What happened after Partition?

The events following Partition have cast their shadow over the present. The birthing of the two jurisdictions conceived by the Government of Ireland Act of 1920 was characterised by violence across the island and the introduction of draconian legislation both north and south of the border. This programme paid particular attention to events that took place in the Council area a hundred years ago.

The course was delivered in both Enniskillen and Omagh by the Junction’s Ethical and Shared Remembering Project who facilitated participants to explore our past, to better understand our present and navigate our way towards a better future. People found the programme to be very interesting and thought-provoking. Responses included:

• “It has made me appreciate some aspects of the road to partition and afterwards, of which I was not aware – details, specific incidents etc.
• “Very informative; it gave me a great insight into how we have arrived at where we are today”
• “A very meaningful experience”.
• “Excellent insight into the period from different perspectives”.
• “Being introduced to the idea of ethical remembering was most rewarding for me”.
• “We all settled into the course during the 6 weeks – respecting each others’ opinions even if they differed”.
• “My view of history has been enlightened through cross community participation”.
• “A knowledge of history helps us to cope with the future”.

The programme concluded with a bus trip to Cavan County Museum in Ballyjamesduff, which is particularly equipped to facilitate exploring the history of the early 20th century. It was truly heartening to see how participants of different identities and from the two different session locations befriended each other throughput the day – conclusive evidence of the value of such programmes.