11/09/2026
I was delighted to represent Muckno Mania and join a group of over 20 local community activists and peers on a unique trip to the World War I battlefields in Belgium and France.
Organised jointly by Castleblayney Community Enterprise, Castleblayney Church of Ireland, and The Blayney Cultural Network Group as part of the PEACEPLUS Changemaker Funding Programme, the trip focused on highlighting the futility of war and promoting sustainable reconciliation, while fostering integration and awareness of minority cultures within our own community.
Over four days, we visited major memorial sites and graveyards, learning about the diverse backgrounds of those who fought and remembering the local men from our area who never returned home. It was truly an amazing, deeply poignant experience.