Late Raphoe TD Paddy Harte's vision receives international recognition

The vision of the late Raphoe TD Paddy Harte has received international recognition as The Island of Ireland Peace Park in Messines, Belgium, has been designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO following a meeting of its World Heritage Committee in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this week.

Mr Harte along with the late Glenn Barr from the Waterside area of Derry/Londonderry were the main driving forces behind its development.

The Peace Park was officially opened 25 years ago in 1998 by then-President of Ireland elect Mary McAleese in the presence of the late HM Queen Elizabeth II and King Albert II of Belgium.

The Park’s development took only two years from inception to completion and was led by a cross-border and cross-community group called a ‘Journey of Reconciliation Trust’ that set out to build a commemorative site on the Western Front dedicated to all the solders of Ireland of all political and religious beliefs, who died, were wounded or missing during the First World War between 1914 and 1918.

The late Paddy Harte TD

Today, the tower stands as an inspirational symbol of peace and reconciliation in its own right and is visited by thousands of people from across the world each year.

The tower stands at 32 metres high amongst the historical Flemish battlefields just outside Ypres and is in the design of a traditional Irish stone tower. Nine stone tablets each inscribed with quotations from the poems, prose and letters of Irishmen at war stand within the grounds and bring the history of their experience to life.

Inside the tower are record books of the names of people from communities across the island who saw active service during the war many of whom died, were wounded or are recorded as missing.

UNESCO is the specialised agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, the arts, sciences and culture.

The UNESCO World Heritage list recognises sites that are of importance to humanity given their educational, cultural and historical significance.

The Peace Park is among a number of World War 1 remembrance sites across the Western Front in Belgium and France to be added to the UNESCO heritage registry, expanding the list of landmarks that are of monumental importance to humanity.

Hidden History

In Donegal, before the development of the Peace Park in tandem with the Donegal Roll of Honour, now digitised by Donegal County Museum, the memory of people from communities who fought on the Western Front had been considered a hidden history within Donegal.

Earlier this year, representatives from Amharclann Ghaoth Dobhair and the Waterside Theatre visited the Peace Park as part of a five-day educational tour of shared-history sites across France and Belgium.

The groups took time out as part of that tour to show their respect by organising a cross-community commemorative event at the Peace Park in remembrance of the soldiers from communities north and south who died during World War I and the people whose vision brought the UNESCO heritage site into development.

Director, David Grant, author Frank McGuinness and Andrew McNulty 

On return home, both theatres have drawn inspiration from that experience in their work to jointly produce, stage and perform the world-renowned play by author Frank McGuinness, Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme, which takes to the stage in An Grianán Theatre, Letterkenny tomorrow night, Sunday, September 24 at 8pm and in the Millennium Forum on Wednesday next, September 27 at 8pm.

The play is a joint production by both theatres and is an electrifying performance which showcases the incredible acting talent from communities across the North-West under the direction of David Grant.

The play and project is the creative idea of Andrew McNulty from Stranorlar and is part of a cross-community project which is being funded by the International Fund for Ireland (IFI) under its new Communities in Partnership Programme (CiPP).

The focus of the project is about supporting people from different backgrounds, traditions and identities to develop lasting and meaningful connections on a cross-border and cross-community basis in the spirit of peace and reconciliation.

The play uses the medium of the arts to open up an opportunity with audiences for a conversation about the shared history that are brought to life by the talented cast of local actors who bring the captivating performance to life.