A child split between his Catholic roots from his mother and Protestant father was once an inherent risk in Northern Ireland. The conflict in Northern Ireland shaped a predictable future for many kids growing up in the middle of it, who were forced into siding with either the Catholics or the Protestants. The case of John Chambers in particular is special, in that his parents were on different sides, and let to a young boy suppressing his own mother and inherent background in all secrecy.
In this extract from John Chambers autobiography (2020) he starts of describing his childhood and the environment, that surrounded him and many others growing up in Northern Ireland. He moved to Glencairn, which at the time was heavily dominated by the UDA. He was at a very young age when he first saw the estate, and as a child, he liked it very much, unaware of the conflict that surrounded. He quickly became aware of the unique situation he was in, and began suppressing and entirely switching his emotions towards Catholics and his mother at the age of 6: L. 26- 28 “when I was 6 years old, I had all but forgotten or at least suppressed my early years with mum and her Catholic side of the family. I started to become very aware of the fact that I was Protestant and that the Catholic people of Northern Ireland were my enemies”
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