Ms Barbara Walshe:

Relationships across the island among political leaders were much better in the past. As a result of Brexit, they have become fractured. We are looking to develop a piece of work across the island that would engage young aspiring political leaders and civil society leaders to develop relationships and get to know each other. The past couple of years has made people return to their own tribe or particular perspective. There is also a sense of disengagement in the South around that.

The other issue which comes up in those conversations is the binary nature of a border poll, namely, “Yes” or “No”. There is a limited engagement with the complexity of a border poll. When one looks at the referendum on Brexit, which has taken three years and, God alone knows, how it will work out in the coming years for them, we need to be cautious around this binary point of “Yes” or “No”.

What do people from the South understand about unionists’ and loyalists’ attachment to the British Crown and being part of the union? There needs to be conversations among unionists themselves around this issue. Those of us in the South need to engage a bit more with that.

Around the intergenerational issues, there is a lot of emphasis on the legacy of the past. There is a younger generation who are caught by the past, by what has happened to their people and their neighbours, and who see reconciliation as a betrayal.

That shows some of the complexities involved. As most members know, 21 years in a post-conflict situation is a short period. There needs to be attention to the legacy but also the capacity of and space for young people to make their own decisions.

The Glencree site has a complex ownership arrangement. It is owned by the OPW. We will complete a feasibility study soon, which is looking at what can be done on the site which will enable us to look for sustainable sources of income. The site itself is owned by the OPW. We own some of the buildings on the site. We own 16 acres at the back of the centre itself. We have a plan for that. We are engaging with a range of agencies, such as Wicklow County Council, the LEADER programme, as well as private finance, in the development of that. We have engaged with the OPW which has given a commitment to refurbish a particularly important building on the site.

In terms of our fundraising, for the past five years I have been there, it has not been particularly successful. In a sense, the public profile of the place is poor. We have not had the resources to develop and document public profile or what work has been done.

This is the reason we are looking for investment, not just from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade but from the Government itself as a confidence measure in building the momentum to develop Glencree, that has 50 years of all this experience that we could share not only with the world but with ourselves and develop it as a peace centre. We are probably a bit further than the beginning of that. We seek support across the Government for the investment we need in human resources so that we can respond to the work we are being asked to do as well as the capital investment that will be needed in the centre itself, while also recognising that we have one fairly developed idea for a sustainable source of income. That is something I can speak to the committee on if it wishes.