Hugh McKeown
On the night of August 14th 1969, the skies above north and West Belfast were ablaze.
The flames marked the ignition of the Troubles, the arrival in Belfast of the British Army and the emergence of the Provisional IRA.
At the heart of these seismic historical events, however, lay human tragedy, as whole communities were forced to become refugees within their own city.
Ardoyne-born Hugh McKeown was one of many who rushed to help evacuate its victims; his Brookfield Street family was among them. Hugh was not only a participant and a witness, however. He became an invaluable chronicler of the event, as this extraordinary collection of images shows.
Hugh (a civil servant) was an amateur photographer but his pictures are evidence of talent, vision and an instinct for composition.
Hugh had an eye for the isolated detail which spoke volumes about the wider picture, so a bullet hole torn in a wall, or the wheel arch of a burned bus become symbols of the broader reality.
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Social media
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Great book launch for Michael McCann at Cultúrlann! Pick up a copy of his Burnt Out: How the Troubles Began!… https://t.co/M9GHarkXCG
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RT @Inter_Arch: Nice to see more material on the Belfast Archive website. Includes Gerry Collins shots of Bombay St in August 1969… https://t.co/kgtGGySLiK
