The Government today announced funding of €850,000 for cross-community and cross-Border projects helping to defeat sectarianism.
Some 48 separate grants were awarded under the long-running Reconciliation Fund and the Anti-Sectarianism Fund.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin said the funding is aimed at promoting lasting peace and reconciliation on the island.
“The progress achieved on the political front needs to be consolidated by tackling the pressing challenge presented by sectarianism and division,” he said.
He added: “When we reflect on what we have been through, the achievements in building peace on the island can be clearly seen.”
Co-operation Ireland was one of the organisations to receive funding.
The Reconciliation Fund was established by the Department of Foreign Affairs in 1982 and supports organisations involved in reconciliation work in order to help create a better understanding between people on the island and between Ireland and Britain.
The Anti-Sectarianism Fund, launched in February 2008, assists projects in interface areas and is designed specifically to address the root causes of sectarianism and to diffuse tensions.