Pivotal figure in Good Friday Agreement hosts talk at The Strule

ANNE Carr, a pivotal figure in the Northern Ireland peace process, paid a visit to Omagh last week where she hosted a well-attended conference that attracted schools, community groups and individuals interested in learning about her path to peace.

Carr’s efforts have significantly influenced community dialogue and reconciliation is featured within the ‘Herstory: Peace Heroines’ exhibition, currently on display at the Strule Arts Centre until April 25.

The conference, titled ‘Paths to Peace’, provided a unique opportunity for attendees not only to hear Carr’s personal journey toward fostering peace, but also to engage with the wider exhibition.

The Peace Heroines exhibition highlights the contributions of women from the Omagh community who have played crucial roles in peace-building and community development.

Through their stories, the exhibition sheds light on the often under-represented efforts of women in conflict resolution and social progress, serving as an inspiration and educational resource for all visitors.

Carr’s participation added a profound personal dimension to the exhibition, connecting the historical narratives with her own living testimony of peace advocacy.

‘Women Together’

Throughout the 1990s, she was co-ordinator of the ‘Women Together’ organisation, actively involved with women in grassroots communities in Northern Ireland, challenging violence and promoting inclusive and resilient neighbourhoods.

She planned and facilitated a wide range of community workshops, residential processes and training events, involving women from across community divides and cross border, all aimed at sharing and learning from one another, engaging and empowering women as peacebuilders, promoting understanding and improving community relationships.

Carr was the first local councillor elected for the Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition, serving on Down District Council from 1997 until 2001 and was part of the team involved in achieving the Good Friday Agreement in April 1998.

In recent times, she has continued to work with women from across Northern Ireland to share her journey and story of the importance of women in peace building and to support and empower a new generation of women to continue to build on the promises of the Good Friday Agreement.

In 1999, she was delighted to be the recipient of the Peacebuilding Award presented by the Baha’i Community Northern Ireland at their Century of Light Celebrations, and in 2008 she received the Community Relations Council Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Community Relations.

Carr is a Justice of the Peace, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and was recently-appointed by the British and Irish governments to the Board of the International Fund for Ireland.