€1m Reconciliation fund welcome up north

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Dermot Ahern T.D., today announced an allocation of grants totalling €1.03 million from the Department of Foreign Affairs' Reconciliation Fund. These grants are being made to groups involved in a wide-range of cross-community and cross-border outreach and reconciliation work.

Announcing the grants, Minister Ahern said:

"Their work is often carried out in difficult and challenging circumstances and today's grant-aid of over €1million reflects the Government's deep appreciation of the work they are doing. Their work has a resonance beyond their own communities and plays a vital role in underpinning wider political efforts to achieve greater cross-community engagement and political progress."

"I believe that this grant-aid represents a further expression of the Government's commitment to the values of partnership and reconciliation at the heart of the Good Friday Agreement. I hope it will allow these organisations to consolidate and, in some cases, expand their important work.”

The Reconciliation Fund was established in the Department of Foreign Affairs in 1982 and provides assistance to organisations involved in reconciliation work to create a better understanding between people on the island of Ireland and between Ireland and Britain. Since 1999, the Department of Foreign Affairs has awarded grants of approximately €18.63 million to over 544 groups involved in a wide range of cross-community and cross-border reconciliation activities. The grants announced today are the first tranche of the overall allocation of €2.7million for 2006.

May 2006

1. Aughnacloy & Knockconan Summer Scheme, Aughnacloy, Co.Tyrone & Emyvale, Co. Monaghan provides an environment in which children from both communities and both sides of the border can interact, play, and communicate with each other. Allocation: €5,000
2. Ballykeel II Residents Association, Community House, Ballymena, Co. Antrim – allocation will be used to fund a cross-community youth project which will provide a horticultural service to the entire community. Allocation: €5,000
3. Ballyroan (Rathfarnham) & Drumcree Parishes Friendship Group, Rathfarnham, Dublin – allocation will be used to fund a cross border exchange in which young people north of the border will have an opportunity to mix with young people south of the border during the marching season. Allocation: €2,500
4. Bawn Development Association, Dungannon, Co, Tyrone – allocation will be used to fund a series of reconciliation workshops. Allocation: €5,000
5. Belleek & District Community Partnership, Co. Fermanagh is a cross border cross community group that promotes inter-denominational cultural and sports activities for the entire community. Allocation: €20,000
6. Belleek Cross Border Childcare Ltd, Co. Fermanagh facilitates day to day interaction between children of all ages and backgrounds and promotes tolerance of diverse cultures through the medium of play and interaction between parents. Allocation: €3,000
7. Bloody Sunday Trust / Museum of Free Derry The Trust provides a support network for the families of those killed and injured on Bloody Sunday and has the support of all sections of the community in the city. Allocation: €25,000
8. British Irish Rights Watch is an independent non-government organisation that has been monitoring the human rights dimension of the peace process in Northern Ireland since 1990. Its services are available free of charge to anyone whose human rights have been violated as a result of the conflict, regardless of religious, political or community affiliations. This allocation will be used to fund the “Building Bridges Programme” to promote reconciliation through truth and justice. Allocation: €25,000
9. Cathedral Youth Club, The Fountain, Derry – allocation will be used to fund core costs of the club as well as a series of workshops and visits involving young people from St. Johnston in Donegal and Omagh. Allocation: €20,000
10. Churchtown Community Association Ltd, Castlederg, Co Tyrone – allocation will be used to support a programme of child care provision which will promote interaction between children and parents from both communities. Allocation: €30,000.
11. Comhchoiste Na Gaeilge Aontroim Thuaidh, Dunloy, Co. Antrim facilitates cross community interaction in a neutral workshop space which offers courses to children and adults from both communities. Allocation: €7,000
12. Coolcreaghy Community Association , Castlederg, Co. Tyrone provides classes in music, dance and drama to children and adults from both communities. Allocation: €10,000
13. Corpus Christi Youth Centre, Limestone Rd, Belfast caters for approx. 300 young people and provides support and advocacy on an individual basis as well as facilitating participation in cross-community activities. Allocation: €25,000
14. Creggan County Park Enterprises Limited, Creggan County Park, Derry – allocation will be used to support a “Reconciliation through Recreation” project which will provide a diversionary programme of activities during the parades season involving Unionist / Loyalist Communities. Allocation: €25,000
15. Deanby Youth Centre, Abbeyvale Gardens, North Belfast - allocation will be used to support a programme of cross community activities for young people which will deal with issues such as conflict resolution and reconciliation. Allocation: €12,500
16. Dooneen Community Education Centre, Co. Fermanagh provides recreational activities to members of both communities. Allocation will be used to support a variety of cross border events to promote acceptance of cultural diversity. Allocation: €25,000
17. Downpatrick Listowel Linkage Group, Co. Down – allocation will be used to support the group's programme of activities which target young people not normally involved in cross border peace and reconciliation programmes. Allocation: €10,000
18. Downs Syndrome Association N.I., Saintfield Road, Belfast– allocation will be used to support a conference aimed at developing links north and south of the border area and between Ireland and Britain, and promoting cross community and interdenominational activities. Allocation: €10,000
19. East Belfast Community Focus, Newtownards Road, Belfast – allocation will be used to support the group's programme of cross border and cross community exchanges. Allocation: €5,000
20. Four Castles Orange Cultural Society, Larne, Co.Antrim – allocation will be used to support a visit to a historical site in the South of Ireland. Allocation: €750
21. Harryville Ulster Scots, Ballymena, Co Antrim – allocation will be used to support a programme of diversionary activities for young people during the marching season. Allocation: €15,000
22. Highfield Partnership, Highfield Crescent, Belfast – allocation will be used to support a community festival which will take place around the time of a contentious parade. Allocation: €4,000
23. Holy Family Youth Centre, Limestone Rd, Belfast - allocation will be used to support the Centre's community relations work with young people in one of the interface areas of North Belfast. Allocation: €25,000
24. Integrated Education Fund, Belfast County Antrim – aims to provide a financial foundation for the development and growth of integrated education in Northern Ireland. This grant is to support extra-curricular cross-community activities. Allocation: €20,000
25. Inishowen Women's Information Network, Lifford, Co.Donegal – allocation will be used to support an 8 week programme on the theme of conflict transformation and reconciliation. Allocation: €25,000
26. Irish Peace Institute, University of Limerick - allocation will be used to support a cross border youth exchanges which will include an educational programme on conflict transformation. Allocation: €25,000
27. Irish School Of Ecumenics Trust, Antrim Road, Belfast is a cross border institute with centres in Dublin and Belfast which promotes dialogue, peace, and reconciliation through teaching, research and community outreach activities. The allocation will be used to support the extension of their work with community groups on both sides of the border. Allocation: €70,000
28. Kiddies Castle, Belfast, Co. Antrim is a cross community pre-school play group situated in an interface area which promotes better relations between the two communities through a programme of activities for parents/carers. Allocation: €20,000
29. Lawrencetown Community Dev Co Ltd, Co. Galway – allocation will be used to support a cross-community, interdenominational project to promote cross-border links between a group from Lawrencetown, Co Down and Lawrencetown, Co Galway. Allocation: €3,500
30. Little Wombles Cross-Community Playgroup, Draperstown, Co Derry – allocation will be used to support a programme of Social and Educational courses for parents which will promote cross community and inter-denominational interaction. Allocation: €5,000
31. Newhaven Trust, Newry, Co. Down was set up in 1993 to help in the education, training and rehabilitation of ex-offenders, alcoholics, drug addicts and those excluded from society. The group is involved in a number of projects in South Down & Armagh seeking to remove Sectarian graffiti and Paramilitary flags. Allocation: €25,000
32. Nimma – N.I. Mixed Marriage Association, Belfast aims to bring to the attention of the churches and policy makers, the difficulties faced by couples in mixed marriages because of the deep divisions and mistrust that exists between Christian churches and the segregated communities in Northern Ireland. Allocation: €20,000.
33. North Belfast Women's Initiative & Support Group, Glenbryn works from a community house in the Glenbryn area and provides support to over a hundred women. The allocation will be used to support current programmes which include development work surrounding reconciliation, education, dialogue and cultural awareness for women. Allocation: €7,000.
34. Northwest Rural Development Limited, Greencastle, Co. Donegal – allocation will be used to support The Celtic European Festival of the Sea which will bring together communities and cultures from Ireland, North & South, Britain, Europe, Norway and Canada. One of the primary aims will be to engage the entire community along the coast, in promoting economic, social and educational development within these areas. Allocation: €20,000.
35. Old Library Trust, Creggan, Derry works in partnership with both communities in order to provide social and economic development in the Creggan area. Current projects include “The Walking Through History Together Programme”, a cross community initiative aimed at adults and teenagers from deprived areas. Allocation: €7,500.
36. Omeath District Dev Co, Ltd, Omeath, Co. Louth - allocation will be used to assist the development of a project to build a Reconciliation Facility and Study Centre. Allocation: €10,000.
37. Organisation of the Unemployed N.I., Belfast. Co.Antrim promotes reconciliation by developing and maintaining meaningful cross border links, and maintains an extremely close working relationship with its sister organisation, the INOU, in the South. Allocation: €20,000.
38. Pat Finucane Centre for Human Rights & Social Change, Derry is a non-political, anti-sectarian Centre for human rights. This allocation will be used to fund the core costs of the individual case work which the Centre carries out for a large number of families. Allocation: €25,000.
39. Roe Valley Forum, Whitehill Park, Limavady was recently set up in conjunction with React-Northwest in order to tackle the upsurge in sectarianism, and to promote community harmony – particularly around contentious parades and the flying of flags. Allocation: €3,500.
40. St. John Vianney Youth Centre, River Terrace, Belfast, Co. Antrim – allocation will be used to fund a series of community relations programmes targeted at young people which aim to keep young people off the streets and away from interface areas. Allocation: €15,000.
41. St. Macartan's Pipe Band, Castleblaney, Co. Monaghan / Howard Memorial Pipe Band, Dungannon, Co.Tyrone – allocation will be used to support the establishment of a Cross-Border Pipe Music Tutorial Centre which will bring young people from different backgrounds together to share resources and to enter competitions together where possible. Allocation: €10,000.
42. Sandy Row Amateur Boxing Club, Sandy Row, Belfast aims to provide the marginalised young people of Sandy Row, one Belfast's most disadvantaged areas, with an opportunity to participate in a leisure pursuit that encourages discipline, fitness and healthy eating. Allocation: €15,000.
43. Shankill / Shankill Project, Co. Dublin & Belfast organises workshops on cultural identity and conflict resolution. The group works with transition year students in the South, students from the six counties and the border counties. To date in excess of 500 young people have benefited from the project's programmes. Allocation: €25,000.
44. Shankill Stress & Trauma Centre, Belfast – is the largest community based counselling and training organisation in North/West Belfast. This allocation will be used to support the group's outreach and cross community work. Allocation: €30,000.
45. South Belfast Male Care, Donegall Road, Belfast, Co.Antrim – allocation will be used to support a cultural programme examining themes of 1916 – The Easter Rising and The Somme. Allocation: €3,000.
46. Springvale Training Ltd, Springvale Road, Belfast is a charitable, educational company which seeks to improve the quality of life for disadvantaged young people, unemployed adults and lone parents in the greater West Belfast area. This allocation will be used as a contribution towards the group's operational costs. Allocation: €25,000.
47. Star Neighbourhood Centre, New Lodge, Belfast is situated in an interface area of North Belfast. It aims to improve the quality of life of local residents and provides a range of services including a crèche, a youth outreach project, Senior Citizens group and Boxing Club. Allocation: €10,000.
48. The Playhouse Derry, Artillery Street, Derry – allocation will be used to support production of the play “The Worthless Soldier” in the context of the Somme Commemoration in 2006. Grant figure will depend on final costings.
49. The Saints Youth Centre, Twinbrook, Dunmurray, Belfast provides a welcoming environment for young people to engage in a range of social and personal development activities. The allocation will be used to fund the Centre's outreach programme and operational costs. Allocation: €15,000.
50. Tipperary Peace Convention, Fr. Matthew Street, Co. Tipperary promotes the peaceful ideals through music, song and debate and organises an international festival peace which incorporates the presentation of the Tipperary Peace prize. Allocation €2,000.
51. Tirgan Community Association, Magherafelt, Derry is a cross-community group which provides a range of educational, sport and cultural activities for all groups in the community. Allocation: €3,500.
52. West Belfast Partnership Board, Andersontown Road, Belfast is a representative group drawn from the community, voluntary, public and statutory sectors. Its aim is to engage those who either live or work in West Belfast in working towards the social economic, physical and cultural regeneration of West Belfast. Allocation: €30,000.
53. Willowfield Parish Community Association, Lady's Well Road, - allocation will support a project to provide diversionary events for young people during particular periods of tension. Allocation: €25,000.
54. Youthcom Down & Connor Youth Trust, Belfast, Co. Antrim is an umbrella body for youth service work in the diocese of Down & Connor. The group organises a range of projects aimed at promoting peace and reconciliation and exploring cultural diversity. Allocation: €50,000.
55. Youthlink, University Street, Belfast - is a partnership of the Churches working together to develop excellence in youth work and ministry, peace building and reconciliation. This allocation will be used to support a number of programmes aimed at involving young people between 16-25 yrs in local reconciliation and community building projects especially in areas where there is a legacy of the conflict including the border counties. Allocation: €25,000.