BELFAST City Hall will open its doors to the public this month as a dedicated space to reflect on the Troubles period.
The fourth annual Day of Reflection will take place on Saturday, June 21.
Local councillors previously agreed that the initiative would be held annually, providing an “opportunity for people and communities across the city to acknowledge the deep hurt and pain caused by the conflict in and about Northern Ireland”.
During the day visitors can call in from 2pm to 4pm, to engage in quiet reflection, listen to a selection of poetry and prose readings and speak to representatives from a range of support organisations.
Belfast City Hall will host the Day of Reflection this monthThere will be a screening of a short film by local organisation Healing Through Remembering at 2pm.
Those who visit can also share their hopes for the future by adding a leaf, with a personal message, to a ‘Thought Tree’, throughout the afternoon.
“As a council, we will once again participate in this year’s Day of Reflection and offer a space in City Hall for this to take place,” party group leaders on Belfast City Council said in a joint statement.
The venue will be lit yellow for the evening“We acknowledge that many people throughout the city suffered deeply as a result of the conflict.
“As civic leaders, we hope that by hosting this annual event and providing a quiet, safe space, it will give people an opportunity to reflect and remember in a way which is personal to them.”
City Hall will be lit in yellow that evening, as a mark of respect to the lives lost to the conflict in Northern Ireland, it was confirmed this week.