Exploring Controversial Issues Together in Northern Ireland

Abstract

Lagan College was established in Belfast in 1981 by a group of Catholic and Protestant parents. With the backdrop of violent conflict and a segregated education system, they hoped that educating children together could contribute to building a peaceful, common future. They founded a school where members of the same family could be educated together regardless of gender or academic ability. As people of faith, they made a Christian response to division, creating a school based on inclusion and reconciliation. The school opened with no funding, in temporary buildings, facing opposition from politicians and churches. Despite these and other challenges, the school grew rapidly and eventually found a permanent home in the Castlereagh hills above the city.