Made in her very early days of working with fabric, this stunning and colourful wall hanging was inspired, in Irene's words, by: "the conflicts throughout the world which have been recurring." Here, we see the traditional image of the peace dove upended.
Mirroring the obstacles to be overcome in campaigning for a peaceful non-violent world, the dove is shown hurtling towards rocks as it flies over turbulent waters, with part of the olive branch missing from its beak. The bright patchwork used in this piece infers a sense of hope. Perhaps the dove will regain the fallen branch and fly above the rocks?
Irene's unorthodox depiction of the peace dove is very apt imagery for the conflict in Northern Ireland in 1987. In that year, the conflict claimed the lives of members of the security forces, paramilitary groups and civilians, with 11 civilians killed during the annual Remembrance Day ceremony in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, when a bomb planted by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded at the War Memorial. With entrenched views in evidence among the main political parties, a peaceful solution seemed remote at this time.
This wall hanging 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”. | 
