What will you do to mark International Day of Peace on Sunday 21st September?
ON 7 September 2001, the UN Member States adopted a resolution to permanently fix the date of the International Day of Peace to 21 September. The resolution declared Peace Day a day of global ceasefire and non-violence and invited all peoples of the world to commemorate the day through education and public awareness.
The Good Relations Northern Regional forum, comprising of the Councils of Coleraine, Ballymoney, Limavady, Magherafelt and Derry City Council organise projects each year to engage citizens from each of the areas. The Forum was initially set up through the Community Relations Departments of each Council. Their main aim is to work together to raise awareness of good relations initiatives and to demonstrate best practice opportunities in that field. To date the forum have organised successful events; a regional good relations ‘good practice conference’ and an accredited training course on conflict management.
This year’s project takes place during September and will provide an opportunity to investigate why parades and commemorations play such a significant role in Northern Ireland culture. Although the majority of parades involve Protestant groups such as the Orange Order, Catholic and non-religious groups also parade, ‘A March Through Time’ will explore the differences and similarities from each culture and will investigate how our history has influenced our future. Discussions will provide the opportunity to stimulate debate amongst peers in an informed manner.
Participants from the community / voluntary sector of the six Council areas attended a one day introductory workshop held in the Radisson Hotel in Limavady earlier this month. This was facilitated by Trademark and involved guest speakers, David Scott from the Orange Order and Sean Feenan from the Ancient Order of Hibernians. The event set the scene for the follow up visits to the Battle of the Boyne site, Kilmainham Gaol and the Irish National War Museum which will form part of a two day residential in the week prior to International Peace Day. Participants will also take part in a dialogue session when they will have the opportunity to voice their own perceptions and challenge the pre-conceptions of others.
The two day residential will be facilitated by Sean Collins, a former Mayor of Drogheda and well known local historian. Sean was born on the banks of the River Boyne and has a life long interest the history of Ireland, in particular the Boyne. He graduated from University College Dublin with a M.A. in Modern History and an M. Phil. in Medieval History. Sean has been showing groups around the Boyne site since 1980 – long before it was fashionable to do so. As Mayor of Drogheda in 2000, he used his office to widely promote the Good Friday Agreement and more recently has participated in a wide range of cross border programmes and initiatives.
Sean continues to facilitate groups who wish to learn more about the Boyne site and he estimates that over the years he has walked over 9,000 people through the site, among them General John de Chastelain, Dr Ian Paisley, Robert Salters, Andy Tyrie and Martin McGuinness.
Other organisations and individuals are also planning to mark the International Day of Peace on Sunday 21 September. For further information on Peace Day activities and how you could get involved, visit www.peacedaycampaign.com or contact Springboard on (028) 9031 5111. If you wish to register your support you can send an email to info@peaceday campaign.com
