The “Ordinary Housewife” from Ireland Who Did Extraordinary Things for Peace
Hello!
Last year, a client hired me to run a corporate workshop in Ireland for their global team.
I wanted to bring an Irish slant to some of my material, so began researching stories about Ireland that I could weave into the workshop.
Although we can find communication inspiration from people like Churchill, Lincoln, JFK, etc, I’m always on the lookout for stories of “ordinary” people — the ones who aren’t necessarily known as “public speakers” but who illustrate the power that comes with effective communication.
And when I read that a Dublin housewife led the call for peace in Ireland in 1993, I had to know more.
That’s right, I was curious…
In 1993, Susan McHugh was a 37-year-old mother of two living in Dublin, Ireland.
But her life changed on March 20, when she heard the news of an IRA attack in Warrington, England.
It was a Saturday – the day before Mothering Sunday (Mother’s Day) in the UK.
The streets of Warrington were crowded with families and shoppers when two bombs exploded about 100 yards apart on Bridge Street, one of the main thoroughfares.
Three-year-old Johnathan Ball was in town with his babysitter, shopping for a Mother’s Day card.
He died on the scene.
Another child, 12-year-old Tim Parry, was seriously injured, and died five days later.
Fifty-four other people were injured that day – including one mother who had to have a leg amputated.
The Provisional IRA issued a statement the day after the bombing, acknowledging its involvement, but placing the blame elsewhere:
“Responsibility for the tragic and deeply regrettable death and injuries caused in Warrington yesterday lies squarely at the door of those in the British authorities who deliberately failed to act on precise and adequate warnings.”
Although the IRA claimed that “two precise warnings” had been given “in adequate time”, Cheshire’s assistant chief constable Brian Baister disputed their claim:
“Yes, a warning was given half-an-hour before, but no mention was made of Warrington. If the IRA think they can pass on their responsibility for this terrible act by issuing such a nonsensical statement, they have sadly underestimated the understanding of the British public.”
When Susan McHugh saw what had happened in Warrington, she decided to do something about it.
“I had just dropped my kids at playschool when I heard,” she said.
“It was the day before Mother’s Day. I tried to imagine how I’d feel.”
She picked up the phone and called Trinity College, and begged them to let her have a meeting room for free.
Then she decided to call the radio phone-in Liveline, where she expressed her anger about what had been committed “in her name” as an Irish citizen, and asked people to join her at a public meeting on March 24 and share ideas for what they could do.
“I made up my mind to call the show and said, ‘I’ve had enough and I can’t be the only one.’
After her radio chat, Sue’s neighbors and friends offered to help, and she expected a handful would turn up to meet her four days later.
Instead, when she walked into Trinity College, she found her meeting room had been upgraded to a theatre, with 200 people sitting – and another 200 standing.
“So when I stood up to do a little speech, again, I just said what was in my head: We would have another rally in the middle of the city at the weekend.”
Though Sue received support, she also received criticism – and threats.
Some criticized her for responding so passionately to a bombing in England rather than the tragedies that were happening in Ireland.
“I didn’t think of Tim and Johnathan as English,” Sue said.
“To me they were just children, but I could understand why bereaved parents might feel upset, so I went up to Northern Ireland to meet with them and express my sorrow for their terrible losses, too.
“There is no hierarchy in the death of children.”
Sue didn’t consider herself an activist, but her passion moved others to take action.
“I'm only saying what the majority of people in the country say,” Sue told The New York Times before the rally.
“Enough is enough. We don't want any more deaths. We want a cease-fire.”
On March 28, an estimated 20,000 people joined her at a peace rally in Dublin’s City Center.
They came to grieve – and to express their anger at the IRA and the politicians who had failed to peacefully resolve the Protestant-Roman Catholic conflict that had already killed more than 3000 people.
“The IRA did not kill Johnathan Ball in my name or in your name,” Sue told the crowd.
“I want to tell the world tonight they did not kill him in the name of Ireland.
“There's nothing wrong with being emotional about a little baby's death.
“I feel horror, revulsion and sadness. But that's not enough. Tonight I feel anger.
“I feel angry and frustrated because the political will is not there to end the violence. We've listened too long to rhetoric with no results.”
Thousands of people at the rally signed condolence books and left gifts in memory of the two boys to be taken to their funerals.
Though McHugh insisted she was “an ordinary mum, a housewife” what she did was no ordinary thing.
“I just stood up and spoke my truth,” Sue said.
“That week I’d met so many people, heard so many stories, I’d had a crash course in bereavement, sorrow, and the aftermath of atrocities.
“I carried all those people inside as I stood up to the mic. If I sounded impassioned, it’s because I was.
“But I wasn’t motivating people – they were motivating themselves.”
The action Sue took was a vocal call for peace, and demonstrated how so many people in Ireland were feeling.
“Looking back, maybe I was fragile because the previous year I’d lost both parents in six months.
“The thought of more people feeling bereavement so suddenly, so horribly.
“Especially the loss of children.”
Sue was in constant demand from media outlets around the world, and took the Peace ‘93 campaign for non-violence to Belfast and then London.
She was also encouraged to tour the United States to share her message, but ultimately declined.
What pulled her into the peace rally is ultimately what led her to step away after five months – her children.
“Everybody wanted a piece of me – and then one day when yet again I had no time to make food, my son Charlie turned round to me and groaned, ‘Please Mummy, no more McDonald’s’ and I realized that my own children needed me back, so I stepped away.”
The IRA declared a ceasefire on September 1, 1994, followed by the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.
Colin Parry, who lost his son Tim in the bombing gives Sue a lot of credit for what she did.
“The shift of public opinion in Ireland was huge: 20,000 people stood on O’Connell Street. Ten times that many were outraged. Thousands wrote to us,” he said.
“I have no doubt that fed into Irish government policy and there was a new impetus to start things moving.”
“I would like to think that what we instigated was part of the whole process that eventually led to the Good Friday Agreement,” Sue said.
But she downplays her role in the peace process.
“I just happened to be the person who spoke up and articulated the national mood.”
One more thing…
In March 2000, Colin and Wendy Parry set up the Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Peace Foundation, to promote peace and non-violent conflict resolution.
The charity supports victims of terrorism, young people, and communities whose lives have been affected by extremism.
And one more…
When the cranberries’ lead singer Dolores O’Riordan heard of the Warrington bombing, she poured her frustration and anger into writing a song — Zombie. Have a listen below, and find out the story behind the hit song in this issue of Curious Minds.
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How Can I Help?
I’ll keep saying it: Communication matters.
Example 476: Did you see the word salad that doomed Silicon Valley Bank earlier this month?
I don’t recommend reading it all, as it will hurt your eyes, but check out the last sentence:
And under the heading of “Interesting Word Choice” we have the UBS/Credit Suisse situation.
One calls it a merger — another calls it an acquisition.
Just two examples that demonstrate the power of written communication — and our words.
If you want to improve your communication (and get all the good things that come with that), I’m your gal.
So many companies could reap significant benefits – from performance and culture to retention and engagement – by improving their communication.
If you know someone who could benefit from some help (as even the most seasoned leaders do), please get in touch and check out my website for more information.
You can also see my Top 10 list of what I can (and can’t) do for you here.
And if you see any communication examples (the good, the bad, and the ugly) that you think are worth analyzing or sharing, please send them my way!
Until next time, stay curious!
-Beth