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As part of Rural Housing Association’s Old Mill Court, shared housing development in Sion Mills, we have been working in partnership with Sion Mills Community Forum to deliver a 15-week shared history project exploring the impact of World War One on the community of Sion Mills. Over the course of the 15-week programme residents from the area have worked with writer and presenter Frank Galligan to explore the stories of local people who fought and lived through World War One. Alongside in-depth research on the stories of local people, project participants from Sion Mills also created a series of art displays, poetry and short stories documenting events from this era.
The project concluded with a Shared History Exhibition at the Bog Hall in Sion Mills on Saturday 26th March, where artefacts from WWI, as well as displays provided by the Inniskillings Museum, Enniskillen, were displayed alongside the artwork, stories and poetry created by local residents. The exhibition shares the stories of people from all community backgrounds that were impacted by WWI.
This Shared History Project, delivered through Sion Mills Community Forum captures the stories of people from the Sion Mills area that lived through the difficult events of WWI. It demonstrates the cross-community nature of the village during the war period and how the events of WWI impacted the village. The final exhibition is a credit to the hard work of both Sion Mills Community Forum and project participants, and captures the loss experienced by many households in the area during this time.” Ruth Montgomery, Rural Housing Association.
Rural Housing’s Old Mill Court, Shared Neighbourhood is supported by the Department for Communities and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive’s ‘Housing for All’ Shared Housing Programme. The Programme has its origins in the NI Executive Together: Building a United Community Strategy which reflects the Executive’s commitment to improving community relations and continuing the journey towards a more united and shared society.
