If there had been no intervention they probably would have remained as faceless enemies their entire lives.    One came from the Falls, the other from the Shankill.  Both had lost brothers in the Troubles.  Both had witnessed so much harsh history.  But Sean and Rab forged a unique affinity, which has taken them into the heart of each other’s communities.

This friendship was made possible after the two men met at a play written by a local playwright about the Troubles. After this, ground-breaking links were forged between the two men’s groups they were part of.

This journey saw men from the Shankill, many who had been combatants in the Troubles, be guided around Milltown Cemetery by a leading republican.

The journey also saw men from the Falls enter the Shankill and hear the stories of that community.

Noel Hunter, who is part of the leadership of the Take2 Project on Conway Street, says it’s been an amazing journey: “These men went places they simply never thought they could go. To get guys from a ghetto in the Shankill walking around a republican musuem in the Falls was something else.

“They were nervous, but they didn’t come to it cold.  There was much build-up that we did - social contact between the groups and participation in a short conflict resolution course hosted by the Corrymeela community.”

The Take2 initiative, which includes men from a Polish and Islamic background, as well as nationalists and loyalists, is committed to deep-rooted cross-community work.  Through residential trips, dialogue and education programmes, many men have been offered a fresh start in life.

And to those who say that Northern Ireland can never change - what would Noel say?

“The last few weeks on our TV screens we’ve seen teenagers hurl missiles at police.  Some of the guys we work with were involved in worse stuff.  Some of them have histories with a capital ‘H’.

“But they’ve moved away from that strife - they’ve chosen to put that behind them - they now look at the world through different eyes.”