On Sunday 4th June 2006 the 2nd Global Day of Prayer in Belfast took place. I don’t intend to describe the full day’’s event, but seek to tell you about it from my perspective. I took part with the local Psalm Drummers group as we played the piece called ”Reconcile”.

The piece starts with a battle between a Lambeg drum and a Bodhran. For those of you who don’t understand the significance of this I shall briefly explain here - the Lambeg drum has come to be identified with the struggles of the Loyalist tradition in Northern Ireland, whilst the Bodhran has become identified with the Republican / Nationalist tradition. (That’s an over-simplification but there really isn’t time to expand it here). Each drum played a short rhythm and images associated with the tradition associated with it were displayed on screen. This took the form of a duel - who could be the loudest and proudest? Then for a few seconds the 2 drums played in unison, giving a glimmer of hope that played together they are stronger.

A poem was read out, after which I blew the Shofar, signifying a calling on God to come and bring about reconciliation in our land and as a breakthrough cry. The drums picked up a steady pulse, resounding a simple ”dum-dum” heartbeat in unison, signifying God’’s heartbeat for Ireland. This built up with a couple of other drummers sounding out a prayer “Our Father, who is in heaven. Hallowed be Your Name”. Then the Lambeg and Bodhran and all the drums played together in unity.

There was a real sense of breakthrough as we played. 2 drums that have been in many ways symbolic of sectarian division now stood together with a different heartbeat as a prophetic statement that God is able to do all things in bringing together that which in the natural seems impossible to reconcile.