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A group of five pupils from St Joseph’s Boys’ High School, Newry and two staff members had a once in a lifetime trip when they attended the Paralympic games in London. The pupils; Paul Lyons, Donal Hanna, Cathal Mathews, Louis O’Hare and Daniel Lavery, won a competition for places and were escorted on the trip by Mr Brendan Fearon (Citizenship co-ordinator) and Mr Martin Mc Greevy (Student Support Officer).
The group had a very early start on their first day in order to take in the sights of London including St Paul’s Cathedral, the London Eye, Big Ben, The houses of parliament, 10 Downing Street, Buckingham palace, St James Park, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly circus and the west end. A special tour of Westminster was arranged in which the pupils got a guided tour of the House of Lords and the House of Commons by Mr Conor McGinn, a native of Bessbrook, and currently sitting as a Labour NEC Member representing Socialist Societies and political advisor to Vernon Coaker MP.
The highlight of the London trip came on the following day where the group watched a myriad of events in the Olympic stadium, each showcasing the strength, determination and pride of athletes in all track and field events. Special celebration came when Irish runner Jason Smyth dazzled the crowd with his record breaking 200m victory.
Being present at the Paralympics was indeed a humbling and profound experience for all involved; and the exhibition of triumph of will over adversity and disability has strengthened the pupils’ appreciation of the power of inner-belief and self-fortitude that we all possess.
Despite the relative quick turn around of events during the trip, the memories will last a lifetime for all involved. For many images of the trip please visit the school web-page at: www.stjosephsnewry.com
