Putting a shared history in the picture

The event was part of the Building Brighter Futures programme, which is funded under the European Union's PEACE III programme managed for the Special EU Programmes Body by the North East PEACE III Partnership.

Fort Dunree, near Buncrana, Co. Donegal, which has a rich and colourful shared history, welcomed the group of 30 delegates.

The group was given a conducted tour of Fort Dunree which included its unique history and spectacular location. It then attended a workshop deliberating the Irish participation in World War I and how this history impacts on our society and lives today.

Damien Kearney, Programme Manager and Co-ordinator from Business in the Community commented: "The aim of this visit and workshop was to bring together community groups participating on the Building Brighter Futures Programme from across the North East PEACE III cluster area in the context of a practical learning experience, with particular reference to the shared British/Irish element of its history.

"The workshops focused on the causes of conflict in Ireland prior to the Great War, including: how men and women of both communities came together and fought side by side, Irish experiences during the Battle of the Somme, the Battle of Messines and the 16th Irish and 36th Ulster Division. The workshops were designed to foster an understanding of how these experiences can have a positive impact on our attitudes today."

After the extensive tour of the Fort, the group proceeded to the nearby Doagh Famine Village, an outdoor museum that tells the story of life in the area from the Great Famine back in the 1840s, through the 1900s to the present day.