‘Peace Pitch’ twinned as part of football shared history project

STUDENTS at Drumragh Intergrated College have been involved in an interesting and thought-provoking new initiative combining sport with the concept of peace.

A group of talented Year 10 students participated in a ‘Football Makes Our Shared History’ project which offered them the opportunity to research local history relating to GAA, soccer and rugby.

Under the direction of Mr Molloy and Mr Woods, students explored how clubs in Omagh and beyond were formed and had the opportunity to speak with members of local clubs to hear about significant events and the importance of these sports in our schools and community.

Through the project Drumragh Integrated College has availed of the opportunity for their impressive new 4G pitch to be twinned with Flanders Peace Field in Belgium, the site of the 1914 First  World War Christmas truces.

There are currently 60 Peace Pitches across five continents. Drumragh Integrated College is proud to have the first designated Peace Pitch in the Tyrone area – a visual reminder that sport can unite young people from diverse communities.

As an integrated college, Drumragh aims to ensure students appreciate the importance of respect, of heritage and of celebrating difference through shared experiences.

At the recent launch, the principal, Mrs Imelda Kirk, staff and students were delighted to welcome Mr Shaun McBride, Chair of Drumragh Integrated College Board of Governors, Mr Kevin Murnaghan, President of Omagh Accies Rugby Club, Mr Martin Woodhead, proprietor of Active 2 Sports Shop and Mr Darren McGuigan, Omagh Accies Youth Development Officer to the college for a celebration ceremony and official unveiling of the state-of -the-art 4G ‘Peace Pitch’.