ABSTRACT
Northern Ireland has lived through 30 years of political violence in which some 3,700 people have been killed. When the violence began in the late 1960s many pointed to the existence of separate schools for Protestants and Catholics, and wondered whether this had contributed to community divisions and violence. Many at the time suggested that the rapid development of integrated schools, where all children could be educated together, could provide a ready solution to the escalating violence (Fraser 1973; Heskin 1980). Plans to encourage more faith schools in England have generated much opposition, largely on the grounds that they would be divisive, and faith schools in Northern Ireland are often cited as a negative example. This chapter will examine the Northern Ireland experience under a number of different themes, including the historical background to the development of separate schools, debates on the role of education after the outbreak of violence and a consideration of measures that were taken within schools to promote reconciliation and tolerance. The final part of the chapter will consider the impact of these efforts, locate them within the broader peace process of recent years and offer some general conclusions on the lessons from Northern Ireland on the issue of faith schools.
