Imelda Conway Duffy

Imelda Conway-Duffy is a freelance writer, artist and documentary film-maker. She began working in the film industry in 1979 for the film director, John Boorman and she has made documentaries on subjects such as Irish military service in the Congo. She recalls the ‘practically daily’ public coverage of the first Irish Battalion to serve overseas in the Congo in 1960. She also discusses the Childers family in Wicklow and the ‘Battle of Glendalough’ which took place during the Civil War. Imelda Conway-Duffy was interviewed for the Military Archives Oral History Project on 24th August 2016.

Glendalough House

Imelda Conway Duffy
Interviewed for MAOHP - 24/08/2016
Location(s): Glen of Imaal

Length: 4.00

In this clip, Imelda recalls her research into Glendalough House in County Wicklow, associated with the Barton and Childers family. She recalls spending time with Bobby Childers (Brother of President Erskine Childers and son of Erskine Childers who was executed by the Irish Free State during the Irish Civil War)....

Meeting Congo Veterans

Imelda Conway Duffy
Interviewed for MAOHP - 24/08/2016
Location(s): Congo

Length: 0.49

In this clip, Imelda recalls meeting with Congo veterans during her research into the documentary 'Fighting for Peace' and reflects briefly on the significance of the episode in their lives. Between July 1960 and June 1964, Irish troops were deployed to the Congo as part of a United Nations Peacekeeping...

Hearing news from the Congo

Imelda Conway Duffy
Interviewed for MAOHP - 24/08/2016
Location(s): Congo

Length: 2.04

In this clip, Imelda recalls being an 11-year-old girl listening to news of the Congo on their wireless radio in Wicklow and reflects on how connected the country was with the episode. Between July 1960 and June 1964, Irish troops were deployed to the Congo as part of a United...

Niemba Ambush – Imelda Conway Duffy

Imelda Conway Duffy
Interviewed for MAOHP - 24/08/2016
Location(s): Congo

Length: 1.20

In this clip, Imelda remembers hearing about the Niemba Ambush in November 1960 and describes the sense of sadness in the area when the news came back. The Niemba Ambush occurred on 8 November 1960 when an Irish Army platoon was ambushed in the Congo by Baluba tribesmen. Nine Irish...

Reflection on peacekeeping and evolution of Irish Defence Forces

Imelda Conway Duffy
Interviewed for MAOHP - 24/08/2016
Location(s): Cathal Brugha Barracks

Length: 2.24

In this clip, Imelda reflects on the evolution of both the Defence Forces and Ireland since the Congo campaign. She recalls a story that she heard during her time making the documentary 'Fighting for Peace', about a soldier whose five-month old child died and was buried before he got home....

Battle of Glendalough (Irish Civil War)

Imelda Conway Duffy
Interviewed for MAOHP - 24/08/2016
Location(s): Glendalough

Length: 2.40

In this clip, Imelda speaks about her relation Tom Cullen who was involved in a shootout at a hotel in Glendalough during the Irish Civil War, where he was shot in the spine. Cullen was on the National Army side in the action. Imelda states that three months after the...

Reflections on the Congo Campaign

Imelda Conway Duffy
Interviewed for MAOHP - 24/08/2016
Location(s): Congo

Length: 4.12

In this clip, Imelda offers her impressions and views on the Congo experience and offers an analysis of where it sits in the broader Irish experience. She explains the economic importance for Ireland in joining the United Nations in the 1950s and also speaks about other landmarks in Ireland during...

Three men in a boat overtake Congo news

Imelda Conway Duffy
Interviewed for MAOHP - 24/08/2016
Location(s): Congo

Length: 3.35

In this clip, to underline the significance of the Congo in the Irish experience, Imelda recalls the one time that the news was dominated by another subject. She recalls hearing about three young men Peter Synnot, Peter Donegan and Seamus Organ, who had gone missing off the coast of Wexford...