Dormont Man Works To Improve Catholic-Protestant Relations In Northern Ireland

The Troubles in Ireland may not get the headlines in the U.S. that they once did, but challenges facing Catholics and Protestants remain and a Dormont man is doing his share to improve relations.

James Lamb has been president of the Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh for the past five years.

Its mission is to improve relationships between — and provide opportunities to — the young people of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

“It has come a long way in the right direction, but the parts of Northern Ireland that remain divided and the parts that are still, I would say, at war, that’s going to take some time,” said Lamb, 50.

“There is peace in Northern Ireland, but reconciliation is just starting,” he said.

Earlier this year, Lamb was appointed honorary consul of Ireland to Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania by the Irish government, which he described as being like an unpaid ambassador or facilitator of Irish culture and relationships between Pittsburgh and Ireland.

The institute was founded in 1989 in response to the Troubles and their impact on society and government.

“We started reaching out to groups that were working to bridge the divide,” he said.

Over the years, the institute has brought Catholic and Protestant kids to the U.S. for internships.

The idea, Lamb explained, is that if they could meet and work alongside each other in a foreign country, they would return home with a better understanding of each other.

“We try to offer them an opportunity to get out, to see the bigger world, to improve their situation,” he said.

Over the years, some 1,700 young people from Ireland and Northern Ireland have come through the program, he said.

But it was not always smooth sailing, especially early on, he said. Kids would come to the U.S. and get along fine, but fall back into factions back home.

“While the model was great and noble, it wasn’t really fixing the problem,” he said.

So the institute began working with U.S. companies to seek economic opportunities in Ireland and Northern Ireland and vice-versa.

For instance, the institute was able to work with Heinz to develop an internship program locally that would enable the person to step into a position with Heinz in Ireland.

Lamb, whose brother is Pittsburgh Controller Michael Lamb, has been active in Irish culture in the Pittsburgh region since he was a young adult.

He plays guitar in the traditional Irish band Guaranteed Irish, which is playing at Mullany’s Harp and Fiddle tonight and he's been active in the Pittsburgh Gaelic Athletic Association.

“When you start looking at the size of countries here, Ireland punches way above its weight. We’re lucky with St. Patrick’s Day, we really get to own the month.”

The institute is looking for host families, volunteers, in-kind services and internship opportunities. The institute can be contacted at 412-394-3900.