Official Launch of Leitrim PEACEPLUS Action Plan

 €3.3m PEACEPLUS Action Plan Launched for Leitrim

12th February 2025

Leitrim County Council and the Leitrim PEACEPLUS Partnership Committee launched their co-designed Local Community PEACE Action Plan with funding of €3,334,009 secured to deliver cross community and peacebuilding projects across Leitrim.

The Leitrim PEACEPLUS Action Plan was developed after extensive consultation using a co-design process to address needs within the Leitrim Council area and in particular how PEACEPLUS can address a lack of historic investment due to conflict and enhance peace and reconciliation in the county. It is a project supported by PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).

The PEACEPLUS programme represents a funding partnership between the European Union, the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Government of Ireland and the Northern Ireland Executive.

The Action Plan has 16 projects across three programme areas. These include five infrastructure projects in Ballinamore, Carrick-on-Shannon, Drumkeerin, Lurganboy and Kinlough. The remaining projects will deliver activities around community development and training, volunteer support, arts, music, drama, sport, biodiversity, digital technology, outreach programmes, skills & training, food, crafts and much more.

The overall objective of the plan is to promote a greater sense of belonging, equality, inclusion and peace for people living in Leitrim by providing opportunities for enhanced contact and understanding between communities, access to training and skills and establishing spaces and platforms for collaborative learning and knowledge-sharing.

Launching the plan, Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Dara Colleary TD said:

“To everyone who contributed to the development of the PEACEPLUS Co-Designed Local Action Plan for Leitrim County Council, I would like to thank you. This plan has recently been approved for funding under the PEACEPLUS programme of the European Union, totalling over €3.334 million.

I commend Leitrim County Council and the PEACEPLUS Partnership for supervising the creation and implementation of this action plan. I have no doubt that the 16 regional community relations projects funded by this plan will foster meaningful and intentional involvement, uphold intercommunal ties, and effect constructive, long-lasting change in the area.

I am delighted that my Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, together with the Special EU Programs Body and the Executive Office in Northern Ireland, will provide support for this outstanding Action Plan. Long-term benefits from its successful implementation will accrue to the area”.

First Minister Michelle O’Neill said “Leitrim’s PEACEPLUS Action Plan is a real practical demonstration of what we can achieve when we work together. By harnessing the energy and ideas of local people we have the opportunity to strengthen the bonds that unite us and we can address the legacies of the past as well as creating a brighter and better future for generations to come.”

Chief Executive of SEUPB Gina McIntyre said “Through PEACEPLUS, 17 local councils across Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland will play a critically important role in administering much-needed funding at grassroots level through their respective Local Community Action Plans. 

“This new approach to funding will result in 110,000 people from different and diverse backgrounds in Northern Ireland and the border counties collaborating to identify and deliver priority projects within their communities.

“The co-design process of our action plans is the most collaborative approach to date, emphasising inclusivity, shared decision making and the integration of diverse perspectives throughout the entire design lifecycle.

“They are not just standalone interventions; they are catalysts for systemic and intergenerational change, fostering new skills, role models, and partnerships that will resonate long after the Plan concludes.”

Cathaoirleach Cllr Paddy O’Rourke has welcomed the funding, saying “Having served as a member of the Leitrim PEACEPLUS Partnership and previous Peace Partnership committees I know how much work and planning goes into getting a Peace programme to this stage. This plan represents an extensive co-design process with input from all sections of our community in Leitrim. I have to commend members of the PEACEPLUS Partnership and PEACEPLUS Coordinator Marian McGovern for their commitment to developing and delivering an excellent programme of activities and opportunities for participants which will support peace, stability and inclusion into the future.”

Speaking at the launch Deputy Chief Executive of Leitrim Council Mary Quinn said “There has been vital funding from previous PEACE programmes into communities in County Leitrim and across the border counties and Northern Ireland. The new PEACEPLUS programme is providing further significant investment into the social, economic and environmental development of Leitrim. The comprehensive programme of activities aligns with the Councils priorities to develop an inclusive, healthy and equitable county, increasing the sustainability of our communities and continuing to regenerate and revitalise our towns and villages.”

L-R: Patricia Armstrong, Special EU Programmes Body Programme Officer; Cllr Gary Prior; Cllr Paddy Farrell; Gobhnait Swift, Dept of Rural and Community Development;  Cllr Paddy O'Rourke, Cathaoirleach Leitrim Co Council; Cllr Maeve Reynolds; Cllr Allan Rainey Chairperson Fermanagh & Omagh PEACEPLUS Partnership, and his wife Muriel; Cllr Sean McGowan; Cllr Felim Gurn; Mary Quinn, Deputy Chief Executive, Leitrim Co Council

Photo (1) l-r:

Marian McGovern, PEACEPLUS Programme Coordinator; Suzanne Duffy, Senior Executive Officer, Leitrim Co Council; Patricia Armstrong, Special EU Programmes Body Programme Officer; Cllr Paddy O’Rourke, Cathaoirleach Leitrim Co Council; Gobhnait Swift, Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht; Mary Quinn, Deputy Chief Executive, Leitrim Co Council.

Leitrim PEACEPLUS Partnership members,  l-r:
Superintendent Denis Ellard; Marian McGovern, PEACEPLUS Programme Coordinator; Mary Quinn, Deputy Chief Executive, Leitrim Co Council; Bernie Donohoe, Leitrim Development Co.; Liam Breslin, Leitrim PPN/Environment; Kathleen Kearns, Leitrim PPN/Youth; Assumpta Kelly, Leitrim PPN/Womens Centre; Kathryn Hardingham, Leitrim PPN/Elim Church; Osazu Peter Olabiyi, Leitrim PPN/ Integration; Patricia Armstrong, Special EU Programmes Body Programme Officer; Cllr Brendan Barry; Suzanne Duffy, Senior Executive Officer, Leitrim Co Council; Cllr Gary Prior.