Timbre of a TimeFree Mind

[Gail Walker]

Neill McCafferty, 60, was born in the Bogside in Londonderry. After studying at Queen's University, Belfast, she became a teacher before switching to journalism. A leading Civil Rights figure during the Troubles, she went on to support the IRA terrorist campaign publicly - a stance that led to RTE banning her from its airwaves. She's gay and had a 15-year relationship with "the love of my life", writer Nuala O'Faolain. She now lives in Dublin and has just published her biography, "Nell". But is she as interesting, important and influential as, er, she thinks she is?.

As an outspoken Republican commentator, many people are going to be surprised that in your autobiography you've outed your Protestant granny on your mother's side.

Aye, that's right. I'm from the Shankill Road. We're fucking Prods, I have Orange blood. My mother's mother, Sarah McAleer, came from Agnes Street, where her family ran a pub. She converted to Catholicism when she married my grandfather, Sergeant Duffy, who was a member of the RIC, then latterly, the RUC.

And my mother always preferred going to stay with her Protestant grandparents than her Catholic ones. The Catholic granny seemed a bit better off and was always quiet and polite but the Protestant granny - well, they all knew how to party. My mother even enjoyed going to Protestant Sunday School, though I don't know how anyone could enjoy going to that. But then this is the bigotry in me coming out. Click here for entire article