The Community Relations Council is saddened to learn of the death of Eamonn Deane, a former member of our Board (1998-2004) and a worthy winner of The Community Relations Exceptional Achievement Award in 2006 for his “monumental contribution to a shared future in the North-West”.
Eamonn worked to build and sustain peace for over six decades having trained as a teacher, before he went on to be involved in full-time community work from the early 1970s. In his long career, Eamonn was an educator and community worker playing a vital role in the establishment of many community organisations in the north-west and further afield including as a founder trustee of the Northern Ireland Voluntary Trust (now the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland), the North-West Community Network and a founder Member and Chairman of The Junction (1999-2004). In later years he was founder and most closely associated with the Holywell Trust from 1988 until 2014 . He was also a writer and editor of many community publications including the Fingerpost Community Magazine.
Eamonn’s long contribution to the development of a peaceful community was driven by conviction, pragmatism and resilience. Throughout it all he wore his years of experience lightly, always encouraging the next generation to take forward plans for what the community might need in the future. He was unassuming but unfailingly thoughtful and wise.
The passing of Eamonn, his wisdom and experience is a loss to us all. The thoughts of everyone at CRC are with Eamonn’s family, friends and colleagues at this very sad time.