Report From Ireland

Global Volunteers Ireland, March 1-15, 2008



It’s Tuesday, March 4 at Glencree, and we’re painting like crazy. We’re all slopped up with paint, but we’re happy and productive, I hope. Everyone seems to be forming a real team spirit, and the hours fly by. This morning we heard a very informative discussion of our upcoming Belfast trip, coupled with handouts on the Irish political parties and their views. Our leader, Tricia Anderson, works with international peace and reconciliation programs patterned after the Glencree model. I was especially interested in the multiple Irish political parties and paramilitary groups and their often fruitless efforts to capture the public imagination. Most Americans, I think, conceive of the “Troubles” as mainly religious in origin, but we learned of what she called “the systematic impoverishment” of the Irish Catholic population by the British dominators. So the “Troubles” also have their root in economic and social oppression, as do most other such critical public issues. All together, a wonderful day.



Monday, March 03, 2008 dawned a brisk morning. Several team members went for morning walks and discovered an ice coating on the puddles by the roadside; by breakfast, snow flakes were falling fast and furiously.

After breakfast, we met with Dr. David Bloomfield, the new CEO of Glencree. Dr. Bloomfield is a native of Belfast but has lived in several countries before returning home to Ireland. Quoting from the Glencree’s January Newsletter, Dr. Bloomfield “has worked in the field of conflict and peace building as a trainer, practitioner, policy advisor, analyst, author, academic, consultant and NGO director in a variety of contexts.”

Although “peace has broken out”, Glencree’s work is far from completed. Dr. Bloomfield told us something about the widening circle of Glencree’s work and methods. For example, continuing on their success in teaching conflict resolution concerning sectarian issues to children, Glencree recognizes the challenge of teaching those children to take those skills and apply them to conflicts regarding racism towards Ireland’s growing immigrant populations including Polish, Latvians, Africans, Latin Americans, and Muslims. Glencree continues to work with victims of domestic violence, and with groups of survivors and former combatants, but must continue to reach out to, for example, the isolated people of NW Ireland, where attitudes are still very polarized.

Based upon its repuation within the international community, some other nations have asked Glencree to help them think about conflict resolution. Glencree is working with local peacemakers in Afghanistan, Haiti, Sri Lanka, Sierra Leone, Columbia, Liberia and Israel and Pakistan. For example, some members of the Knesset and Fatwa met at Glencree for several days last fall and then had a follow-up meeting in Jerusalem last December.

Dr. Bloomfield notes that the challenge for Glencree is to expand its resources to meet these needs at the same time that international funding for this work is coming to an end.

Our hour with Dr. Bloomfield passed far too quickly; nevertheless, we were eager to begin our work assignments. Edel Kinsclla, program director, showed us the entryway, hallway and kitchen that we would be painting; we gathered supplies and got to work! Sheri took charge as paint foreperson, Pat became mechanics foreman, and Susan headed up the cleaning crew. Dishes were washed; cupboards cleaned, floors swept, cobwebs cleared, and walls washed, all to ready for painting.

After a break for lunch, we joined in a community meeting of on-site staff, interns and volunteers from Haiti, Afghanistan, Poland, the US, and Palestine. During introductions, we were warmly welcomed by all, and then sent back to our work. By the end of the workday, the priming was halfway completed in the kitchen and Michelle made a run for supplies to ensure a productive work day Tuesday.

We were served a delicious dinner of colcannon and then met again as a team for a short time. Jim shared the message for the day by leading us through a discussion of justice and peace by reflecting on these quotes:

1. “Without justice there can be no peace.”
2. “Injustice will not end until those who are not injured become as incensed as those who are. “
3. “For injustice to triumph, it is necessary only that good people to do nothing.”

We talked about possible recreational activities during “off” hours and ended our evening with Sheri on the computer, Michele, Bob, Joan Marie, Susan and Ann watching video while Jim and Mary retired for the evening.

It was a very productive day, but more importantly, we were enriched by our discussions with Dr. Bloomfield and other staff and volunteers.

And the snow continued through the day and night.