Alley Theatre: Children of the Troubles

A poignant exhibition which sensitively, yet powerfully, captures the stories of 20 local children whose lives were tragically lost during the Troubles, is currently on display at the Alley Theatre, Strabane.

Titled ‘Lost Childhood’, the exhibition was inspired by a recent award-winning book, ‘Children of the Troubles’, by Joe Duffy and Freya McClements, and was produced by the Museum of Free Derry.

The exhibition tells of the immensely painful stories of the death of 20 children from the Derry City and Strabane District Council area, and delves deeply into how their families coped with such a traumatic loss – with many facing an ongoing struggle to get acknowledgement of the truth of what happened.

Personal artefacts are also on display.

Speaking after a recent visit, the Mayor of Derry and Strabane, Alderman Graham Warke, has encouraged local people to take the opportunity to view the ‘deeply moving’ work, which he said captures an important chapter in local history.

“I was deeply moved by the Lost Childhood collection which has been so sensitively and respectfully curated by the Museum of Free Derry,” he said. “There are no words to convey the impact the loss of a child has on a family, but this exhibition has a very important message and effectively and poignantly recalls the stories of loss and suffering from this tragic chapter in our history.

It’s so important that we remember these lost children, and that we honour their memory by continuing on the path to peace and reconciliation.”

Over 3,700 people lost their lives during the conflict here, and 186 of those were children killed before they reached their 17th birthday.

A spokesperson for the The Museum of Free Derry said, “We would like to thank all of those who helped with this exhibition, who allowed us to share their memories, their photographs and their treasured personal items, and also the Alley Theatre and Derry City and Strabane District Council for hosting the exhibition.”

Admission to the exhibition is free, and it is open to the public Monday – Friday (excluding bank holidays) from 10am to 4.30pm. For more information, contact the Alley Theatre on 028 71 384444 or online www.alley-theatre.com