Chris Hudson

Rev. Chris Hudson of All Souls Unitarian Church, Belfast, reflects on his direct involvement in the Northern Ireland peace process and distinguishes three stages of peacemaking: public campaigning against violence, conflict resolution with the people actually carrying it out, and the long work of sustaining peace after an agreement. Hudson describes moving from Peace Train protests to confidential dialogue with Loyalist paramilitaries in the early 1990s, carrying messages between the UVF, the Irish government and British representatives, and helping create conditions in which the 1994 Loyalist ceasefire and later Good Friday Agreement became possible.

He argues that protagonists who know how to conduct a conflict may not know how to end it, and that effective peacebuilding sometimes requires engaging people one profoundly opposes rather than merely denouncing them. Hudson also discusses post-conflict transformation: persistent sectarian and social divisions, the continued existence of paramilitary organisations, restorative-justice initiatives such as Resolve, integrated education, community work against racism, and efforts to move former armed groups toward civilian roles. The discussion considers Brexit, inequality, women’s contributions, political leadership and the continuing need for grassroots investment after formal peace agreements.