Bandon in Co Cork is an example of a county town in the Republic where the religious divide in the past has been one of its more notable features. In fact, according to Mr Eddie Goggin, chairman of the Bandon Churches' Floodlighting Project, "few towns in the country have experienced such a bitter and divided past in relation to religious and cultural diversity as has Bandon".
Now the town's three main religious groups - Church of Ireland, Catholic and Methodist - have come together to floodlight their three impressive churches: St Peter's (C of I), St Patrick's (Roman Catholic) and the Methodist church.
It is a signal to the whole island, and particularly Northern Ireland, says Mr Goggin, that the "enlightened and cross community project" reflects a modern, tolerant and united town.
The £50,000 project has received a grant of £15,000 from the Reconciliation Fund which is administered by the Anglo-Irish division of the Department of Foreign Affairs. St Peter's was built in 1849, St Patrick's in 1861 and the Methodist church in 1822. Each adds to the character and charm of the town, and when the lights go on simultaneously in late autumn or early winter, Bandon will have made an important statement about practical ecumenism.