Marion Jamison
Community Relations Officer
Marion Jamison’s life changed forever at the beginning of the 1980s when, as a newlywed with an 8-month-old daughter, her husband Ralph – who was a member of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) - was imprisoned for attempted murder. He would serve ten years behind bars while Marion tried to raise their daughter and navigate life in Armagh during the Troubles. She became used to acquaintances and neighbours ‘cross[ing] to the other side of the street rather than be seen speaking to me.’
‘We were only married two years when he went to prison, and I had this vision of what married life should be and suddenly everything changed. I had to readjust, and, in some ways, I think it has made me the person I am today, as I had to become independent and stand up and look after us...’
When Ralph was released from prison in 1992, the couple faced another unforeseen challenge – reintegration. ‘There was no one to turn to and no one to talk to around the problems we faced. And in a way we felt we were the only ones having problems - and that put even more stress on the family and on relationships,’ she told an interviewer in 2002. But when part of the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 included the early release of paramilitary prisoners, Marion and her husband were determined to contribute to the ongoing peace process. They got involved with EPIC – Ex-Prisoners Interpretive Centre, established in 1995 – who were setting up a group of families who had already gone through reintegration in order to work with and prepare those who were expecting the early release of their family member under this provision.
When an EPIC office opened in the mid-Ulster area later, Marion took on the role of support worker there. It was an entirely different ballgame supporting rural families though. While it was not uncommon for men in Belfast to have spent time in prison during this time, it was a far rarer occurrence in rural areas like Armagh meaning that ‘you stand out in rural areas, whereas in Belfast you don’t.’ As the years rolled on, the EPIC office in Armagh broadened its services to include youth work and general community development, so in 2002 it changed its name to REACT – Reconciliation, Education and Community Training. Their youth work included teaching young people about their culture and ‘identity,’ anti-sectarian work, personal development, and residential trips with groups south of the border.
Outside of this, Marion was involved with PUL Network - a Protestant Unionist Loyalist steering group - whose goal was to promote community development and relations within the Protestant population. ‘Community development was seen as more Nationalist/Catholic,’ Marion said, ‘So there hasn’t been the same community development going on in Protestant communities that there has been in Catholic communities.’ The point of the PUL Network was to rectify this with the belief that ‘if you have confident communities, they are more likely to reach out to other communities. They won’t feel threatened. They’re confident within themselves. So therefore, they are more likely to reach out to other communities.’
More recently, Marion has had a vast influence on lessening tensions at parades in Northern Ireland through the Armagh Bands Forum by helping to build training courses ‘in conflict management and good relations’ for band members. Her work (and that of those who work with her) was so successful that it ‘became a blueprint for other areas and she has now helped establish a total of 12 band forums across Northern Ireland.’
‘Marion has worked tirelessly over the last 20 years in Armagh and beyond to break down barriers and work towards peace for future generations.’
In 2019, Marion was awarded the Community Relations Council award for Exceptional Achievement in recognition of her two decades of community service.
Sources:
‘Interview with Marian Jamison, loyalist community support worker’ by Kieran McBride, online at: http://www.tallgirlshorts.net/marymary/marian.html [accessed 11 May 2022].
The Belfast Telegraph, 15 June 2014.
EPIC, online at: https://www.communityni.org/organisation/ex-prisoners-interpretative-centre-0 [accessed 17 May 2022].
‘Armagh-based REACT officer Marion wins community relations award for ‘exceptional achievement,’ online at: https://www.armaghi.com/news/armagh-news/armagh-based-react-officer-marion-wins-community-relations-award-for-exceptional-achievement/85116 [accessed 17 May 2022].