Derry to Sligo arts project explores peace after Good Friday Agreement with theatrical show
Project Lighthouse, a major new cultural project, bringing together communities from either side of the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, will culminate in a live theatrical performance and broadcast this month featuring Derry actors.
Project Lighthouse will also act as a Research and Development phase for a new play, The White Dove, the third part in the acclaimed theatrical peacebuilding trilogy, which began on the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday in 2022 with The White Handkerchief and continued in 2023 with Hume: Beyond Belief. The White Dove will be staged at Hawk’s Well Theatre, Sligo and the Millennium Forum, Derry and broadcast live to a global audience in 2029.
Project Lighthouse began early this summer, as two groups of people, one from Derry, the other from Sligo, aged between 18 and 25, met for the first time at the 18th century manor house, St Columb’s Park House in Derry.
The thirty ‘Cultural Champions’ all lived there, together, for a fortnight and began to explore what ‘peace’ means to a generation born either side of the border, after the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. Led by artists Abby Oliveira and Bob Kelly.
The whole group has now reunited south of the border at the Bru Moytura ecolodge in Sligo, to continue the creative arts programme for a further two weeks. This second half of the project will build to a finale performance of music, theatre, poetry and spoken word before a live audience at Hawk’s Well
Theatre in Sligo and streamed live on the International Day of Peace, Monday September 21 2026. Free tickets for schools to attend in person at the Hawk’s Well Theatre and for the live broadcast can be booked here.
Project Lighthouse will also be the subject of a video documentary, which will be one component of new digital education packs and resources for schools.
Organisers said Project Lighthouse is a significant theatrical and cultural partnership between Hawk’s Well Theatre, the Millennium Forum in Derry and the John and Pat Hume Foundation. It has been awarded €202,000 in funding, supported by PEACEPLUS which is managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). The project is funded though the Sligo County Council PEACEPLUS Local Co-designed Action Plan.
Project artist, Abby Oliveira, said: “One of the key messages of Project Lighthouse is celebrating difference and recognising that diverse backgrounds, views and experiences have much more to offer our lives than just conflict, or the potential for conflict. After some initial caution, participants have built relationships based on respect, curiosity and openness and we are excited to see how the project will develop as the International Day of Peace approaches.”
Participant Grace Doherty, from Derry said: “So far, the project has been the perfect balance of hard work and amazing craic. I am really enjoying working with new people and hearing everyone’s different perspectives on the world we are living in and trying new skills, such as writing thanks to Bob and Abby. I am super excited to be going to Sligo!”
Kieran Griffiths, Director of Hawk’s Well Theatre and both The White Handkerchief and Hume: Beyond Belief, said: “Our live broadcast on September 21 will be a unique opportunity for schools to experience a live cultural event that brings to life classroom themes of citizenship, history and social understanding. We are aiming to create a peace movement, not just a moment, working with our partners beyond this year to connect young people and communities across cultural differences, providing free, conservatoire-level training and clear pathways into professional practice. The work emerging from the project will complete a peacebuilding trilogy that began by looking deeply into the conflict and the wounds it left behind. Its final chapter will look towards the future, learning from young people born since the Good Friday Agreement, amplifying their voices and moving together towards a better, more connected and truly shared island.”