Stuart Bailie & John White: If The Kids Are United

The 1960’s and 1970’s will always be remembered as a time of brutality and division in Northern Ireland.

Musicians from the punk, folk and rock scenes in Belfast rallied against the cruelty and disorder of the times by throwing open the doors of social clubs and dive bars to stage bands and artists who wailed deafening anthems of subversion, disobedience and anarchy in the face of a sectarianism that was brutally dividing the city.

In England, a footballer from the Cregagh Road was galvanising not only his own place in the annals of football folklore but that of Matt Busby’s Manchester United team too. As war raged in Belfast, George Best conquered Europe. The greatest player in the world was a regular fixture at Windsor Park, a hero to every schoolboy in the city and the catalyst for a still ongoing fortnightly exodus of Irishmen from both sides of the community to worship at his altar at Old Trafford.

Join Stuart Bailie and John White as they discuss how, with The Troubles raging and daily life marred by the ever present threat of violence, people found response and solace in the music they created and the football team they supported - a team that could unite, for 90 minutes on a Saturday afternoon at least, even the most divided of communities.

This event is not accessible by wheelchair. For further information, email reception@crescentarts.org