"Alternative Ulsters" MayFest event to explore Northern Irish punk rock scene

“Alternative Ulsters,” a special event by the Hope Collective set to explore the history and legacy of punk rock during the Troubles, will be presented on Friday 10 May at Liberty Hall Dublin as part of the annual May Fest.

The evening will kick off a conversation about how the setting of Northern Ireland affected the development of punk there in the 1970s and 80s and will feature participants who counted themselves among the first to come in contact with the phenomenon in Derry and Belfast. This includes band members, record releasers, gig promoters and those who have continued to release books, CDs and documentaries about the scene.

The evening will feature a chat, a panel discussion, some songs and a very special DJ set from the Godfather of Belfast Punk, founding father Terri Hooley.

Due in large part to the influence of youth culture, the Northern Irish punk rock landscape had a very different dynamic and sense of urgency than that which existed in the 26 counties and in the UK. As organiser Niall McGurk of the Hope Collective explains, this topic has never before been examined with such focus.-

“In 1977 Punk Rock was shaking up the world of music while an angry & defiant youth culture was born. But while the Sex Pistols predicted ‘Anarchy in the U.K.,’ they did so from the comfort of Carnaby Street in London, while for some the chaos others only sang about was very real,” McGurk says. “In the North of Ireland there was a war raging, and daily life involved heavily armed troops on the streets, riots, bombings, shootings in a failed sectarian state.”

According to co-organiser Joe Mooney, the event will ask, and hopefully answer, questions such as: How did Punk Rock adapt to this environment? Could these exciting new bands address the political and social realities? Could they help bring about change or was singing about 'average' teenage life a political stance in itself?

Other participants include Henry Cluney, a guitarist with Stiff Little Fingers; Sheena Bleakney, who was part of the Warzone Collective, a focal point for 'alternative culture' formed during the early 1980's in Belfast; Sean O’Neill, founder of SPIT records and co-author of the book It Makes You Want To Spit!; Geraldine Quigley, author of Derry coming-of-age novel Music Love Drugs War; Peter Jones, a guitarist with Paranoid Visions and gig promoter; and Roisin Dwyer, commissioning editor at Hot Press magazine and contributor to Radio Nova's Rock Report.

Tickets are on sale from €5 now.