Irish role in slavery is marked

By Arthur Strain
BBC News

The part played by people in Northern Ireland in the abolition and promotion of the slave trade is being marked.

Shackles from Sierra Leone are part of the exhibit In pictures

In Belfast's Linenhall Library rare documents and artefacts have gone on display as part of the Hidden Connections exhibition marking the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the African slave trade.

Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness opened the display on Tuesday, describing the trade as a "manifestation of racism and greed".

Mr McGuinness said he found it hard to believe that slavery was ever acceptable and that it was significant to the history of Ireland.

"There were many people who were involved, either as opponents of slavery or as traders with slave colonies," he said.

"We need to face the fact that many Irish people became rich on the proceeds of black slavery."

He said that today about 20m people remained in slavery or servitude and racism was still a problem for society.

Part of Belfast's commercial and industrial advances were linked to trade with the slave economies of the West Indies.

The founding president of the Belfast Chamber of Commerce, Waddell Cunningham made a fortune from slavery and tried to set up a slave company in Belfast.

He even had a plantation of his own in Dominica, which he renamed Belfast.

His attempt to establish a slave trading company in Belfast in 1786 is documented in one of the exhibits in a copy of the Belfast Mercury.

This was unsuccessful but the documents show that as well as opposing slavery, there were people from Ireland who went abroad and engaged in the slave trade.

One part of the display features a bill of sale of a child named William to Ulsterman Samuel Ferguson, the cost of the boy was $245.

Hidden Connections also features a number of speaking events running to the end of November.