MILLENNIUM FORUM LAUNCHES PROJECT LIGHTHOUSE WITH HAWK'S WELL THEATRE
MILLENNIUM FORUM LAUNCHES PROJECT LIGHTHOUSE WITH HAWK'S WELL THEATRE
The Millennium Forum, in partnership with Hawk’s Well Theatre in Sligo and the John and Pat Hume Foundation for Peaceful Change, is proud to announce the launch of Project Lighthouse, a groundbreaking cross-border peacebuilding initiative. This exciting project has been awarded €202,000 in funding, supported by PEACEPLUS which is managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).
The recent Sligo PEACEPLUS launch event featured addresses from a distinguished lineup of speakers including Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council, Councilor Declan Bree; Minister for the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Dara Calleary; First Minister Michelle O’Neill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little Pengelly of the Northern Ireland Executive; Gina McIntyre, Chief Executive of the SEUPB; Cllr Donal Gilroy, Chair of the Local Community Development Committee and PEACEPLUS Partnership; and guest speaker Kirstie McLeod, Artist and Creator of the International Red Dress Project.
Project Lighthouse sets out to explore a vital question: “What is the process of peace for the generation born after the Good Friday Agreement?” Bringing together 30 young cultural champions from both sides of the Irish border, this initiative aims to celebrate difference and build empathy using creativity as their guiding compass.
This initiative represents a strong partnership committed to fostering peace and understanding. Project Lighthouse seeks to learn from the past, develop a roadmap of peace for a generation born into peace and celebrate a shared future by empowering young people aged 18 to 27 to become beacons of empathy — not only by discussing peace but by living, creating and sharing it on stage and screen.
Through an exchange of stories, art and perspectives, Project Lighthouse will develop a new roadmap for understanding — offering hope and connection for a divided island and a divided world.
Tim Atwood from the John and Pat Hume Foundation for Peaceful Change said:
“The John and Pat Hume Foundation is delighted to partner with Hawk’s Well Theatre and Millennium Forum theatre in this youth focused cross-border peacebuilding initiative.
John Hume believed the Good Friday Agreement offered all generations a new future which would respect diversity and political difference.
It is vitally important to engage with young people to tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation and build a more generous and inclusive society.
In the words of John Hume’s Nobel Peace Prize lecture, ‘I want to see an Ireland of partnership where we wage war on want and poverty, where we reach out to the marginalised and dispossessed, where we build together a future that can be as great as our dreams allow.”
David McLaughlin, Chief Executive of the Millennium Forum, is excited about this new project. He says:
“I am delighted that the Forum is teaming up with Hawk’s Well Theatre and the John & Pat Hume Foundation for this unique collaboration. We are grateful to Kieran at Hawk’s Well Theatre and to Tim Atwood of the Hume Foundation for their creativity and support for what promises to be a hugely engaging and important project.
As we approach our 25th anniversary, we are very much looking forward to the unique collaboration on such a special project. I am also very much looking forward to the creative process for Project Lighthouse and look forward to the end performances.”
Kieran Griffiths, Director, Hawk’s Well Theatre said:
“In a world where the shorelines of peace are unsettled, the lighthouse becomes a powerful symbol, not just of safety, but reaching across distances to guide people home to celebrate difference on shared ground. Together with our partners at the Millennium Forum and the John and Pat Hume Foundation, we are exploring how young people today can develop a roadmap to peace through their experience and response to conflict and how that roadmap can light the way for others. Project Lighthouse celebrates difference through creativity, conversation and connection. This shared island initiative is part of a wider commitment to making art accessible to all for generations to come and hopes for the promotion of a peaceful society. Hawk’s Well is proud to champion this transformative work and the extraordinary artists behind it.”
The launch will take place in Hawk’s Well Theatre on the International Day of Peace 2025 at 5pm.
For more information about Project Lighthouse and to follow the journey, please visit millenniumforum.co.uk
ENDS
Photo caption:
From L to R: Tim Atwood, HUME Foundation, Cllr. Anne Higgins, Kieran Griffiths, Director Hawk’s Well Theatre, Martin Lydon CEO Sligo County Council, Declan Bree, Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council Councillor, Cllr. Edel McSharry, Cara McCartney, Development and Creative Engagement Manager Millennium Forum, Maeve McGowan, Programming Manager Hawk’s Well Theatre, David McLaughlin, CEO Millennium Forum.