The Riverbrooke Experience

Reflections of an Evaluator

In two thousand and two a courageous few
Had a vision of working cross-border,
Now the River and Brooke together did join to counter profound disorder. 
So no longer the River and Brooke were divided
Neath the foothills of Sligo nor the Lakes of Fermanagh.
Whilst the river it flows from Arrow each day
And meanders past Millview
To the sea on its way. 

The Stationhouse Carriage caused a permanent marriage
Where trust and respect doth flourish.
The Riverbrooke ethos grew stronger they say
“To act for all people in a most peaceful way”. 
Respect for traditions, cultures and commemorations
Emblems and banners and traditional ways. 
Soon the Riverbrooke Pact was solidly on track
With hope in their hearts but with fears of attack.

That Banner of Peace was held strongly and true
To challenge old ways and to welcome the new. 
Now the coast it is clear to shift into top gear
And nothing will ever divide them. 
As they weave their kind way, with Peace here to stay
And proud of the Spirit that moved them. 
They will never regret the challenges they met
And together grew stronger and stronger.

It’s impossible to capture all that happiness and laughter
And the values for those who come after.  
With Peace at its core and activities galore
The friendships of Riverbrooke are here evermore.
The Project Co-ordinator is the main instigator
Of dialogue and of discussion. 
While the Steering Group strong in their mission of Peace
Always willing to face repercussion and deceit.

In two thousand and four they published the lore
Of their home towns in separate volumes. 
Those wonderful stories and photographs too
Were presented with pride and compassion.
Through these stories we see past times and traditions
Of Aghalaun in Aghavea. 
And we learn about Riverstown in those by-gone days
And the birth of the Riverbrooke Project.

These books are a legacy of Peace not of Conflict
And together they’ll soon print another. 
They will skilfully pen their pathway to peace
And the carriageway they made through the Border.
Now the list of achievements grows wider and wider
With indelible impressions like the web of a spider.
With frequent exchanges of people of all ages
Relationships grow stronger and tensions no longer. 

There was quilting and patchwork, vintage and music
Stone walls and concerts and Santa at Christmas.
Where culture and traditions are shared and respected
And the wounds of the past are never neglected. 
Building Peace is a challenge, less onerous for some
Like the Riverbrooke team who’ll face whatever may come. 
For community work is like a babbling brook
Ever changing and meandering wherever you look.

Evaluations are done with pleasure and pride
With neutral perspectives to act as a guide. 
It’s a project that’s successful in every way
But much more to be done in the future I’d say. 
They will never regret the work they have done
The Steering Group’s great legacy for generations to come. 
Their courage and faith hath brought them thus far
Their shared peaceful vision unites them, wherever they are.

 

Poem by John Burke
JP Burke Associates
October 2007