Terrorist Patrick Magee is to return to Brighton for the first time since he bombed The Grand hotel - to talk to a woman who lost her father in the explosion.

The convicted IRA killer will take part in a discussion with Jo Berry, whose father, MP for Enfield Southgate Sir Anthony Berry, died as a result of the Brighton Bomb at the 1984 Tory Party Conference.

The pair are in regular contact following a process of reconciliation but will talk in public for the first time at the event on October 12.

Magee will be interviewed in front of a small audience at a secret location in Brighton by journalist and broadcaster Simon Fanshawe.

The Irish Republican will be quizzed about the effect of the events of September 14 1984, when he checked into The Grand under the name Roy Walsh and planted the deadly device under a bath in room 629.

Five people were killed and 34 injured when the explosives were detonated at 2.54am six weeks later.

Magee was given multiple life sentences for his crime but was released from prison under the Good Friday Agreement in 1999.

During an interview with The Argus on last months anniversary of the day the explosives were planted, Magee said he regretted the loss of life but if he could turn the clock back two decades, he would still activate the timer which triggered the deadly bomb.

Magee's visit from Belfast has been organised as part of the Jewish Film Festival by the Forgiveness Project, an organisation which works for conflict resolution, reconciliation and victim support.

The Forgiveness Project is an organisation working to promote conflict resolution, reconciliation and victim support.

Through a series of exhibitions and discussions, organisers help to tell stories of reconciliation about people who have discovered that the only way to move on in life is to lay aside hatred and blame.

In interview with project organisers, Magee said: "Some day I may be able to forgive myself.

"Although I still stand by my actions, I will always carry the burden that I harmed other human beings.

"I'm not seeking forgiveness. If Jo could understand why someone like me could get involved in the armed struggle, then something has been achieved."

Mr Fanshawe will also interview Ms Berry, who has visited Ireland many times since her father's death to work with people on all sides of the conflict.

She first met Magee in 1999 in an attempt to understand his motives behind the bombing. Four years later, she and her father's killer set up Causeway, which aims to help people address unresolved pain caused by the Troubles.

She said she once received a death threat from someone who said her actions had betrayed both her father and her country.

She said: "I've realised that no matter which side of the conflict you're on, had we all lived each other's lives, we could all have done what the other did.

"Had I come from a Republican background, I could easily have made the same choices Pat made."

One of the project's aims is to arrange meetings between victims and the people who have committed crimes against them.

Its web site includes harrowing stories from around the world - a woman repeatedly raped while held hostage in Chechnya, a mother who flew to Cape Town in South Africa to meet her daughter's killers, and Marian Partington, whose younger sister Lucy was one of the victims of Fred and Rosemary West.

Not all those who tell their stories are able to forgive, such as a family of Chernobyl victims left riddled with cancer and asthma, and a woman sexually abused by her brother.

But the organisation hopes to help people by letting them talk about their feelings.

Mr Fanshawe said: "I hope this dialogue between Jo Berry and Patrick Magee will show there is another way to the future.

"They already have a dialogue going and speak to each other quite a lot in private. What I get from them is that they have a sense of respect for each other.

"They have both made a very difficult journey.

"Jo would say it has cost Pat a lot to have made this journey.

"But I don't think Patrick Magee has any doubt of the pain he's caused.

"They are saying, 'A ghastly thing happened but let's not get trapped in the evil'.

"I think they have made a remarkable choice."

Mr Fanshawe said it took a lot of persuading for Magee to return to Brighton.

But Magee wanted to talk to people who are interested in what he and Ms Berry are doing.

Mr Fanshawe said: "I'm a great believer in personal change. I'm trying to find hope out of a ghastly situation."

About 60 people are expected to watch the October 12 discussion, including police, ambulance and probation workers from Brighton.

Attendance is by invitation only. Anyone interested should email info@ukjewishfilmfestival.org.uk.

Stories from Magee, Ms Berry and others are featured on www.theforgivenessproject.com