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Port of Call |
LAST UPDATE September 30, 2007
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| July 31, 2007 |
Dublin, Ireland – A Safe Space to Communicate: Visiting the Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation |
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| Glencree’s symbol of reconciliation welcomes the Japanese visitors into its tranquil setting |
Driving past the colourful pubs of Dublin, 16 Peace Boat participants headed out of the 58th voyage’s latest port and into the grand, green valleys of the Wicklow Mountains. Making their way to the Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation, passengers were reminded of the long and bloody conflict just north of the Irish border, as a tragic folk song played through the bus’ radio. Its melodic tale of two friends, caught on opposite sides of the fighting, was a moving reminder of how the violence in Northern Ireland has deeply divided communities and cost 3,600 lives. For the past 33 years, Glencree has offered a safe space away from that violence – a place where all sides can come together, to express their needs and find a path towards peace. |
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| Participants explore the ‘safe space’ of the peace center, transformed from a military barracks |
“The history of Glencree represents the same transformation towards peace that the center aims for” says Educational Development Officer, Eamon Rafter, as he welcomes the group. The buildings themselves were built with the opposite purpose in mind, originally constructed by the British as an army barracks around 1800. In its journey from a center of war to one of peace, the participants heard how Glencree has gone from military outpost to reform school and even children’s refuge before becoming the Centre for Peace and Reconciliation in 1974, responding to the growing violence of the north. |
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| The center offers a place of reflection and communication away from the trouble in Northern Ireland |
The more recent Troubles of Northern Ireland can be traced back to the creation of the state in 1920. In the newly formed country, two different communities lived sided by side, wanting two different futures. The Protestant majority, afraid of losing their identity under Irish rule, sought to remain a part of Britain. The Catholic minority, hoping for a united Ireland, wanted total independence. Their difference in desires turned into a division of people, with each side increasingly fearful and resentful of the other. When the tension finally spiralled into rioting across Londonderry and Belfast in 1968 and 1969, a chain of terrorist attacks was set off as armed groups on both sides became trapped in an ‘eye for an eye’ campaign of violence. It was not until 1994 - after three decades of killing – that a ceasefire was called. |
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| Eamon Rafter (left) explained how Glencree continues to build peace at the community level |
Today was another historic turning point. After nearly 40 years, the British Army’s mission in Northern Ireland had finally come to an end, with no more soldiers patrolling the city streets – once an icon of the Troubles. “It is a sign of a new era of peace” hopes Eamon. The outward violence may have come to an end, but this remains a crucial time for Glencree’s work to ensure the newfound peace is cemented. “The conflict is over on paper”, says International Programme Coordinator, Seán O’Boyle, “but in people’s minds, it still needs to be overcome”.
Earlier this year, new walls were still being built to separate Northern neighbourhoods. Glencree must now work to help these communities move past the division and hate. One way it does this is by training those who were directly involved in the violence to work as peacebuilders in their local areas. Their first-hand experience is a powerful tool in showing the futility of violence and the need to seek peace. At the political level, Glencree helped bring politicians on all sides together and begin a dialogue - the first step to peace. It was a neutral meeting place where everyone was included and everyone could be heard. Over the last three years, Glencree’s work concentrated on bridging the gap between pro-British, Unionist leaders of the North and Ireland’s own politicians. The meetings provided a channel of communication between the two, helping pave the way for the current peace agreement and re-start the Northern Irish Assembly. |
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| Building paper towers is one example of Gleancree’s activity workshops that get people communicating and cooperating |
Participants got a hands-on look at some of Glencree’s peacebuilding work through one of its creative workshops. “You need to build the tallest and most beautiful towers you can” Eamon challenged the participants, supplying them with only used newspaper and sticky tape. In groups of just three or four, each took a different approach – some attacking the paper, scrunching it in to balls and others carefully folding and rolling – but every group had to agree on what approach to take. Following construction time, only three of the five towers would then go forward to be judged by resident paper tower expert, Conn Mulvenna. How would the participants choose which three? After further discussion, a vote was taken to narrow the choice down. The activity is one often used at Glencree to get people to communicate their ideas and cooperate to get the result they wanted. “I think it shows that if we can work together to make paper towers like this” commented Eamon, “we can also work together to build peace”.
Get more information about the Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation at: www.glencree.ie |
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