Blessington Children Celebrate Calcutta School Project; St Patrick in focus; Open Events at Corrymeela Ballycastle; New Irish Youth workshops; ”Time and Temperance in Conflict and Peace” – TCD lecture
Blessington Children Celebrate Calcutta School Project
Pupils of Blessington No 1 School gathered to celebrate the dedication of Khanaberia Primary School in Dhappa Dump in Calcutta yesterday (March 14).
The children of the Blessington school have helped to give the gift of education to children in Calcutta by raising €10,000 to refurbish a school building on a dump in Calcutta giving hundreds of children there hope for better lives.
The school was dedicated by the Archbishop Michael Jackson, at a special service in Blessington. Lisa O’Shea from GOAL was also in attendance along with one of Ireland’s top cardiologists, Dr David Mulcahy of Tallaght Hospital, who sowed the seeds of inspiration for the ambitious project. Also present were the Archdeacon of Glendalough, the Ven Ricky Rountree; rector of the Blessington Union of Parishes, the Revd Leonard Ruddock and local councillor, Jim Ruttle.
The school is situated on Dhappa dump, one of the largest dumps in Calcutta. The children who now attend the school forage daily on the dump with their parents in order to earn money to survive. It is hoped that by providing a school for these children and giving them an education it will help improve their lives.
The project captured the imagination of the Blessington pupils and after much discussion, the children of 5th and 6th classes hosted a Mad Hatters Tea Party and raised €4,589. A number of other events were organised including a joint Carol Service with Blessington Community College and St Mary’s Junior and Senior Schools. The funds raised, combined with a donation from a private benefactor, amounted to over €10,000 for the project.
The Calcutta school was officially opened by Dr Mulcahy in October last year. To celebrate the occasion the children of the Irish school sent out a suitcase full of pencils, rubbers, colouring pencils, markers and other supplies.
To celebrate the pupil’s fundraising achievement and to highlight the project to the wider community, a photographic exhibition was unveiled in the school. The photographs were taken by Dr Mulcahy during his visit to Calcutta and show what the money raised by the Wicklow school was spent on.
St Patrick in focus
Anna Maguire in The Belfast Telegraph – Legend tells us that St Patrick was a figure who influenced much of our countryside with his legacy.
Now one woman has chronicled the landscape which dominated St Patrick’s world for a photo exhibition.
St Patrick’s Legacy In Focus is the latest work from photographer Bernie Brown and is on show at the St Patrick Centre in Downpatrick.
The striking images vary from the darkening outline of a crucifix as the sun sets over the summit of Slieve Patrick, to a sloping view into the ruins of a Cistercian abbey founded in Greyabbey, Co Down, in 1193.
Other images include the ruins of St John’s Point Church in Co Down – which dates back to the 10th or 11th century – and St Patrick’s Memorial Church, where St Patrick built Ireland’s first Christian church in 432AD.
Brown’s last exhibition – entitled The Life Of The Lough and featuring more than 70 images taken around Co Down’s Strangford Lough – toured for more than two years.
Her latest collection, which follows years of research, is part of a project to raise the profile of St Patrick here.
Open Events at Corrymeela Ballycastle
Decoding your Body – A Way through – 3rd to 5th May 2013
It is said “your biography becomes your biology” and that we are the sum total of all that has happened to us. Even our very bones, muscles and tissues know our life story of wounds, joys and beliefs. Interested? For more detailed information and costs visit our website or contact jenny@connemaradeanes.com
Corrymeela Friends Weekend 2013 – 31st May to 2nd June 2013
The Theme for this weekend is Maintaining Peace | Sustaining Reconciliation. Join Corrymeela Volunteers and Staff and meet friends old and new from across the UK and further afield. To download a booking form for this weekend visit our website or email annemcdonagh@corrymeela.org
New Irish Youth workshops!
New Irish Arts writes…It’s been really encouraging to have a lot of young people sign up to come along to our workshops for the New Irish Youth Choir.
There are still spaces available on the workshops, which are taking place on Friday 22 and Saturday 23 March in Ballymena, Belfast and Waringstown.
If you know someone who loves singing, enjoys learning more about worshipping God, making new friends in a fun environment and who will be in Year 8–13 in September 2013, why not encourage them to sign up!
http://www.newirisharts.com/YOUTH
”Time and Temperance in Conflict and Peace” – TCD lecture
Prof Luc Reychler, University of Leuven on Tuesday, 9 April 2013, 17:00, in Neill/Hoey Lecture Theatre, Trinity Long Room Hub
This lecture draws attention to the role of time in conflict and peace building.
The underlying assumptions are:
1. Despite the fact that we have made considerable progress in the constructive management of conflicts, we still have a long way to go. The world is far from establishing a world community characterized by sustainable peace.
2. Time is a precious and non–renewable resource in conflict prevention and peace building. Time is not only money; it makes the difference between death and life. Too much time is wasted; many conflicts are histories of missed opportunities.
3. We have to do something about it. In fact we should get to know our temperament better and make it more adaptive to the challenges of violence prevention and sustainable peace building.
4. Everybody’s time is equally valuable. The democratization of time is part of a genuine democracy and a necessary condition for sustainable peace and security.
Luc Reychler is Emeritus Professor of Inter–national Relations at the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Leuven. He was past Director of the Center for Peace Research and Strategic Studies (CPRS) and Secretary General of the International Peace Research Association (IPRA) from 2004 to 2008. He has published widely on sustain–able peace–building architecture, planning and evaluation of violence prevention and peace–building interventions and multi–lateral negotiations. Visit his blog at
www.diplomaticthinking.com.
His books include Le défi de la paix au Burundi (1999), Democratic peace–building: the devil is in the transition (1999), Peace building: a field guide (2001), De volgende genocide (“The next genocide”, 1994), Aid for peace: a guide for planning and evalution in conflict zones (2007), Open book D.R. Congo: Positive prospects, building sustain–able peace together (2010).
MEDIA REVIEW
Stormont abortion debate
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/stormont-minister-jonathan-bell-branded-insulting-and-offensive-over-his-claim-that-abortions-killed-more-than-hitler-29130898.htmlIrish news and media review