Out of the Ashes: Northern Ireland's Fragile Peace

"Out of the Ashes: Northern Ireland's Fragile Peace" (1998; 56 minutes), a documentary chronicling "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland, had its premiere at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts in March, 1998. "Out of the Ashes" offers personal and historical views of the unrest in Northern Ireland from the mid-1960s to present day, with interviews with political and religious leaders, former paramilitaries, and Catholic and Protestant children.
While some prominent personalities such as Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams appear, "the primary focus is on newer voices," according to Michalczyk, "ones seldom heard before: the women who are forced to take up so much of the day-to-day work in family and community life; and the former prisoners, who have undergone a radical change from using violence to pursuing social action. As the peace process goes on these are the people who are truly fostering a long-term change."
The documentary was shot on location in Ireland, specifically in Derry, Belfast and Dublin. The film also features the work of renowned musicians Phil Coulter, Robbie O'Connell, Ken Meltz and Seamus Connolly, music programs director for Boston College's Irish Studies Program. Boston Theological Institute Executive Director Dr. Rodney Petersen and Boston College Theologian Raymond Helmick, SJ, an expert in conflict resolution, served as executive producers of the film. "Out of the Ashes" was funded by Boston College (the Jesuit Institute and the President's Office), the Irish-American Partnership and the Boston Theological Institute. The film aired on Boston's PBS affiliate WGBH-TV in July, 1998 and on Los Angeles' PBS affiliate KCET in August, 1998.
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