing most during the lockdown? The ease of seeing loved ones. Also, pints outside on a nice day!
What are you looking forward to doing most (or first) when our lives return to normal? I’m not the only one to say something along these lines, but I hope we all take the time to reflect on how much of our old “normal” we really want to return. After the pandemic, I intend to prioritise community and hope to travel to see family and friends in other parts of the world.
Ruairi McCallan
Who or what in NI has inspired you most during the crisis? I’ve huge admiration for all essential workers, but I think healthcare staff, in particular, deserve a huge amount of praise. It’s been said so much at this point that it’s almost a cliché, but they’re very much on the ‘front line’ of this pandemic, putting themselves in harm’s way to try and save lives.
What are your hopes for NI after the pandemic? I hope that we realise that the whole ‘orange v green’ thing means nothing when we’re faced with a real challenge. On some level, it probably will always be a part of the politics here, but I think when it comes to health, for example, I’d hope politicians at Stormont realise the serious need to fund the NHS and biomedical research going forward.
What are you missing most during lockdown? I miss being able to socialise with people who aren’t my family (no offence to them). Whether that means grabbing a few pints after work with colleagues or going out to dinner with my girlfriend, I think that ability to just ‘head out’ is one that we’re all missing right now.
What are you looking forward to doing most (or first) when our lives return to normal? Grabbing a pint with friends. I doubt any of us will take the pub for granted after this!
Lisa Whitten
Who or what in NI has inspired you most during the crisis? Perhaps this is a strange one, but I’ve been inspired by graffiti. I grew up in East Belfast so I’m used to murals and street art being used to demarcate territory and tribe; but since this crisis started, I’ve seen graffiti used to communicate inclusive messages in places that I never would have expected. Seeing language like ‘we are in this together’ and ‘support our NHS’ in spray paint scrawls brings me hope because I think in most things, but particularly facing COVID-19, we are in it together whether we like it or not.
What are your hopes for NI after the pandemic? Northern Ireland has never had a common enemy before; coronavirus is our first. After the pandemic, my hope is that the pre-existing divisions of our ‘deeply divided’ society, are a whole lot more shallow.
What are you missing most during the lockdown? Seeing loved ones in 3D; spontaneity and oat milk flat whites!
What are you looking forward to doing most (or first) when our lives return to normal? A trip to the beach is definitely on the list, although I do also wonder if ‘normal’ will ever look quite the same…
Rory Hughes
Who or what in NI has inspired you most during the crisis? Of course, NHS staff. But aside from these undoubtedly wonderful human beings, the work of radio stations and those in the broader media industry goes underappreciated. For someone who is currently ‘at risk’, the upbeat voice and excellent diversity of music coming through my speakers has saved me from many a dark day. A special shout out must go to the BBC’s Shaun Keaveny; the man I want to grow up to be.
What are your hopes for NI after the pandemic? That we appreciate the NHS. Not in a tokenistic, “what a safety net” form of appreciation, but a government-funded financial appreciation. We should not rely on GoFundMe pages to prop up a life-saving institution. The NHS is the best of us – we must treat it as such.
What are you missing most during the lockdown? Shite bars. Truly. There’s a reason that the beauty of a dank, dimly lit pub has inspired centuries of poetry. I yearn for a terribly poured pint and an infuriating political debate. First round’s on me!
What are you looking forward to doing most (or first) when our lives return to normal? Hugging someone – anyone! I mean, preferably my girlfriend or my family. But, right now, as soon as that ban is lifted I am hugging somebody!
Jenny McCullough
Who or what in Northern Ireland has inspired you most during the crisis? NHS staff, not only on the front line but back in the labs, and everyone who has organised the reconfiguration needed to cope with COVID-19. It’s been done with an agility that is staggering in the context of the health service’s own underlying conditions. I’ve also been inspired by the government ministers, MLAs and MPs who are very nearly new, working flat out while they’re on the steepest learning curves imaginable. And news reporters on the toughest beat since the Troubles, adjusting to conditions that must be deeply weird for them. The Ulster Fry and Paddy Raff deserve honourable mentions.
What are your hopes for NI after the pandemic? That it will keep the pandemic perspective on working together, what really matters and how precious all our people are. That NI will be able to get back on track and then get ahead with education and employment. That it’ll keep growing by welcoming back old friends and new visitors, all the time.
What are you missing most during the lockdown? Being out and about, within arm’s reach of a friend. Being out and about, alone in a crowd. The hardest – and best – bit of getting ready for the Belfast City Marathon.
What are you looking forward to doing most (or first) when our lives return to normal? Gathering up my friends for an after-work trip to Queen’s Film Theatre, or QFT (via the bar). Ordering tea and a bun in a café. Making travel plans.
Jamie Pow
Who or what in Northern Ireland has inspired you most during the crisis? At 7:59pm on the first #ClapForCarers Thursday, I wasn’t sure if anyone else on my street was going to be outside. By the top of the hour virtually everyone was out clapping. It was a sense of community – and shared sense of gratitude – that I’ve never experienced before. Meaningful moments like that can translate into meaningful action.
What are your hopes for NI after the pandemic? I was really struck by a YouGov survey released this week. Only 9% of respondents said they wanted a complete return to normal, while 85% said they wanted some of the personal or social changes to continue. It looks like at the very least this crisis is causing a lot of people to reflect on the things that matter in life, and the type of society we want to live in. Here in Northern Ireland I hope that we will make the most of this period of reflection. Perhaps we will appreciate that a sense of common purpose isn’t just important during a pandemic, but that it will improve our well-being beyond it too.
What are you missing most during the lockdown? Seeing friends and family face-to-face is the thing I’m missing the most. Even for us introverts, nothing ultimately beats quality company! Especially over good coffee or a proper pint of beer. There are some things that Zoom sessions can’t quite recreate.
What are you looking forward to doing most (or first) when our lives return to normal? I do love to travel (and that includes the flying). So when I’m feeling down my (probably unhealthy) instinct is to book flights somewhere to have a trip to plan and look forward to. My carbon footprint almost certainly shouldn’t go back to ‘normal’ after the lockdown. But a trip somewhere would be very nice.
Ruth Foster
Who or what in Northern Ireland has inspired you most during the crisis? Our incredible NHS workers inspire me at the best of times but seeing the selflessness of those who have come out of retirement or are sacrificed time with their loved ones in order to face this pandemic head on have really inspired me. I’ve also been inspired by the key workers who might not be getting a clap each week but who fully deserve one – the postmen, the cleaners, the bus drivers, the supermarket workers – all of the key workers who are silently working to keep the rest of us safe and healthy at this time.
What are your hopes for Northern Ireland after the pandemic? I hope that these key workers are given the respect – and pay – that they deserve, not just in Northern Ireland but across the world. For Northern Ireland I hope that our politicians see that there are some issues that we simply cannot view as being divided along orange and green lines, and that when crisis hits communities need to come together to build a better future rather than be driven apart by historical divisions.
What are you missing most during the lockdown? I’ve been very grateful to have been in Northern Ireland since before the beginning of lockdown, but normally I live in London and I miss it! I don’t miss London as a place, but as a body of people I love. I miss getting on the tube and staring for a bit too long at someone at the other side of the carriage to work out where I recognise them from; I miss last minute plan with friends; I miss arguments over where we should go out to eat; I miss sitting on the tube or the bus knowing that one of the many brilliant people I love will be at the other end to meet me; and I miss lazy weekends walking to church and walking home the long way, seeing how many charity shops and coffee shops I can pop into along the way.
What are you looking forward to doing most (or first) when our lives return to normal? Hugging my best friends is number one on my list of what I’m looking forward to! That, and being able to go back to my favourite food spots both in Northern Ireland and London and share a meal with someone in person rather than virtually. We’ve done incredibly well adapting to life over Zoom, but little else compares to sharing good food and good conversation with people you love.
Ben McAteer
Who or what in Northern Ireland has inspired you most during the crisis? For me, the light in the dark during this lockdown period has been the huge array of community-led action that has sprung up across NI. I have been particularly keen to support food delivery initiatives, such as the great work done by Framework Soup Kitchen. I have felt a much deeper sense of community as a result and I have no doubt that the togetherness from recent weeks will continue long after this situation passes.
What are your hopes for NI after the pandemic? For the first time, many of us have been forced to hear, see and feel what it truly is to be vulnerable and dependent. As a result, I don’t think that everyday necessities will be taken for granted in the same manner as before. It is ironic that being forced to live apart has brought many people closer together, in a psychological and emotional sense. I hope that this more supportive, sympathetic way of life will continue into the future, meaning that important societal issues, such as health care, environmental management and education, can be considered for what they are and not interpreted as spaces for political debate.
What are you missing most during the lockdown? Spending time with family and friends is certainly at the top of the list. I have also felt the effect of not enjoying days by the sea. While I’m not a million miles away from the coast, I’ve been spending my ‘state-approved’ daily exercise in local parks. As such, I haven’t wandered along beaches or swam in the ocean for a few weeks now. The calmness and serenity that this brings is, consequently, in high demand right now. However, being able to spend more time cooking, watching films and curating virtual music festivals with my girlfriend is definitely the biggest upshot of all of this.
What are you looking forward to doing most (or first) when our lives return to normal? Being able to spend a day sat in Botanic Gardens, followed by a trip to the Queen’s Film Theatre and a few hours in our local pub (The Errigle) would be up there. I’m also interested to see what the political impacts of the situation will be, given how governments have financially responded to the emergency.
Michael Jardine
Who or what in Northern Ireland has inspired you most during the crisis? Seeing neighbours, friends and family members stepping up to help those that may be more vulnerable has been a great sight to see. We all know that there is a proud tradition of community on the island of Ireland, but seeing it in action over the past few weeks has been inspiring.
What are your hopes for NI after the pandemic? One thing that the lockdown has shown us is that, for the most part, our political leaders CAN put aside tribal differences during times of shared crisis and work together for the common interest. It would be great to see this pragmatic style of politics become the new norm in NI. It’d certainly go a long way towards achieving joined-up governance.
What are you missing most during the lockdown? Meeting up with friends over a beer has become one of those things that we all took for granted but in hindsight we should have cherished. Whilst Zoom Pub Quiz nights have grown to replace these social gatherings for the time being, catching up with your mates over a few pints has been one of the most noticeable things I’ve missed.
What are you looking forward to doing most (or first) when our lives return to normal? As a foodie, I’m looking forward to going out to local restaurants again. The hospitality and service sectors have seen their businesses quite literally disappear overnight. It’s important that (when safe to do so), the public get behind local restaurants and businesses. First port of call? The newly revamped Pablos on Church Lane!
Roger Greer
Who or what in NI has inspired you most during the crisis? I’ve been living in England for the past few years, so haven’t seen first-hand the reaction in Northern Ireland; but I can imagine that the sentiment we can see here, and gratitude that we all owe the frontline staff, is shared across these islands. The sacrifices many people are making to save the lives of others, keep our communities safe, and just to keep the country running is nothing short of heroic.
I’m really lucky to be working within the NHS at the minute (very far from the front line I might add), and it’s humbling to see what those in hospitals and the communities are doing to protect and care for the people of the UK, as well as the efforts being undertaken by people away from the frontline to support them.
What are your hopes for NI after the pandemic? I suppose my hope is just that we have some positives amidst so much pain. I hope we can begin to appreciate much more the smaller things that we have taken for granted for so long. In terms of the politics in NI, I really hope that there can be a genuine moment of reflection and perhaps a reset when we have get over the worst of the pandemic. Even amidst all that is going on, there is still a lack of unity at the very heart of Government at Stormont. I hope that – as we move through the pandemic and into rebuilding our lives, our communities and our economy – our politicians use their central role as a unified and positive one.
What are you missing most during the lockdown? The simple things. Actually going to work. My last day “in the office” was a House of Lords Committee hearing, and then we went into lockdown. A lot of us have been acting into roles to support other colleagues and, although it is incredibly rewarding, I really am missing my day job. I’m also missing my family. Being away from them all as the world is changing so dramatically has been difficult.
What are you looking forward to most (or first) when our lives return to normal? Visiting my friends and family. Meeting people for a cup of coffee, particularly for work. I’m missing football (playing and watching) a lot more than I thought I would, so it will be great to be able to get back into that, although a couple of months out will have done me no favours. I can’t say I’m looking forward to re-starting my commute into London every morning, though. There’s a lot to be said for working at home – especially getting back two-and-a-half hours per day (on a good day!) that are usually spent on a train.
John Coulter
Who or what in Northern Ireland has inspired you most during the crisis? Two people – Health Minister Robin Swann and Elim pastor Brian Madden from North Belfast. I’ve known Robin as a personal friend since 2007 when he was my late father’s running mate for the NI Assembly elections. He is a sincere and dedicated professional politician who takes the ethos of ‘putting people first’ very seriously. Pastor Brian suffered from the virus, but recovered and has become a shining example for me as a Christian as the unknown of the virus is a huge challenge to my personal faith.
What are your hopes for NI after the pandemic? That the political and cross-border co-operation will continue and the peace process will become even stronger in Ireland; that the community spirit of working together will also continue, and that the Christian Churches will have a new missionary vision for their roles in the society.
What are you missing most during the lockdown? I miss my eldest son in lockdown in England, as well as my other relations in England. My youngest son is severely autistic and I miss not having an immediate solution when he becomes behaviourally frustrated by the lockdown. I miss my lecturing colleagues and trainee journalists at the Belfast Metropolitan College, and equally, I miss being physically able to meet with my fellow Christians at Sunday worship and the weekly Bible Study.
What are you looking forward to doing most (or first) when our lives return to normal? Getting all my family home to Northern Ireland where I can give them a huge hug each; and shaking hands with all my Christian colleagues when Church services resume as normal.
