We are a group of volunteers of different ages, backgrounds and perspectives.
We all believe that a People’s Museum of the Troubles and the Peace Process would be a valuable addition to Northern Ireland, and we are exploring ways to make it a reality.
If you would like to join us, please get in touch.
Mary Robinson, First woman President of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; Chair of The Elders
John Alderdice, former Leader of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland. Director of the Centre for the Resolution of Intractable Conflict at Harris Manchester College, University of Oxford and Chairman Emeritus of the Centre for Democracy and Peace Building in Belfast
David and Daphne Trimble. Lord David Trimble was first First Minister of Northern Ireland and is the former leader of the Ulster Unionist Party. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize with John Hume in 1998 for their efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in Northern Ireland. Lady Daphne Trimble is an academic, politician and a former member of the Equality Commission and the Human Rights Commission
Colin Davidson, distinguished artist and author of ‘Silent Testimony’, the stories of eighteen people victims of the Troubles.
Fearghal McGarry, Professor of Modern Irish History, Queen’s University Belfast
John Kyle, Councillor on Belfast City Council, former leader of the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) in Northern Ireland
Robin Eames, Anglican bishop and life peer, former Primate of All Ireland and Archbishop of Armagh
Claire Hanna, Member of Parliament for South Belfast. Former SDLP finance spokesperson, founder and chair of the first All Party Group on International Development
Rita Duffy, distinguished artist. Some of her work is in the permanent collections of the Irish Museum of Modern Art and the Imperial War Museum in London.
George and Gwynneth Bain. Sir George Bain was President and Vice-Chancellor of Queen’s University, Belfast from 1998 to 2004
Denis Bradley, journalist and former priest, founder member of the Bogside Community Association. Former Vice Chairman of the Northern Ireland Policing Board
Mark Devenport, journalist and broadcaster, former BBC Northern Ireland Political Editor, Ireland Correspondent & United Nations Correspondent
Barry Douglas, Barry Douglas, International pianist. Artistic Director of Camerata Ireland. Barry Douglas was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to music and community relations in the 2021 New Year Honours List.
Our board members are dedicated to the development of an inclusive museum. And to provide a space for reconciliation.
Chair– Jane Morrice, former head of the European Commission Office in Belfast and former MLA (Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition); Hon. President European Movement Northern Ireland
Secretary – Ed Petersen, Coordinator of Clonard Monastery’s Peace and Reconciliation Ministry. Chair of Forthspring Inter Community Group and Northern Ireland Inter-Faith Forum.
Frank Gaffikin – Emeritus Professor, Queen’s University Belfast School of Nature and Built Environment. Originally from “the bone”.
Suneil Sharma – Entrepreneur; former member, Policing Board; former member, Commission for Racial Equality NI; trustee, RAM Foundation
Cat Wilkinson – Gained a Masters in Peace and Conflict Studies with Early Years. Has worked in the Victim Sector for over 20 years and was the former Co-Chair of the Radicalisation Awareness Network Working Group, Rememberance of Victims of Terrorism.
Dr Gul Kacmaz Erk – senior lecturer and programme director of MSc Advanced Architectural Design at Queen’s University Belfast. Her research is on humanitarian architecture as well as cinematic architecture.
Catherine Clinton, Denman Chair and Professor of American History, University of Texas, San Antonio. Historical adviser: Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln (2012)
Dr Helmut Riethmuller, Director of Business Studies, Forum Berufsbildung, Charlottenstr. 2, Berlin and project consultant in Germany, Ireland, India and China. Founder of the first, cross-community youth farm in Belfast at the end of the 1970s, while still a student
Clare Hirst, Museum Collections Manager for the Co-operative Heritage Trust, Conservator at The University of Manchester. Has worked as an Arts educator for children and adults. MRL Fellow (Museums Resilience Leadership) and currently researching museum collections within conflict and crisis, particularly in Northern Ireland where my family hail from.
Olwen Purdue, PhD in History, Senior Lecturer in Irish History and Director of the Centre for Public History, QUB Professional translator and researcher. Author of Huir del Laberinto, a look at the Northern Irish conflict through its depiction on some contemporary fiction.
Jude Whyte, is a lecturer in Health, Social Care, Psychology and Sociology at the Belfast Metropolitan College. Jude’s mother, Peggy Whyte, was killed by a UVF bomb in 1984. A former member of the Victims and Survivors Commission, he has been involved in housing and homelessness for several years.
Eileen Weir, is an awarded community development practitioner with over 30 years experience in building Good Relations. Eileen is currently employed by Shankill Women’s Centre as the Greater North Belfast Women’s Network Co-Ordinator and is working towards creating a West Belfast Women’s Network.
Patrick Speight, PhD in Irish Studies, Institute of Irish Studies and former producer and presenter, BBC Northern Ireland; curator, A State Apart, a digital archive of the Troubles.
Debbie Lisle, Debbie Lisle, Professor in Relations and International Political Sociology.
Jenny Stewart, communications consultant working across culture, heritage and design. Experience in the museum sector includes roles at the Design Museum, London and Royal Museums Greenwich.
Magda Gasso, General Director of Museums, Catalan Government.
Esther Aliaga Rodrigo, PhD in English Co-author of a dictionary of Irish culture in Spanish (Diccionario cultural e histórico de Irlanda) and a book of interviews with Irish writers and academics (Ireland in Writing).
Damien Okado-Gough, Peace and Conflict Studies graduate from the University of Ulster, and is currently pursuing a PhD in peacebuilding at Doshisha University in Kyoto Japan. He grew up in West Belfast during the 70s and 80s.
Gareth Mulvenna – PhD in Social History, researcher and author. Troubles historian with a special focus on loyalism. Author of ‘Tartan Gangs and Paramilitaries: The Loyalist Backlash’ (Liverpool University Press, 2016) and co-author of the autobiography of Cllr Billy Hutchinson, ‘My Life in Loyalism’ (Merrion Press, 2020)
Irene Boada Montagut, DPhil: former Northern Ireland correspondent for Spanish media and presenter on radio and television; honorary fellow, Institute of Irish Studies, Queen’s University Belfast; founder of the cross-community group, Children of the Troubles and Holylands Regeneration Group. Award in Leadership and Management (NICVA) with a Peace IV funded project: Designing a video game on the Troubles with St Peter’s and Townsend Youth Clubs.
David McCaughern, currently studying Leisure and Events Management at Ulster University. Assisting with MoTaP’s development of their website and social media presence.
The Museum of the Troubles and the Peace Process is a registered Company Limited by Guarantee, NI 651235; registered with the Charity Commission NIC107970