The Glencree Centre: A Beacon for Cultural Diplomacy

Founded in 1974 in response to escalating violence during The Troubles in Northern Ireland, the Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation was established in the former Glencree Barracks by individuals committed to non-violent reconciliation. Located in a restored military barracks in County Wicklow, this nonprofit organisation facilitates dialogue, relationship-building, and education aimed at preventing conflict and fostering inclusive societies across Ireland and beyond.

Core Peacebuilding Work

Glencree operates several key programmes:

• Community & Political Dialogue brings together politicians, civic groups, victims, survivors, and former combatants for facilitated discussions.
• Peace Education engages youth through cross-border workshops that explore identity, prejudice, and reconciliation.
• Women’s Leadership empowers women affected by political conflict to shape peace efforts.
• Intercultural & Refugee initiatives support migrant integration through dialogue and cultural encounter.

Music & the Arts in Peacebuilding

The Centre recognises the transformative power of creative arts, including music, theatre, and storytelling, to transcend linguistic or cultural barriers. A flagship event titled “Imagining Reconciliation: Creative Arts and Peacebuilding” showcased how music and performance can foster empathy, allowing participants to experience each other’s historical narratives and unwind entrenched biases.

Their “SING Workshop”, hosted under the Intercultural & Refugee Programme, used communal singing to spark connection between folk from diverse backgrounds, supporting integration and shared human expression. Creative projects in theatre and storytelling, such as dramatisations of co-founder Una O’Higgins O’Malley’s life, use performance to explore themes of forgiveness and community healing.

Music at Glencree has proven vital in breaking down social walls. In situations where words might create division, music offers a non-verbal, emotional bridge, allowing participants to share cultural identities and build empathy. Workshops show that singing together diminishes fear and mistrust, nurtures belonging, and affirms human connection even in the aftermath of trauma.

Over the past fifty years, Glencree has extended its peacebuilding model internationally, in places including South Africa and Bosnia—bringing lessons of facilitated dialogue, creative arts, and community-building globally. Domestically, music and arts-based programming remain central to reconciliation processes, integrating refugees, supporting victims of conflict, and reweaving social trust.

The Glencree Centre stands as a beacon of cultural diplomacy: a place where music, art, and conversation intersect to transform conflict into compassion. Through song and creative expression, it embodies the reality that peace isn’t only negotiated—it’s felt, shared, and sung together.