Member's statement: Kilkeel Primary School

Member's statement by Ms Diane Forsythe on 30 June 2026.

MLA

Ms Diane Forsythe

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

30 June 2026

Type

Member's statement

Business

Members' Statements

Heading

Kilkeel Primary School

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5652745

Read the official Assembly record

Text

As we come to the end of another school term, I pay tribute to some excellent work at Kilkeel Primary School in my constituency, especially by the P7s. I declare an interest, as my son is one of them. Last week, the P7s put on four incredible performances entitled 'Tha Lang Road Tae Liberty' to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The drama production told the story of the Ulster Scots, their journey from Scotland to Ulster, including the connections to Mourne, and then to America, where they made their contribution to the Declaration of Independence. That production was delivered thanks to Communities Minister Gordon Lyons and his USA-NI250 funding. The Schomberg Society and the staff and pupils of Kilkeel Primary School worked hard alongside the team from Blue Eagle Productions, especially director Rosie McClelland, to deliver a fantastic performance. We saw Northern Ireland's history, heritage and the pupils' great talent shining through. The key roles that were played by people in Northern Ireland in the formation of the United States have become much more clearly understood on both sides of the Atlantic in the past few years, and it was fantastic to hear those stories through those young people. It was a pleasure to be joined at the performance by Lisa Guyselman from the USA, who is a direct descendant of one of the key characters portrayed in the drama, Captain Alexander Chesney. Her presence really helped bring the story to life. The production was an excellent way to mark that important historic event and for those P7 pupils to bring their time in primary school to a close. It was bittersweet for the year group, as one of their dear classmates was notably missing. It was almost five months ago that I spoke in the Chamber about the tragic death of young John Doole. He remains so dearly missed and loved by his classmates in Kilkeel. Following the production, we had the P7 leavers' assembly, at which John's big smile filled the screen and we all remembered him fondly. Theresa, Wesley and John's entire family remain in my thoughts and prayers. John will always remain part of that year group. Mrs McCabe, the school principal, shared with the children the words of Proverbs chapter 17, verse 17 on how true friends love at all times — through the good times and the hardships of life. I thank Mrs McCabe for her leadership. The support, guidance and care offered to that class throughout this difficult year by all the staff of Kilkeel Primary School, especially the P7 staff and Mr Annett, has been incredible. It really shows us how much school staff go above and beyond and the fact that school life is about more than just education; it is about life lessons, friendship and fellowship, setting young people up for their journey into the world.

480 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 16:08 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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