Healing Through Remembering is an independent initiative made up of a diverse membership with different political perspectives working on a common goal of how to deal with the legacy of the past as it relates to the conflict in and about Northern Ireland.

The Healing Through Remembering logo featuring an illustration of a whin, gorse or furze (depending on your location) has raised many a question given the bright yellow plant’s contemporary reputation as little better than a troublesome weed.

However, after the bleakness of winter, this commonly occurring plant clothes the hillsides with a welcome blanket of headily scented yellow flowers. It is one of the first flowering plants of the Spring, with most bushes in full bloom by April. Apart from its welcome yellow flowers in early Spring the plant has also served these islands well in past years.

A full history of the plant and its versatile role can be found in a little 1960’s book, ‘Furze’, compiled by Dr AT Lucas and published for National Museum of Ireland by The Stationery Office, Dublin, (1960).