Northern Ireland finds itself in a political hiatus with little sign of the suspension of the devolved government being lifted in the near future. Violence has been 'diminished but neither halted or prevented' (Tomasevski, 2003, p7). The education system, mainly segregated along denominational lines (Smith, 2001), is undergoing a process of reform that is creating significant debate about future structure, particularly with relation to academic selection (DENI, 2002; Gallagher, 2002). Citizenship education is posed to become a statutory part of the curriculum for all children as part of major curriculum review (CCEA a and b). Therefore this is an opportune time to reflect on the broader purposes of education in Northern Ireland and in particular consider the role of integrated (mixed Catholic, Protestant and others) education.Education has been described as having diverse functions amongst which are individual development, for the benefit of society and the acquisition of knowledge (Carr and Hartnett, 1996; Bartlett, Burton and Peim, 2001). This paper argues that a vital purpose of education in Northern Ireland should be peace building and the promotion of social cohesion. It critically considers the educational response to conflict to date, including the statutory cross- curricular theme of education for mutual understanding and the exhortation of the Department of Education to all teachers to promote a 'culture of tolerance' (DENI, 1999). In particular this paper looks at the potential benefits of integrated education in a divided but increasingly multicultural society. Although the Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order (1989) stated governmental support for integrated education, the delivery of this promise has been questioned by commentators (Morgan and Fraser, 1999; O'Connor, 2002). Integrated schools are heavily oversubscribed and the current reality is that they are only established by groups of parents building a new school or taking steps to encourage an existing school to transform to integrated status (Internet Source 1). As part of the first ever study of the long term impact of integrated education on past pupils, former and current Principals of the two longest established post-primary integrated colleges were interviewed and questioned about the policies and pedagogy employed by their schools. The provisional data is organised into three areas - how integrated schools promote respect for diversity, how they deal with cultural symbols and the role they may play in affirming or developing aspects of identity. The potential of integrated education to promote tolerance and understanding and hence reduce the catalyst for conflict is discussed. The notion of parental choice regarding denominational education is much heralded in Northern Ireland but this paper proposes that perhaps the need of society for reconciliation should have precedence (Tomasevski, 2003). The conference and its participants will provide a platform for discussion of these topics that will be used to inform the progress of the investigation. ReferencesBARTLETT, S., BURTON, D. and PEIM, N. (2001) Introduction to Education Studies. London; Paul Chapman Publishing.CARR, W. and HARTNETT, A. (1996) Education and the Struggle for Democracy. Buckingham; Open University Press.CCEA (2002) a 'Detailed Proposals for the Revised Primary Curriculum and Its Assessment Arrangements.' Belfast; CCEA.CCEA (2002) b ' A New Approach to Curriculum and Assessment 11-16.' Belfast; CCEA.DENI (2002) 'Education for the 21st Century.' Report by the Post-Primary Review Body. Bangor; Department of Education for Northern Ireland.DENI (1999) 'Towards a Culture of Tolerance: Education for Diversity.' Belfast; DENI.GALLAGHER, A.M. (2002) 'Results of the Consultation on the Burn's Report.' Seminar to the Graduate School of Education, December 6th, 2002.MORGAN, V. and FRASER, G. (1999) 'When Does Good News Become Bad News? Relationships Between Government and the Integrated Schools in Northern Ireland.' British Journal of Educational Studies. Vol. 47, No. 4., p364-379.Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order (1989) S.I. 1989, NO. 2406 (NI20), Belfast; HMSO.INTERNET SOURCE 1 http://www.nicie.org.ukO'CONNOR, F. (2002) A Shared Childhood: The story of the Integrated Schools in Northern Ireland. Belfast; Blackstaff Press.SMITH, A. (2001) 'Religious Segregation and the Emergence of Integrated Schools in Northern Ireland.' Oxford Review of Education Vol.27, No4, p559-575.TOMASEVSKI, K. (2003) 'A Report on the Mission to Northern Ireland 24th November to 1st December 2002 by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education.' Geneva; United Nations.