Hidden Agenda

" This orchestra started because of peace in Northern Ireland , it wouldn't have ever existed otherwise. "

A Generation ago, Sharon Treacy-Dunne was so inspired by the emerging peace process that she set herself a mission.

Her aim was to bring Young People from Catholic and Protestant backgrounds together, using The Power of music.

The result was the Cross-Border Orchestra of Ireland, which has helped thousands of musicians, singers and dancers from both communities showcase their different cultures on a shared stage.

In recent years, its young members have staged sell-out shows in arenas across the UK and Ireland.

They have toured US cities and performed for heads of state including President Barack Obama ; his then vice-president Joe Biden and the late Queen Elizabeth Ii .

This Week The Orchestra returns to New York to play in one of the Music Industry 's most prestigious Venues - Carnegie Hall .

" We're using this occasion to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, which is the whole reason for our being, " its founder told Bbc News NI.

" What better place to do it than on The Most iconic stage in The World ? "

Ms Treacy-Dunne grew up in The Republic of Ireland during The Troubles , in a County Louth village close to The Border with Northern Ireland .

In 1994, she was teaching in St Louis Secondary School in Dundalk when republican and loyalist paramilitaries announced ceasefires after More Than a quarter of a century of violence.

" I was an educator. I was working with Young People and it's an influential position to be in, and I just thought I had a responsibility to play my part in peace-building, " she recalls.

At Her school, she found a stash of instruments that had fallen into disrepair and got them fixed to see if they could be used to forge links with schools across The Border .

Her first collaboration in 1995 involved just two schools - Her own and the Abbey Christian Brothers ' Grammar in Newry, County Down .

" Following the success of that and being able to see The Great potential in cross-border projects, I started trying to contact Protestant schools in Northern Ireland , " she explains.

But in a deeply-divided society, The Project got off to a shaky start.

" The support from the management in the schools was fantastic, but there was massive opposition among parents, particularly the parents in Northern Ireland . They just did not Want It happen, " she recalls.

" It used to upset me so much. I used to go to Belfast for meetings to try and convince people that there was no Hidden Agenda , that This Was so genuinely about bringing people together.

" I'd often come away just crying my eyes out, thinking there was no hope, it would never work. "

The Teacher recalls attending one meeting where parents " were accusing me, very clearly, of trying to destroy Protestant culture and trying to brainwash their children".

" Obviously that was devastating, " she says.

" When I got over the trauma of being accused of something like that, I thought: 'Well, that's their perception and we have to change it. '"

In response, Her orchestra started commissioning music that celebrated both cultures equally.

" We talked to pipe bands and the Ulster Scots Association and anybody we could to see what music was important to them, what music would they like to hear us playing, " Ms Treacy-Dunne explains.

The result was a repertoire which fuses instruments from Ulster Scots culture, including bagpipes and Lambeg drums, with Irish traditional instruments such as the Uilleann Pipes , the harp, the fiddle and bodhrán (drum).

" It did have a huge impact and it did mean all those suspicions and fears just flowed away, " Ms Treacy-Dunne says.

" The Perception of us from then was that we very clearly and genuinely did want to celebrate both cultures; did want to gently try and remove all these barriers that were there and we really wanted to create a shared future for the Young People , for the Next Generation . "

The Orchestra 's shows also began to incorporate performances by both Scottish Highland dancers and Irish dancers, sticking to their own styles but sharing a stage.

The Peace initiative brought The Orchestra to a world stage, with performances at the White House, Chicago Symphony Hall and London's Royal Albert Hall .

But membership requires " extraordinary commitment".

On weekends when they are not performing, its musicians travel from all parts of The Island for rehearsals in County Louth.

" There's a gang that come from Limerick, they're up at five o'clock in The Morning . They get the bus So Far , The Train the rest of The Journey , " Ms Treacy-Dunne says.

After a four-hour rehearsal, they begin the 172 mile (277 km) Journey Home .

" But they love it, " their teacher insists, adding some cross-border connections produced lifelong friendships and new experiences.

" They all just get on extremely well, there's no barrier in their minds, " she says.

" I know that sometimes they would head up to the Twelfth of July parades, purely just to be there as a cultural thing and to support their friends in Northern Ireland . "

The Orchestra 's maximum membership is 140, so its founder was soon looking for ways to involve more Young People in " spreading The Message of peace".

In 2002 they got school choirs involved, initially inviting 200 pupils from Dundalk to sing with The Orchestra .

These performances gradually grew into The Peace Proms - an annual tour which has sold out several arenas across the UK and Ireland.

The Peace Proms currently involves 35,000 children from schools all over The Island , from diverse backgrounds and abilities.

The choirs sing and dance along to plethora of pop, rock and dance anthems, from Coldplay to The Prodigy , and from Madonna to Harry Styles .

" The Brilliant thing About That is in Northern Ireland we have about 6,000 kids who participate, and we have a 50:50 representation for both communities, " Ms Treacy-Dunne says.

" That's one of our greatest successes. "

Source of news: bbc.com