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Oisín McConville Likens Gaza To Growing Up During The Troubles In Northern Ireland

"Killings were commonplace week in week out. The bombings. The shootings" Having grown up during the troubles in Northern Ireland, Oisín McConville is no stranger to a conflict zone. These childhood experiences never left the Armagh's All-Ireland winner, which led him to get involved in this year's Trócaire Appeal. As part of his partnership with the charity he recently visited the Gaza Strip and the West Bank to see what life was like in these war-torn regions. Today FM's Dermot and Dave chat to the 44-year-old about the journey he describes as, "a massive eye opener". When asked if he saw any comparisons between Occupied Palestine Territories and Crossmaglen, he says; "I see a lot of correlation between growing up in the midst of the troubles and some of the stuff that's going on over there. Obviously it's on a much larger scale and on a continuous basis, but killings were commonplace week in week out. The bombings. The shooting". With only 4 hours of electricity per day and 80% of the Gaza population depending on international aid to survive, Oisín marvels at their resourcefulness. "We're repairing the damage" is his answer when the topic of Armagh GAA comes into discussion. Check out the talk in full by pressing the play button on screen. (video via Trócaire on Vimeo)   see more