Queen of Country visits the Wild West at Sperrinview

THERE was a real ‘yehaw!’ atmosphere at Sperrinview Special School in Dungannon on Friday morning, as they brought their ‘Wild West Week’ to a close by welcoming the Queen of Irish Country, Philomena Begley for a special performance.

Performing her signature hit song ‘Blanket on the Ground’, hundreds of staff and pupils sang along and danced with the Tyrone star, who was backed up by local folk group Wolfhound.

The star-studded bill also included a rendition of the classic ‘Country Roads’ which was performed by Wolfhound, as well as ‘You’re Going Out The Same Way You Came In’ which was performed by Thomas McBride, son of country music legend ‘Big Tom’.

The school’s Wild West themed week was organised by teacher Heather Rowe.

Speaking with the Tyrone Herald, she explained what inspired her to organise the string of events which have taken place in the school throughout the week.

She said, “I was driving home one day recently and the Beyoncé song ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ came on the radio and it got me thinking that a wild west day would be great thing to do for the kids in the school.

“When we realised its potential, we thought we would turn it into a week, rather than a day.

“So, we decided we would do something different every day.

“We had an opening ceremony, we had a balloon drop, we’ve had horses and ponies in, and we’ve had some wonderful guests come in.

“We also had line dancers, ‘Cowboy Karaoke’ with the staff, and a cowboy themed play day for the children.

“Some of the staff even brought in their own animals, and some of the local farmers brought in both new and vintage tractors.

“This evening (Friday), we have a petting zoo coming in followed by a disco which is sure to be great fun and will mark the end of our ‘Wild West Week’.”

Vice Principal, John O’Hare said the week was an ‘amazing experience’ and will be ‘the first of many’.

He said, “The whole week has been country and western themed, something the children love.

“With a whole variety of themes running throughout the week, it has just been incredible.

“Everyone has been so involved and had such a great time, not only the staff and pupils, but the local community. Everyone has been rallying around and working hard to make this a special week.

“This is the first of many and I want to thank everyone involved.”

Following Friday morning’s showcase, the performers stayed around for refreshments and photo opportunities with staff and pupils.

Sperrinview caters to around 145 pupils with learning difficulties from age of of three to 19 in the South and East Tyrone area. The school is a co-educational, inter-denominational school with two locations in Dungannon and Cookstown.