The Northern Ireland conflict(the troubles) is often considered to have been a clash between the protestants and catholic communities within the 6 counties of northern Ireland, with the third party being the British army, which was seen from both sides as the keeper of peace and protection in the 70s when violence had erupted, it is with this context that we recognize each of the individuals on either sides had a different experience and role at the time, we then delved into understanding what the status quo today is post the good friday agreement.
In a powerful afternoon panel discussion comprised of a former Irish republican prisoner who grew up as a Catholic in a Protestant neighborhood, a former loyalist prisoner from North Belfast, and a former British soldier posted in the region at the time of the troubles shared their lived experiences and present day experiences, moving the discourse from the concept of “them versus us” to “we as a community” in Northern Ireland. They each acknowledged that the conflict went beyond religion and was more of a constitutional issue, recognizing that there were no significant differences between Catholics and Protestants at the core. They spoke about the power of collaboration with each other today in understanding their roles in the Troubles and taking accountability for the flaws of all sides in the story, telling these stories to help young people understand what they can do differently today, especially since they had all joined these entities before turning 18. They emphasized how young people can engage in bridging the gaps across communities and move away from the absolutist mindsets and ideologies that had taken root in Belfast during the Troubles.
Reconciliation is an overarching process that includes the search for truth, justice, forgiveness, healing, and so on; therefore, both a goal and a process (Bloomfield et al, 2003). reports highlight that despite significant peacebuilding efforts segregation in education, economic deprivation and structural inequalities still hinders its success(Watt,2023), on the aspect of reconciliation the panelists explained that reconciliation is not about forgiving and forgetting or memory revision, but about accepting the past and looking forward, aware of the deep-seated trauma of division and advocating for more dialogue and social integration between the different sides of the communities as the path to healing while also recognising that there is new aspects in the community like immigrants.
The panelists ended the discusion sharing some of their regrets, which included ending contact with friends and family, harming many people, including their own neighbors, and the impact of the unresolved trauma on their loved ones.with an expression of gratitude for the interconnected era of social media, which has made young people more aware of the present circumstances, histories, and empowered them to advocate for peace, both within their communities and internationally,they hope that collaborative discussions such as this will resonate with young people within and outside of Northern Ireland to be active participants of dialogues that foster peace.
Resources.
Bloomfield, D., Callaghan, N., Chea, V., Freeman, M., Hamber, B., Hayner, P. B., Huyse, L., Uvin, P., Vandeginste, S., & White, I. (2003). Reconciliation After Violent Conflict: A handbook (D. Bloomfield, T. Barnes, & L. Huyse, Eds.). International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. https://www.idea.int/sites/default/files/publications/reconciliation-after-violent-conflict-handbook.pdf
Ann Watt.Reconciliation and deprivation – twin challenges for Northern Ireland. (2023, May 25). Pivotal Public Policy Forum.Reconciliation and deprivation – twin challenges for Northern Ireland | Pivotal Public Policy Forum
a group picture with the panelists and participants of the trip
The tree in the background represents branches of collaborative peace built through the shared space.