Ms Kate Turner:

I believed I was to address a different topic from that addressed by Mr. Donaldson, the question of the Border, but I am following on.

A number of PEACE-funded projects started some of the dialogues. The first thing many of those concerned noticed was that people were really reluctant to begin those conversations and felt quite uneasy. They were even uneasy about being in a room together discussing matters, matters we just had not talked about for years. One project we were involved in used a group called Calipo, which produces theatre for young people. The young people talk about issues and then devise a drama around them. Calipo worked with youths from the Falls Road and Shankill Road, in addition to a group from Monaghan and, I believe, Dundalk. The facilitators were young. When asked about how the youths in Monaghan would understand that we were examining issues associated with the conflict, somebody said, “Apparently, we had a bomb in Monaghan. I guess we will have to cover that.” Those of us working with the facilitators said, “No, it is about the young people and what it means to them.” What the facilitators discovered when they talked to the young people was that they said they never go across the Border to visit their relatives but that the relatives across the Border come to visit them. The youths asked why that was the case and why there is an invisible barrier that they never cross. They felt many of the issues associated with criminality in their area were linked to the North and that gave rise to additional concerns. When they started unpacking all this, they realised the conflict was actually part of their everyday life but in really different ways than might be expected. The children really enjoyed exploring that and examining their here and now rather than seeing the matter through events we remember as being part of the conflict.

That ties into the point about the 2016 committee. Mr. Donaldson is correct that while we need to examine these events and remember them, we must do so in a way that does not re-traumatise people or make the battle continue. Sr. Twohig’s personal experience and even the mention of the Second World War pose a problem. We do not yet know how to address that. We have to learn to talk about those difficult issues, not only in terms of commemorating moments in time but also in the context of determining who we are and how we can work together.