Putting our shared history in the Picture

Pictured are participants visiting Fort Dunree in Donegal as part of the Brighter Futures programme

Community groups from across the council areas of Moyle, Limavady, Coleraine and Ballymoney recently participated on a cross-border visit and workshop to Donegal to learn how members from across the cultural divide fought together during the Great War.

The event took place on Tuesday 25 May and was part of the North East PEACE III Partnership’s Building Brighter Futures programme. The group of 30 delegates visited Fort Dunree, near Buncrana, which began its life as a British Military fortification guarding the approaches to Lough Swilly over 200 years ago. The fort was transferred to Irish jurisdiction in 1938 and remained as a Coastal Defence Station until the early 1990’s.

Now, as a heritage museum and centre for peace-building, it welcomes groups from all over Ireland that have an interest in history and a concern for the way we share our island in the future. The group was given a conducted tour of the Fort which included its unique history and spectacular location. It then attended a workshop deliberating the Irish participation in World War I and how this history impacts on our society and lives today.

“The group had an excellent day and really enjoyed their visit to this stunning part of Donegal,” commented Damien Kearney, Programme Manager and Co-ordinator from Business in the Community. “Many of the group participants had no comprehension of the significance of the Fort and the role it played in our shared history. The aim of this visit and workshop was to bring together community groups participating on the Building Brighter Futures Programme from across the North East PEACE III cluster area in the context of a practical learning experience, with particular reference to the shared British/Irish element of its history.

The workshops focused on the causes of conflict in Ireland prior to the Great War, including: how men and women of both communities came together and fought side by side, Irish experiences during the Battle of the Somme, the Battle of Messines and the 16th Irish and 36th Ulster Division. The workshops were designed to foster an understanding of how these experiences can have a positive impact on our attitudes today.”