Cormac Moore: Remembering the Peace People 50 years on

FIFTY years ago, following the horrific deaths of three children on Finaghy Road North in west Belfast, two women, Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan, started a mass peace movement.The Community for Peace People attracted thousands to rallies and garnered international attention, culminating in the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to the women.While the movement’s momentum stalled and the organisers had their critics, it was the first effective ground-up peace movement during the Troubles that provided inspiration for others and for increased peace activism by women.On August 10 1976, a car, after its driver IRA member Danny Lennon had been shot dead by the British Army in a chase, went out of control and hit Anne Maguire and three of her four children with her: eight-year-old Joanne, Jo