Well known and renowned community activist Anne Carr will deliver a talk on her personal experience of peacebuilding in Northern Ireland. Since the 1980s, she has advocated for better community relations through improved dialogue and mutual understanding. She helped develop the first integrated primary school outside of Belfast, and actively participated in cross-community organisations including Women Together, the Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition, and Community Dialogue. She has helped train women in mediation and conflict transformation and taught them leadership skills and public speaking, as well as how to build up their confidence. She has lobbied and challenged politicians to take risks for peace.
The talk will be followed by a Q & A session.
This is a FREE event, organised by Fermanagh and Omagh District Council in conjunction with Fermanagh and Omagh Interfaith group.
This event is being held to celebrate Good Relations week – it will promote cultural diversity and awareness and bring individuals, families and groups together into one shared space to celebrate a range of cultures through the medium of food, dance, music and crafts.
Apex Housing Association have a Shared Housing Scheme in Woodside Court, Omagh and this event will promote integration of the tenants into the local community.
This event will take place at the Silver Birch Hotel Omagh.
Green & Blue explores the painful and humorous realities faced by the individuals who patrolled the border during the height of the conflict.
Written by Laurence McKeown, Directed by Paula McFetridge
An officer from the Royal Ulster Constabulary in his green uniform and Eddie from An Garda Síochána, resplendent in blue, communicate via crackly radios until an explosive incident forces them to meet across a field only farmers know the location of.
Focusing on what it’s like to be hunted when you’re protecting a man-made line on the ground, the play looks at the societal and human cost of borders.
Green & Blue is based on real-life interviews with former serving officers.
Higgins and Doran give engaging performances as the men unable to cross a line that only wise men and farmers can see. It’s a simple but effective way of exploring two sides of one conflict. – BELFAST TELEGRAPH
Written by Laurence McKeown
Directed by Paula McFetridge
Performed by Vincent Higgins & James Doran
Fermanagh and Omagh District Council’s Good Relations, in partnership with Western Health and Social Care Trust’s Traveller Health and Wellbeing and Meath Travellers Workshop, hosts a unique Traveller Living History Exhibition in Strule Arts Centre on 21 September.
This interactive exhibition provides a real insight in the lives of Irish Travellers, their history, culture and traditions, by the side of the road in the 1950s. It will feature a restored life-size Traveller barrel top wagon, a canvas tent and a campfire; the facilitators will offer live demonstrations of the traditional craft of tin-smithing and story-telling.
This free public event is an opportunity to learn more about the Irish Traveller identity and culture. It promotes respect and cultural diversity in the spirit of Good Relations Week’s moto of ‘Change Starts with Us’ and Council’s ‘Everybody Belongs‘ Campaign.
#EverybodyBelongs
The ‘Youth in Action’ programme, an inspiring Good Relations youth programme empowering young people to become the leaders of tomorrow, was delivered in partnership with the Rio Ferdinand Foundation. It focussed on tackling inequality, racism and sectarianism through accredited leadership, skills and vocational training, and ensured that everyone feels they belong in a district that is welcoming, shared and inclusive.
Twenty seven young people of different age and gender, from across the community and the district participated in this unique youth programme. It included an online and face-to-face training as well as a cross-border football tournament.
During the programme, the participants had the opportunity to learn practical youth leadership and sports coaching skills, explore mental health and resilience, experiment with film-making, meet influencers like former Chelsea FC star, Paul Canoville, and Northern Ireland international, Ashley Hutton, make new friendships and gain the confidence to be the next generation of youth leaders.
Green & Blue explores the painful and humorous realities faced by the individuals who patrolled the border during the height of the conflict.
An officer from the Royal Ulster Constabulary in his green uniform and Eddie from An Garda Síochána, resplendent in blue, communicate via crackly radios until an explosive incident forces them to meet across a field only farmers know the location of.
Focusing on what it’s like to be hunted when you’re protecting a man-made line on the ground, the play looks at the societal and human cost of borders.
Green & Blue is based on real-life interviews with former serving officers.
Higgins and Doran give engaging performances as the men unable to cross a line that only wise men and farmers can see. It’s a simple but effective way of exploring two sides of one conflict. – BELFAST TELEGRAPH
Written by Laurence McKeown
Directed by Paula McFetridge
Performed by Vincent Higgins & James Doran
On the 23rd September the Hungarian Association of Northern Ireland will present a Hungarian folk exhibition for Good Relations Week. This will involve a tour of the Hungarian culture with Tunde Tasi showcasing wonderful embroidered works, hand-made folk dresses as well as a small dance workshop.
This is a free event running from 4-9pm and will be held at:
Gortrush Industrial Estate, 18B Unit, Omagh BT 78 5EJ Opposite Fluel store and Castle lights.
Rural Housing Association will host two community tea parities in Newtownstewart and Sion Mills, these tea parties will bring together rural residents of all ages to celebrate community spirit.
These events will showcase how rural communities are taking a proactive approach to building shared and inclusive spaces and places within their communities by creating a series of intergenerational community events designed to bring together people from all backgrounds and ages.
These community tea parties will include local musical performances from local people, showcasing the talent present in each rural community, as well as providing rural residents with an opportunity to build relationships over a cup of tea.
The island of Ireland is known for its tea loving population, and these community events will utilise this age old tradition of a chat and a cup of tea to build relationships within the local community.
Tea really is a tool to bring people together!
Fermanagh and Omagh District Council in partnership with Fermanagh Churches’ Forum host an Intergenerational Conference with guest speaker Dr. Johnston McMaster, expert in public theology.
Participants – Members of Fermanagh Churches Forum and 6th form students from Enniskillen post-primary schools.
The conference will explore shared faith values which can support participative democracy in the context of Northern Ireland, these islands and in the world context. Input from the speaker will be followed by interactive small group discussion and plenary report feedback. Follow-up Action points will also be explored.
Date: Thursday September 22nd. Time: 12 – 3.30pm
Venue: Killyhevlin hotel Enniskillen
For further information and to register: email: eccgallagher@yahoo.co.uk. Tel. Eileen Gallagher Fermanagh Churches Forum 07789967790
Online talk by author Denise Kleinrichert on ‘Republican Internment and the Prison Ship Argenta 1922’.
An important historical reflection, this book tells the story of prisoners aboard the ship and includes interviews with former internees and countless descendants of internees.
Captives suffered malnourishment, disease, physical abuse, public abandonment, hunger strike and death. Some tried to escape and many emigrated. Tragedy and human rights issues remain which will be explored during this event.
The talk will include a local focus on Fermanagh and Omagh histories and will be followed by a facilitated Q & A session.
