Northern Ireland Community Relations Council - About Us - Press Releases

02 March 2009

A new book has been published by the Community Relations Council which aims to give those who live and work here, and those visiting or looking at us from afar, a better understanding of the tangled web of history, politics and identity that has gone in to the making of Northern Ireland today.

Entitled What Made Now in Northern Ireland, and edited by Maurna Crozier and Richard Froggatt, the book contains chapters by a range of local experts on local history, politics, culture and community relations. Local historian Jonathan Bardon, who contributes two chapters to the book, comments “When looking at the history of Ireland we tend to be more aware of conflict rather than integration. Yet blending on this island has been a consistent feature down the centuries.”

Several of the chapters look at the more recent ethnic mix in the local population, including Marion Meek on Jews in Northern Ireland, Anno Lo on the Chinese community, Nisha Tandon on the Indian Community and Anthony Soares on recent migration experiences.

Tony Gallagher, Professor of Education at Queen’s University, writes in his chapter on ‘Identities: Nothing but the same old stories?’:

“It is probably more important than ever that we seek to arrest the separatist pressures that are so prevalent in our society and seek pathways which will bring us to a shared future….. What we need is a willingness to encourage the conditions under which new stories might emerge; to see change as an opportunity, rather than a threat; to see diversity as a rich resource from which we can shape the future, rather than a signal to retreat to the laager of old certainties.”

In his chapter on Symbols Dominic Bryan, Director of the Institute of Irish Studies, writes:

“The range of disputes over symbols in Northern Ireland is indicative of the conflict over the legitimacy of the state…..Nevertheless, just as symbols provide a language of division they also offer the possibility of cohesion…Northern Ireland does not have lots of examples of new symbols arising out of peace, but it does have some. Symbols can play their part in transforming relationships of conflict.”

Paul Arthur, Professor of Politics at the University of Ulster, writing about Contemporary Politics in Northern Ireland, concludes:

“Our primary task is to establish a culture of tolerance. We have begun….”

Referring to truth and reconciliation processes he adds, “Perhaps failure or success is not even important: the test is the ‘will’ to move towards truth, and towards reconciliation.”

Duncan Morrow, Chief Executive of the Community Relations Council, who contributes the concluding chapter, launched the book at the Linen Hall Library in Belfast today (2 March). He said:

“If antagonism and exclusion are to be tackled it is essential that we tell and re-tell the story of who ‘we’ are. The book What Made Now in Northern Ireland is the Community Relations Council’s contribution to that discussion in a complex but important moment in our history. This is not to close debate or to draw a final line under the public dispute but to set all such discussion within a tone of mutual interdependence. We are convinced that the establishment of that tone and context is potentially one of survival and certainly the key quality of life issue facing many people in Northern Ireland for the foreseeable future.”

For further information contact

Ray Mullan

CRC Director of Communications

Tel 90-227500 email rmullan@nicrc.org.uk

Note for Editors

· The Community Relations Council is a registered charity which aims to promote a peaceful and fair society based on reconciliation and mutual trust.

· The book is being launched at 12.30 pm on 2 March at the Linen Hall Library, Belfast.

· Speakers will include Duncan Morrow and Jonathan Bardon.

· The book, which includes a DVD with additional reflections from the authors, is published at the price of £4.95 and is available from bookshops or the Community Relations Council.

· Chapter authors and titles in the book are

Jonathan Bardon, From the earliest times to the Union

Jonathan Bardon , The Union on trial 1800-1921

Paul Bew, Politics and the writing of Irish history

Dennis Kennedy, The partition of Ireland

Richard English, Explaining the Northern Ireland Troubles

Malachi O’Doherty, Falling out- Falling in.

Marin Meek, Anno Lo and Nisha Tandon, 20^th Century incomers

Anthony Soares, Recent migration experiences

Tony Gallagher, Identities in Northern Ireland: nothing but the same old stories?

Dominic Bryan, Symbols in peace and conflict

Jane Leonard, Towards an oral history of the Troubles: Conflict at the Ulster Museum

Aodan MacPoilan, Our tangled speech: languages in Northern Ireland

Adrian Guelke, The Northern Ireland peace process in comparative perspective

Paul Arthur, Contemporary politics in Northern Ireland

Duncan Morrow, The meaning of history and experience for the future.