Station Elation
Street céili set to take place on site of former PSNI barracks
Andersonstown PSNI (Ex-RUC) barracks ...
... is gone
The invitation: dancing at the crossroads
Bobby Sands said, “Our revenge will be the laughter of our children”. Well,
this Saturday young and old will gather at the site of the former
Andersonstown barracks for a Céili Mór that will bring hundreds of dancing
feet down on the hated former fortress that brought so much misery to West
Belfast.
It will be slán to the bad old times and fáilte to the new era as Gaels from
all over Belfast gather for a monster celebration. Organisers predict that the former RUC and
PSNI station will be reeling as
the music reverberates across West Belfast.
“The Andytown Barracks site is a perfect location for a céili mór at the
crossroads,” said Gearóid ó cairealláin, one of the organisers.
“That freshly laid tarmac is just begging for dancers to get out and give it
their best Aoibhneas na Bealtaine, Baint an Fhéir and Tonnaí Thoraí.”
The Trasna Céili Band will be providing the rousing tunes to stir the soul
and send the flashing feet kicking and jumping, with Bean a’ Tí Máire Ua
Bhruadair calling the first dance at 2pm.
“So don’t worry if you haven’t been at a céili for a while – the Bean a’Tí
will make sure everyone keeps in step.
“We recognise the symbolism – and the significance – of this event.
“Everyone knows what Andytown Barracks stood for for so many years – on
Saturday we want to show what the future can stand for.
“Where once there were armed police and British soldiers we will have a
céili band beating out Gaelic music. Where once the Irish language was
banned, we will have songs and stories in Irish, and plenty of conversation
in the native tongue.
“And on this historic site where misery lurked for decades we will have
dancing – Irish dancing, of course.”
Admission to the céili mór at the Andytown Barracks is free and organisers
are urging young and old to come out, dance to the music – and have a great
day.
The result: the good weather brought droves of people, of all ages,
out to dance to reels and jigs, where once the barracks menacingly stood.
