WILMINGTON — A reception originally scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. was delayed by three hours, but no one seemed to care. After all, this group had waited three years to get to this moment.
So even though the clock was near 9 p.m. when the visitors from Portadown, Northern Ireland, exited a coach bus in front of St. Anthony of Padua Church in Wilmington on June 28, the enthusiasm had not waned among the Americans who waited for their guests. After a three-year hiatus because of the COVID pandemic, Ulster Project Delaware was back.
“I’ve been waiting three long years to say these words: Welcome to the public reception for Ulster Project Delaware,” UPD executive director Amanda Finn said to the group in the cafeteria at St. Anthony’s School. This year’s contingent includes 18 teenagers from Portadown and 15 American hosts. Families and other supporters of Ulster Project were also on hand.
Finn said board members knew this day would come, and she thanked them for persisting through the pandemic.
Ulster Project Delaware, the longest continuous such program in the United States, began bringing teens from Portadown, Coleraine and Banbridge to the First State in 1976 at a time when Northern Ireland suffered from violence between Catholics and Protestants. Organizers saw it as a way for teens from different backgrounds, who would not be able to mingle freely in their homeland, could get to know and understand each other. The violence ended in the late 1990s, but Ulster Project continues.
“The sanctuary of space and time has changed and developed over the decades,” reads Ulster Project Delaware’s website. “However, what has remained consistent is a month grounded in friendship, the exploration of peace and tolerance, leadership development, and discovery of self and community responsibility for the young people involved.”
Finn called UPD the “living legacy” of the late Charles and Josephine Robinson.
“It’s a testament to their unshakable belief that if we want peace, we must begin with the young people. It’s based on the magic that happens when we go from being strangers who view one another across the divide to becoming a circle of friends that includes everyone,” Finn said.
The American teenagers held signs and balloons as they waited for their guests to finally arrive. John Sweeney, a rising junior at the Charter School of Wilmington and a member of St. Ann’s Parish, said his family has a long history with the Ulster Project, and he was happy it returned this year.
“I’m really excited. It’s been three years, and I was nervous that I wasn’t going to be able to do this. It’s great that I get to be a part of this and learn from this experience,” he said.
The best part, he continued, will be developing meaningful relationships with the visitors. “They’re peers your age, but they’re from overseas, so you get a different perspective on a different culture, different religion. It’s just a great place to learn leadership skills and make lifelong friendships.”
Rising sophomore Annie Schofield of Ursuline Academy is hosting two girls for the next month. She said her family has experience with Ulster Project, and she’s looking forward to the experience.
“I’ve just been texting them every day, trying to learn more about them,” she said.
Brooks O’Hanlon, who will be a sophomore at Salesianum School this fall, said his father hosted when he was a teen, and he served on the UPD board for a while.
“He said he learned some life lessons, and he went over to visit a couple of times,” O’Hanlon said.
In a month full of activities, O’Hanlon said he is looking forward to the progressive dinner night. Groups visit one set of homes for appetizers, another for the entrée, and a third for dessert. O’Hanlon said his house is a dinner stop, and he thinks the menu is set.
“I think I’m doing a taco bar. If it’s on a Tuesday, I guess I have to,” he said.
The Northern Irish teens had little time to rest after arriving. Their first full day included a gathering at Elks Swim Club. On June 30, they are scheduled to attend a Philadelphia Phillies game, complete with a tour of Citizens Bank Park. They’ll also have trips to New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., discovery days and other events.
Eve Furphy, a 16-year-old from Portadown, said she became interested in Ulster Project because some of her friends had done it in the past.
“I’d seen what a good experience they had, and I thought, ‘I’d love to do that,’” she said. “Ever since I got involved with it, I’ve learned so much about it, and I’m excited to do it.”
She is looking forward to going to New York and to “just to explore everything that is different from how we live in Ireland.”
She will be staying at the home of Ella Holmes, a student at Ursuline Academy, as will Saffron Baxter, 15, who said her sister couldn’t do the Ulster Project because of the COVID cancellation.
“I wanted to give it a shot. I’d never been to America, so I wanted to experience it,” she said. “I’m so excited to meet everyone and know everybody’s name and get talking. I want to be more understanding and open-minded to other cultures.”
The public schedule for Ulster Project is as follows:
• A Protestant religious service on July 2 at 10 a.m. at Limestone Presbyterian Church, 3201 Limestone Road, Wilmington;
• A discussion of life in Northern Ireland today with the Northern Irish leaders on July 5 from 7-9 p.m. at Catherine Rooney’s, 1616 Delaware Ave., Wilmington;
• Catholic Mass at St. Anthony’s, Ninth and Dupont streets, on July 9 at 5 p.m.;
• The 21st annual Catherine Rooney’s 5K Run/Walk for UPD on July 13 behind the Trolley Square shopping center. Signups are available at runsignup.com;
• A car wash fundraiser from 9 a.m.-noon on July 15 at Aldersgate United Methodist Church, 2313 Concord Pike, Wilmington;
• A July 21 talent show at Salesianum School, 1801 N. Broom St., Wilmington, at 7 p.m.
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