Over 120 delegates representing PEACE III projects from all over Donegal and the North West attended the first conference organised by the Donegal CDB Peace and Reconciliation Partnership in Letterkenny on Thursday on the theme ‘Belonging – it’s a Human Right’.
Supported by the European Unions PEACE III programme, the conference addressed a range of issues faced by communities in Donegal working towards peace and reconciliation and addressing the twin challenges of Sectarianism and Racism in modern Ireland.
The conference was addressed by a range of speakers, all of whom brought a different perspective to the theme of ‘Belonging – It’s a Human Right’, in turn informing, entertaining, and even inspiring this gathering of PEACE III project representatives and workers, said to be the largest such gathering of peace workers in Donegal for many years.
Fr Peter McVerry SJ, in an address drawing on his many years of working with the homeless and marginalised in Dublin, said that if he had the money he would invest in pre-school education and supports for parenting skills, even simple things like teaching people to cook for themselves, as the most effective way to combat marginalisation and preventing young people from ‘dropping out’.
Journalist and political activist Eamonn McCann also addressed the gathering and gave a challenging analysis of some of the peace projects that he had witnessed. Belonging or taking part was one of the most powerful of human experiences, he said, and observed that many of the people he knew going back to the Civil Rights movement reflected not on the things they had achieved as individuals, but what had been achieved when people came together for a common purpose. The best way to overcome sectarianism would be to focus on mass actions around issues of common concern such as watercharges or other socio-economic issues that affected people on the basis of their class rather than on the basis of their religion, he said.
The experience of the border protestant community in Donegal was the theme of Mr Ian McCracken who brought the conference on a ‘journey’ through the key moments in that community’s development, seen through the lens of his own family history. This included a short lesson on some words and phrases from Ulster-Scots, and ended with an excerpt from the DVD On Eagles Wing, which celebrated the Ulster-Scots influence on the emergence and development of the United States of America.
In an innovative presentation, the experience of asylum seekers in Ireland was illustrated by a performance of the play ‘Waiting to be Irish’ by Theo Guessela and Segun Akano, both of whom had live in the asylum seekers hostel in Donegal town while they waited to have their applications for asylum processed and this was followed by a moving address from Gifty Asare who gave a very honest account of her experiences of living in Donegal which ranged from warm welcome by many people, to crass racial abuse from others who seem to think its ok to abuse people with a different skin colour to themselves.
Reflecting on the conference, Chairperson of the Donegal CDB Peace and Reconciliation Partnership, Cllr Dessie Larkin said “The level of input and debate which we enjoyed today will certainly add to all of our understanding of the work that has been done, and the work that has still to be done, to reconcile our people, build relationships, and create a society in Ireland where everyone feels they are welcome, valued, and belong.”