E ditor’s N ote: In 2006 International Educator began a feature article series on international education and peace resolution in divided regions of the world faced with conflict. Articles in the series are published occasionally in the magazine. This article, the third installment of the series, focuses on Northern Ireland (earlier articles were about Cyprus and the Israeli/Palestinian conflict). This author traveled to the region in August 2006 and interviewed several leading figures making efforts toward peace.

A Laboratory of Conflict AND Peace

People in many parts of the world live among one another despite vast differences—but it isn’t always an easy road to peace among separate communities. Northern Ireland has witnessed more than its fair share of conflict, which has been symbolized by religious differences between Catholics and Protestants but primarily occasioned by significant political and economic disparity between the two communities. But today, the region sees a brighter future as the winds of conflict seem to have shifted and peace appears to be on the horizon. To help bridge the divide and ensure a lasting peace for the future, academics and higher education institutions have been instrumental in furthering the peace process. A turning point for Northern Ireland toward peace occurred in the spring of 1998 when the Belfast (or Good Friday) Agreement brought the promise of peace and stability to a region that had been involved in continuous violent struggle for nearly three decades. The history of the enmity between the two communities in Northern Ireland is long and complicated (see “A Simplified Look at a Complex Struggle”). But the two sides—the majority community that is primarily Protestant and desires to remain in union with Great Britain, and the minority community that is primarily Catholic and wishes to see the six counties of Northern Ireland rejoined to the Republic of Ireland—still have a long way to go in bringing their common home to a final and permanent settlement. Since the agreement was reached the international community has often praised the people and leaders of Northern Ireland for the great strides they have made to date—Unionist David Trimble and Nationalist John Hume shared the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize for brokering the agreement. But, most of the local people will concede that although they do not believe that violence on any significant scale will return, the political situation is still very tense.

Mural art is a time honored tradition in Northern Ireland for expressing political and social messages. These murals from Derry and Belfast articulate the fears, desires, hopes and history of the Nationalist/Republican and Unionist/Loyalist communities.

As the citizens of Northern Ireland AND slowly build on the peace Conflict Peace brought about in the late 1990s, educators and researchers are developing new tools for exploring conflict resolution and applying theory directly to problems on the ground. Text and photos by Christopher Murphy

The dove, hand, and barbed wire image is a detail from the hunger strike memorial near Free Derry Corner. The image is taken from the prison poetry of Bobby Sands who died on hunger strike in 1981. 36 International Educator JAN+FEB.07 in practice how you try to build on a peace process, how you build seeing are who students university by studied “being is situation current the explains, Robinson President As agreement. peace workingandthrough implicationsthe successfulthatafollow on NorthernIreland has become a wonderful laboratory for studying is both driving and being assisted by work at the local universities. than through physical force. workinginthevaluepolitically comesee tosidescan bothrather excellentantoday as examplepeaceprocess ahowwork ifofcan since the agreement, though not perfect, is commonlyinstitutions areacknowledged beginning to work together.” The cooperation seen in both Dublin and Belfast, and this has happened. And now those Agreementrequires thathuman rightsinstitutions establishedbe interview with Republicof Ireland, Mary Robinson noted in an foundpriorformer1998.toAs president theof can be felt in the region today that was not to be as well as commemorate five Belfast is intended to show paramilitary might of the Bogside’ in 1969. and Bogside Artists, Kevin Hansson, William Kelly and petrol bomb was produced by the T he mural of a young boy with a gas mask In Northern Ireland the continuing work toward a lasting peace optimism of sense general a Nevertheless, T om Kelly. It commemorates the ‘Battle IE in early 2006, “the Good Friday T he U U VF mural from VF members. systematic discrimination in housing, employment, and many othersufferedAlthoughthey citizens. class second status as social and Catholic community accepted somewhat fatalistically their political timentNorthernin Ireland layalmost dormant, andtheminority own internal problems. For decades, the Nationalist/Republican(latertobecome the Republic ofIreland) sen struggled todeal with its gimetook firm control and the newly independent Irish Free State from Northern Ireland as the new, thoroughly Unionist/Loyalist re mid-1950s. But, community-wide violence temporarily disappeared sporadicsectarianepisodesunrestof from the 1930sthrough the AftertheupheavaltheIrish Civil Warof therethe1920s,in were Education A political parties.” in the political relations between the two governments and the local more confidence between communities, as well as what’s happening personification of it, is John Hume. If you read any of Hume’s of any read you If Hume. John is it, of personification benefited from this liberalization had who of access tocommunity education. Catholic the in people young of pool the as BernadetteMichaelDevlin, Farrell,such JohnandHume directly fromleaders its of majority great the got activists, young of in A Levels, you got funding to go to university.” who passed what are called A Levels. If you got good enough grades afford to go to the universities. The act provided funding for anyone ‘47. Up until then, if you were a working class Catholic you couldn’t that first generation that had taken advantage ofThe theSDLP (SocialEducation Democratic ActLabour of Party) was formed in 1970 by wouldhave smallbeen businessmen, publicans, that sortofthing. efforts to force change in the system. effectively organizedno little ormade they means, otherand ing critical areas, and were sometimes disenfranchised by gerrymander Civil RightsMovement Arthur says, “The classic example of the Education Act, the the Act, Education the of example classic “The says, Arthur The civil rights movement, founded in the late 1960s by a group ct Gives Riseto would have had a university education. They They education. university a had have would at that stage was led by people, very few of whom University of Ulster explains, the “Nationalist Party that time had little access to higher education. Nationalist/Republicancommunity, which until the of ability the on effect profound a had This university. attend to students high-achieving in citizens all some for funds providedIreland Northernand to free education secondary and primary made 1947 of Act Education The Catholic minority dealt with their circumstances. have a significant effect on the way in which the to was afterward, shortly Ireland Northern to extended and 1944, in Britain Great in passed As Paul Arthur, professor of politics at the at politics of professor Arthur, Paul As legislation of piece important an However,

- - - biographies you’ll see he came from a poor background very near (the University of Ulster, Magee Campus). His father had been unemployed for years and years and years—there just wasn’t any work. Hume passed the 11+ (exams to determine which secondary schools students can attend), went to secondary school, and then went on to university. And the people who formed the SDLP were that generation of university graduates.” Arthur notes that he, too, as a young man from the Bogside neighborhoods in Derry*, gained his education through the benefits of the act. Political activism became very common among Another work by The Bogside Artists, this mural com- his contemporaries. “This was just a natural outlet for us. But my bines a dove for peace with the oak leaf—symbol of parents’ generation just wouldn’t have had that, and what they would Derry. The multi-hued squares represent diversity. have had was a huge degree of fatalism—’there’s nothing we can do.’ The system had beaten them down—whereas my generation said, ‘no, we’re not going to take any more of this.’” A SimplifiedL ook at However, the optimism and passion of the early nonviolent period in the civil rights movement gave way to violence after a a Complex Struggle number of attacks on the civil rights marchers, culminating in the Bloody Sunday killings of 14 demonstrators by British troops in Derry in 1972. These events led a number of the activists to abandon the nonviolent tactics and sign up with the Provisional The original cause of the repeated struggles known Irish Republican Army (known generally as the Provos or IRA). locally in Northern Ireland as the “Troubles” can be traced back to an action in 1610 by the English Continuing the Search for a Peaceful Resolution Crown called the Ulster Plantation. The Plantation began shortly after the English defeated a nine-year- However, some among the academics, activists, and politicians of this long rebellion against Queen Elizabeth I by the old generation continued to search for ways to bridge the longstanding Gaelic-speaking leaders of the province of Ulster. antagonism between the communities in an effort to find some form Ulster had proven to be the hardest of Ireland’s four of political accommodation. Although their efforts were often outside provinces for the English to control. the notice of the press and the community at large during the height In an attempt to rid themselves once and for all of the rebelliousness of the Ulster Irish natives, of what they refer to as the “Troubles,” they would eventually play the English took the best lands away from the Irish, important roles in the peace process that developed in the 1990s. brought in loyal Englishmen and Scotsmen, and In the early years of heavy violence during the Troubles, a great gave them the land. deal of attention was paid to the conflict by the press and academics By the definitions of the time, a loyal subject had from outside Northern Ireland. “At one level this place became to be a Protestant because the English rulers were Protestants. The Irish never accepted this concept massively overresearched in terms of the number of people who and remained Catholic. The Plantation created a were scrutinizing it and looking up and doing research on it,” says privileged, Protestant community in Northern Ireland Professor Tony Gallagher of the Queen’s University Graduate School that owed its allegiance and its protection to the of Education. But initially, this work was not paralleled from within English Crown (and later the British government). Northern Ireland. Although some individuals were making a few Over the ensuing centuries, there has been much inroads on the topic, it was not catching on at a more institutional level. tension between these two groups and occasionally open warfare. But when Britain finally tired of ruling “I don’t think there’s much evidence that there was an institutional the rebellious island in the early twentieth century and attempt to find any way of dealing with it,” Gallagher notes. looked to grant Ireland its independence, the Protes- Part of the reason for this was the relatively insulated nature of tant community of Ulster insisted that they be allowed the universities. Unlike the educational system that feeds into them, to remain part of Great Britain. An accommodation was reached in which all of Ireland would become independent with the exception of those six counties * The name of Northern Ireland’s second city is often a point of in the northeast that had majority Protestant popula- contention—Unionists/Loyalists prefer Londonderry, while Nation- tions. Many of the Catholics living in those counties alists/Republicans prefer the older name of Derry. Because the city object vehemently to this as they were not consulted has a majority Catholic population, and for consistency, we are using and would not have agreed to this arrangement, Derry throughout this article. which they see as perpetuating a system that keeps their community in second class status. Political Primer on Northern Ireland

the institutions of higher learning in Northern Ireland have always been, at least officially, nonsectarian. As Gallagher points out, “both Nationalist—Drawn mostly from the Catholic universities (Queen’s University and the University of Ulster) have community, Nationalists would prefer to see a reuni- always been mixed with students from both communities. And in fication with theR epublic of Ireland, but many would fact, both universities have always been somewhat secular in the way be willing to compromise on a hybrid arrangement that they operate.” This nonsectarian ethos led, in some cases, to a giving Northern Ireland ties to both Great Britain and feeling of separation from the Troubles. “In universities it was easier the Republic. The largest political party among the to praise yourself for being part of a mixed institution that was above Nationalists is the Social Democratic Labour Party all that squabble. It was easy to say ‘there may well be problems, but (SDLP), which is led by Mark Durkan. they exist elsewhere.’ And so it was possible to comfort yourself with that and just try to get on with things,” he says. Republican—The more politically extreme But, as the conflict wore on, a number of faculty and researchers version of the Nationalist. Republicans are some- times subdivided into those in favor of physical force began to see that they were in a unique position to be able to affect (who supported the activities of the Irish Republican the search for an end to the conflict and the way in which the peace, Army, or IRA) and those who, though uncompromis- once established, might bring about a more equitable and tolerant ing in their vision of an Ireland separated from Great society in Northern Ireland and elsewhere. Britain and united to the Republic, are unwilling to sanction violence. The primary political party of INCORE Works for Peace at Home and Abroad Republicanism is Sinn Féin. The party has been often The University of Ulster’s Coleraine campus took the lead early on criticized for having direct ties to the paramilitary under the direction of Professor John Darby, when he established the IRA. Sinn Féin officially denies that these ties exist. Centre for the Study of Conflict in the 1980s. Toward the end of that Gerry Adams is the leader of Sinn Féin. decade, Darby began to realize that to focus on Northern Ireland alone was useful, but there was a lot of important international work being Unionist—Drawn primarily from the Protestant done on the topic of conflict resolution and they needed to link the community, Unionists wish to maintain Northern Ireland’s formal connection to Great Britain. However, center’s work to it. He hoped this would facilitate both learning within they have generally shown willingness to compromise Northern Ireland about successful programs and groundbreaking re- on the establishment of a number of cross-border in- search in other parts of the world, and help scholars and students from stitutions in cooperation with the Republic of Ireland. abroad to access the work going on in Northern Ireland. There are two significant political parties currently “From that, there grew the idea of a new in Unionism. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), center, INCORE, INternational COnflict which is the larger, is led by the Reverend Ian Paisley. REsearch, as it’s now called. It would do Although the DUP does support devolution of gov- comparative, international research and so ernment authority to the local level, the party does on. And the politics of the time dictated not support the Good Friday Agreement. The slightly that INCORE be based here in Derry, smaller Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) is more moder- so the Centre for the Study of Conflict ate than the DUP and does support the Good Friday continued with its Northern Ireland focus, Agreement. UUP is lead by Sir Reg Empey. and INCORE had the international focus,” says Gillian Robinson, current director of Loyalist—The more extreme version of the Gillian Robinson, Unionist. Generally they favor little or no accom- director of INCORE. INCORE and ARK (the Northern Ireland modation be granted to the Nationalists/Republican Social and Political Archive). community’s demands and want few if any ties estab- Eventually, the work of the original center was subsumed by lished with the Republic of Ireland. There are a number INCORE, which now handles both internal research on Northern of well-armed paramilitary Loyalist organizations such Ireland and international projects. as the LVF, UDF, UDA, UFF, etc. The Loyalist politi- Paul Arthur, who teaches at the University of Ulster and is an cal parties are small, but the largest, the Progressive associate with INCORE says that the organization often works with Unionist Party (PUP), has been linked to the para- representatives from regions or nations around the globe who are militaries in the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). In an involved in conflict. They either invite key individuals to Northern unusual move in May 2006, David Ervine, the leader of Ireland or go to other countries to help local leaders and academics the PUP, announced that when the Northern Ireland Assembly is reconvened he will join the UUP contin- assess their own peace process and discern how Northern Ireland’s gent, although he will continue to head the PUP. experience might apply.

JAN+FEB.07 International Educator 39 Nonetheless, Nonetheless, the meeting was “When successful. the meeting “Martin grew up two streets away from me in this city (Derry),” (Derry),” city this in me from away streets two up grew “Martin their paths had diverged over time. McGuiness had become a major major a become had McGuiness time. over diverged had paths their had committed Arthur while movement in Republican the player politics. moderate more to himself this, credits He was over (the Americans) said, ‘we would have guessed year.’” that you the of week every McGuiness to speaking were immediately after the Northern Ireland ceasefires went into effect. effect. into went ceasefires Ireland Northern the after immediately government. U.S. the The meetingas hadthe well support as of the governments ofIreland, the United of Republic the and Kingdom It was to include major players from various through areas which, at that working currently or conflicts in involved either were time, from Representatives process. peace a of phases post-agreement the be to going were Africa South and Europe, Eastern East, Middle the of participation the get to wanted Americans the But attendance. in Arthur so Republicanism), of party political primary (the Féin Sinn of one the McGuiness, Martin to overture the was make to asked leadership. party’s the in figures key he says. But Arthur felt he had to warn the Americans that help the not might years many for McGuiness known had he that fact speak didn’t I out, broke Troubles the “once says, he As cause. their early1990s.” the and 1960s late the between McGuiness Martin to neighborhood, Bogside Catholic the from both were they Although he artists intended this second mural to be a cautionary reminder to the young young the to reminder cautionary a be to mural second this intended artists he T gas. gas. S Arthur believes this has been a Individuals from the Centre for the very significant opportunity for Universitythe of Ulster to contribute ‘these to say, “We hotspots. other in peace be may we did things the and are there gone has Arthur you.’” for this in lessons the Macedonia, Lanka, Sri Columbia, to Middle East, and other areas to assist part as resolution conflict on work with INCORE program. the of played a direct role in some parts of the peace process in Northern Ireland. Study of Conflict and INCORE have he Bogside Artists depict a British soldier breaking in the door of a Catholic home during Operation Operation during home Catholic a of door the in breaking soldier British a depict Artists Bogside he T lster. U Arthur recalls one such instance when he was called upon niversity of of niversity hese two murals by by murals two hese Motorman in 1972 and boys running from C from running boys and 1972 in Motorman of the dangers inherent in civil conflict civil in inherent dangers the of major conference was major conference being planned in for the Newperiod York T role in the peace process. process. peace the in role to help make some important connections. In the mid 1990s a only 1.7 million. Many of the academics at INCORE have worked on on worked have INCORE at even academics But the of Many parties. million. political 1.7 key only the of more or positive one a with playing projects to lead various sometimes can relationships tangential more professional. Northern Ireland is not a big place, with a population of of population a In with some cases, the reasons for this place, have been personal as big well as a not is Ireland Northern professional. Paul Arthur, director director Arthur, Paul master’s the of and peace in program the at studies conflict U 40 International Educator JAN+FEB.07 you’reAmericananparent young person, aprobablyyou of don’t peaceprocess.Robinson saysthe connection prettyis obvious,“if relatively safe environment in which to study an actively occurring of peace and conflict.” cometoperfectherelaboratory aisbecause it for studying issues highly distinguished students from aroundgenuinely attracting are the we So world, scholarship. andRotary a they on Canada want Columbia on a British Council scholarship, and I’ve got a guy from who’s on a Mitchell scholarship,” says Arthur. inside “I havean perspective a of thegain studentongoing peace to process. from“This year I’ve Ulster got guya of University the to students sending continent in the world,” says Arthur. inhabited We’reevery from studentsgettingoverseas. nowfrom the master’s program began to get about two-thirds of the students student, Japanese or Scandinavian or Irish-American. Fromchanged 1998the on,dynamic completely. We began that tocame, get ceasefires the the “Once odddemand. overseasincreased significantly has word-of-mouth marketing, of way the in little received has program the althoughthat says He FridayAgreement. Good the peaceandstability theaspoliticians work toontryingimplement UniversityofUlster hasbenefited from the recent years greaterof trade unions, from business, etc. And that’s the way we sold it.” playerschurches,thekeyfrom education,identifyfrom the from someunderstanding of these issues,” says Arthur. “And we tried to itdoescome toan end, wehave toput people inplace who’ve got say that at some stage this conflict has to come to an end.program And in when1987 on a part-time basis because some of us started to exercise.academicour“We an started as just notelsewhere, and Ireland Northern in conflict the influence might it how to eye then we had many more applicants from outside.” number of external students. But once the agreements were signed, benefited from peace. Over the always the years has it attracted a master’s “has theprogram notes, RobinsonGillian As hold. took ceasefire 1994 the after dropped Ireland Northern in violence of directs. This programbegan to thrive in recent years once the level well-regarded master’svery degree program a in peace and conflict studies that Arthurdeveloped also Ulster of University The Graduate andUndergrad Programs Adams and, as Arthur notes, “the symbolism of that was huge.” governmentminister, McGuiness,SinnFéinand President Gerry British a handshakespublic first between the toparticipation led theadvantagegetting in involvedthis immediately.”in SinnFéin’s sawthey and business, do tobeginning businessintoofwerethe not to his own negotiating skills but to the fact that “the Republicans Benefit from the Peace Undergraduates have also begun to see Northern Ireland as a Ireland as Northern see to begun Undergraduatesalso have are programs scholarship academic competitive very Some the at program master’s the that thinks Robinson, like He, an with founded was program studies conflict and peace The

The PrimaryandSecondary Education Systems after the partitioning of the island in the 1920s, there wascation an attemptsystems, for the most part, remain divided by religion.history Shortly of being nondenominational, the primary Althoughand secondary the higheredu education system in Northern OnekeyIreland example of this canhas beseen in the aeducation long system itself. Voluntary Segregation: and a lasting peace. integratedtrulysociety a build toare Ireland overcomethey to if Northern of people the for hurdles many still are there past, the case of trying to deal with the aftermath of a conflict.” without any danger any more. It’s been generally a very positive test as if the appeal is that there is still a whiff of Cordite about the place numbers of overseas students coming here is picking up. It’s almost University’s Gallagher sees the phenomenon in Belfast as well. “The internationally news the the on more is attractive Ireland it is Northern to foreignless students.” The everyday. Queen’sexploding wanttothink ofthem coming into conflicta where there’sbombs community leaders in the mural. 1960s. T his a composite image of the civil rights marches of the late But,although the majority ofthe violence isnow apparently in T he artists included the images of several prominent

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JAN+FEB.07 International Educator 4 - - Stephen Farry, a leader of the Unionist Unionist the of leader a Farry, Stephen on Derry,” he said. he Derry,” on leaning, politically moderate Alliance Party says that thishad significant separation impact on community has relations. It has of product a “contributed is it and society, in divisions to the the reinforced has it turn, In divisions. the separately children educating by divisions in they minds their that and reinforcing are separate and different from other people in Northern Ireland.” Northern in people ecretary ecretary S Arthur recalled that, when he was growing up in Derry’s tephen Farry. tephen ntegrated School Sector A Small Integrated indepen began that sector school mixed formally aissmall There support, government receiving now is that 1980s early the in dently second and primary Ireland’s Northern of percent 5 about only but British Former institutions. newer these attend students school ary was a tenure, strong Mowlam Mo her Ireland Northern for State of during Secretary system school integrated the growing of supporter cricket, and things like that are Protestant sports in Northern Ireland Ireland Northern in sports Protestant are that like things and cricket, Catholic be would hurling and football Gaelic like things, other and are there cycling, like things ridiculous some have also You sports. says. Gallagher bowling,” pin ten in even and organizations, two of experience had unusual the he actually Bogside neighborhood, pretty was “It team. swimming mixed religiously a on participating unusual. For example, the club was called City of Derry, and we shout, would supporters the of lot a So competitions. in away went of but rest the us be would come saying, on Londonderry,’ ‘Come Party Alliance the of S General General - Tony Gallagher explains, “Lord by the segregated nature of the society. society. the of nature segregated the by Londonderry tried to establish a state to designed was which schools of system encourage everyone to participate and where religious education and religious school the in allowed weren’t instruction curriculum.” However, the majority by the British government to create a sin a create to government British the by was that system school state-supported gle overwhelmed soon was it but all, to open Protestant community effectively ended ended effectively community Protestant this evenhanded approach. “Protestant Even their sporting activities, which might normally be expected expected be normally might which activities, sporting their Even Although this did not sit well with the Catholic community, their their community, Catholic the with well sit not did this Although niversity Gradate Gradate niversity nionist marches like this one in downtown Belfast are a significant point of contention as they usually commemorate Protestant Protestant commemorate usually they as contention of point significant a are Belfast downtown in one this like marches nionist chool of Education. of chool ony Gallagher Gallagher ony sports clubs would sort of reinforce some of those processes—rugby, processes—rugby, those of some reinforce of sort would clubs sports to create a bridge between otherwise separate school communities communities school separate otherwise between of bridge a lot “A create to Ireland. Northern in people young for effect that have don’t Eventually, the Catholics were able to get equal state support for their their for support state equal get to able were Catholics the the levels, Eventually, secondary and primary the at that meant has This schools. mix. never almost communities two the in children schools system, but “the gripe that the Catholic school authorities authorities school Catholic the that gripe “the but support,” system, schools state of amount same the getting weren’t they that was had system. own their up set had Catholics the because Gallagher, says practical purposes, a Protestant school system,” says Gallagher. Gallagher. says system,” school Protestant a purposes, practical Protestant a supporting was state the that not was objection primary getting Protestant church representation on all the school boards boards school the all on representation church Protestant getting every and getting to day begin with a reading. All Bible of which all for was, that system school state a creating of effect net the had churches opposed that and tried to get various changes, like T Queen’s the of U S military victories over the Catholic minority. Catholics consider them triumphalist exercises and often protest when the marches marches the when protest often and U exercises triumphalist them consider Catholics minority. Catholic the over victories military neighborhoods. Catholic through come 42 International Educator JAN+FEB.07 to trying make those barriers more porous.” reality of the institutional barriers that exist at thethe school accepting we’relevel, butSo choice. of range full a provide to able be to incorporate that in a statutory way because no single school will person has access to theyoung wideevery ensure range to oftrying about curriculum system education choice, the in on and trying collaborations between schools. It’s linked into other changes going future.thetackwe’reSoencourageto try totakingisnowformal foreseeable the for segregated largely remain to going is system The diverse.moremuch school theat has person youngthe that linkingbutby themformally together, tomakethe try experience areas of need for resources. amount of contact between students, but also help overcome other tion among schools from across the divide to not only improve the collabora significant encourage government the have to is idea An alternative concept has gained significant traction recently. The School C one of integration within the schools. theiropportunityforcommunitypoliticalpowerand rather than economiclackofproblemof sayonetheprimary theyis because minority Catholic authorities in particular who objectthe Interestingly,is problem. mosttheit of source a strongly as themselves see sides claim that they teach tolerance in their schools, so they don’t abolishinghavetostronglytheirBothseparate objectedsystems. communities, respective their of backing the with authorities, seem to outside observers. Both the Protestant and Catholic school the problem goes away.’” and schools have same the in students the of you all Put schools. separateand divisions, sectarian these all violence, sectarian commentatorscameandinsaid, ‘This crazy.is Religiousviolence, externalof lot a violencebroke out, thewhendays early very the “Sincepartition. immediatelyafter period thesince around been secondary school that are formally integrated.” whichthesecondiscity, there’s schoolDerry, oneonlyprimaryandone in here Even so. do to choice little very have I’d school, (wanted)schools.IchildAndif formallysendtoa ato integrated to fivepercent of kids in Northern Ireland go to formally integrated mixed school sector is not likely to grow rapidly in the future. ofNorthern Ireland. The result is that very few exist today, and the ly given the current downward trend in the tendspopulation to demographicslimit the need for creating thesethehuge newexisting mixedinfrastructure schools,of the currently especialsegregated systems feel skeptical about the possibilities for thisgreater alternative. levels Theyof notecontact that between the Protestantcommunitieslocalofthe idea theinsupportthose who even but and Catholic students The idea, says Gallagher, says exist, separate idea, to schools allow The “to is But, in practice this has been much more difficult than it might has schools separate about debate the that notes Gallagher Gillian matter the Robinson fact of “The says, that is only four ollaboration A cross C ommunities - - Catholic village because theysense, literally say this don’t is why understand the OrangemenI’m not thesure that shouldacaselot of Catholics beat could ableall.actually, to Andin anymarch meaningful through a you raise this with a group of teachers they often look to their feet.” holdingmarcha down the roads intheir housing estate. But when local (Catholic) resident’s group to try to stop the Orangemen from Protestantschool should be able to make the case for the right a of a in teacher a Or Ireland. Northern in anywhere march to right group)Unionist Order’sOrange (a the for case the makebe to able should school Catholic a in teacher a that means that “But whocanbring theother voice into theclassroom.” Gallagher says. absenceofthe other voice, the teacher isprobably the only person School of Education at Queen’s has often found the going difficult. many challenges. In their graduate work with teachers, theitisbecoming Graduatepart ofthe regular school curriculum. Butthere are Muchthisof work begantoget official sanction in the 1990s, and community’sperspective into theschools that remain segregated. other the bring teachers help to and possible contact make help to ways other on working been has community academic The Bringing inthe‘OtherVoice’ those killed in the city during the T his stained glass window in the Derry Guildhall commemorates Hecontinues, “first of all, you’re not sure if they can do it because the in that is here teachers the to said we things the of “One T roubles.

JAN+FEB.07 International Educator 43 - E I

is the editor editor the is HY P UR M R E H P TO S . He holds a master’s degree in Irish Irish in degree master’s a holds He . IE epublic of Ireland. of epublic the momentum toward a lasting peace in both communities may become too great overcome. to bomb-throwers the for is a very hopeful sign. And the educators of of educators the And sign. hopeful very a is Northern Ireland will continue to fan the last the in hold taken has that peace of spark decade. The longer the twocommunities refuse to let the violent extremist fromeither side dictate the terms of progress, there is a reasonable hope that eventually CHRI of that programs in active is and Studies history, culture, the in interest promote the and Ireland Northern both of arts and R

Despite this sort of difficulty the educators interviewed for this this for interviewed educators the difficulty of sort this Despite As Gillian Robinson says, “I feel the peace has entered into momentum a on taken has process peace the attitude—that This In In October of 2006 the British and Irish governments, along kill members of the Assembly. Stone was subdued and the process process the again and subdued was Stone operation Assembly. the in of be members kill to Assembly the for track on back be to appears resolved. be to remain issues critical some although spring, this by article were uniformly optimistic that virtually no year, matternext the in what realm political the in happen not does or happens return. not would violence pervasive the return a be will there that expect don’t we and life, of way everybody’s overcome, be will obstacle next the somehow that And violence. to the after years early the In quickly. that happen not may it seen was although met wasn’t that timeline every and obstacle every only ceasefire, things with often so on gone has it Now disaster. absolute an as finding but resolved, or wire being not the at right resolved being going.” keep may it that it, around way another Stone— Michael of likes the by derailed be easily can’t that own its of cades. Additionally, the political stalemate that has ensued since the the since ensued has that stalemate political the last the Additionally, in cades. top on out came Féin Sinn and Party Unionist Democratic origi that parties The consternation. of source a been has election Party Unionist Ulster the primarily agreement, the brokered nally rhetoric in their strident less moderate, more were SDLP, and the DUP. the and Féin Sinn than a at process a out worked Ireland Northern within leaders key with the and Féin Sinn get to intended could Scotland Andrews, St. assembly in meeting Ireland Northern the that so coalition a form to DUP the (from 24, minister of November A deadline governance. on local first take again once a nominate to parties two the for set day was the 2006 However, Féin). Sinn (from minister first deputy a and DUP) Stormont at session in was Assembly the while arrived, deadline the the debating of requirements the agreement, a longtime Loyalist gun a with guards the past storm to tried Stone, Michael extremist, and session the end to both in bombs an nail attempt several and - peace process go to go process peace Northern Ireland’s conflict conflict Ireland’s Northern Web Extra! www.nafsa.org/webextra. resources on the history of of history the on resources and the current state of the the of state current the and For a compendium of useful useful of compendium a For - ealistic itizenship Education ack on Citizenship To overcome this they developed a program that, as Gallagher as Gallagher that, a program developed they this overcome To TheUniversity of Ulsterdeveloped an innovative curriculum “For example if you start talking about victims and you discover discover you and victims about talking start you if example “For In addition, teachers sometimes fear that playing ‘devil’s advocate’ in in advocate’ ‘devil’s playing that fear sometimes teachers addition, In fell victim to the violence of the last few de few last the of violence the to victim fell run deep. As anyone in Belfast or Derry can attest, virtually everyone in Northern who member family or a friend has Ireland The pace of change reaching. infar and the swift latewas 1990sIreland Northern in wounds the and veryold is conflict the But justice, and equality.” and justice, Hopeful, but R Ireland, informed by these sorts of principles principles of sorts these by informed Ireland, and see them as and (tools) inclusion, toof createprinciples on based a society new you have this language and these tools and tools and these language this you have be conversation of part the concepts, these Northern in society new a create to trying of and the principles upon which notions of citizenship rests. Now that that and processes the language the are Now “here puts it, to students, says rests. citizenship of notions which upon principles the and is our flag, this is our anthem, this is our history,’” says Gallagher. “We “We Gallagher. says history,’” our is this anthem, our is that this things flag, the our of is all fact, share—in we that things those of none have contention.” of focus the of part are curriculum. “Most citizenship education programs in most countries countries most in programs education citizenship “Most curriculum. vote, you how is this government, of system this our is ‘here made, about, are are decisions how is this organized, are parties how is this the Unionist/Loyalist community sees themselves as British. British. as themselves sees community Unionist/Loyalist the and the entire materials of the focus the citizenship changed that very prickly subject in Northern Ireland. “You have a fundamental fundamental a have “You Ireland. Northern in subject prickly very National The what?’” of ask, ‘citizens people the because problem as while Irish, to see tends themselves community ist/Republican One of the initiatives that the universities have been working on in in on working been have universities the that initiatives the of One schools secondary and primary for curriculum new a is years recent dealing with citizenship education. As Gallagher notes, this is a productive and constructive,” Gallagher says. Gallagher constructive,” and productive T A New go away. And so what we started doing then was trying to give our our give to trying was then doing started we what so And away. go that them show to skills, management classroom to access and teachers safe were which ways in things these with deal to possible was it killed, how are you going to deal with that? The schools traditionally that in your traditionally classroom you’ve schools got The kids whose that? fathers have with been deal to going you are how killed, it’ll hopefully and it, about talk don’t you that position a taken have the reaction of parents, or other teachers in the schools, or the pupils. pupils. the or schools, the in teachers other says. or he parents, of through,” reaction the break to got you’ve thing of sort the that’s So group having a right to try and stop a march from happening.” from march a stop and try to right a about having group concern a also “There’s personally. them cost might classroom the similarly, very many Protestants couldn’t make the case for a resident’s resident’s a for case the make couldn’t Protestants many very similarly,