Colours
Congratulations to the 6 villages within the Moyle District Council area who have been successful in securing their participation in the Moyle Community Cohesion Project. The 6 successful villages are:
The Sport for Peace Building Project, which has already been awarded the prestigious London 2012 Olympic Inspire Mark, aims to develop a shared future using sport as a medium to improve trust and cultural understanding. Due to the ongoing success of the project, the PEACE III team were attending the Olympic Inspire Reception at Stormont on the same night as the Podium Awards and the organisers arranged for the DCAL Minister Carál Ní Chuilin to present the Bronze award to Patricia O’Brien, Coleraine Borough Council, PEACE III Manager, at the reception.
Patricia O’Brien said “We are delighted to receive this award. It is recognition of the hard work and commitment of our project team. The project focuses on engagement, empowerment and legacy, using sport as a medium to improve trust and cultural understanding, while developing partnerships and creating shared spaces.“ Mrs O’Brien added that “The North East PEACE III Sport for Peace Building Project was the first project in the UK to be recognised under the truce standard of the Olympic Inspire Mark. The project is working across the six council areas of Coleraine, Limavady, Ballymoney, Ballymena, Moyle and Larne, embedding peace building into all parts of the sporting field. It is bringing people together from across all sorts of divides for the purposes of promoting mutual understanding and respect.”
To celebrate the occasion, the DECAL Minister welcomed Olympic Inspire ambassadors, X Factor judge Louis Walsh, Olympian and World Champion boxer Wayne McCullough, and Paralympic Gold Medallist Michael McKillop to Parliament Buildings, all of whom spoke about the opportunities being presented by the Olympics for young people all over Northern Ireland to gain confidence and new skills in the sporting field.
Louis Walsh said, “I’m delighted to back here again to take part in this celebration. Discovering and nurturing talent is central to what I do, so it’s fantastic to see provision of this calibre on offer in local communities. It’s an amazing opportunity for people to get involved and discover talents they didn’t know they had.”
Last Thursday 10th May, Mayor of Coleraine, Alderman Maurice Bradley launched “Walking the Colours”, a new vibrant and exciting exhibition held in Coleraine Town Hall. The exhibition which is part of the North East PEACE III Cultural Fusions project aims to support exploration of parades, processions and marches as a shared local tradition, historically and in the present.
Cultural Fusions is a heritage based project being delivered by Mid-Antrim Museum Service and Causeway Museum Service across the 6 North East council areas of Ballymena, Larne, Ballymoney, Coleraine, Limavady and Moyle. The exhibition explores the origins of parades looking at the guilds, trades and orders who hark back to the middle ages while also trying to explore the current scene. It includes the role of youth organisations, along with civic parades and public celebrations. The project is funded under the European Union’s PEACE III Programme managed on behalf of the Special EU Programmes Body by the North East PEACE III Partnership.
Speaking at the launch, Mayor of Coleraine, Alderman Maurice Bradley said; “Coleraine Borough Council is indeed very pleased to be able to host two of the oldest banners in Ireland, kindly on loan to us from the Old Drogheda Society Millmount Museum
. Along with these banners we also have a splendid display of material generously lent to Coleraine Museum from different local organisations which intertwine with our existing materials. I commend all the contributors who have been willing to include their material in this exhibition – being able to place walking, parading and marching traditions alongside each other provides context and perspectives for all of us to reflect on.”
Entertainment on the night was provided by Willie Drennan, Joe Diamond and Seamus O’Kane who played a variety of instruments, ranging from the lambeg drum, the fiddle, tin whistle, banjo and bodhran. The relaxed atmosphere contributed to an enjoyable evening of story telling, toe tapping tunes and an informed discussion on the origin and culture of these traditional instruments.
The “Walking the Colours” exhibition will be on display in Coleraine Town Hall from 11am to 4pm Monday to Saturday (excluding bank holidays) until the 28th of June and admission is free.
Please click on the link below to listen to a Kaleidoscope broadcast produced by Beyond Skin / Homely Planet for the North East PEACE III Cultural Fusions project.
http://soundcloud.com/homely-planet/sets/kaliedoscope-north-east-peace
Photo by Ballymena Guardian
OLYMPIC silver medalist Wayne McCullough has given his full support to Ballymena Cultural Awareness Initiative which promotes good relations and integration through sport. The former world champion visited Eaton Park last week to see for himself the workings of the North East PEACE III Sport for Peace Building Project. The venture brings players from Ballymena Rugby Football Club and All Saints GAC together – all in the name of promoting good relations in sport.
The Cultural Awareness Project uses sport to create common bond and building partnerships on a local level, both between the clubs involved and the individuals involved, so that they understand the culture attached to each others sport and community.
The Project is funded under the European Union’s PEACE III Programme and is managed for the Special EU Programmes Body by the North East PEACE III Partnership.
When in Ballymena McCullough, known as the Pocket Rocket, met up with former World welterweight champion Eamonn Loughran, from the town, and officials from All Saints ABC, as well as Mixed Martial Arts coach, Rodney Moore, who all were also very impressed with the Sport for Peace Building project.
“I was keen to have a look at the project,” McCullough told Guardian Sport. “I am aware that it is one of the London 2012 Inspire Mark Programmes in Northern Ireland.” The ex-boxer spoke of the power of sport, and recalled his experiences of how boxing can break through barriers and traditions in the community.
* The Inspire mark is the badge of the London 2012 Inspire programme – a UK-wide participation initiative which recognises innovative and exceptional non-commercial projects which are inspired by the 2012 Games.
Parades, Marches and Processions
A new exhibition, Walking the Colours, opens on Friday 11th May in Coleraine Town Hall as part of the North East PEACE III Cultural Fusions Project. The exhibition aims to explore a wide range of parading traditions across the project area.
Cultural Fusions is a heritage based project being delivered by Causeway Museum Service and Mid-Antrim Museums Service across the local councils of Coleraine, Limavady, Moyle, Ballymoney, Ballymena and Larne. The Project is funded under the European Union’s PEACE III Programme and is managed for the Special EU Programmes Body by the North East PEACE III Partnership.
The exhibition looks at the origins of parading organisations such as ancient orders that trace their symbols and practices back to medieval times, to trade guilds and youth organisations which are active today. It considers civic, sports, remembrance and honour parades along with unionist and republican traditions.
A distinctive and colourful array of banners, regalia and musical instruments will be on display thanks to the extraordinary generosity of a large number of individuals and organisations across the North East cluster and cross border. Many have contributed their local stories and helped us to uncover some of the more complex histories of organisations tracing their origins back through the centuries
Amongst the many highlights on display are prestigious trades banners over 200 years old, on loan from The Old Drogheda Society, Millmount Museum and the replica of the Davagh Banner on loan courtesy of Fr S. Nolan, Truagh Development Association, Blackwater Valley Learning Centre, Monaghan funded through PEACE II.
The exhibition is due to travel later this year to Donegal County Museum, Roe Valley Arts and Cultural Centre, Ballymoney Museum and Monaghan County Museum. A series of mediated workshops are available for interested community groups.
The exhibition runs in Coleraine Town Hall from 11th May to 28th June, from 11am to 4pm, Monday to Saturday (excluding bank holidays), admission is free.
For further information contact: cms@colerainebc.gov.uk.
Ballymena Primary Schools Olympic Event
More than 80 primary school children from St. Bridgid’s and St. Colmcille’s Primary Schools took part in an Olympic Values fun day at Ballymena Leisure Centre last Wednesday morning.
This initiative is part of the North East PEACE III Partnership, Sport for Peace Building Project, which aims to promote good relations and integration through sport. The Project is funded under the European Union’s PEACE III Programme and is managed for the Special EU Programmes Body by the North East PEACE III Partnership.
Lord Seb Coe, Chair, London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games said: “The main principle behind the Olympic Truce is to help build a better and more peaceful world through sport and the Olympic ideal. We are delighted that the Sport for Peace Building Project is helping us to deliver on this vision by using sport and culture to promote peace and address conflict resolution.”
The pupils participated in a range of sports activities delivered by the University of Ulster, All Saints GAC and Ballymena Rugby Club with support from the Ballymena Good Relations team. This was followed by an interactive workshop showcasing the Olympic and Paralympic Values of friendship, excellence, respect, inspiration, determination, courage and equality.
Vote for Patrick
Patrick Frew is a member of the North East PEACE III Partnership and has been shortlisted in the growing hero category of the National Trust Octavia Hill Awards.
Patrick is a deserving nominee (the only one from NI to make the shortlist) who commits his time to helping others, often at his own expense and to the detriment to his own business. He has made a real change in the quality of life for the residents in the Cloughmills area and further afield through the development of the ‘Incredible Edible Cloughmills’ initiative and now his work on the ‘Happiness Project’.
All you have to do to cast your vote is click on to this link and submit your vote for Patrick Frew under the growing hero category. http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/get-involved/competitions-and-offers/octavia-hill-awards/view-page/item772435/
So Vote for Patrick and give him the recognition he deserves for all the selfless work he does.
Voting will closes at midnight on Monday 9th April 2012.
Unity Twilight Football Project - Larne
This years Unity Twilight Football Project was recently launched at the Cliff Sports Complex in Larne. The initiative is part of the North East PEACE III Partnership, Sport for Peace Building Project, which aims to promote good relations and integration through sport. The focus is on local teenagers from throughout the Larne Borough area and the aim is to encourage them to take part in organised football matches on Friday nights.
The Sport for Peace Building Project is funded under the European Union’s PEACE III Programme and is managed for the Special EU Programmes Body by the North East PEACE III Partnership. While the main aim of these friendly matches is to develop football skills, a number of workshops have been successfully delivered, providing information sessions about issues relevant to this age group, including good relations, integration, inclusion and drugs.
Speaking about the project, Larne Borough Council’s Community Sports Development Officer, Niall Curneen said “In the previous project, football proved to be a great engagement tool to build relationships, the partnerships involved in this project will ensure a legacy is created for years to come.”
David McAlister, Youth Outreach Worker from Larne Borough Council commented “We have a responsibility to empower these teens with the appropriate skills and knowledge which will help to better their everyday lives and hopefully improve society as a whole.”
Anyone interested in finding out more or taking part in this exciting new initiative should contact Niall Curneen, Community Sports Development Officer, Larne Borough Council on 028 2826 0478.
