As the politicians struggle to create real cross-Border co-operation, a youth orchestra drawn from two second-level schools are showing everyone how its done.

Established back in 1995, the Cross Border Orchestra is the brainchild of Sharon Treacy-Dunne, who teaches in St Louis Secondary School, Dundalk, Co Louth, and Sinead McDonnell, who teaches in the Abbey Christian Brothers in Newry, Co Down. Both are past pupils of St Louis and long-time friends, having taken violin lessons together at the age of 11.

In their four years in existence the 140-strong orchestra, made up of Protestant and Catholic boys and girls, have surprised everyone, including themselves, with a slew of awards and accolades. In 1996 they were awarded a special prize for outstanding musical performance at Portadown Music Festival which resulted in an invitation to represent Northern Ireland at the 75th Anniversary of the British Federation of Music Festivals in Warwick. They have been awarded first prize in the Dublin Feis Ceoil for the past three years.

While most teenagers were still fighting over selection boxes, in between cold turkey sandwiches, these troubadours were in intense rehearsals two days after Christmas for their latest gig, a trip to the current European capital of culture, Helsinki in Finland, to take part in a gala millennium concert, which happened last weekend.

The concert was the culmination of a four-year programme, a Socrates project which brings together Irish schools with other EU schools - in this case in the Czech Republic and Finland - in a spirit of co-operation designed to promote cultural and educational links across the community. The orchestra has already played host to their Czech and Finnish counterparts as well as travelling to Liberec in the Czech Republic.

A central aim of the Socrates programme is to promote an understanding of how music reflects cultural identity, which teacher Sharon Treacy-Dunne describes as "an appreciation of where we are coming from, the differences as well as the similarities as permeated through folk music".

Communication difficulties aside, bringing together a group of 400 Irish, Czech and Finnish teenagers is inevitably going to result in firm friendships and even romances. According to Sharon Treacy-Dunne, the Finnish boys are a big hit with the girls at St Louis.

While in Helsinki, the orchestra performed the Irish Suite, a medley of traditional Irish folk as well as traditional pieces of Finnish and Czech origin. The trip also provided them the opportunity of recording their third CD.

The 'flu epidemic sweeping the country prior to their departure was a big worry for assistant organiser, Anne O'Hare, who along with another teacher Gerry Berills, came out of retirement to help out with the logistics: accommodating different school timetables, travelling on coaches from school to school for rehearsals and packing a full range of instruments for transportation.

Both give their services voluntarily, and according to Dunne are "a godsend" - as is the new grant from the Co-operation Ireland fund. "You wouldn't believe the hidden expenses involved. Every time we need to rehearse, it costs £100 for a bus, not to mention the costs of international travel.

Without the grant from the Co-operation Ireland fund, we wouldn't be able to do half of what we can now, thankfully, do." The orchestra caters for all ages from first to sixth year and, as Dunne explains: "The students are allocated instruments and take lessons on an individual and group basis. Older and more qualified musicians like Julianne Manning, Aoife Kavanagh and leader Zoe Conway carry the younger and less experienced kids. Both Kavanagh and Manning are regular Feis Ceoil winners, while Zoe Conway has played with Riverdance in Broadway for the last few summers.

"All of them see music as fun and with the balance of work and fun there comes a great sense of excitement when travelling to events and competitions. That they fit it all in with day-to-day learning and exams, is testimony to just how much the orchestra means to them."

After Helsinki, the orchestra will not be resting on its laurels; heads will be down for rehearsals for the Excellence in Education concerts being held north and south in March.

This event, which is costing £250,000 to organise, will be attended by leading politicians including British Prime Minister Tony Blair.