Tag Archives: Rory O’Neil

by | August 29, 2012 · 7:13 pm

Farewell to Coach Rory and Coach Meghan

Since the creation of PeacePlayers’ blog, “From the Field”, American Fellows have used this space to say farewell and reflect on their two-year term of service.  It’s a fairly daunting task to attempt to sum up such a unique experience in a short blog post, but this week, departing Fellows Rory O’Neil and Meghan Houlihan asked each other a couple of questions to wrap-up their time with PeacePlayers Northern Ireland.

Meghan and Rory at Spring Jam 2012

Meghan: Rory, after two years in Belfast, you’re heading home to Washington, D.C. What will you miss most about Northern Ireland?

Rory:  Certainly not the weather or the food. Northern Ireland is a great place. There are a lot of people who would read that and think I am crazy but it really is a place that is on the up and up. If you look at the progress that has happened in the years following the Good Friday Agreement and compare it to other post-conflict/conflict societies…it’s not even close. That doesn’t mean that there isn’t a long road ahead, but I am always encouraged by the progress that Northern Ireland has made and this is something I saw everyday working for PeacePlayers. As weird as it sounds, I’ll always miss the sound of a school hall full of screaming, enthusiastic, kids running around. To some it’s the sound of mayhem. To me, it’ll always sound like peace.

Rory: What about you? You’ll be staying in Belfast, but what will you miss about working with PeacePlayers?

Meghan: No question. The kids. I couldn’t agree more. Their contagious enthusiasm made my job so much fun. I loved their little personalities, their questions, their senses of humor and, perhaps most importantly, their willingness try a new sport or make a new friend. I also know that I will miss the sense of fulfillment and purpose I enjoyed while working for an organization that is doing such great work.

Meghan:What are some of your best memories of your work with PPI-NI?

Shannon, Rory and Meghan at the Giants Causeway

Rory: Northern Irish kids always found a way to put things so simply.  I would try and make this lengthy explanation, and then one of our kids would jump in with a one liner that totally summed it all up. At the North Belfast Interface Games Camp, I was running the Community Relations station talking about symbols associated with each of the three sports (Gaelic, soccer, and rugby). I was trying to stress the point that just because you play one of these sports, it doesn’t automatically determine one’s religion or nationality. Then, wee Sophie Love looks me dead in the eye and says: “Rory, it doesn’t matter what sport you play. Anyone can play whatever sport they want to. It doesn’t matter what religion you are…..duuuhhh.” Only one of our kids could have put it so simply and with such gusto. Other favorite one liners I’ll always remember:

- “Coach, friends are friends”

- “Why isn’t the other school here? It’s more fun when they are here”

- “Coach Rory, can we do PeacePlayers…EVERYday?

- “We love the kids from the other school…they’re class!”

I will also always remember the parent I met at the Flagship event a few weeks ago who said that her twin boys were born in 1998, the year of the Good Friday Agreement and that at the time she never imagined her children would be playing rugby, soccer, and Gaelic with children from the opposite , and religion, in the Seaview football stadium, and having so much fun. She was so proud.

Darryl, Meghan and Joanne in the PPI-NI office

Rory: What have you learned from this experience?

Meghan: Over the past two years I have learned a greater sense of patience and understanding. We live in a society that craves instant gratification, and when you’re working with a peace-building organization, you gain an appreciation for small victories. For me, I saw that most often during our community relations discussions or the simple act of a genuine high-five. Like you said earlier, there are signs of tremendous progress, but there is still work to be done. The Troubles affected so many people on both sides of the community and it can be a slow healing process.  While the political climate in Northern Ireland can be unpredictable, the ongoing support and dedication of the principals, teachers and parents of our participants represents the collective effort needed to achieve lasting peace. I am always encouraged by the resiliency of the children to engage with each other, and am continually inspired by the impact of integrated sports programs. Lastly, I have really enjoyed working with the local staff, living in a foreign city and learning about another culture. While Northern Ireland is probably the easiest adjustment (compared to the other PPI sites), I think every American can gain valuable perspective from living abroad.

Many thanks to everyone who made it such a special two years for both of us!

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by | August 8, 2012 · 7:30 pm

New Fellow Megan Lynch (PPI-NI) Takes a Tour of Belfast

As a way of welcoming the newest addition PPI-NI’s team, International Fellow Megan Lynch was taken by fellow Fellow Rory O’Neil and Project Coordinator Joanne Fitzpatrick on a quick tour of North and West Belfast. Megan was shown all the schools and community centres that PeacePlayers International-Northern Ireland works in these areas. Joanne takes us on their tour of North and West Belfast.

The first part of the tour was through the Ardoyne area in North Belfast, known more recently for its rioting during the 12th July marches, but known more fondly in PPI-NI as the place where a PeacePlayers t-shirt can be spotted after turning every corner. The tour continued down the Ardoyne Road, past the Peace Wall on Alliance Avenue, into the Glenbryn area where primary school twinning partners Holy Cross Girls and Wheatfield were pointed out. We drove down and stopped in to visit the Jolly Rancher Centre, a local community centre for the Glenbryn area, where a plethora of Wheatfield children ran on the streets in front.

We continued back through Ardoyne, waving to participants of our Advanced Leadership Programme and Primary School Twinning Programme as they shouted back, “See you at Seaview!”. We traveled out  onto the Crumlin road and turned right onto Tennant St., where waves of red, white, and blue began to appear- and where we could tell we were hitting the Shankill Road. There were hundreds upon thousands of flags blowing in the wind as we made our way down towards the Shankill Estate. As we turned into the estate, we were joined by several other travelers in the Loyalist tourist hot spot. When you turn 360 degrees, it’s very apparent as to why this is so popular with tour guides. Trying to take in all the murals takes about 15-20 mins, as nearly every end house has a mural depicting something important to the community. One mural in particular never ceases to amaze me- watch the video below to see that the picture follows you as you walk around it.

After we took in the very informative murals in the Shankill Estate, we hopped back in the car, made our way back up the Shankill Road, and turned down Lanark Way towards Springfield Road, travelling through our first peace wall of the day. We drove past St. Clare’s primary school (a PeacePlayers twinning school), and then over to Bombay St. to visit a memorial for those who have lost their lives in the greater Clonard area of West Belfast. Again, we were joined by many black taxis full of tourists. Here, in August 1969,  violent sectarian riots led to exchanges of gunfire and the burning of houses and businesses. Many believe that the events that transpired on Bombay St. in the summer of 1969 gave rise to “The Troubles”.

International Fellows Rory O’Neil and Megan Lynch check out the murals on Northumberland St., beside the peace wall that separates the Shankill Road and the Falls Road.

We made our way to Northumberland St., where we took in colourful murals that led us onto the Falls Road. We traveled up the Falls Road to see posters everywhere for the Feile and Phobail (Festival of the People), which is fully underway in the Falls area of West Belfast. We took a right and traveled up towards the Whiterock Community Centre to pay a visit to Sean “Topper” Thompson. There, we were greeted by the cheers of several of our participants from our Cross Community League, along with Junior Coach Michaela Thompson, who has been a PeacePlayers participant for nearly seven years and will shortly be moving into the role of Senior Coach.

As we left the community centre, we stood at the foot of Blacks Mountain and took in the amazing view of Belfast City. I thought to myself…I love this city!

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by | June 6, 2012 · 9:40 am

PPI – Northern Ireland’s Spring Jam 2012

International Fellow Meghan Houlihan pictured with Spring Jam 2012 champions Liberty, coached by Advanced Leadership Programme participant Ashling Hughes

This week Project Coordinator Joanne Fitzpatrick looks back at the highlights from the past weekend’s Spring Jam 2012 tournament

Spring Jam 2012 was something of an emotional rollercoaster for many on Saturday 2nd June, as we celebrated the end of our programming year with a great basketball tournament whilst simultaneously saying goodbye to beloved staff members Tony McGaharan, Meghan Houlihan, Rory O’Neil and intern Garry Longfield.

The warm-up team of International Fellow Rory O’Neil and Project Coordinators Darryl Petticrew and Joanne Fitzpatrick opened the day by leading the collection of players and volunteers in the Cha Cha Slide, the Electric Slide and, no PPI-NI tournament would be complete without, the Party Rock Anthem (AKA the shuffle).

The highly sought-after Hustle and Spirit Awards along with the new addition of the Brooklyn Nets caps

Spring Jam seen many a strong bonds built through the various activities on the day. Each team played six basketball matches, participated in two team-building games and even squeezed in a game of basketball jeopardy. In my four and a half years at PeacePlayers, this being my 11th tournament, I’ve never seen a more impressive sight than looking across the sports hall in Stranmillis College to see hundreds of high fives between teammates. To the untrained eye, they looked like the oldest of friends, but many of these boys and girls only met eachother for the first time when they put their team shirt on.

Spring Jam is all about embracing the three components of PeacePlayers; bridging divides, developing leaders and changing perceptions. Each team was mixture of participants from primary schools and community centres all over Co. Antrim, giving the kids the opportunity to not only meet a new teammate from “the other side” of an interface, but also from the other side of the county.

Bridging divides, developing leaders and changing perceptions in Co. Antrim!

The day, of course, wouldn’t happen without the help of our volunteers. Many of our volunteers this year were made up of participants from our Advanced Leadership Programme (ALP), one of which managed to lead her team to the finals and win.

Each year four participants are rewarded for being a great team-mate, showing respect and sportsmanship, playing hard and never giving up. These awards are called the Spirit and Hustle awards, winners are presented with a trophy and, this year, a Brooklyn Nets cap.

The competition was fierce, the smiles were huge and the slap of the high fives could be heard throughout the building, in my eyes this was the best tournament I’ve been to during my time at PeacePlayers.

What is PeacePlayers?

SWEET TO THE BEAT!

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by | May 9, 2012 · 3:31 pm

PPI-NI Runs the Belfast City Marathon

On Monday, May 7, staff, local coaches, board members and friends of PeacePlayers International – Northern Ireland ran the Belfast City Marathon in two relay teams. Emma Ringland, Katrina Fitzpatrick, Jim Fitzpatrick, Gareth Harper, and Joan Shine comprised the first team, while Garry Longfield, Tony McGaharan, Rory O’Neil, James Hughes, and Darryl Petticrew rounded out the second team. The fundraiser was organized by PPI-NI Intern Garry Lonfield who had this to say about the event:

Rory ran the longest in the relay: 7 miles!

When I first joined PeacePlayers I was asked to complete a task of organising a fundraiser, and after looking at various ideas, I finally settled on one idea which I thought would be a lot of fun, as well as one that would generate a lot of support. Thankfully, my fellow coaches agreed to help, and as a result, PPI-NI had two relay teams in the Belfast City Marathon!

The total distance of the marathon is 26.2 miles, and the relay event was spilt into five stages: the longest leg was 7 miles  and the shortest leg was 3.5 miles. Rory O’Neil and Jim Fitzpatrick bravely volunteered to complete the 7-mile stage, and conquered the long trek.  In reference to the 7.1 miles he ran, Rory said, “Yes, the 7 miles up the Antrim road was tough, but to be honest it wasn’t that tough when you’ve got kids screaming ‘Coach Rory!!!’ or parents yelling ‘Go PeacePlayers’ along the way.  You can tell we work a lot in North Belfast when you’re running through the rain and you hear random kids and parents cheering you on.” Well done!

To fundraise for the event, PPI-NI collected pounds from program participants and also created an online donation page for local supporters, family and friends. Many thanks to all that contributed to this fundraising event! It’s not to late to to donate online if you would like to support the cause: http://www.justgiving.com/PPINI

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by | May 2, 2012 · 2:12 pm

PPI-NI’s Senior Girls Advanced Leadership Program at Greenhill

The Senior CCL girls complete Arbinger curriculum activities.

This past weekend, PeacePlayers International-Northern Ireland  (PPI-NI) brought together 11 girls aged 15-16 for an Advanced Leadership Program (ALP) residential at Greenhill YMCA, Co. Down. The majority of the girls came from our Senior Girls Cross-Community League (CCL) and a few from our partnership with the Young Enterprise Northern Ireland (YENI) program, for which we delivered our Level 1 accredited course in Understanding Diversity in Sport.

The weekend included activities such as a campfire!

Each of the participants were selected based on their outstanding participation and enthusiasm for PPI-NI programs. During the weekend, the girls participated in our Level II accredited course in Promoting Diversity through Sport, which is designed in an interactive format to show how we can transfer lessons on the court, off the court. Local Project Coordinator Joanne Fitzpatrick and Fellow Rory O’Neil had the honor of delivering the course. Also incorporated into the Level II is a section looking at the Arbinger Institute’s conflict resolution philosophies, which are used throughout PeacePlayers International’s global programs.

As well as participating in the course, the girls also had time to enjoy some team-building in a competitive game of Lazer Tag, and further developed relationships in their free time at the campfire, making smores and choreographing a dance routine!

Local Project Coordinator, Darryl Petticrew commented on the weekend:

“For me, the most important thing about our program is developing new relationships among the young people we work with. Having been part of PPI-NI for almost five years, hearing a group of young people say that they don’t want to go home, gives me the impression that the girls had a blast and that we are doing a good job!”

The video below will give you an insight into the weekend, and the amazing time we had together!

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by | March 26, 2012 · 1:41 pm

PPI Marches to McFadden’s for its Annual “Party for Peace” in DC

Around 300 PPI supporters in the DC area came together to celebrate PPI's work using basketball to empower children in divided communities.

This week’s post is written by Research Assistant William Perry. 

Last Thursday night, March 22nd, was a night to celebrate sport and the great good it has delivered to some of the most divided regions of the world. PeacePlayers International (PPI) held its annual NCAA Sweet 16 “Party for Peace” at McFadden’s Restaurant in Washington, DC. The event brought together friends, activists and supporters of the critical sports diplomacy and peace education work PPI does everyday in conflict zones throughout the world.

PPI nearly doubled its efforts from 2011, thanks to the generous donations of our friends and supporters.

This year’s event was the biggest to date, yielding 300 guests. PPI raised $35,000 through ticket sales and a raffle for prizes which included: signed sports memorabilia from the Washington Capitals and Georgetown basketball team, Nationals and Wizards tickets, and a weekend getaway to Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

Guests listened as PPI’s Executive Director, Brendan Tuohey, took the microphone and spoke passionately about the powerful impact we are having on both the micro and macro levels: bridging divides, developing leaders, and changing perceptions.

PPI - South Africa alumnus Claire Perry and coach Nasiphi Khafu with PPI's Communications and Development Associate Hannah Sloss.

The event was also a family affair: Among others in attendance were PPI Alumni, current Fellow Rory O’Neil and the three coaches from PPI’s South Africa program, Nasiphi Khafu, Sfiso Mthembu and Mtu Zulu, who were recently selected by the U.S. Department of State’s prestigious SportsUnited exchange program.

We would like to extend our thanks to all those who attended, the gracious support of our sponsors and McFadden’s Restaurant for being an incredible host. Click here to see the full event photo album on Facebook. Once again, thank you and we’ll see you next year!

Our “Dropping Dimes for Peace” event in New York City is quickly approaching. If you would like to attend the April 2nd fundraiser, please click here to reserve your tickets.

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by | November 7, 2011 · 2:31 pm

PPI in London and Chicago

Today’s post comes from PPI’s Technical Assistance Program Director, Brian Cognato.

For the past few months, PeacePlayers International (PPI) has been developing a new technical assistance and training program, designed to share what the organization has learned over a decade of bridging divides, developing leaders and changing perceptions with other organizations all over the world interested in using sport to improve their communities.

Joanne Fitzpatrick explains The Anatomy of Peace to Laureus Ambassadors and delegates alike in London.

We’ve been working on this mostly behind the scenes so far, conscious that a useful training program requires more than a good resume and a seminar here and there. Training and technical assistance is a different animal than running your own programs, and we’ve taken that challenge seriously, learning all we can about the field and best practices before launching.

With two events in the past week, however, we’re proud to move our technical assistance services from behind the curtain and into the public eye. Not that we’re finished learning – quite to the contrary, we’re learning more every day – but now we’re eager to share what we can do with the rest of the world.

The Peace Day Tournament in Cyprus is only one event made possible by Laureus' support at PPI.

This past week’s first event was the Laureus Sports for Good Foundation Global Summit, held from Oct. 30th to Nov. 2nd in London. The Laureus Sports for Good Foundation has been one of PPI’s longest standing partners, providing our very first institutional grant in 2002. The Foundation supports organizations all over the world using  sport to improve communities, and – for the first time ever this year – it brought them all together to share knowledge and experiences. We were lucky enough to be able to facilitate two sessions at the Summit, one working alongside Cindy Coltman of Women Win on “Breaking Barriers through Sport” and one with a PPI all-star team including Joanne Fitzpatrick and Rory O’Neil from PPI – Northern Ireland and Sbo Vilakazi from PPI – South Africa.

This last session spotlighted PPI’s unique approach to peace education, combining a curriculum developed in partnership with an American consulting firm called The Arbinger Institute with participatory basketball activities. PPI believes this curriculum is crucial to its approach to peacebuilding – allowing it to illustrate to young people the dynamics that cause conflict in the first place, so that our programs go beyond simple “contact” – and the Laureus attendees who sampled the curriculum seemed to agree, including Academy Members like Mick Doohan and Dawn Frazier, who participated in some of the activities.

Chad Ford presents The Anatomy of Peace to seminar attendees.

The week’s second event focused even more on this approach to peacebuilding, as Joanne Fitzpatrick made the trek from London to join PPI’s long-time friend and go-to peacebuilding guru Chad Ford in Chicago. Ford is both a writer for ESPN.com and a professor of conflict resolution at Brigham Young University Hawaii. (For the record, that’s a combined 8,204 miles of travel between them.) PPI partnered with Beyond the Ball, which uses basketball to engage young people in Little Village, to offer an introductory clinic in its approach to peacebuilding through sport to organizations through the city using basketball for youth development, including the South Chicago Neighborhood House, Enlace Chicago, The Crece Foundation, the Bickerdike Redevelopment Corporation, Positive Coaching Alliance – Chicago, Claretian Associates, CLOCC and World Sport Chicago.

In an on-court session, Rob Castaneda of Beyond the Ball explains what he thinks about PPI's approach.

Over the next few months, PPI is going to help Beyond the Ball add a new element to their already robust curriculum, aimed at giving young people a specific way to understand conflict and their role as influencers in their community. The lessons learned in that project will then be shared with other organizations as they too try to give young people in Chicago a new tool to overcome conflict.

Watch PPI’s website and this space for more about these events – both of which are only the first stages in multistage collaborations – and PPI’s technical assistance program in general. If you’re interested in PPI’s technical assistance and training services, contact Brian Cognato at bcognato@peaceplayersintl.org.

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by | October 26, 2011 · 1:15 pm

Session Four with Glengormley Integrated and Holy Cross Boys’

This week, lead Coach Rory O’Neil writes about the unique twinning of Glengormley Integrated Primary School and Holy Cross Boys’ Primary School. The two P6 classes just completed their fourth session together and are having a great time! Enjoy the video of one of their most recent twinnings this past Monday. The energy level that these kids bring to the table is unmistakable from the beginning!

PPI-NI is smack-dab in the middle of its Fall Twinning season. Of the 16 schools that PeacePlayers is working with this term, perhaps one of its more unique twinning pairings is that of Holy Cross Boys’ Primary School and Glengormley Integrated Primary School. Holy Cross Boys’ is an all-boys Catholic primary school in the Ardoyne neighborhood of North Belfast, while Glengormley Integrated is just outside the city in Newtonabbey. It’s worth noting that Holy Cross Boys’ is the only all-boys primary school that participates in PPI-NI’s Twinning program. Whenever PPI-NI coaches walk the halls of Holy Cross Boys’, it is a rarity that the teachers of the school do not offer them a cup of tea and biscuits. It’s also a rarity that they do not receive a plethora of high-fives and fist bumps from the pupils and from students that don’t even participate in the PeacePlayers program – yet!

Glengormley Integrated’s Principal, Nigel Arnold, continues to be one the biggest supporters of PPI-NI’s program, as well as Integrated Education in general. Glengormley Integrated Primary School is one of the few academic institutions in Northern Ireland where the Union Flag of the United Kingdom and the Tri-Color of the Republic of Ireland fly side-by-side in the opening hallway. Flags from the United States, Turkey and Serbia also line the hallway, further illustrating the diverse make-up of Glengormley’s student body.

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by | July 20, 2011 · 1:58 pm

PPI-NI Rocks the Whiterock Summer Scheme

Rory O'Neil and Whiterock kids strike a pose.

The successful Game of Three Halves event on July 6th brought a busy 2010-2011 programme year to a close. All of our primary school twinnings, cross-community leagues, coaches’ trainings, and residentials have ended until the fall, when we will resume regular programme activity.

Joanne Fitzpatrick and a Whiterock girl have fun during their summer scheme.

However, PPI-NI doesn’t just sit around our office staring at the wall waiting for September.  A lot of the community centres with which PPI-NI works in its Cross-Community League and Leadership Development Programme host summer schemes for the youth in their area. Whiterock Leisure Centre in West Belfast is currently running a summer scheme and asked if PeacePlayers could provide a few coaches to teach their kids the game of basketball…we couldn’t refuse.

This past week, International Fellow Rory O’Neil and Local Coordinator Joanne Fitzpatrick spent several days running kids through PPI-NI drills and games at Whiterock Leisure Centre. Games teaching kids defense, dribbling, passing, and everyone’s favorite, shooting, were enjoyed by 40 kids as young as 5 and as old 16 years old.

The Whiterock kids practice their favorite activity: shooting!

PPI-NI’s relationship with Whiterock goes back several years and one can clearly see the close relationship we have developed with the Centre, its staff, and the kids by looking at their representation throughout our programmes. Participants young and old from Whiterock attended this year’s CCL program in both the Fall and Spring sessions. In fact, the high scorer of the Fall CCL was Sean Paul ‘S.P.’ Thompson from Whiterock!  At every PPI-NI tournament, dozens of kids from Whiterock attend, not only as participants, but also as junior coaches and volunteers. Perhaps most importantly, every tournament, Whiterock Leader Sean ‘Topper’ Thompson (S.P.’s father) brings along his DJ equipment and keeps the tournament rocking all afternoon.

Thank you Whiterock for inviting us to take part in your summer scheme and thank you for being such great supporters of PeacePlayers International-Northern Ireland!

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by | June 1, 2011 · 12:30 pm

Family Fun Day in Belfast includes PPI-NI!

PPI-NI Fellow Shannon Brown teaches kids how to shoot at Stormont Estate's Family Fun Day.

PeacePlayers International – Northern Ireland spent their May bank holiday, a day meant for rest and relaxation, working at the Stormont Estate’s Family Fun Day! Working in conjunction with the BBC’s Children in Need, the day was a great outing for families and children to come to the Estate and enjoy a host of different activities and games, including shooting hoops with PPI-NI!

PPI-NI Fellow Rory O'Neil works on B.E.E.F. with kids.

PPI-NI staff members set up two basketball hoops in the PlayBall at the Pavilion Stormont sports complex. PlayBall is a state-of-the-art sports facility, providing athletic space for all levels and types of sport, sharing space with both communities in Northern Ireland. Though basketball isn’t the most popular sport in the country, the PPI-NI activity space was packed all day! Kids took part in learning how to shoot (using B.E.E.F.), played in a shooting competition and tried their best to win a prize. All had a great day – three cheers for a great bank holiday!

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