When Hockey Came to Belfast

2004 • Directed by

Linda Conway

Documentary

This documentary tells the moving story of Northern Irish teenage hockey players Andrew and Paul, best friends in a city divided by religion. In Belfast, hockey is bringing Northern Irish youth together in a shared love of the game, providing a respite from the Protestant-Catholic turf warfare that pervades their lives. Set against the backdrop of a post-conflict society, the film provides an intimate glimpse into the realities of life in Belfast—the 12-metre-high walls that divide Catholic and Protestant, the precautions Andrew and Paul must take to be friends, and the safety they find on the rink at Dundonald.