The Meath Peace Group Website
There is an update on the Meath Peace Groups activities over this year to be found here
MEATH PEACE GROUP SEMINAR 17 APRIL
'Identity on the Island of Ireland – Some Historical and Contemporary Aspects - Part One'
Over 70 people attended the Meath Peace Group Spring Seminar 2010 which was held on 17th April in St Columban's College, Dalgan Park, Navan. There were four sessions in all, with presentations and discussions on some historical and contemporary aspects of identity on the island of Ireland. A short summary of the key points is available in our archives section, and it is hoped to produce full transcripts of the discussions as soon as possible.
It is hoped to hold Part Two of the seminar in October/November 2010. This will look at political and cultural expressions of Irish nationalism and republicanism (details to be announced in September).
Sessions at the seminar on 17 April:
Session I: 'The Peoples of Ireland' - Shane Hegarty (Irish Times Arts Editor). Chaired by: Most Rev. Dr Richard Clarke (Bishop of Meath and Kildare)
Session II: 'The Orange Order Today' - Drew Nelson (Grand Secretary, Grand Orange Lodge). Chaired by Dr Colin Coulter (Dept of Sociology, NUI Maynooth)
Session III: 'Unionism in the 21st Century' - Kenny Donaldson (UUP), Jim Wells, MLA (DUP), Frankie Gallagher (UPRG). Chaired by Brendan O'Brien (Saturday Edition, Newstalk 106)
Session IV: 'The Challenge of Change' - Rev Brian Kennaway (Presbyterian Minister), Henry Mount Charles (Slane Castle). Chaired by John Clancy (Meath Peace Group)
Schools programme:
Over 300 secondary students participated in the 2009-10 Meath Peace Group's schools programme and many of these received certificates at their Transition Year Graduation ceremonies held in the last week of May. Four post-primary schools in Meath and Kildare participated, and the programme included discussions, workshops, guest speakers and study visits north and south. Sites and centres visited included the Battle of the Boyne site in Oldbridge, the Bru na Boinne interpretative centre, the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont, Belfast City Hall and some Belfast interfaces. Discussions were held with various groups including the Survivors and Victims Trust on the Falls Road (Belfast), the Suffolk and Lenadoon Interface Group (Belfast), and members of the Orange Order (Belfast and Monaghan). Workshops were facilitated by Sean O Baoill of Joint Ventures, Newcastle."
We hope to regularly update the site and keep you informed of upcoming events.
Among other items, you will find edited transcripts of many of the public talks we have held in County Meath since the group was first founded in April 1993.
The series of talks (67 to date) were initially begun as an education process for ourselves. In 1993, after years of bitter conflict and pain, in the face of which many of us in the South felt so helpless and yet also felt responsible, we wanted to learn about the issues that divided people on the island and to hear first hand and engage with the experiences, viewpoints, beliefs and aspirations of people from diverse backgrounds and traditions. There was never any organised plan, each talk led to another, and the experiences and insights learned in turn led us into many other activities (including monitoring disputed parades, running school programmes, researching and presenting submissions etc).
Over the years our talks have covered practically every aspect of the conflict as well as highlighting and examining the ups and downs of the emerging peace process. From early on we recognised the value of recording and documenting the talks although this was not possible on every occasion. We hope that the reports we publish here will help to promote understanding and hopefully encourage others to play their part in building peace.
Acknowledgments: We are indebted to the many speakers who have come to Co. Meath to address our public talks some of whom have also taken part in our school programmes in Meath and Louth. We are indebted also to the many guest chairs who have presided over the discussions, and who themselves contributed to the dialogue, and above all we thank the ordinary people of Co. Meath and the neigbouring counties, and also from all over Northern Ireland, who have come to listen and take part in the discussions, often staying late into the night and continuing the debate over a cup of tea afterwards.
Finally we thank all those who have assisted in the running of the talks, particularly our own committee members. We gratefully acknowledge the much-needed financial assistance we have received from the Department of Foreign Affairs Reconciliation Fund and the hospitality of St Columban's College, Dalgan Park Navan, where most of the public talks were held.