A simple ceremony is taking place today in Tralee, Co Kerry, to mark a special form of co-operation between young people from both traditions on this island, North and South.
For 40 weeks they have been working together on building a replica of the Jeanie Johnston - an emigrant tall ship which brought people in droves to North America without ever losing a life en route to sickness or the sea.
That claim could not be made about many of the coffin ships. Just outside Tralee in the old port of Blennerville, from where the original Jeanie Johnston sailed during the stark Famine years, the project is nearing completion.
Those who are still working on the replica, which will sail for Canada and the United States in the new year, hail from Belfast, Derry, Dublin and Kerry. Some of the funding for the project has come from the Wider Horizon Programme of the International Fund for Ireland.
Today Ms Layla Steele, who is on the board of the fund, will present London Institute City and Guilds certificates to the young people who have worked on the project under the guidance of recognised shipwrights. The shipbuilding tradition has all but died out. However, many who served their time and learned the skills were available and willing to pass on their knowledge.