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Dublin government gave Belfast Holylands area €12,000 of peace funding

Police in Belfast's Holylands area on St Patrick's Day this year, and right, government buildings in Dublin
Police in Belfast's Holylands area on St Patrick's Day this year, and right, government buildings in Dublin Police in Belfast's Holylands area on St Patrick's Day this year, and right, government buildings in Dublin

THE Irish government gave €12,000 of peace funding towards tackling problems in the mainly student Holylands area of south Belfast.

It has been used to create a short documentary on residents' experiences on St Patrick's Day when throngs of drink-fuelled revellers descend on the neighbourhood.

Workshops and an academic study examining ways of improving community relations have also been carried out using the funding.

The grant came from the 'Reconciliation Fund' in the south's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Running since 1982 and boosted following the Good Friday Agreement, the €2.7m annual fund aims to "create better understanding between people and traditions on the island of Ireland and between Ireland and Britain".

The documentary was premiered to residents in recent weeks, and the academic study is being led by an Ulster University academic.

Briege Arthurs, chief executive of South Belfast Partnership Board which received the Holylands funding, said the grant has helped "better understand the complexities of the area".

"South Belfast Partnership Board has been doing careful work with local community groups over the past few years trying to build capacity and confidence in the wider university area," she said.

"As part of the approach, we have been seeking funds to let us take on pieces of work/projects which will allow us to better understand the complexities of the area.

"There has been a short film which captures a snapshot/moment in time and a piece of research on transitioning of the area. The latter has not been completed as yet."

Residents have for years complained of anti-social behaviour due to an influx of students. Last month council officials dealt with more than 140 incidents as students returned to university.

Brid Ruddy, of College Park Avenue Residents' Association, helped secure the funding after speaking to foreign affairs department officials.

"They hadn't thought of us before as an area of conflict, so I think for the first time they thought of us as an area in transition," she said.

"We're an area transitioning to more of a shared community, so this funding has been used to develop that work."

The foreign affairs department said that since it was established, the Reconciliation Fund has supported more than 2,300 projects, with most based in the north.

"South Belfast Partnership Board was granted €12,000 in December 2016 by the Department off Foreign Affairs and Trade's Reconciliation Fund," a spokesman said.

"This grant was awarded in support of a project to promote community relations within the Holylands area of Belfast.

"Funding was approved to host neighbourhood workshops and events to bring together groups and individuals from different backgrounds within the area, including long-term residents, students, and recent international migrants.

"Funding was also provided towards developing a transition study and a documentary to assist in the group's attempts to promote good relations within the area."