A project involving the GAA to help remove barriers between the organisation and the unionist community in the north has been detailed in a short film.
The Thinking Futures: Building Recognition project was led by the GAA and the University of Liverpool’s Institute of Irish Studies, and was supported by the Republic’s Department of Foreign Affairs.
Among those taking part was former unionist member of Seanad Éireann, Ian Marshall.
Following its launch last year - to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement - the project saw events in each of Ireland’s four provinces, in which representatives of Northern Ireland’s pro-union community met with GAA figures to discuss “identities, sectarianism and what the future holds for the island of Ireland in a post-Brexit world”.
A short film of detailing the project is now available to view on the Institute of Irish Studies’ YouTube page.
The institute’s director, Professor Pete Shirlow, said the initiative “broke down barriers between people and stimulated a view that a stronger inter-community voice that challenges prejudiced behaviour and attitudes is both feasible and important”.
“Messages and conversations based upon fact and experience do much to aid the GAA community in its wider understanding of barriers to engagement and participation,” he said.
“As project participants agreed, prejudice is rarely based on fact, but conversations and events such as these narrow the ground between communities and provides new and healthy understandings of each respective community.”
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GAA President Jarlath Burns said participants found the project “both enlightening and educational”.
“It helped facilitate and foster conversations around the future direction of the island and its people, which may not otherwise happen organically,” he said.
“The co-operation of both the University of Liverpool and the Department of Foreign Affairs helped us to bring the programme to all four provinces and afforded those involved the opportunity to better understand the nuances and challenges that this topic of discussion is going to give rise to in the months and years ahead. We can only be better for that.”
He added: “I laud all of those who engaged and I look forward to future collaborations of this kind which reflect our values of diversity and inclusion and bolster our efforts to connect with those communities who may not be familiar with our games and activities.”
