Exploring cultural identity and shared history with Derry
A group of Sligo participants who are involved in a community history project pictured at the Guild Hall in Derry, where they explored teh city's shared cultural identity with Sligo.
Wednesday February 24 2010
Shared cultural identity between Sligo and Derry is being explored in a unique community history project, 'The Legacy of Belief.' The Mayor of Derry extended a warm welcome to a group from Sligo who are currently involved in the project, which is supported through the Peace III initiative.
Through the project, Sligo Arts Service and partners are exploring people's personal view of local history. The perspectives of local Catholic, Protestant, Presbyterian, Traveller and Immigrant people are actively contributing to the process.
An exhibition is being planned and devised by the participants and will open this summer in Sligo.
The trip to Derry involved visits to The Apprentice Boys Museum, the Museum of Free Derry and the Tower Museum in order to gain a greater understanding and appreciation of the richness and diversity of the city's history.
The Sligo visitors were facilitated by staff from the three museums and by the community relations office of Derry City Council.
At a Mayoral lunch in the Guild Hall, the Sligo group presented the Mayor with a gift from the people of Sligo --a print made by artist Cliona Doyle based on a poem by W. B. Yeats which is currently on show as part of the 'Yeats and the Golden Age of Print' exhibition in Sligo Art Gallery.
The Legacy of Belief project creates a platform to explore cultural identity, shared history and issues related to sectarianism and community relations in Sligo and Derry and through the various planned events between now and the summer exhibition, contributing fully to the Sligo Peace & Reconciliation Partnership Committee Action Plan.
The Legacy of Belief project is delivered by Sligo Arts Service and partners, and is supported by the Peace III Programme, managed for the Special EU Programmes Body by Sligo County Council on behalf of Sligo Peace & Reconciliation Partnership Committee.
