In this quilt, Irene MacWilliam expresses her deep concern for the loss of lives during The Troubles which impacted on every county and community in her native Northern Ireland.
As the work began to take shape, people sent pieces of red fabric to Irene for inclusion. The contributions came from Northern Ireland, Japan, the USA and England. Each piece of red fabric represents one of the more than 3000 people who died as a result of the conflict between 1969 and 1994. The white birds in some of the pieces represented to Irene the dove of peace; the teddy bear in another fabric reminds us of the many children who suffered from the loss of loved ones.
In 2007, out of a collective process in preparation for “The Art of Survival: International and Irish Quilts” exhibition it became “Common Loss: 3000+ dead between 1969 and 1994”. From November 2017 it will be catalogued and featured as “Peace Quilt – Common Loss”.
Whilst the legacy of this 30 year conflict still remains for individuals and society as a whole, grass roots community and cross community projects across Northern Ireland are working to address the legacy of the conflict and build a peaceful society for the present and future generations.
This quilt is also documented in Accounts of the Conflict a digital archive of personal accounts of the conflict in and about Northern Ireland, located at the International Conflict Research Institute (INCORE), Ulster University. A total of 10 textiles from the Conflict Textiles collection are included in “Accounts of the Conflict”. | 
