International Online Seminar “The Experience of Northern Ireland’s Communities in Building Trust and Dialogue after the 1998 Belfast Agreement”
In 1969, street brawls erupted in Derry after the celebrations of the Apprentice Procession. They become the beginning of a confrontation between Catholics and Protestants that will last for thirty years. The British government was forced to send troops to six counties of Northern Ireland to prevent the outbreak of civil war. The bloody conflict gained such momentum that in 1972 alone 321 civilians were killed and 5,000 people were injured. As of 1998, one in five people in Northern Ireland had a relative who was killed or injured in the conflict.
The conflict had ancient roots that date back to the seventeenth century, but in the late 1960s they came to the surface, bringing their devastating consequences. Only the Belfast Agreement of 1998 introduced more or less equal conditions of coexistence for the Protestant majority and the Catholic minority, and thus opened a new page in the life of Northern Ireland. It is time for reconciliation, trust building and dialog. The seminar will examine the historical phases of the conflict, its resolution, and the transition to a new reality after 1998. In this regard, an important aspect will be the practical experience of local communities in overcoming old barriers and establishing interfaith peace and cooperation.
Moderator:
Dr. Yurii Skira, Senior Research Fellow of the Institute of Ecumenical Studies of the Ukrainian Catholic University
Participants:
Dr. David Mitchell,Associate Professor of Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation Department at Trinity
College Dublin in Belfast
Rev. Dr. Tom Layden, S.J., Ecumenism Coordinator of the Irish Province of the Society of Jesus.
Working languages: Ukrainian and English (simultaneous interpreting)