‘If You Can, You Should’: Dutch Community Holidays During the Troubles

Dutch society was taken aback by the onset of an apparently religious war in Northern Ireland at the end of the 1960s. It responded by initiating community holidays which they targeted at those children who were identified as being most affected by the Troubles. These community holidays aimed to ameliorate ‘otherisation’ by exposing Catholic and Protestant children to each other in a neutral, peaceful setting. This study examines the context and operation of these community holidays with a specific focus on three community holidays in the Dutch province of Zeeland between 1973 and 1975, the first of which was organised by Stichting Hulp Noord-Ierland (Foundation Help Northern Ireland, HUNI). The success of this initiative in achieving its aim of reducing prejudice and thereby future violence is assessed through a review of contemporary media material, organisational archives and interviews with witnesses from both the Netherlands and Northern Ireland. The success of the Dutch community holidays in achieving their aim of reducing prejudice and thereby promoting peace is assessed through a review of organisational archives and contemporary media material, alongside interviews with witnesses from both the Netherlands and Northern Ireland.