Our Future Together

McGuinness eyes Windsor Park match (Belfast Telegraph)

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:55:00 -0800

McGuinness eyes Windsor Park match
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/sinn-f...
(Belfast Telegraph)
1 February 2012

[GAA guest of honour First Minister Rt. Hon. Peter Robinson MLA and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness MP MLA pictured at the Power NI Dr McKenna Cup Final match between Derry and Tyrone at Athletic Grounds, Armagh.]

Martin McGuinness has revealed he would cheer on the Northern Ireland football team and hopes to get the chance on a visit to Windsor Park.

With many nationalists hostile to the international team, viewing its home stadium in south Belfast as a cold house for Catholics, the remarks from the Sinn Fein Deputy First Minister potentially represent another landmark in improving cross-community relations.

The republican veteran's stated willingness to attend a Northern Ireland game comes days after First Minister Peter Robinson was guest at his first Gaelic football match - a sport almost exclusively associated with the nationalist tradition.

The DUP leader sat beside Mr McGuinness at the Dr McKenna Cup final between Tyrone and Derry in Armagh on Saturday.

Last year, Sinn Fein culture minister Caral Ni Chuilin became the first high-profile member of her party to go to a Northern Ireland match.

But the sight of self-confessed former IRA commander Mr McGuinness at Windsor Park would be even more significant.

In an interview with UTV News, the deputy First Minister was asked if he would go to a match.

"I would be quite willing to do that," he said. "That would present no difficulty for me whatsoever. I probably would know more about soccer than Peter would know about Gaelic football. But no, I wouldn't have a difficulty about going to such a game.

"I think that all of us recognise that people do look at these situations and they make judgments about your broadmindedness, your openness and your willingness to reach out on the basis of whether or not you're prepared to show people in our entire community that you are prepared to respect what they love and what they represent.

"And the trick is to do it without compromising your political viewpoint. And Peter, when he went to the game in Armagh, the McKenna Cup final, did so without compromising his political views and opinions. And that would be absolutely the same for me."

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Discover Northern Ireland - ni2012 TV Advert - January 2012

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 03:40:00 -0800

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Fleadh Cheoil goes to Northern Ireland for first time (Belfast Telegraph)

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 04:00:00 -0800

Fleadh Cheoil goes to Northern Ireland for first time
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/music/news/fleadh-cheoil-goes...
(Belfast Telegraph)
30 January 2012

The organisers of the All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil have been commended for their "leap of faith" in deciding to hold next year's event in Londonderry - the first time it will take place in Northern Ireland.

Hopes of holding the musical event north of the Border appeared to be scuppered earlier this month after the Ulster Council of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann ruled against the Derry bid citing fears posed by dissidents who had carried out two bomb attacks in the city recently.

However, the council reversed its decision last week and on Saturday the Comhaltas executive voted to hold the 2013 fleadh in Derry, which beat rival bids from Sligo and Ennis.

The annual all-Ireland Fleadh attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors to the town or city chosen to host it, generating millions in revenue.

Stormont Junior Minister Martina Anderson, who represents the Derry area and who attended the vote, hailed the decision. "When you consider the largest cultural festival anywhere in the world is going to take place in Derry, it is a great honour for all of us," she said.

The Sinn Fein representative said the decision followed lobbying by politicians and senior police officers, who she said had reassured organisers over any security concerns.

Ms Anderson said the event could bring 300,000 visitors to Derry and generate close to 40 million euro (£34 million). The Derry delegation erupted in celebration when it was announced that, following the withdrawal of the Ennis bid, Derry had won.

Stormont First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness welcomed the Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann decision.

Mr Robinson said: "This is a vote of confidence in Londonderry and it will generate significant cultural and economic benefit to the city and surrounding areas. It is a proud and historic city with a rich heritage and the hosting of this event will be one of the highlights of the UK City of Culture celebrations."

Mr McGuinness added: "This is a great day for Derry and the north and I wish to thank all those who have played a part in securing this outcome. I commend Comhaltas for this leap of faith in the city - it was no doubt a difficult decision but Derry had a compelling bid."

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Peter Robinson attends first Gaelic football match (BBC News)

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 04:00:00 -0800

Peter Robinson attends first Gaelic football match
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-16777870
(BBC News)
29 January 2012

Deputy first minister Martin McGuinness, Ulster GAA president Aogan Fearghail and First Minister Peter Robinson

The DUP leader was a guest of the Ulster Council for the final of the Dr McKenna Cup between Derry and Tyrone in Armagh on Saturday night.

DUP MP Gregory Campbell welcomed the "symbolic gesture" of Mr Robinson attending the game.

Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness was also at the game. Mr Robinson got a "warm reception", he said.

He said that Mr Robinson's attendance was evidence of his "inclusive approach" and was "another little piece of history".

"Peter got a very warm reception from everyone he met at the game. It was wonderful to have him there," Mr McGuinness added.

Mr Campbell told Good Morning Ulster that he would not have accepted an invitation to attend the game but did admit the first minister going was progress.

"I think these issues are more about gestures. This is about symbolism and a gesture," he said.

"I think if it is offered in that context and received in that context then I would not quibble about it.

"The GAA has been travelling in the right direction for some time now."

'Moving forward'

But the East Londonderry MP believes there is still more work to be done by the organisation.

"There are issues that are still outstanding, there are still grounds, there are still clubs named after IRA terrorists that obviously have to be changed," he said.

"In a modern democracy where people are taking part in a purely sporting environment you wouldn't name your ground or a competition after, for example, one of the bombers from Gibraltar."

The DUP's deputy leader Nigel Dodds said the first minister's attendance showed how Northern Ireland had progressed.

"It doesn't in any way compromise Peter Robinson's political principals or the political principals of the DUP," he said.

"It demonstrates a very clear message and signal to people that we are moving forward in Northern Ireland, and moving forward together."

During the Troubles, many unionists mistrusted the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), which banned members of the security forces from being members.

That rule was lifted 11 years ago.

BBC Northern Ireland sports reporter Mark Sidebottom said that Mr Robinson had taken his seat just after the throw-in.

He added that security was low-key for the first minister's visit and that his attendance caused "barely a ripple" among the crowd.

Four years ago, Mr Robinson's party colleague Edwin Poots was the first DUP politician to attend a GAA game in an official capacity when he also went to a Dr McKenna Cup game.

And last year, the Queen went to the headquarters of the GAA, Croke Park in Dublin, during her historic first visit to Ireland.

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Open-minded parents only wanting best for their kids (Belfast Telegraph)

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:00:00 -0800

Open-minded parents only wanting best for their kids

OPINION: Lindsay Fergus (Belfast Telegraph)

27 January 2012

WHEN Jane Lyle and Susanne Hallworth were deciding what post- primary school they would send their daughters to they did so with an open mind. Despite both coming from a Protestant background, they did not limit their choice to schools in the controlled, grammar or integrated sectors, as tradition would dictate.

Instead, both mothers considered all of the schools in their vicinity -- including the only Catholic post primary, St Columbanus' College.

"I wanted the best school available and its faith or religious background was not a concern," explained Mrs Hallworth.

"I believe that parents should educate their children in the best school available to them regardless of religious persuasion.

"I also feel that, increasingly in Northern Ireland, parents are doing just that."

Such is Mrs Hallworth's support for the school that she has served as a governor for more than two years.

Her eldest daughter Sarah attended St Columbanus', then the University of Ulster, and now works as a staff nurse.

Tara, another daughter, is in Year 12 at the school and has recently returned from Buckingham Palace where -- to the school's pride -- she completed her work experience.

"The quality of education was paramount and having assessed other schools in the area we decided that St Columbanus' fitted the bill," said Mrs Hallworth.

"I was impressed by the open and inclusive ethos of the school and the motto -- Lex Dei in corde meo -- 'God's law in my heart.'"

She added: "St Columbanus' College embraces children from an increasingly diverse range of religious and ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

"My elder daughter's experience at St Columbanus' College was one she will never forget; it prepared her well for future years and she made many friends as well as achieving eight GCSEs and three A- levels.

"My second daughter is currently studying for her GCSEs and is on course for eight good grades."

But while sending their non-Catholic child to a Catholic school may be a bridge too far for many, hundreds of parents here have no such qualms.

At St Columbanus' every child takes part in prayer each morning and before some classes; they also attend Masses throughout the year and go on pilgrimages.

There is a crucifix in every classroom and God is at the core of everything. Another motto which adorns the school's walls says: 'Be it known to all who enter here that Christ is the reason for this college, the unseen but ever present teacher in its classes, the model of its staff, the inspiration of its students.'

However, there is no difference to the curriculum from any other school in Northern Ireland.

Headmaster Liam Perry explained: "I have been in this college seven-and-a-half years and have never had one issue of religious intolerance.

"You either buy in or you don't. I have no issue with a parent who says 'it's not for me', but if we put it upfront and say that this is what we provide, you buy in in total, not partially.

"Worship goes on in this school and the worship is both multi- denominational and Catholic.

"Our local priests from the parishes and ministers from other faiths frequently visit the college."

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Blasts won't stop us creating peaceful and prosperous Derry (Belfast Telegraph)

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 04:00:00 -0800

Blasts won’t stop us creating peaceful and prosperous Derry
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/blasts...
Brendan McDaid and Donna Deeney (Belfast Telegraph)
21 January 2012

[The scene in Derry on Friday, following a dissident bomb explosion close to the Tourist Office in the city. Two explosions occured following telephone warnings on Thursday night and police were evacuating the area when the devices went off]

Civic leaders from across Londonderry have joined forces with the Belfast Telegraph to issue a stark message to dissident republicans that their campaign of terror will not succeed.

This paper today carries the unprecedented open letter to the dissidents signed off by the Chamber of Commerce in Derry, as well as retailers, trade unionists, civil rights activists, Church leaders, politicians and community workers.

In a defiant message, they warn that progress to strengthen the city’s economic footing and growing profile across the world will not be derailed by bombs.

The letter was issued following the double bombing on Thursday night, which saw dozens of elderly people left terrified when one of blasts went off just yards from their care home.

Numerous people had to be evacuated from across the city centre, and over 500 families and others going to the Millennium Forum were forced to abandon their cars overnight in Foyleside Shopping Centre’s car park.

The bombs at Strand Road and outside Derry’s tourist office on Foyle Street detonated shortly after coded warnings were given.

Traffic cordons remained in place at several areas into last night, with many residents still waiting to be given the go-ahead to return home.

The open letter states: “The latest bomb attacks on Derry demonstrate the contempt in which you hold each and every citizen of this city.”

It also states that the actions of the dissidents are a “clear attempt to reduce the chances of unemployed people in this city obtaining the jobs that they need to have a better quality of life”.

The chief executive of Londonderry Chamber of Commerce, Sinead McLaughlin, last night praised the swift action of police officers in evacuating residents. Ms McLaughlin said: “The chamber wants to credit the PSNI for its vital role in getting the city back up and running, with the loss of just half-a-day of disruption.

"Police officers have worked hard in very difficult circumstances, especially when they had to clear buildings in just half-an-hour.

"Officers deserve enormous credit in protecting the lives of people in Derry.”

Speaking at a Press conference in the city yesterday, local police commander Stephen Martin said he believed either the Real IRA or Oglaigh na hEireann left the two holdalls containing the explosives.

He stressed, however, that both organisations were “small in number” and had “very minimal strength”.

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Unique Ulster memorials project shines new light on 'the Troubles' (University of Ulster)

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 04:00:00 -0800

Unique Ulster memorials project shines new light on 'the Troubles'
http://news.ulster.ac.uk/releases/2012/6199.html
(University of Ulster)
19 January 2012

A team of researchers at the University of Ulster’s Magee campus has created a unique online resource that sheds new light on the Northern Ireland ‘Troubles’.

The £260K Arts & Humanities Research Council-funded project - called Visualising the Conflict – combines an extensive archive of information about memorials, including images, and information about deaths during the Troubles with geographical and internet technologies such as Second Life, Google Earth and Google StreetView to give an enhanced insight into the spatial dimensions of the Northern Ireland conflict.

The project - which is available to the public from today has created a tremendous new resource that helps both academic researchers and the public visualise the spatial aspects of the conflict, according to Professor Gillian Robinson, Professor of Social Research based in INCORE at the University.

"This project has enabled us to do a number of important things. We have been able to produce maps that allow us to better understand the spatial impact of the conflict in Northern Ireland, for example the location of killings. The maps show concentrations of incidents in north and west Belfast, in Derry/Londonderry, in south Armagh and indeed in other Border regions.”

"While other projects have produced some GIS troubles-related maps, our project has generated new mapping and is the first to make a large set of maps publicly available via the CAIN website.”

The research team included colleagues in the School of Computing and Intelligent Systems who led the integration of the newly mapped material into a 3D virtual educational space, which is increasingly used by universities across the world.

"As far as we know, this is the first time that the Second Life environment has been used for teaching in the field of commemoration and memorialisation," said Professor Robinson.

“The project drew on newer geospatial technologies such as Google Maps and Google StreetView and has combined the memorials and deaths location data in such a way that when you go into the data on the CAIN website, you not only see the archived images of people and memorials associated with any particular site but you can also instantly access all the other information held about the incident.

"Through Google StreetView, for example, you can look at the location and see what the memorial site is like today (e.g. http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/victims/gis/googlemaps/index.html).>

“The research team compiled information on memorials including accurate map grid references. That meant we could begin to do some new and interesting things such as examine the relationship between the location of deaths and the location of memorials. This has highlighted some differences in the way the various groups have commemorated their dead. ”

The project builds on earlier AHRC-funded work which created the archive on victims, survivors and commemoration within CAIN.

CAIN Director Dr Martin Melaugh said: "That earlier grant enabled us to develop a resource on remembering victims, a very sensitive topic here in Northern Ireland.

“The main part of the archive contains documents and information gathered from a wide range of sources. We also photographed and catalogued most of the memorials that had been constructed in public spaces to commemorate people who had lost their lives in the conflict.

"Now, with colleagues in the Intelligent Systems Research Centre at Magee we have been able to take this material and transform it into a collaborative virtual educational space that offers enormous educational opportunities for the future.

“In building the virtual space (in Second Life) we created over 200 3D models of memorials and linked them to location information on a Google Map. It means users can ‘virtually’ visit memorials and places in Northern Ireland where they might not in the real world feel comfortable visiting or even be physically able to do so. In this way they can experience memorials which would otherwise be inaccessible to them.”

"Sometimes,” Professor Robinson added, "even in classroom situations in Northern Ireland, it can be difficult to talk about these kinds of subjects with student groups. Some may have relatives who were killed during the Troubles, and there may be memorials already erected to them. We are interested in assessing the suitability and usefulness of a virtual learning environment such as Second Life for teaching this sort of sensitive subject.

“The virtual educational space also allows international students to examine in this virtual world some of the themes and issues around commemoration and memorialisation in Northern Ireland. It allows local students to go to places they could visit in no other way.”

Dr Michael Callaghan of the Intelligent Systems Research Centre at Magee said: "We took the Google Maps and StreetView information and integrated them into a collaborative 3D immersive environment - Second Life. What that enabled us to do was to allow groups of researchers or students to work on the project collaboratively.

“You have a virtual presence - your avatar - and that allows you to interact, talk and communicate with other users in the virtual world.

“We created, in effect, a virtual classroom where the students and researchers were able to collaborate, discuss and work on the material together in new ways not limited by their physical location. They can search the maps, call up pictures, information on incidents, and we also created a virtual representation of the memorial.

“That added a powerful new dimension to the information, and will enable people to better visualise the conflict and the location of the memorials across the whole of Northern Ireland. On the information technology side, we took a fairly static resource and made it much more interactive and dynamic through giving it a geographical context, while on the educational side, we also added features to enable teaching, virtual classrooms, group work, seminars and visualisations - all new ways for people to interact with the information in the CAIN archive.”

But the project is not yet complete. As with any historical archive, there are always new things to be added, updates to be made.

Professor Robinson said: "The current database holds information only on memorials that are in public places. In the future it is hoped to extend the collection to include memorials in private spaces, e.g., churches, police stations, military sites, Orange Lodges, business premises, etc. CAIN is always happy to hear from members of the public who have information that can improve or enhance the site.”

To access Visualising the Conflict, go to http://cain.ulster.ac.uk/victims/gis/

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£2m project aims to remove Northern Ireland peace walls (BBC News)

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 07:24:00 -0800

£2m project aims to remove Northern Ireland peace walls
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-16603481
(BBC News)
18 January 2012

A £2m fund aimed at bringing down NI's peace walls by building confidence between communities has been announced by the International Fund for Ireland.

There are almost 90 barriers separating Protestant and Catholic neighbourhoods across the region.

The vast majority are in Belfast. Ironically, more walls have actually been erected during the peace process.

The IFI project is meant to help break down non-physical barriers before tackling the infamous landmarks.

It acknowledged that the peace walls can only be removed with the support of the people living on each side.

The Peace Walls Programme is designed to be the first stage in a process leading to the removal of the walls.

Promoting reconciliation

The money will fund a range of confidence and relationship-building initiatives within and between interface communities to help them arrive at a position where residents feel it is safe and appropriate for the walls to come down.

The IFI is an independent, internationally-funded organisation promoting reconciliation between unionists and nationalists throughout all of Ireland.

IFI chairman Dr Denis Rooney said while considerable momentum had built up in recent years for the walls to be removed there was still fear in many communities about them coming down too quickly.

"There are some 88 peace walls/barriers, mainly in Belfast, stretching over 21 kilometres in total," he said.

"Since the 1994 ceasefire, the number of barriers has grown. However, many community groups, some with the support of the fund, are doing courageous work across interfaces and in the past few years their conversations have moved towards when, rather than if, the barriers will come down.

"The physical removal of these barriers is a matter for the Department of Justice but the fund believes that its Peace Walls Programme, which is complementary to other initiatives that are under way, will help create dialogue, build trust and confidence and develop greater cross-community cohesion with a view to communities reaching agreement that it is time to start removing the barriers.

"Although there will be clear criteria for funding, this programme will allow applicants to come up with their own solutions and move at their own pace. It will be flexible by recognising that different communities in Belfast and other areas of Northern Ireland are at various stages of both willingness and readiness to move along this path."

Taken down

While there has been some progress on the peace wall issue in some areas - security gates opened at Alexandra Park in north Belfast last summer - in other districts, such as on the Newtownards Road in east Belfast, barriers have been strengthened due to continued interface violence.

Last year Belfast City Council decided to examine whether some of the 40 or so peace walls in the city could be taken down.

Stormont's Justice Minister David Ford has also signalled that a systematic review of the barriers may be undertaken to identify areas where progress can be made.

The Peace Walls Programme has been devised following consultation with all the key stakeholders, including the Department of Justice and the Office of First and Deputy First Minister.

Initially, £2m has been allocated to the programme but the IFI said this could be increased depending on the number and quality of applications.

The fund is inviting expressions of interest from community organisations for financial assistance.

Expressions of interest are available on the fund's website at www.internationalfundforireland.com/media-centre and should be returned to the fund at PO Box 2000, Belfast, BT4 1WD.

It is hoped that programme activity will start in June.

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‘Transformed Derry possible in 2012’: Dr. Latimer (Derry Journal)

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 04:00:00 -0800

‘Transformed Derry possible in 2012’: Dr. Latimer
http://www.derryjournal.com/news/local/transformed_derry_possible_in_2012_dr_latimer_1_3376224
(Derry Journal)
1 January 2012

First Derry Presbyterian Minister David Latimer believes a “transformed” Derry is possible in 2012.

Dr. Latimer, whose refurbished Magazine Street church re-opened earlier this year, believes such a transformation can provide “all of us living in the town we love so well with the resolve to forgive others, regardless of who they are or what they’ve done.”

In his New Year message, Dr. Latimer, who broke with convention by speaking at this year’s Sinn Fein Ard Fheis in Belfast, says “reaching out the hand of forgiveness to people we dislike and even despise will bring about the kind of transformation our city currently needs.”

The First Derry minister - who has been widely praised for his efforts to bring the city’s Catholic and Protestant communities closer together - added: “It will, moreover, signify we are prepared to build new kinds of relationships, bring to an end the toxic attitudes and practices that have characterised our past and stop their poison from travelling any further than they already have.”

To start the New Year right, says Dr. Latimer, “we each must let go of old grudges that do nothing other than tarnish and spoil our relationships and succeed in keeping us locked in the past.”

“Think of the fear, the grief, the hurt and the mistrust that broke so many human hearts. The lives of a generation of people have been blighted by decades of civil unrest and, even though the sound of bombs and bullets are no longer commonplace, robust walls of heart and mind sadly abound and prevent us from viewing one another as equals and as members of the same human family.

“Thank God the human spirit cannot easily be broken. Deep within our souls there resides the conviction that, somehow or other, the future can be different to the dark and terrible past we have all endured. Possibilities for the dawning of a brand new day, offering real hope of a different future for everyone, are no longer the material of dreams.

“Of course, there is no magic wand that can be waved to suddenly make all things new. Notwithstanding, every citizen living within the council boundary of Derry/Londonderry has the potential within himself or herself to introduce some heart and mind change that would, with God’s help, move us away from the ‘dog-eat-dog’ world that we inhabit to a ‘dog-forgive-dog’ world.”

The Presbyterian minister acknowledges that attempting to build a better-shared future is anything but straightforward.

“Often it appears we’re taking one step forward and two steps back. It would be ground-breaking were each of us to... dig deep into our lives to identify what it is that we can do to make our city a more fair, just and stable place for everyone because, if we are not careful, our children will see peace not on our streets but in pictures and in stories that offered glimpses of what briefly took place but did not endure.

“To minimise the possibilities for this happening, there is something we can each do, and that’s to willingly reach out the hand of forgiveness.”

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Taking peace for granted (Irish Times)

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 07:21:25 -0800

Taking peace for granted

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2011/1216/1224309148339.html

OPINION: (Irish Times)

16 December 2011

RECURRENT NEWS reports of past and present political and sectarian violence in Northern Ireland remind us its peace process must not be taken for granted. The report on the Miami Showband murders, the Smithwick Tribunal, and the recent murder of a PSNI officer show the conflict persists, though tremendous progress has been made. Co-operation Ireland helpfully distinguishes the stages of peace-making and peace-building from the ultimate goal of peace-sharing. That we are in the middle of a transition from making to building peace is no reason to neglect the process. On the contrary, high-level engagement remains essential if it is not to stall or go into reverse.

May’s Assembly elections were, for the first time, concerned more with normal politics than reinforcing older enmities. But even so the North’s entrenched political, social and ethnic-religious divisions were manifest in the results. The form of powersharing used both reproduces and tames them; the hope remains that over time the habit of working together will transform a society which genuinely wants to move on from its divided past. But its leaders and peoples need continuing encouragement and stimulus from their partners in the Republic and Britain, including sympathetic attention to their current difficulties and future development strategies.

Peace will be built by convincing policies which confront current problems effectively. Among them economic issues loom large. They include the North’s exposure to UK spending cuts; its abiding reliance on exceptional transfers from London to maintain a local economy dominated by the public sector; the efforts to bring down corporation tax to the level of the Republic to encourage foreign investment; the realisation that this would involve a substantial cut in the transfers; the effects on the North’s economy of the UK’s changing relations with the EU; and the need to think about how better economic relations with the rest of Ireland would stimulate employment opportunities.

Too little research and political attention has been devoted to these questions south of the Border. It seems to be assumed that having made the peace there is less need to help build it by encouraging economic development. The North-South ministerial process seems locked into a static agenda. Economic researchers are so preoccupied with the impact of the EU-IMF bailout crisis that they neglect the 32-county economy. Private business investment in the North has dried up and seems numb to the opportunities that exist for aligning two adjacent compatible economies. Suggestions for aligning health, educational and social systems across the Border receive too little official or public attention.

Such neglect could easily backfire and is irrational given the human, peace-building and economic potential involved. The North’s security agenda will be provoked by the anniversaries straddling the next 10 years. The working out of Britain’s internal and external political identity problems with Scotland, Wales and the EU over that decade will have a profound effect on Ireland too. These are all sound reasons for more engagement.

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We're all in this together so let's build a united society (Belfast Telegraph)

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 07:18:36 -0800

We're all in this together so let's build a united society

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/news-analysis/were-all-in-this-together-so-lets-build-a-united-society-16091839.html

OPINION: Chris Lyttle MLA (Belfast Telegraph)

17 December 2011

Executive ministers must deliver a shared future, not simply a shared out one, argues Chris Lyttle

A shared future is about everyone being able to work and living together and also delivering the best value for money on public services. It is not about carving up Northern Ireland, calling that equality and living by a 'separate, but equal' mentality.

Significant progress has been made on building peace in Northern Ireland and we must continue this strong progress by delivering a shared society for everyone.

Alliance has shown leadership in representing the increasingly united calls from all sections of society to dismantle division and we are winning the argument.

Political parties are now beginning to talk the talk of a shared future and the public deserves to know what they mean. A separate, but equal future, or a 'shared out' future, is not want we want.

Alliance wants meaningful action to build a united community and tackle the £1bn spent every year on maintaining and managing a divided, duplicated Northern Ireland.

It is both an economic and social imperative that we proactively move towards a more shared and integrated education system.

The Bain strategic review of education in 2006 identified an estimated 53,000 surplus school places. More recent figures, cited by the Education Minister, have put the figure at just under 85,000.

The resources spent on managing separate school estates could be redirected towards improving pupil attainment and shared learning would provide pupils with opportunity to access a wider range of subjects and sporting and cultural activities.

At the last Assembly election, Alliance identified key policies that we believe must be delivered by the political parties if they are to pass the shared future test.

We believe that core elements of a shared future are: a shared education system where children of all social and religious backgrounds can achieve their potential together and a target of 20% of children in integrated education by 2020; making it law that the Housing Executive actively encourages and facilitates mixed housing; and a requirement on public bodies to promote shared space in any new capital projects.

There must also be a requirement on Government departments to tackle division, an end to the tribal Assembly designation system, a protocol to promote the respectful display of flags and emblems, support for communities to remove peace walls, strengthening the Community Relations Council and cross-party agreement on dealing with the past.

The difficult times in which we are living mean our economy, public finances and the most vulnerable in society are under massive pressure. We must not underestimate what delivering a shared future could do for our economy and public services by releasing public finance for use where needed most.

The First and Deputy First Minister sat on 288 consultation responses to their proposed community relations strategy for almost all of the past year.

Rather than utilise these suggestions to redraft and implement this policy, they have brought in the other political parties to help them reach agreement on delivering a shared future for all.

Alliance is committed to leading the way in delivering this change and is setting the shared future agenda. Employment and Learning Minister Stephen Farry announced plans for an integrated teacher-training system and former Belfast mayor Tom Ekin had a motion passed at Belfast City Council on addressing peace walls.

It is essential we address the physical and infrastructural barriers, not only to tackle sectarianism, but to ensure our towns and cities are open, accessible places for economic and social development for the benefit of all.

We must all work together if we are to rise to this challenge. It is insufficient for the people if all our political leadership can provide is a separate, but equal peace.

It is time to deliver the united, fair and prosperous community that everyone in Northern Ireland deserves.

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Titanic centenary puts Belfast on tourist map (Reuters)

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 07:12:37 -0800

Titanic centenary puts Belfast on tourist map

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/19/uk-irish-travel-idUSLNE7BI03T20111219

Ian Graham (Reuters)

19 December 2011

(Reuters) - Once blacklisted next to Baghdad and Beirut as a tourism no-go zone, Belfast has become one of the world's must-see destinations thanks to its troubled past, great golfing present and impending anniversary of the tragedy of the Titanic.

During decades of sectarian violence few foreigners visited Northern Ireland, but a ceasefire and a peace agreement between Catholic and Protestant military groups have transformed the province, prompting a boom in tourists from 400,000 in 1998 to 1.6 million this year.

Next year, as the city marks the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic, which was built in Belfast's Harland and Wolff shipyard, the tourism authorities are looking for a bumper 20 percent rise.

Urging tourists to give Belfast a try in its "Best of the World 2012" the National Geographic Traveller this month described the city as having "an incredible atmosphere".

"I felt that this place was a treasure that had sort of been preserved," said editor-in-chief Keith Bellows. "It hasn't been trampled on by the big foot of tourism and so I really loved its purity."

Belfast's inclusion came three years after Lonely Planet sparked international interest in the city by putting it in its top 10 places to visit.

The explosion of budget airline flights Europe has also helped, providing an inexpensive opportunity for people to fly to Belfast.

TITANIC BOOST

The city plans to capitalise on the Titanic anniversary with a host of attractions -- from Titanic tours to Titanic ale -- 100 years after the liner sank with the loss of 1,5176 lives on its maiden crossing to New York on April 15, 1912.

The finishing touches are being put to the centrepiece, a 97 million pound visitor attraction, Titanic Belfast, overlooking a shipyard slipway where the liner and her sister ships the Olympic and the Britannic were launched.

Nine interpretive galleries throughout its six floors will explore the sights and stories of the Titanic and the people of the city that built her. A live film feed of the liner will broadcast from her final resting place 3,800 metres (yards) below the sea and 600 km southeast of Newfoundland.

"The Titanic will be a massive draw," said Siobhan McGuigan of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board who forecast an additional 150,000 visitors in 2012.

To those who accuse Belfast of trying to profit from a maritime disaster, planners insist it is a celebration of a seagoing masterpiece and point to the oft quoted Belfast saying "She was all right when she left."

OPEN-TOP BELFAST

Operators of open-top bus tours of Belfast say the Titanic theme and sites of the city's more recent troubled past - from "peace walls" built to keep rival Catholic and Protestant communities safe from attack by the other, to murals depicting masked gunmen - were always the most popular with visitors.

"All the drivers will say the same, the chatter from the passengers falls off when we call at the murals and peace walls and when we go to the Titanic sites," said one of the drivers.

On a cold snowy December day passengers braving the open top deck of one of the buses included a couple from Spain, another from Italy and an Indian family with a fascination for the Titanic.

"I used to read about the bombings and shootings and see it on the TV and would never have thought of visiting," said Jose Alvarez, 58, visiting with his wife from their home outside Barcelona.

"Now it's safe," she said. "We will definitely come back."

SPORTING DRAWS

Elsewhere in Northern Ireland, the city of Londonderry is gearing up to be UK City of Culture in 2013. A new multi-million pound visitor centre is to open next year at the Giant's Causeway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

But it is sports not culture that is giving tourism the biggest boost.

Golf is booming on the back to back wins of the US Open by Northern Ireland pin-up golfer Rory McIlroy in 2011 and fellow Ulstermen Graeme McDowell the year before.

A New Yorker trying his hand at the Royal Portrush course on the blustery Co Antrim coast - home club for both McDowell and Clarke - said he was starting to understand why the province had created so many world beating golfers.

"If you can get round this course without making an idiot of yourself you can get round any course," he said.

The decision by Chinese athletic bosses to set up their pre-Olympic training camp for their crack Gymnastic team in Lisburn, Co Antrim has been followed by a flood of interest in Northern Ireland by travel agents organising holidays for China's burgeoning middle classes.

"2012 represents an opportunity to change perceptions out there," said Niall Gibbons, Chief executive of Tourism Ireland said. "We are on the cusp of something historic."

(Reporting by Conor Humphries, editing by Paul Casciato)

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Research on future of peace walls (University of Ulster)

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 04:00:00 -0800

Research on future of peace walls
http://news.ulster.ac.uk/releases/2011/6170.html
David Young (University of Ulster)
21 December 2011

Belfast City Council should play a lead role in helping local communities to decide the future of peace walls, that’s the view of a University of Ulster lecturer who received a doctorate today for his research into the issue.

Jonathan Byrne, a criminology lecturer from Belfast, carried out a three-year study of peace walls, under the guidance of Dr Cathy Gormley-Heenan and Dr Rachel Monaghan.

The Army first erected the peace walls in 1969, in response to sectarian violence and disorder. Since then, there have been approximately forty-two walls constructed within urban working class Loyalist and Republican areas.

He said: “For the first time our politicians have responsibility for peace walls following the recent devolution of policing and justice. They have the opportunity to provide leadership and support for communities who want to transform the peace walls and interface barriers that have dominated their neighbourhoods for up to 40 years.”

Although Mr Byrne, who is based at the University’s Jordanstown campus, recognises the importance of Stormont in any process that involves the transformation of peace walls, believes Belfast City Council is better equipped to deal with this difficult and highly sensitive issue.

“The research revealed that peace walls were viewed as a local issue that essentially required local solutions, and for that reason Belfast City Council has plenty of knowledge and experience dealing with sensitive issues such as bonfires, murals, flags and parades at the neighbourhood level.

“Furthermore, the majority of MLAs at Stormont don't have peace walls in the areas they represent, but many councillors do.

“It was interesting to see earlier this month that the Council unanimously agreed to adopt a strategy and action plan to address issues surrounding interfaces in Belfast.”

His PhD research also showed that the walls are interpreted very differently depending on which community you speak to and where they live in relation to the walls.

Mr Byrne said: “Although community safety is of paramount importance, very often the social, economic and political issues that exist within these communities influence their thinking about the peace walls. For both Loyalist and Republican communities the discussion is more than about bricks and mortar and whether walls should remain or be removed.

“A major concern for Loyalists are issues that relate to their history, identity and culture and for Republicans this is about addressing housing demand and being able to respond to the needs of an expanding population.

“There is no doubting the complexities that surround the issue of peace walls. On one hand they are a constant reminder of the past, which appeal to the increasing number of tourists that visit the city, yet on the other hand they illustrate the distance people have to travel if we are to embrace the vision of a shared society.

“It is worth noting that the research also highlighted the willingness across communities, statutory bodies and politicians to engage in conversations, pose challenging questions, and consider their own roles and responsibilities as part of the emerging, ever normalising landscape of Northern Ireland’s still divided communities.”

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Old prejudices have no place in new society (Belfast Telegraph)

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 04:00:00 -0800

Old prejudices have no place in new society
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/columnists/gail-walker/old-prejudic...
OPINION: Gail Walker (Belfast Telegraph)
14 December 2011

Some people just can't keep out of the news. Take Belfast Lord Mayor Niall O Donnghaile. There he was, busily planning to host a reception for the brave bus drivers who kept us all on the move through the Dark Days of the Troubles.

A quick way to get back into public favour after the Duke of Edinburgh Award/teenage girl cadet fiasco had left the public seething.

Then Cllr Jim Rodgers recalls that O Donnghaile Senior was one of several men convicted of burning a bus at gunpoint in 1972. Worse still, the driver had been shot dead a few days later at his own home.

Ghastly. Distressing. Grim.

If we didn't know it before, we do now. The dead are not going away. And it's every single one, it seems, and not just those killed by the dozen in what used to be known as 'spectaculars', who are going to have his and her day in the middle of our breathless drive to Move On And Move Forward.

Yes, it might seem like grandstanding on the part of Cllr Rodgers, like the Unionist Party 'getting its own back' for the cadet affair. And one might think that O Donnghaile (or someone in the slick SF team) could have anticipated the matter and taken evasive action. One might even think that O Donnghaile has been ambushed for making an honestly reparative gesture.

No matter, though, we have no choice now but to say 'welcome back' to Sydney Agnew, father of three. A man whose apparently small-scale and seemingly forgotten life ended 40 years ago just a month from now, on January 18 1972, when his six-year-old son opened the door to two 16-year-old gunmen who shot Mr Agnew several times. Mr Agnew's name would, most likely not have been remembered publicly on the anniversary of his death. More likely than not, his character would have been recalled only by a few former colleagues and by members of his surviving family, privately and sadly. Perhaps that is the way they would have wished to remember him.

But now Sydney Agnew is back.

It's very risky throwing a few weird ideological shapes, to prove that one is more loyal or more republican than the 'hardliners' on either side, when one's own community's atrocities are lined up hundreds deep. And yes, while there is something peculiar that someone touted as the voice of young Sinn Fein should so frequently sound like someone from the 1920s, it's hardly unique.

Recently, we had Orangemen trying to get UUP leader Tom Elliott and UUP colleague Danny Kennedy expelled for attending the funeral of Catholic PSNI man Ronan Kerr.

The madness of political certainties are with us still. But that doesn't mean we should be in thrall to them any longer.

Niall (and his soul mates from the other side) would do better to abandon their cumanns and smoke-filled lodges and get out more and meet the people they claim to represent. The true and much younger voice of contemporary Belfast doesn't recognise the ghosts we stashed away over the last 45 years.

The true voice was heard at the MTV awards with Catholics and Protestants (sorry, those from the nationalist persuasion and those from the unionist persuasion) trying to get a gander at Justin Bieber and Beyonce.

Most of us in Northern Ireland are yearning for the freedom to get on with our lives. And a condition of that getting on with our lives is freedom from being provoked by nutcases.

We expect our Lord Mayors (if they are unionist) to receive successful GAA teams, winners of Irish dance competitions; we expect our Lord Mayors (if they are nationalists) to welcome successful football teams and to award Duke of Edinburgh certificates without giving offence. Just do it and shut up. That's the real world that most of us live in.

If a relative of a friend or colleague dies, we go to their services regardless of their religion (or none).

When we know that there's somebody in the room who is not of our persuasion, we don't antagonise, hurt or belittle them. We have the common decency, the good grace, to keep our lip buttoned and not be an ignorant yahoo. It isn't too much to ask - even in Northern Ireland.

Still, even if we fret about the damage done to our collective peace of mind, there are two crumbs of comfort to be drawn even from this sorry episode. First, Mr Sydney Agnew has been remembered as a man, a dad and a bus driver who gave his life for others as surely as any decorated hero. Second, no one's listening to grandstanding ideologues anymore... At least no one who you want to hang out with.

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Poll: Should Northern Ireland football ditch anthem at Windsor Park? (Belfast Telegraph)

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 04:00:00 -0800

Poll: Should Northern Ireland football ditch anthem at Windsor Park?
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/poll-s...
Lesley Houston (Belfast Telegraph)
13 December 2011

Change of song a good gesture – former UUP man

It's time to look for a new anthem for the Northern Ireland football team, a former Ulster Unionist has said.

Ex-Irish rugby international and community relations campaigner Trevor Ringland said another song could “send a gesture towards those who find it difficult to stand for God Save The Queen”.

Mr Ringland’s call came after former Northern Ireland international and Irish FA ambassador Gerry Armstrong said the feedback he had received suggested there was no benefit to changing to a different song.

But in today’s Belfast Telegraph, columnist Ed Curran says there is a need to find a song that could unite everyone behind the team.

He writes: “There is no more emotional moment in sport on this island than when God Save The Queen is played at Windsor Park and A Soldier’s Song at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. And yet, in the context of 2011, I now feel they are both wrong.

“If Scotland and Wales can do it with Flower Of Scotland and Land Of My Fathers, so can Northern Ireland. Given our divisions, we have even more reason to find words to unite and inspire all.”

He said an anthem should never cause unease to some spectators or players on the pitch.

“Yet that is precisely what happens in Dublin and in Belfast,” he argued.

The contentious debate was re-ignited after former Northern Ireland international Paul McVeigh said the IFA would never endear itself to Catholic footballers until it ditched the traditional anthem.

The west Belfast native last month conceded he found it difficult to have heartfelt pride in the jersey, and said he believed the IFA had the power to bring a halt to Catholic players’ unease.

Mr McVeigh said: “I have no doubt that it is a tough decision for some players to play at Windsor Park and stand before the English national anthem at Northern Ireland internationals.

“The decision-makers should sit down and ask themselves if their decision to continue with the anthem and continue playing at Windsor Park is beneficial to Northern Ireland.”

But Gerry Armstrong said any gains achieved by changing the anthem would be far outstripped by the potential loss of the loyal fans who had supported Northern Ireland in difficult times.

Armstrong, who has been researching the contentious issue of the national anthem with young players recently, said he believes it cannot simply be ditched.

“There is no point, no benefit to be gained when it comes to bridging the yawning gap in society,” he said.

But Trevor Ringland, who resigned from the UUP after party leader Tom Elliiott declined to take up his challenge to attend a GAA game, called for a rethink.

He stressed this did not necessarily mean ditching the anthem but could amount to an additional song “that everyone could buy into”, on both sides of the divide.

He suggested that fan Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol, could possibly write a song which he said “would be 99% better than anything anyone else could come up with”.

Mr Elliott said while he was “happy to discuss it”, he said he “would be coming at it from the view that it is the national anthem of Northern Ireland and I’m happy to keep it that way.”

Party colleague David McNarry, is also against any change.

“I am saying we have a team and we have an anthem and let’s not tinker with it but let’s do whatever there must be done in order to make Northern Ireland attractive for anyone from Northern Ireland to play for it.

“One helpful thing would be if the Republic did not poach our players.”

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Reducing prejudice in Northern Ireland (British Psychological Society)

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 04:00:00 -0800

Reducing prejudice in Northern Ireland

http://www.bps.org.uk/news/reducing-prejudice-northern-ireland
(British Psychological Society)
12 December 2011

Research has found that interaction between Catholic and Protestant groups could have a stronger impact on reducing levels of prejudice between both faith groups in Northern Ireland when it is a novel feature in a person’s life.

The two studies, published in the British Psychological Society’s British Journal of Educational Psychology via the Wiley Online Library, were carried out by psychologists from England, Northern Ireland, and Italy examined the amount of contact between Catholic and Protestant students in Northern Ireland at current and prior levels of education, and at home. They then examined the effects of contact on levels of prejudice.

The research determined that contact with a member of another faith group was found to be more powerful in reducing prejudice when it was a unique feature in a person’s life. Forming intergroup relationships for the first time at university-level, for example, appeared to have a stronger impact on reducing prejudice for those who have had little inter-group contact in the past, when compared to those who have had a lot of prior inter-group contact.

Dr Ananthi Al Ramiah of the University of Oxford says:

“Inter-group contact needs to be encouraged where possible and not only during the early stages of education. Interaction is especially beneficial in reducing prejudice if there has not been contact before. This finding supports the idea that it is never too late to introduce intergroup contact.

“This finding has potentially important implications, especially in post-conflict societies, such as Northern Ireland, where people from different groups may now live alongside or at least in some proximity to one another. It could also help policy-makers when deciding how best to allocate resources to improve community relations.”

The team of researchers also included Society Fellow, Miles Hewstone from the University of Oxford, Alberto Voci from the University of Padova, Ed Cairns from the University of Ulster, and Joanne Hughes, from Queens University Belfast.

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Teenagers celebrated at Stormont with Pride of Northern Ireland Awards (Daily Mirror)

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 04:00:00 -0800

Teenagers celebrated at Stormont with Pride of Northern Ireland Awards
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2011/12/05/teenagers-celebrated-at-s...
Amanda Poole and Jully Beattie (Daily Mirror)
5 December 2011

NORTHERN Ireland had FIVE new champions yesterday after they received coveted Pride of Northern Ireland Awards on Saturday.

More than 400 young people partied in Parliament Buildings at Stormont to celebrate their achievements under challenging circumstances.

Seventeen teenagers were given earblasting support from their peers as they stepped up to accept their awards.

And the top five received flights and holidays from easyJet and alpharooms.com, plus a £1,000 grant from the Big Lottery Fund, Lidl vouchers for £250 and a beautiful trophy.

Daily Mirror Pride of Northern Ireland organiser Jilly Beattie said: "We have five very worthy winners tonight, young people who have gone over and above to make a difference in their own lives and their communities.

"Ross has helped his family battle back from the brink following the tragic suicide of his brother and is helping other young people who find themselves in the same situation.

"Daniel turned his back on the temptation of sectarianism at the flashpoint interface where he lives, and acts as a positive role model to young people in the area. He is a young leader we can all be proud of.

"Chelsea has been working hard to remove so-called peacelines in Belfast and she's making good progress thanks to her incredible drive and the sound ideas behind them.

"Robyn is leading the way as a young environmentalist, putting into practise all the things we wish we could get round to doing and her work is having a positive impact by showing people how recycling and self-sufficiency are the way forward, particularly during a recession.

"And Hollie has proven a difficult start in life does not have to result in poor self-esteem. She had to grow up aged just eight, battled to keep her crumbling family together and now is reaping the results of demonstrating unconditional love and dedication in dignity.

"Hollie has already made a lasting impression on this world and I would predict great things for her."

Stormont was buzzing on Saturday night and MLA Basil McCrea even put on his dancing shoes to show the teens how to really celebrate.

The UUP politician was the first person to put his support behind rewarding young people's hard work four years ago when he offered to sponsor a massive party at Stormont and the programme has been a success ever since.

He said: "We have had a wonderful night in fabulous company. This was the biggest party ever seen at Stormont. It was packed with young people who were here for a party, but more importantly here to be recognised for the good work they've done in their lives.

"Sometimes teenagers get a hard rap from media and politicians but along with the Daily Mirror and five great sponsors we've proved tonight we see the good in people, see the potential and we're able to reward it in style.

"There's no doubt this party could be the only night in the year when our young VIPs can let their hair down and enjoy a night out without any worries. At their young age many of them have responsibilities an adult would struggle with. So it was heartwarming to see so many smiles and laughs, all that energy, some incredible dancing and Stormont filled with fun and positivity.

"The Daily Mirror Pride of Northern Ireland Awards offers young people from every county, every community and every background the chance to come together and party together.

"There's no question of race, colour, creed or geography, there's no prejudice. This is how it should be and this is how Northern Ireland could be if we listened more to our young people and gave them the space and support to grow into young adults.

"As politicians at Stormont, we are paid salaries and given the responsibility to make the right decisions about all sorts of areas of life. Perhaps it's time we listened more actively to our young people to hear what they have to say. They have valid views, points and challenges that we need to meet.

"The calibre of people attending the awards was incredible, the stories were humbling and inspiring.

"Yes we have young people who have gone off the rails in Northern Ireland. But tonight proves we have incredible teenagers who just need a chance to shine. And shine they did. The photos on Facebook are a glimpse of how fantastic the night was. And we must pay tribute to the community groups who help young people who could take the wrong path, find a way to have a good life and be a decent person.

"There's no doubt that without these people Northern Ireland would be in a much worse situation. Our youth achievers give us hope, they give us the chance of a bright future and I feel very proud to be associated with them."

FOR more photographs of the night, go to www.facebook.com/prideofnorthernirelandawards

TEN young people were highly commended for their achievements in Stormont on Saturday night at the Pride of Northern Ireland Awards.

Judges from each category sponsor, plus the Daily Mirror team with input from Vernon Coaker, Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, spent a challenging week making the final decisions.

Competition was stiff and every story was worthy of note.

The Joanne McDowell from the Big Lottery Fund said: "This has been a wonderful night where young people are being recognised for their achievements.

"It's a fun event with a serious message and the Big Lottery Fund is delighted and proud to be a part of it because the young people who were awarded are so deserving.

"The message is clear that everyone who attended tonight is a winner in their own right.

"These awards have helped us celebrate young people who are often overlooked. Now they're being given a chance to shine."

Andrew McConnell from easyJet said: "It's tough that everyone cannot have an award because the stories of our young achievers prove that they are all winners.

"I was delighted to travel over from England to be part of the awards and pay a personal tribute to young people who I believe deserve the world.

"As a sponsor I felt it was important to be here in Stormont tonight, not only to be part of an amazing evening, but to show that our sponsorship is important to easyJet and that we really believe in what these teenagers are doing for society."

Aoife Clarke from Lidl said: "This was our first year as a sponsor of the awards and we've been really amazed by the situations the young achievers have faced and overcome.

"The night has been lovely, fun, noisy and a great atmosphere. The young people have made a great effort to make it here tonight through their work in their communities. And the style has been fantastic too."

Gary Blythe from ecoventi said: "The Pride of Northern Ireland awards are amazing.

"It's a brilliant concept that echoes everything we're working to do at our renewable energy company.

"It's tough to get recognised for hard work and good decisions in this world so that's why we at ecoventi are really pleased to be a principle sponsor for 2011.

And we have decided to stay on board for the next five years and hopefully more.

"It's an honour to be involved and the young people's stories are inspirational."

Among the winners recognised by ecoventi was Young Environmentalist Hannah McGuckin who is determined to promote a greener environment. To that end she has worked closely with Translink to promote walking and the use of public transport. She has helped save money for her group by recycling ink cartridges and organises beach cleans on a regular basis.

YOUNG CAMPAIGNER

Barry McCrory - Drumgor Detached Youth Work Project

BARRY is determined to continue to build focus for young people his own age in his community in order for them to have successful and good lives.

He headed up an electronic newsletter which helped 200 young people and gave them information on perils faced by them such as drinking and taking drugs.

Category sponsor: Big Lottery Fund.

YOUNG MENTOR

Kurtis Ellis - Artability NI, Shankill Rd

KURTIS from the Lower Shankill, West Belfast, put himself in the heart of his community, acting as the unofficial big brother to many young people who haven't been able to turn to their peers.

Staff at ArtAbility say he puts others before himself, is kind, fair and encouraging.

Category sponsor: Lidl

YOUNG CARER

Nicole Smyth - Springboard Opportunities

NICOLE was lacking direction in her life when she made a vital decision to explore new experiences and she has never looked back.

She changed from being the little girl who was looked after by her devoted grandparents to becoming their carer. And now she has become involved with VOYPIC - Voices of Young People in Care to help change lives for the better.

She has become a strong and independent woman who can looks after herself - and others.

Category sponsor: PSNI

SPECIAL RECOGNITION

James Elliot - YouthAction NI

IN the past year James has been actively involved in his community addressing sectarianism, mental health and masculinity.

He said: "I'm involved with a young men's group where we talk about our lives. For many it's the first chance to speak about issues."

Category sponsor: easyJet

YOUNG CARER

Thomasina McCaw - 174 Trust : Young Carers Project

THOMASINA looks after her mother who suffers from Muscular Sclerosis and has been the main carer in the home since she was just seven.

She remains on call 24/7 and has given up her plans or study or get a full-time job because she is needed at home.

She said: "I feel very valued at home and the work I do there for the people I love makes it possible for our family to stay together."

Category sponsor: PSNI

YOUNG VOLUNTEER

Laura Johnston - GLYNI

LAURA has put her own stress to one side to work relentlessly to become a youth volunteer for Gay and Lesbian Youth NI.

She has been the driving force behind the launch of several support groups an continues to campaign for equality and acceptance and to bring an end to homophobic discrimination and bullying. She said: "I feel honoured and hope I have helped shine a light on issues many prefer to ignore."

Category sponsor: Big Lottery Fund.

YOUNG ENVIRONMENTALIST

Antonia O'Neill - GLYNI

ANTONIA has set up a recycling point within GLYNI's building which she ensure spread to partner organisations within the building and materials collected are used to run art workshops and make decorations for annual celebrations.

Her enthusiasm has ensured her peers have introduced the recycling bug to their own homes.

She said: "I'm passionate about recycling and it's been great to be recognised for something that I have done."

Category sponsor: ecoventi

SPECIAL RECOGNITION

David Telford - Springboard Opportunities DESPITE being visually impaired, David is a driving force behind sporting programmes for all and has now built enough confidence and self-esteem that he is planning to train as an RNIB youth leader.

He has overcome all his challenges, including overseas travel and meets every new opportunity with a renewed and positive attitude.

Category sponsor: easyJet

STAR AWARD

Dearbhail Hogan

SINGING star Dearbhail has refused to let disability have a negative impact on her life.

She deals with the daily issues of muscular dystrophy and does everything in her power to keep up her schooling and friendships, although ill health sometimes puts her life on hold. But she remains an inspiration to everyone around her and has taught her friend and family that life is for living.

Deabhail's only need, she says, is to sing every day to keep her spirits up. She has a CD out soon including several songs she has written herself.

Sponsor: 352 Healthcare

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Flags, parades and politics -- is there a solution? (BBC)

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 04:00:00 -0700

Flags, parades and politics - is there a solution?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-14144723
Mark Devenport (BBC)
13 July 2011

So should we be depressed about the annual ritual rioting in Ardoyne? Or heartened that the number of police officers injured was fewer than last year, and the disorder shorter in duration?

The police say 16 officers were hurt on Tuesday, compared to 55 in 2010. A republican source told me the rioting "wasn't a patch on last year".

In contrast to last year, nationalists did not block the Crumlin Road and the Orange parade itself passed by without trouble.

That said, the pictures still look bad enough and, as the trade union leader Peter Bunting put it, the perception of Northern Ireland as unstable going out around the world will probably count for more than any initiatives on local corporation tax.

In 2010 the PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Alistair Finlay stirred controversy when he accused the first and deputy first ministers of not doing enough in tackling and condemning the violence.

ACC Finlay talked about the need for the politicians to have "a plan to meet this type of issue next time it comes around rather than waiting until it inevitably comes next year".

Furious

He also referred to the lack of progress then made on the so called Cohesion Sharing and Integration strategy, which is meant to chart a way towards better community relations.

This year there's been no repeat of those comments from ACC Finlay.

Perhaps that's because he was chastened by the furious response from politicians last year, or maybe he's had his fill of controversy, following his apology to loyalists about the way in which the PSNI removed Union flags around Ballyclare.

Or just possibly he thinks mainstream politicians in North Belfast are doing their best.

Certainly it is evidence of changing times when the DUP North Belfast MP Nigel Dodds pays tribute to the efforts of nationalists to keep the atmosphere calm.

Moreover, Gerry Kelly was very overt in liaising with senior police officers on the ground over their handling of the disturbances.

Sinn Fein retains influence and overwhelming electoral support in an area like Ardoyne. But the republican movement's transition into the mainstream means it can't use the kind of strong arm tactics which used to guarantee it control of the streets.

The fact that two counter protests took place - a parade by the Greater Ardoyne Residents Collective (who insist "we are residents not dissidents") and a static demonstration by the Crumlin Ardoyne Residents Association (who appear more in tune with Sinn Fein thinking) underlines the division within nationalism about how best to handle the Orange parades.

So what of ACC Finlay's hoped-for "plan"? Following their Hillsborough deal, both the DUP and Sinn Fein were poised to dump the Parades Commission and replace it with a series of less than snappily-titled bodies (including the Public Assemblies, Parades and Protests Body).

Fuss

They would come under the umbrella of the First and Deputy First Minister's office. But these proposals were abandoned last autumn when the Orange Order decided it could not endorse them.

During this summer the Order has had a few fresh run-ins with the newly-appointed commission - most notably about the playing of hymns in east Belfast.

In the weeks to come we could see action taken over apparent breaches in the commission's determinations - action which could involve one of the new Orange Grandmaster Edwin Stevenson's closest advisers.

Then there was the fuss about the commission's U-turn in relation to marchers being able to unfurl the Union flag on the Crumlin Road.

But if the Orange Order is keen on replacing the Parades Commission, it will have to take the initiative itself. The two main parties remain ready to re-activate their replacement, but don't want to find themselves hung out to dry again.

DUP sources believe the Orange Order is reviewing its position and the politicians are waiting to see what that review leads to in the autumn before making any further move.

Of course, whatever you call the quango in charge of parades, it won't always be able to please both sides to these intractable local disputes.

That's where long-term community relations work kicks in. Shortly after ACC Finlay made his comments last year, the Executive published its draft Cohesion, Sharing and Integration strategy (CSI).

As I said at the time, a lot of the initial CSI document seemed woolly. It drew fire from those, like the Rowntree Trust, who reckoned it replaced a commitment to a shared future with a mutual accommodation between two sides happy to keep their distance.

According to a written answer just given to Alliance's Anna Lo, the five main Stormont parties have now "agreed to appoint representatives to a working group that will seek consensus on issues" enabling the publication of a final CSI strategy.

A "road map" will set out the steps and timetable for the strategy and an action plan will be brought forward.

The OFMDFM says the strategy should be ready in the autumn and the action plan in December.

To paraphrase the old Nazi saying, when I hear jargon like "road map", "strategy" and "action plan" I reach for my revolver.

Indefensible

The layman will wonder what practical difference any of this "CSI speak" will make to the visceral hatreds which we have all seen laid bare in flashpoint areas around Belfast in recent weeks.

Apart from the violence itself, the last few days have once again emphasised the gulf in attitudes.

For example, whilst loyalists felt it was indefensible for the police to touch the Union flags around Ballyclare. many deemed it perfectly acceptable to burn Irish tricolours and posters of the other side's representatives on their eleventh night bonfires (many of the Sinn Fein Belfast Mayor's posters were incinerated on loyalist bonfires due to receive grant aid from his council).

There is much good work being done away from the headlines. For example, the council and IFA-backed George Best Street League is keeping 320 young people from the North Belfast Ardoyne, Marrowbone and Oldpark areas busy playing football during the evenings this week.

But for some disaffected youth, soccer can't compete with "recreational rioting".

DUP sources say that whilst relations have improved between the middle classes, many Protestant working class areas feel the political process has left them behind.

Peter Robinson has asked the Lagan Valley MP Jeffrey Donaldson to head a working group which will examine how these areas can be reconnected with the process, looking at issues like deprivation, educational under-achievement (an issue pioneered by the former MLA Dawn Purvis) and political alienation.

The DUP says the initiative dates back to before the Assembly elections, but is only getting off the ground now.

Mr Donaldson acknowledges the need for loyalists to build bridges with those on the other side of the sectarian divide, but adds that you can't erect a bridge unless you are certain its supports on either side are strong.

It's an admission that mainstream unionists need to reconnect with their community if they are to be able to deliver on any deals in the future.

Looking ahead, the Parades Commission isn't the only quango whose future could be in doubt.

Earlier this week, appearing on Good Morning Ulster, the Irish News columnist Brian Feeney called for the abolition of the Community Relations Council, citing the recent trouble and the expansion in the number of peace walls as evidence of its failure.

Mr Feeney says the OFMDFM's appointment of an emissary to deal directly with the east Belfast violence underlined the irrelevance of the CRC.

The Community Relations Council's chief executive Duncan Morrow hit back, arguing that the work funded by his body has been vital "as a counter to those who would seek to stoke up sectarian tensions".

Brian Feeney has been a harsh critic of the CRC for years, but he isn't alone.

Sinn Fein sources don't hide their antipathy to what they call the "useless community relations industry".

This antipathy goes back to the republican perception that the CRC represents an NIO/Alliance party mindset that if only the "two tribes" started to behave themselves the problem would be sorted.

'Danegeld'

During an explosive Stormont Committee meeting on 22 June, Sinn Fein's Francie Molloy made no attempt to hide his disdain for the CRC, whilst the DUP's Trevor Clarke wasn't any kinder towards the quango, accusing it of patronising MLAs and trying to take credit for the Stormont institutions (both charges the CRC representatives rejected).

Under the old "Shared Future" strategy, the CRC was meant to be the key delivery body.

The question is whether this will change under the new Cohesion, Sharing and Integration policy.

Rather than a single replacement body, one alternative which has been suggested is giving community relations work to the local councils.

However, the failure to reduce the number of councils would mean dividing community relations efforts between 26 different bodies, some of which don't have much of a track record on improving relations on their own patches.

Community Relations Council sources believe there's been strong positive feedback to their work in the Executive's public consultation on the Cohesion Sharing and Integration strategy.

Defenders of the CRC see any potential assault on the quango as part of a turf war in which the two main Stormont parties want to cut out the middle man and reward their favoured groups in frontline areas.

CRC sources point out that although Sinn Fein politicians portray it as a waste of public money, the majority of the cash the quango distributes doesn't come from the Executive but from outside sources like Europe or the International Fund for Ireland. Accessing that funding might prove extremely difficult if the task is given to 26 separate councils.

Even if both the Parades Commission and the Community Relations Council are replaced, the problems they are there to address remain deep-seated and dangerous.

The DUP leader has been criticised for meeting the UVF in east Belfast after last month's troubles - an approach satirised by Brian Feeney as the paying of "Danegeld" to the paramilitaries.

Simply paying off trouble-makers to restore calm might seem attractive in the short term, but it builds up difficulties for the future.

In fact, in that Stormont committee meeting on 22 June, it was the DUP's Trevor Clarke who gave an example of what can happen.

He told committee members about the bonfires grant scheme in his home patch of Antrim.

Intended as an incentive to promote safer 11th night celebrations, he said it had encouraged other groups to start new bonfires in order to access council cash.

Arranging meetings between youth groups from across interfaces, or victims groups on either side may prove positive, but there are limitations to what can be achieved without progress on wider issues like flags, parades, shared schools and shared housing.

All of which is a big ask. Let's see where we are next July 13th.

PS A Sinn Fein source expressed bemusement at the Orange Grandmaster Edwin Stevenson's speech urging all members to cooperate with the Police Historical Enquiries Team in order to expose the IRA's "bloody sectarian war".

The source wondered whether the advice applied to the HET inquiries which have been causing so much tension within the UVF.

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No action over sectarian songs (News Letter)

Sat, 25 Jun 2011 04:00:00 -0700

No action over sectarian songs
http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/local/no_action_over_sectarian_songs_1_2806505
(News Letter)
25 June 2011

Gary McAllister speaker (centre) with committee members David Thompson and Richard MacIntyre at the AONISC press conference on consultation of Northern Ireland Football Supporter Clubs at the Waterfront Hall yesterday. Picture: Diane Magill

NO action will be taken against Northern Ireland fans captured on film singing sectarian songs following an international match earlier this year, it has emerged.

The Irish FA has confirmed their investigation into the incident which marred Northern Ireland’s defeat to Scotland in February is now “closed” due to a lack of “appropriate proof”.

While a number of the small group of supporters on the YouTube footage – which was widely distributed in the aftermath of the Carling Nations Cup match in Dublin – were identified by other fans and were brought before the association, no further action has been taken.

According to the governing body, those people who were recorded actually singing in the clip have not been identified.

The IFA had originally promised to place a life-time ban on offenders from receiving tickets to all future Northern Ireland home and away games.

IFA spokesman Geoff Wilson said: “We have been in communication with a number of people who have been identified by fans regarding inappropriate behaviour at the Northern Ireland-Scotland game in February.

“Our legal advisers as well as the Irish FA have met with a number of people and during those discussions it was clear that as we do not have proof of individuals singing inappropriate songs, therefore we cannot take any further action.

“Any action that we would have taken would open us to a legal challenge.”

He added: “The individuals that we did meet all said they deplore the singing of inappropriate songs and from our point of view we want to move forward and endorse further our Football for All programme in Northern Ireland.”

Asked if this was now the end of the matter as far as the association was concerned, Mr Wilson said: “It is closed from our point of view simply because we cannot take this further as we do not have the appropriate proof.”

However, he added: “If there is somebody out there who is aware of a person on the video who is clearly singing, then we would look at it again.”

Gary McAllister, from the Amalgamation of Northern Ireland Supporters’ Clubs, expressed disappointment at the news.

“It is disappointing that none of the people who have been involved in the singing have been identified as yet,” he said.

“I would call on anyone who knows who these people are to pass the information on to the Irish FA because we need to remember the harm that was done to the image of Northern Ireland football by them.”

Earlier this week, it was reported that Ballymena United player Denver Gage, captured standing in the vicinity of the group, was one of those cleared of any wrongdoing.

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Life and Times Survey reveals a dangerous and intolerant undercurrent to our society

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 04:09:00 -0700

Life and Times Survey reveals a dangerous and intolerant undercurrent to our society
by Sarah Creighton for Our Future Together

As a Politics undergraduate I was forced to trawl through the Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey for an assignment on the SPSS system. Now, a few years after graduating, I can look at the recent results without enduring the pain of trying to understand what a chi square is.

First of all, some encouraging statistics: 62% of people in Northern Ireland think relations between Catholics and Protestants have improved. 83% of those surveyed would prefer to live in a mixed neighbourhood and 70% of those surveyed would prefer to send their child to a mixed religion school. 31% of those surveyed also feel that the government should put improving relations between the two communities at the top of their priority list.

There are a few things to take into account when looking at the above results: as reported by Liam Clarke in the Belfast Telegraph, ARK (who carries out the survey) has noted that it believes that some of its respondents don’t give accurate answers to the survey questions. Instead of answering how they really feel, some respondents will answer the survey by giving the answer they think the questioner wants to hear. We can question why this is but I feel that the answer is slightly comparable to the ‘Bradley Effect’ in the United States. It is possible that some of those answering the Life and Times survey have been inaccurate in their answers so as not to appear racist or sectarian. We can’t qualify ARK’s views but it is worth taking into account when looking at the above results.

The recent survey results have caused quite a lot of comment in the press, more specifically, the statistic that only 33% of Catholics think the long term strategy for Northern Ireland should be Irish unity. Apparently 46% of Catholic respondents think Northern Ireland should stay within the United Kingdom with a devolved government (6% think Northern Ireland should remain part of the UK under direct rule.) The result without a breakdown puts support for a united Ireland at just 16%.

The results have been portrayed as quite damaging to Sinn Fein and have been welcomed by the Unionist parties. The new figures are a change from the 2006 survey which stated that 56% of Catholics who took part in the survey wanted Northern Ireland to unify with the Republic with only 22% wishing Northern Ireland to remain part of the UK.

The results of the 2010 are surprising but not wholly shocking. It isn’t uncommon to hear those from a Catholic background say that they would prefer Northern Ireland to remain in a union with Britain (or at least I’ve heard a few say so.) It’s also worth noting that the survey was carried out between October and December 2010, just after the collapse of the banks in the Republic of Ireland. One wonders if the results will change once the Irish economy picks up and grows again.

The Life and Times Survey is also noteworthy in other areas: for instance, 3% of respondents want Northern Ireland to be an independent state. 3% is a small and insignificant statistic but still interesting. Who are these strange people that think Northern Ireland could actually function on its own?

Rather depressingly (in my view), 15% of Protestants surveyed stated that they thought that the ‘most important thing for the Assembly to be getting on with’ is strengthening the Union with Britain compared with 9% of Catholics who think the Assembly should be working towards a united Ireland. The union was not the greatest concern for the Protestants surveyed, unemployment and community relations came out on top, but it came before tackling poverty (8%) and sorting out the 11+ deadlock (12%).

It’s good to see that 72% of those in the 18-24 category would like to live in a mixed neighbourhood but it’s quite alarming that 21% of 18-24 year olds would like to live in a neighbourhood of their own religion. Only 9% of those in the 35-44 category would prefer to live in a neighbourhood of their own religion, the statistic is 12% for those in the age group 45-54.

Overall, a majority of people in Northern Ireland would prefer to live in a mixed neighbourhood but it’s interesting (and concerning) that 18-24 year olds, who would not have experienced the level of violence that their elders would have, expressed a greater preference to live in a community of their own religion in comparison to those in the 35-44 category or 45-54.

The Life and Times survey is concerning in another area. The figures for relations with ethnic minorities are quite shocking: 21% of those surveyed stated that they would not willingly accept an Eastern European as a close friend; 23% stated that they would not willingly accept an Eastern European as a relative by marriage. 13% stated that they would not accept a Muslim as a tourist in Northern Ireland. 30% stated that they would not accept a Muslim as resident in their own area, 37% stated that they would not accept a Muslim as a friend and 46% of respondents stated that they wouldn’t accept a Muslim as a relative by marriage!

It says a lot that the 2010 survey actually shows that relations with ethnic minorities are improving. In 2006, 76% (shockingly) stated that they would not accept a Muslim as a close friend; this figure has thankfully dropped. The same is said for relations with Eastern Europeans; in 2006, 70% stated that they would not accept an Eastern European as a close friend. Again, this figure has dropped. I would tentatively suggest that the numbers are falling as people in Northern Ireland get used to newcomers and different cultures. Hopefully the numbers will fall again when the next survey takes place.

The overall image of the Life and Time Survey is that the majority of people in Northern Ireland are tolerant towards ethnic minorities; but, the survey seems to show that underneath this there is a dangerous and intolerant undercurrent to our society.

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