A mosaic of peace

THE INSPIRING, INCLUSIVE ETHOS OF NORTHERN IRELAND’S INTEGRATED SCHOOLS HAS BEEN REPLICATED IN OTHER DIVIDED LANDS

By GAVIN HAINES

Hazelwood Integrated primary school in North Belfast sits on the boundary between two communities that were once at war: Catholics on one side and Protestants on the other. “Traditionally, this was a very troubled space,” said Patricia Murtagh, the school’s Principal. “We used to come in after a summer of strife, picking up the pieces of the fighting that went on in the local community. That’s unheard of nowadays.” At the height of the troubles, integrated schools like Hazelwood were beacons of hope in a divided land, breaking down barriers between Catholic and Protestant communities by welcoming children from both sides. They began in the 1970s, in response to a segregated education system that perpetuated religious divisions, but it wasn’t until 2019 that the movement was nominated for the Nobel peace prize. “It…

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The Simple Things (Digital) - 1 Issue, March 2020

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