birmingham to belfast

It's not a grand sword from a mighty ruler, an ancient cracked vase, or a towering set of dinosaur bones. Instead, it hails from the mid-20th century, evoking nostalgia but seemingly lacking significant financial value. Yet, this television has found a place in the National Museums NI and holds a powerful position in the exhibition The Troubles and Beyond. Paired with a moving archival photograph, the set bears witness to an event that altered the course of political history.

The Hemsworth Family 

The black-and-white photograph shows the Hemsworth family carrying this very television during the burning of Bombay Street in 1969. This violent event, often referred to as "the start of the combustible years," (1) marked a critical turning point in the Troubles. As political tensions escalated in Belfast, Bombay Street became a flashpoint, experiencing firebombing, armed protests, military presence, and profound upheaval for the residents. The legacy of this moment is still visible today, in the form of peace walls on the street, and it played a crucial role in shaping modern Northern Ireland’s political landscape.

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Of the 63 houses on Bombay Street, 38 were completely demolished after the event, while five required major repairs and ten needed minor fixes. (2) Fossilised in a moment of profound emotion, the television set is captured being carried through the rubble – a fleeting intersection of human distress and the museum's preservation of history. Its survival depended on the family keeping it in their new home, where it sat unused and slowly deteriorating in a garage, until generations later, it was donated to the museum by a staff member.

This act of donation reflects a deep-rooted desire for history to be witnessed. The television, alongside the photograph, symbolizes the importance of museums as spaces where people seek understanding and ask critical questions. It highlights the transformative power of museums, showing that by trusting them with this object, the family also entrusted them with the responsibility of sharing and preserving this significant story.

Just a TV?

This TV serves as a relatable witness to history, its ordinariness reflecting a domestic narrative that many can connect with. While geography, identity, and politics may divide us, the television set remains a familiar object in our homes and lives, symbolizing shared experiences shaped by global media. It embodies empathy and connection to events that can be hard to comprehend outside one's own experience.

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But why save this TV set? To ponder its significance invites emotional investment. Imagine facing escalating violence in your neighborhood—what would you save? For many working-class families, a television was a valued possession, often rented or leased, making it even more significant. In moments of panic, it might be the first thing grabbed. Moreover, in the 1960s, televisions were sometimes communal, offering real-time information that other media could not provide. In Northern Ireland, access to broadcasts about the Troubles was vital, making the television a crucial tool for staying informed and connected during turbulent times.

Birmingham

Few of us experienced the searing reality of Bombay Street in 1969, yet all of us arguably are connected to Northern Ireland via international politics. This is true of my own lived experience being from the West Midlands. The Troubles occupied a duality in my life – a real and present reality in my community growing up in the 80s and 90s, and yet largely absent in my formal education. 

To be connected to Birmingham is possibly to know of, or directly have access to, the social memory of the Birmingham pub bombings. In 1974 21 people lost their lives, and 182 people were injured in a series of bombings across the city centre. (3) Those around me who were witness to the time give vivid testimony of the event - shock, grief and how it changed the city. Its legacy continues to this day – legally in the miscarriage of justice for the ‘Birmingham Six’ convictions and poignantly, in the dwindling number of families who continue to lay flowers in the city centre for loved ones nearly 50 years later.   

This (slightly battered) television set functions beyond dates, media, and pages in history books - it holds emotion, and is itself a connection to the past.

Final Thoughts

I'd like to share a moment I witnessed. Visitors to the Ulster Museum, one a five-year-old child, stood beside me. The adult described the Troubles exhibition as “a story of some bad things that happened” before pausing at this TV. They asked the child, “Do you think this would be heavy to carry?” The child replied, “Yes,” connecting briefly with the family in the photograph. Old televisions were bulky and heavy; empathising with the effort to carry one fosters a shared humanity across time. Would this moment have happened without the museum? Perhaps not in the same way. This experience highlights the TV's significance—not just for the child learning about the Troubles, but for me as well, as it evokes emotions tied to my own upbringing just 200 miles away.

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