February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Boston’s Joe Leary was given a guided tour of the 560-pupil Col_iste Feirste in West Belfast by senior teachers and got to meet with pupils, who learn all their subjects through Irish, at the school for 11 to 18 year-olds.
During his recent visit, Leary was also welcomed to an integrated school in Belfast (where Protestant and Catholics learn together) in by prominent unionist community leader, Baroness May Blood.
The Irish American Partnership, which is devoted to supporting education across Ireland, presented Baroness Blood with a donation for five fledgling integrated schools in the North.
“It was a wonderful experience,” said Leary.
“I was here to learn how Belfast has grown, how it has changed, so I can carry that message back to our 3500 active donors so that we can support the city and Northern Ireland even more.”
The non-profit IAP’s focus is on primary schools across the 32 counties of Ireland.
“We’re tapped into a rather extraordinary respect and honor for Irish heritage and education on the part of our donors and this visit, where I gave a check to the schools May Blood recommended, is proof of that,” said Leary.
As president of the partnership, Leary chaired one of the plenary sessions at the recent Irish Echo “Gateways To Tomorrow” conference in Boston that was aimed at forging stronger ties between the U.S. northeast and Ireland’s northwest, especially counties Derry and Donegal.
Leary believes benefits will flow from that initiative and similar events.
“Networking events as successful as the Gateways conference are very worthwhile,” he said.
“You never know when a friendship or introduction is going to pay dividends, especially at that level where there were so many Boston businessmen, and so many people to help us understand northwest Ireland,” Leary said.