Peace People

When I was a  young  girl   I  often  used  to hear of  the  civil and  religious  uprest in Northern Ireland: the  conflict  between Catholics  and Protestant. We would  talk  about it at school with our  History or Religious  Education teacher, reflecting on what life  would  be like  at the time in Northern Ireland, especially for  children. It was  so unusual  for me  living  peacefully side  by side   with  people of different races  and  religius creeds in the USA.
As a teacher I  have dealt  with  this  topic with  my students several times. Once I asked them to imagine being a Catholic or a Protestant  child in the  years of the "Troubles" and meeting  an Italian tourist  one day in Belfast.  Here's  what  they  wrote:

Fancesca:  Hi! I’m from Italy. My name is  Francesca. I’m  on here on holiday.
Sean:  Hi, Francesca. My name is Sean.
Thomas:  Welcome to Belfast, Francesca!  I’m Thomas.  
Francesca: What’s that over there ?
Sean: That’s a Peace Wall.  It separates  a Catholic neighborhood  from a Protestant one. I’m Protestant and Thomas is Catholic  but we like to play together. We’re good  friends.
Thomas: There are a lot of  Peace Walls all over Northern Ireland.
Francesca: Why do people write on them?
Sean: Because they  want  to express  their  thoughts and feelings  about war and peace in Northern  Ireland.
Thomas: Tourists write on the walls too.  Why don’t  you write something, Francesca.
Francesca: Oh yes!  I‘ll write.....“NO WARS  AND  NO  WALLS.  LET’S  LIVE TOGETHER TO  BUILD  A  BETTER  WORLD. “

In 1976  due  Northern Irish citizens, Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan Maguire, both personaly involved in the terrible incidents which were happening in their country at the time, founded  a  peace movement, Peace People. This peace organization won the 1976 Nobel Peace Prize.  Enjoy this excerpt  from  their  First Declaration:  http://youtu.be/j2OdG7k659I
The  song you hear in the background is  "There were roses" by the Northern Irish folk singer Bobby Sands.