Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Thursday, 17 October 2024
Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement
Peace Summit Partnership: Discussion
10:00 am
Mr. Cathal Mallaghan:
I want to very briefly raise something Ms Weir talked about earlier in respect of the difference between peacebuilding in urban and rural communities. It is a very different problem and I am glad she raised it because a very subtle sectarianism exists within rural communities and it is different. What she said about ensuring we have the different aspects of development work happening is important.
We just finished a huge peace project in Pomeroy - Connecting Pomeroy - a flagship project under the peace programme. The difference that has made in a community where we thought we were only doing this for the younger generation is huge. We are already starting to see seeds of hope for everyone who lives there. There is a very important further divide there in the urban and rural set-up.
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