'Our homes are two minutes from each other but a peace wall makes it 20 minutes'

If there was not a peace wall between Lily Brannon and Michelle Bradley's homes the friends would be a mere two minute walk away from each other.

But a huge brick wall on the Springfield/Springmartin Road in Belfast effectively stops them being neighbours and makes that a 20 to 30 minute walk.

So-called peace lines separate some nationalist Catholic and unionist Protestant areas of the city.

Lily, 73, is a Protestant and Michelle, 46, is a Catholic, and the two have had to overcome a psychological as well as a physical barrier to form their friendship.

They were brought together by a cross-community scheme in west Belfast.

The project takes place at the Black Mountain Shared Space building and is funded by the International Fund for Ireland's peace barriers programme.

Michelle says that when they first met there was some "reservedness".

Lily called it "suspicion".

It did not last long. They have formed a close bond and have become good friends.

"She's just a great wee girl," says Lily, and briefly holds Michelle's hand.

"If we need anything done, Michelle will sort it out for us."

Lily was born before the start of the Troubles, the 30 years of violence which ended with the 1998 peace agreement, while Michelle was born as violence raged in the 1980s.

Looking back, she said: "There was a bit of fear in me, but it was more the fear of the unknown - not a hatred.

"We were never taught to hate anybody, but there was a real fear.

"I think the fear was you thought they hated you before you met them."

The International Fund for Ireland (IFI), which funds the cross-community work, is currently celebrating its 40th anniversary.

The fund was established as an independent organisation by the British and Irish Governments in 1986 to build peace in Northern Ireland and the border counties. Around £780m has been raised including financial contributions from America, the European Union, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

As part of its peace barriers programme, Catholics and Protestants from the peace line in the Springfield Road area come together to talk and do activities.

Michelle remembers meeting Lily for the first time.

She said: "There was so much more that joined us together than divided us, because a lot of our programmes at the start would have been art-based and very relaxed.

"That's something me and Lily are both into. We're very creative people, so it kind of bonded us a bit.

"But there's been a lot of tense times through some of the critical engagement talks, where we have had opposing views.

"We've had to just learn how to listen to each other, understand each other and still walk away with our own identity - but with a better understanding of where somebody else is coming from."