Good Friday Agreement: Transatlantic Perspectives conference held at DCU

This week, Dublin City University hosted a unique conference on peace-building in Northern Ireland with panellists including community activists from nationalist and unionist communities, teachers working in some of Northern Ireland's most economically marginalised communities, and Irish-American community leaders who were at the heart of efforts to bring peace. 

Speaking at the close of the conference, Prof John Doyle, Vice President for Research said:

 Building a united community remains a challenge and we heard inspiring stories from our speakers such as Unionists in East Belfast exploring the Irish language, and the huge success of the Féile in West Belfast - transforming a legacy of rioting into a positive expression in Ireland’s largest community festival. We also heard stories of engagement between Irish and African American communities overcoming a history of often poor relations.

The conference was designed to facilitate discussion and conversation, both between the speakers and between other participants. Discussion focused on what has worked and what has not worked over the past 25 years, the steps that are needed to build inclusion, and how Irish America can continue to play a crucial role 25 years on.

In the day’s second panel, ‘Unlocking potential through education’,  Professor Anne Looney, Dean of DCU Institute of Education facilitated a discussion with Ashleigh Galway (Primary School Principal, Belfast) Siobhan McQuaid (Primary School Principal, Belfast) Hillary McEvoy (former Early Intervention Transformation Programme) and Maire Thompson (Principal, Hazelwood Integrated College, Belfast) that looked at how inclusive and integrated education can be a platform for change.

Other speakers at the conference included Linda Ervine (Irish language and cultural advocate, East Belfast) and Senator Timothy Kennedy (New York State Senate).