Newport College marks Good Friday Agreement

In April 1998, Tony Blair said he felt the “hand of history” on his shoulder, and Newport College students have gained a deep and comprehensive understanding of that history through a series of commemorative events to mark the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday agreement.

Understanding context is always essential when looking at the past. To kick off commemorations, students attended screenings of a documentary piece created by the History dept team. This documentary provided the background of the political divisions in the North, from the Norman invasion and later Ulster Plantation to the partition of Ireland in 1921. The Troubles were clearly explained, and students learned what life was like in Northern Ireland at that time. The slow and difficult road to the Good Friday Agreement, as well as identification of the role played by the main architects of the agreement, were all discussed in detail in the documentary.

Having gotten a good foundation in the Troubles and the agreement itself, the school was privileged to be able to host two guest speakers to share their insight and understanding of the agreement. Mr Éamon Ó CuÍv TD visited the school and spoke to students of his role in the Peace process as well as giving personal anecdotes of other key players. Mr Ó Cuív told of his work with the families of prisoners and how upon their release many of the prisoners from both sides of the divide were amongst the most influential advocates of peace. Mr Ó Cuív told the students present that the power of persuasion was key in establishing peace in Northern Ireland. He explained that building relationships and taking the time and energy to persuade people of the benefits of peace achieved more, and in a much shorter time, than 30 years of violence.

In a rare opportunity to hear the Unionist point of view, the Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party Mr Doug Beattie met with students via zoom. Perhaps surprisingly, much of his interpretation of events echoed that of Mr Ó Cuív. Mr Beattie spoke of how he came to be involved in politics, and his identity as both Irish and British. He expressed his frustration at the current and ongoing lack of government in Stormont. Like Mr Ó Cuív, he noted that the Good Friday Agreement cannot be seen as an endpoint, and that progress is needed as society is ever evolving.

Students were by no means passive recipients in the commemorative events. Fifth Year students created a comprehensive timeline of Northern Ireland. This traces political developments in the North from the establishment of the Northern Irish state, through the troubles and agreements, right up to Brexit and the Windsor Framework of last month. The students have displayed the timeline on a prominent corridor in the school so all can interrogate it in their own time. Students also had opportunity in class to debate issues surrounding the Troubles and the Good Friday agreement.

COMMEMORATIVE STAMPS

First Year students created commemorative stamps to mark the occasion. Having engaged in such a broad range of activities, students were surveyed to understand what they thought of when they considered the Good Friday Agreement. In a term that summed up the agreement perfectly, recognising its achievement but also acknowledging the work left to be done, the term which was most often cited, was “Hope”.