The Five Demands

William Tate, preside della Belvoir Park Primary School a South Belfast, è oggetto di numerosi e forti critiche per aver inserito la pratica di sport gaelici nella sua scuola.
Su di un sito internet è stato apertamente accusato di ‘avvelenare le menti dei bambini’ ed è stato invitato a spostare la “glorificazione del gaelico e dei martiri dell’IRA in una scuola cattolica “.
“Questa è una scuola mista, dove facciamo tutti i tipi di sport e ho ricevuto solo due denunce reali a proposito del Gaelico”, ha dichiarato il direttore.
Barry Wilson della Belvoir/Milltown Community Association ha sostenuto che i giochi gaelici (GAA Games) presso la scuola, hanno sconvolto molte persone dell’area lealista.
“Belvoir è ed è sempre stata lealista e la maggioranza delle persone non vuole che quì vengano praticati giochi gaelici”, ha detto. “Va bene se la gente vuole che i propri figli partecipino, ma non ne è mai statiainformati ed è sbagliato”.
Jimmy Spratt, MLA del DUP, ha affermato “È importante che il consiglio di amministrazione della scuola e il Preside agiscano in uno spirito di cooperazione con i genitori e gli alunni della scuola per fugare le preoccupazioni della comunità”.

Gaelic games not welcome at school
The headmaster of a South Belfast primary school has denied facing ‘any real animosity’ over his introduction of Gaelic games to pupils despite a community move to have the games banned.
Messages on a website set up to oppose the introduction of the sports by the principal of Belvoir Park Primary School, William Tate, accuses the teacher of “poisoning children’s minds”, and calls for the headmaster to bring his “glorification of Gaelic and IRA martyrs to a Catholic school”.
A local community representative told the South Belfast News that he believed the majority of people did not want Gaelic games in the area as it “is and always has been a loyalist estate”.
However Mr Tate, who has brought Gaelic sportsmen into the mainly Protestant school as part of the classes, played down the comments, blaming any criticism on a “core group opposed to change”.
“We’ve had Gaelic footballers in, the children loved it and there was no real bother,” said Mr Tate.
“This is a mixed school, we do all sorts of sports and I’ve only received two real complaints about the Gaelic.”
However, a local community representative said there had been mounting disquiet in the Belvoir estate since the introduction of Gaelic football and hurling.
Barry Wilson from the Belvoir/Milltown Community Association said GAA games at the school had upset a lot of people in the staunchly loyalist estate.
“Belvoir is and always has been a loyalist estate and the majority of people do not want Gaelic games here,” he said. “It’s fine if people want their children to get involved but we were never informed and that is wrong.
“A lot of parents have withdrawn their consent and Gaelic practice has been moved to the rear of the school, such is the extent of the ill-feeling.”
A website, which Mr Wilson says was set up by family members of children at the school, calls for an end to “sports governed by the IRA” being forced upon schoolchildren without parents’ consent and asks, “Do you want the children of Belvoir having to salute the Irish Tricolour while listening to the Soldiers’ Song? If you let hurling into Belvoir Primary School this is where it will lead.”
The site also calls for locals to send letters of protest to the school in a bid to keep Belvoir “non-sectarian”.
DUP MLA Jimmy Spratt said he had previously  been made aware of “some disquiet” surrounding the development.
“It is important that the Board of Governors of the school and the headteacher act in a spirit of co-operation with the parents and pupils of the school to allay community concerns,” he said.
“But it is important to remember that a single website does not necessarily represent every person connected to the school or even from the area.”
Hitting out at the factual inaccuracy of the anti-GAA site, South Belfast MP Alasdair McDonnell said those who try to politicise the association do “no service” to any community.
“The GAA is one of the largest and most successful amateur sporting organizations in the world and is deserving of public support for the range and depths of its voluntary activities,” he said.
“Clearly the attack on the GAA on the website is not remotely factual and although this is obviously a matter for the school principal to work out with the parents and pupils concerned, I would of course encourage any and every opportunity for people to engage with each other on a cross-community basis, including sports.”