“You just went out and talked to them.” An Interview with Maurice Hayes (1927-2017) on the Work of the Northern Ireland Community Relations Commission (1969-1975)

Abstract

This article reflects on the practice of reusing past interviews in order to improve our knowledge of historical events. It focuses on the period of the early years of the Troubles in Northern Ireland and draws on Martin J. McCleery’s recent work on internment (2015) to stress the importance of personal testimonies in reassessing the historical impact of micro-events and / or local events on people’s lives. By revisiting an interview with Maurice Hayes conducted in 2004, the author investigates how the interviewee gives meaning to his personal experience of violence by using the scientific framework provided by specialists in oral history. The interview also serves to uncover some aspects of the ground-breaking work that had been implemented by the Northern Ireland Community Relations Commission (1969-1975).