Press Releases
Irish Churches Peace Project – Professors Of Peace Speak At Coalisland Clergy Conference
L–R: Prof Brandon Hamber; Rt Revd Dr Rob Craig, Presbyterian Moderator; Ms Emily Brough, ICPP Good Relations Officer; Revd Andrew Rawding; Fr Paul Byrne; Dr Gladys Ganiel; Prof. Peter McBride
Professor Brandon Hamber, Director of the University of Ulster’s Institute for Conflict Research, was one of the speakers at a unique and informative conference for clergy in Coalisland this morning. Professor Hamber, who has an international reputation for conflict transformation work, was speaking on ‘the legacy of the Troubles’ to clergy from Mid Ulster and across Northern Ireland.
The event was organised by a group of local clergy in partnership with the Irish Churches Peace Project which is supported by the European Union’s PEACE III Programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body. Good Relations Departments in Dungannon Borough Council, Magherafelt and Cookstown District Councils also supported the event.
The conference called ‘Go, and do thou likewise’ was exploring the question: ‘how can clergy address the legacy of the Troubles?’ Also speaking at the conference was Professor Peter McBride, Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Association for Mental Health. Professor McBride was speaking about the impact of the Troubles on clergy themselves, mental health issues and finding peace of mind. Other speakers at the conference included Dr Gladys Ganiel of the Irish School of Ecumenics, Revd Dr David Clements and Fr Stephen Kearney. Dr Clements and Fr Kearney spoke respectively about their experiences of the Shankill bomb and the reprisal killings at Greysteel.
The conference was hosted by Revd Andrew Rawding and Fr Paul Byrne. In a joint statement, they explained, “If you take a walk through our parish in Coalisland, County Tyrone, you will see multiple signs of ‘the legacy of the Troubles … which trigger fear, painful memories and a sense of injustice every day for many of our parishioners. As clergy living and ministering in the town, we are faced with the challenge of addressing the impact of these visible and invisible wounds.”
This is the first event held by the Irish Churches Peace Project (ICPP) in the Coalisland and Dungannon area and it is hoped that it will be a springboard to other initiatives supporting clergy, churches and the wider community to work together to address this challenging and sensitive issue.
ICPP is an initiative of the Church of Ireland, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, and Methodist Churches, and the Irish Council of Churches, set up to promote reconciliation in our communities through churches working together.
Joint Statement from Fr Paul Byrne and Revd Andrew Rawding – On the Path to Peace in Mid Ulster
If you take a walk through our parish in Coalisland, County Tyrone, you will see multiple signs of ‘the legacy of the Troubles’, from the last hundred years.
From the steps of the Parochial House follow the path through the graveyard of St Mary and St Joseph’s Chapel, past graves and memorials to members of the IRA, some killed in the SAS ambush at Clonoe Chapel in February 1992.
Exit the graveyard and walk down the hill towards the centre of our small town and you will pass the plaque on St Patrick’s Hall, commemorating the Irish Volunteers who gathered to participate in the ‘Easter Rising’ in 1916. Further down the hill on the right is the ‘Republican History Museum.’ Across the road is a cairn commemorating the start of the first civil rights march in Northern Ireland in August 1968.
Follow the route of that march towards Dungannon and you cannot escape the sight of the disused police barracks. It is a caged, reinforced concrete eyesore, which has become the community notice board, including a political banner quoting Eamonn Ceannt: ‘never treat with the enemy, never surrender to his mercy, fight to the finish.’
Continue on your march to Dungannon. After several hundred metres turn into Brackaville Church of Ireland graveyard, passing the headstones of UDR soldiers killed on nearby streets. Reach the steps of the Rectory, from where you will see a memorial to an IRA volunteer, just across the road. These are just some of the visible signs of political unrest and historic violence in Coalisland.
If you’re a ‘blow in’ to the town, like us, you won’t see the many invisible signs which trigger fear, painful memories and a sense of injustice every day for many of our parishioners. As clergy living and ministering in the town, we are faced with the challenge of addressing the impact of these visible and invisible wounds. It is a knife edge of egg shells.
Do we ignore the trauma, the unresolved grief, sense of betrayal, mistrust, guilt, shame and the hidden divides? Do we pretend that everything is OK and that everyone has moved, or should move, on? Are we creating more ‘troubles’ if we expose the denial and the silence?
Extreme violence is no longer a daily occurrence in Coalisland. But high levels of suicide, alcoholism and substance abuse in recent peace process years, suggest that violence has been internalised, and peace has not been processed mentally, emotionally and spiritually for many people.
We are living and working, like many clergy in Northern Ireland, in the valley of the shadow of death. We fear no evil, but we do fear that we could and should be doing more as ‘peacemakers’, for and among our parishioners.
As clergy in Coalisland we’ve been fortunate, able to talk about the issues and mutually support each other. But we know that many clergy are operating in isolation, particularly when it comes to ‘the legacy of the Troubles.’ We also know that clergy are human and they also carry the scars of violence, fear and trauma.
For our own benefit, and we hope for the benefit of other clergy in Mid Ulster and Northern Ireland we have initiated a conference in Coalisland, working with the Irish Churches Peace Project. The conference in Coalisland is called ‘Go, and do thou likewise.’ It’s about the command ‘to love your neighbour as you love yourself.’ It’s about ‘loving God’ too and building his kingdom of mercy, justice and peace.
We’ve invited leading academics in conflict resolution, reconciliation and mental health to talk to us and stimulate discussion. We’ve invited clergy who have been on the frontline of ministry during the Troubles to tell their stories.
We want to give grassroots clergy generally a chance to listen to each other, talk about painful and contentious issues, and acknowledge each other’s experiences. We know that some people don’t like the ‘e word’ of ecumenism, the idea that clergy of different denominations should interact together. We prefer words like faith and friendship; taking steps of courageous faith to build friendships which transcend suspicion, insecurity and resentment for the benefit of our community.
The walk through the ‘valley of the shadow of death’, leads to ‘a table in the presence of our enemies’. The biggest enemy is fear. It prevents us following the example of the Good Samaritan and responding to the command: ‘Go, and do thou likewise.’ Let’s overcome fear by walking together.
For more information on ICPP please contact Emily Brough at [email protected] or 0784 177 6868, or visit www.icpp.info