Unit 15
Spotlight
Derry Girls state of mind
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angt-unit15-spotlight.mp3
Murals sit at the heart of Northern Ireland's cultural divide. [...] But in a striking departure from Northern Ireland's mural tradition, the city of Derry/Londonderry, a hotbed for the Troubles, has a prominent mural depicting the titular characters of Derry Girls.
While the mural is dedicated to fictional characters – notably four teenage girls and an English boy – they are characters that divided communities in Northern Ireland identify with and make people – whether they are Protestant, Catholic, or completely removed from the ethno-sectarian conflict – proclaim that they too are Derry Girls. It is this innate identification with the series Derry Girls, now in its final season, that makes it not just a ratings success, but an unconscious catalyst shaping Northern Ireland's cultural identities and shared histories.
Derry Girls is first and foremost a comedy – a comedy that did not set out ambitions to create a new cultural landscape. However, in an interview in the LA Times, Lisa McGee, Derry Girls creator, commented that she was “keen to make Derry Girls a show for everybody, because we don't have many things that are for all of us.” In writing and producing a show for all of Northern Ireland, McGee created a shared story that all sides can engage with and relate to. Speaking with individuals across areas of Belfast that were centres for Troubles' related violence and that continue to be divided by “peace walls”, a similar reason for loving Derry Girls was shared with me: “That was us.”
Derry Girls is a product of the sustained peace efforts from both sides; it could only have been made in a post-peace agreement world. But its influence on Northern Ireland's future is palpable. [...] It is worth asking: if both Protestants and Catholics proclaim to be Derry Girls, what else might be possible?
While the mural is dedicated to fictional characters – notably four teenage girls and an English boy – they are characters that divided communities in Northern Ireland identify with and make people – whether they are Protestant, Catholic, or completely removed from the ethno-sectarian conflict – proclaim that they too are Derry Girls. It is this innate identification with the series Derry Girls, now in its final season, that makes it not just a ratings success, but an unconscious catalyst shaping Northern Ireland's cultural identities and shared histories.
Derry Girls is first and foremost a comedy – a comedy that did not set out ambitions to create a new cultural landscape. However, in an interview in the LA Times, Lisa McGee, Derry Girls creator, commented that she was “keen to make Derry Girls a show for everybody, because we don't have many things that are for all of us.” In writing and producing a show for all of Northern Ireland, McGee created a shared story that all sides can engage with and relate to. Speaking with individuals across areas of Belfast that were centres for Troubles' related violence and that continue to be divided by “peace walls”, a similar reason for loving Derry Girls was shared with me: “That was us.”
Derry Girls is a product of the sustained peace efforts from both sides; it could only have been made in a post-peace agreement world. But its influence on Northern Ireland's future is palpable. [...] It is worth asking: if both Protestants and Catholics proclaim to be Derry Girls, what else might be possible?
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Vidéo associée
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PATH A
B1
1-A
Read the text. Which characters are featured
on the Derry Girls mural, and why are they
important for people in Derry?
2-A
Watch the video. What does Saoirse-Monica
Jackson say about the impact of Derry Girls
on the city and its people?
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PATH B
B2
1-B
Read the text. What is the cultural impact
of the series, according to Lisa McGee?
2-B
Watch the video. How do the mural and the
filming of the series contribute to changing
people's perception of Derry?
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Let's talk this out!
3
Share your findings. In what ways do you think the TV series helped bridge the gap between Irish identities?
4
Answer the last question of the text : “What else might be possible?”
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Live from Derry
You are a journalist for a local radio station in Derry. Your assignment is to present the Derry Girls mural to your audience. Explain the connection with the TV series, show why it is important for the city, and say how it reflects cultural change in Northern Ireland.
You are a journalist for a local radio station in Derry. Your assignment is to present the Derry Girls mural to your audience. Explain the connection with the TV series, show why it is important for the city, and say how it reflects cultural change in Northern Ireland.
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