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Meath Peace Group Facilitates Cross-Community Event In Scotland During Week Of Historic State Visit Of Queen Elizabeth To Ireland
As the historic State Visit of Queen Elizabeth was taking place in Ireland, marking another significant and deeply symbolic development in the peace process, away in Scotland a group of 50 people from Northern Ireland and the Republic - from across the traditional political and religious divide - were making their own particular contribution to peace and reconciliation in a 6-day coach tour across western Scotland, visiting sites associated with our shared history, and gathering together in evening discussions facilitated by the Meath Peace Group.
The study tour was organised by the Cookstown Inter-Church Forum (Co. Tyrone) and funded by the EU's Peace III Programme (South West Cluster). Participants in the tour included representatives of inter-church groups in Cookstown, Enniskillen and Cavan, residents' groups and young people from the town of Cookstown and two members of the Meath Peace Group (John and Julitta Clancy). The aim of the trip was "to bring together people from different traditions, backgrounds and cultures in an environment where none feel threatened, to learn about our common heritage, and discuss topics that are difficult to address in their own districts". In visiting Scotland, the group hoped to learn more about the connections between Ireland and Scotland (which have existed since prehistoric times), about Celtic Christianity and, in particular the Iona foundation, and about present-day problems of sectarianism in Glasgow. Their first visit was to the remote island of Iona where St Columcille (Columba) established a monastic foundation in 563AD, following his departure from Ireland. From its humble beginnings, the Iona foundation was to became an important and hugely influential centre from where Irish monks re-introduced Christianity to Britain and later to Europe, bringing with them their spirituality, love of learning and skills in bookmaking. On the final two days of the tour, the group travelled on to Glasgow where they visited the medieval St Mungo's Cathedral (built on the site of a 4th century foundation by St Ninian), the Museum of Religious Artefacts, and finally Celtic Stadium where they learned about the history of Celtic FC. In a follow-up meeting with a representative of the Old Firm Alliance, they learned of some of the measures which Celtic and their counterparts in the Rangers Football Club are taking to try to combat sectarianism and religious bigotry which are again on the rise in Glasgow.
As the tour progressed, the parallel events unfolding in the State Visit to Ireland were to have a markedly positive effect on the group's deliberations, according to Julitta Clancy of the Meath Peace Group: "The first major discussion we held was on the theme of the Queen's visit and the ongoing peace process, and each subsequent step in the Visit provided a focus and a positive backdrop to our workshops and discussions in the evenings. There was a feeling of pride and great emotion, and also a palpable sense of relief and inclusiveness, all of which assisted the very honest and open dialogue which ensued. We found ourselves in wide-ranging discussions on historical events, and the workshops on more difficult issues were conducted in a more relaxed and trusting environment. Of course much of the groundwork in building friendship had already been done by the 3 inter-church fora over the last few years, but this trip included many people who had not been involved in this type of work before, and the dialogue went further and deeper than originally envisaged by any of us. Each member of the group of 50 made their own unique contributions, and the visits to Iona, Glasgow Cathedral and the Celtic Stadium in Glasgow provided additional points for discussion both on our shared history, on the religious divisions and the problems of sectarianism. The discussions highlighted the progress made to date but also drew attention to the many issues remaining." As one participant stated: 'both communities are still afraid of one another and their agendas, there is a lack of trust and there is still fear, and more work needs to be done. The peace process is succeeding but there is still a long way to go.'