The really uncomfortable truth about the Reconciliation event in Belfast last week, is that those two screaming, bereaved relatives finally shook hands. Danny Bradley was the bald man shouting at the angry, red-jacketed Michelle Williamson in the midst of placard-waving objectors at the Consultative Group on the Past launch. The cameras loved it. And the picture on every front page appeared to confirm what most people still believe – that Northern Ireland is deadlocked, despite the best efforts of the “Chuckle Brothers” and all the fancy talk of forgiveness.
But later, the full story emerged. Williamson and Bradley had shaken hands and parted on good terms. “I was there on behalf of my mum and dad and I went about it the wrong way,” Williamson said later. “I was just angry, I was hurt. We had an angry exchange and it cleared the air.” Afterwards she and Bradley chatted and shook hands. “We parted on good terms,” she said. “If I see him again I will say ‘hello, how are you doing, Daniel?’ and move on.”
Bradley was even more transformed; “I had never talked to relatives of Protestants who had been killed by the IRA before. This was a new thing. I had only met victims within my own community. Seeing the pain of the loyalist victims gave me a new perspective. I was filled with compassion for Michelle and I apologised to her.”
Their rapprochement didn’t end all hostility or create a sea-change in the polarised identities of Northern Ireland. But it was important. TV viewers saw only half the story – and rarely has a half-story created a more distorting lie. We believed the public airing of hurt served only to divide. Instead, every venom-spitting, full-blooded minute of their encounter was part of a life-changing experience for those particular bereaved relatives. To read more - click here.
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