Rough Beginnings


The Crum

Crumlin Road Jail served as a prison for men, women and children starting in 1845 and housed men and women up until 1996. Although it is now a tourist attraction and an event space, its deep history with The Troubles and the working class is a testament to the strife experienced in Norther Ireland for many decades. Crumlin Road Jail or as they like to call it in Belfast - The Crum - isolated prisoners in an already isolating and divided society. The Crum, along with many other places in Northern Ireland, demonstrates the division, classism and frustration still felt in Northern Ireland today. 

Although poverty was not discussed at length during our time in Northern Ireland, several instructors spoke of "the working class" or "the under class" that still experience violence and hatred in their communities. These are the communities that were often housed at The Crum - people of the working class or the under class who were ignored, mistreated and seen as subordinate in society. Unfortunately this still holds true today - the people who are still experiencing violence and being ignored are the working class with paramilitary groups controlling their communities and little economic benefit since the peace process began (Coulter, 2014). Looking at poverty through a capabilities lens, it seems that if these communities were given the help they need - financial, mental health, voice, purpose - then places like Crumlin Road Jail would no longer serve as such a recent reminder of the incredible impact it has had on this country.

Coulter, C. (2014). Under Which Constitutional Arrangement Would You Still Prefer to be Unemployed? Neoliberalism, the Peace Process, and the Politics of Class in Norther Ireland. Studies In Conflict & Terrorism, 37(9), 763-776. doi: 10.1080/1057610X.2014.931212

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