One World Day in St. Paul's Primary School

One World Day abú:

One World Day is a unique, innovative and wonderful initiative held each year by St. Paul’s Primary School in Mica Drive in Beechmount. I visited the school last Tuesday and was met by Cathal O'Doherty the Principal and Gerry McDonald the Vice Principal and Fr. Devlin the local Parish Priest.

They explained to me that the school has a high proportion of children who are non Irish – around 30 out of a school population of 260 - or who have parents who are not Irish. They are from many different countries across the world, including Ghana, South Africa, the Czech Republic, Iraq, China and the Philippines.

There was music and dance and African drums and tin whistles and costumes representing all of the nations present in the school. Rev Edith Quirey from St. Luke’s Church spoke to the children about the importance of reaching out to others of different cultures, races and nationalities.

Later this morning there will be a food fest where different foods from these many different cultures will be there to be enjoyed by children and parents.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable morning which I would like to see replicated in other schools.

Comments

Micheal said…

I like diversity events, mainly for the curries.

But seriously though. There's a serious point here and that is about respect, which can, in my view, reflect on how you view yourself.

And the issue of displaced people is one that is at the center of every Irish person's heart. Because we've been right through it ourselves. And many Irish are still going through it and many never make it back to the annihilated vallhalla.

And all displaced people are searching for that lost place. And we can only help each other to find it, and work together.

Thank you very much Gerry. You're an inspiration to the masses of the world. Bhi an Gaeilge ag duirt cois farraige agus bothar.

May 15, 2010 at 3:55 AM

Turf Lodge – A Proud Community

This blog attended a very special celebration earlier this week. It was Turf Lodge: 2010 Anois is Arís 50th Anniversary. For those of you who don’t know Turf Lodge is a proud Belfast working class community. Through many difficult years the people of Turf Lodge demonstrated time and time again a commitment to their families and to each other. Like Ballymurphy and Andersonstown, Turf Lodge was one of many estates that were built on the then outskirts of Belfast in the years after the end of World War 2. They were part of a programme of work by Belfast City Corporation known as the ‘Slum clearance and houses redevelopment programme.’ The land on which Turf Lodge was built was eventually bought by the Corporation in June 1956. The name of the estate, it is said, came from a farm on which the estate was built. But it was four years later, in October 1960, and after many disputes and delays between builders and the Corporation, that the first completed houses were handed over for allocation...

Slán Peter John

Sinn Féin MP Conor Murphy, Fergal Caraher’s parents, Mary and Peter John, and Sinn Féin Councillors Brendan Curran and Colman Burns at the memorial in South Armagh dedicated to Fergal Caraher It was a fine autumn morning. The South Armagh hilltops, free of British Army forts, were beautiful in the bright morning light as we drove north from Dublin to Cullyhanna to attend the funeral of Peter John Caraher. This blog has known Peter John and the Caraher family for many years. A few weeks ago his son Miceál contacted me to let me know that Peter John was terminally ill. I told him I would call. It was just before the Ard Fheis. Miceál explained to me that Peter John had been told he only had a few weeks left but had forgotten this and I needed to be mindful of that in my conversation. I was therefore a wee bit apprehensive about the visit but I called and I came away uplifted and very happy. Peter John was in great form. We spent a couple of hours craicing away, telling yarns and in his c...

The Myth Of “Shadowy Figures”

Mise agus Martin and Ted in Stormont Castle 2018 The demonising of republicans has long been an integral part of politics on this island, and especially in the lead into and during electoral campaigns. Through the decades of conflict Unionist leaders and British governments regularly posed as democrats while supporting anti-democratic laws, censorship and the denial of the rights of citizens who voted for Sinn Féin. Sinn Féin Councillors, party activists and family members were killed by unionist death squads, o ften in collusion with British state forces. Successive Irish governments embraced this demonization strategy through Section 31 and state censorship. Sinn Féin was portrayed as undemocratic and dangerous. We were denied municipal or other public buildings to hold events including Ard Fheiseanna. In the years since the Good Friday Agreement these same elements have sought to sustain this narrative. The leaderships of Fianna Fáil, the Irish Labour Party, the SDLP and...

Léargas

Search This Blog