{"id":617448,"date":"2025-12-07T07:09:24","date_gmt":"2025-12-07T07:09:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/617448\/"},"modified":"2025-12-07T07:09:24","modified_gmt":"2025-12-07T07:09:24","slug":"how-music-is-uniting-northern-irelands-most-diverse-primary-school-the-irish-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/617448\/","title":{"rendered":"How music is uniting Northern Ireland\u2019s most diverse primary school \u2013 The Irish News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Renowned Co Tyrone singer-songwriter Malachi Cush has told how music is helping unite pupils at Northern Ireland\u2019s most diverse primary school.<\/p>\n

Malachi, who came to prominence in 2002 as part of the first series of the TV talent show Fame Academy, has been musical director of St Patrick\u2019s Primary School in Dungannon since 2010.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy wife, Claire, is a teacher here and back then the principal was a lady called Mary Hampsey, and she contacted me out of the blue one day asking if I could come in and give them a bit of a hand with music,\u201d he recalls.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was reluctant at the start because I wasn\u2019t too sure what I could offer, but I had some experience working with choirs and things like that, so I thought I\u2019d give it a go and see how we got on.<\/p>\n

\"‘It’s<\/a>\"John<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThat was 15 years ago, and it has genuinely become one of the greatest moments of my week. I\u2019m in here most Wednesdays working with the kids and it\u2019s a joy. If they keep me for another 15 years, I\u2019ll keep coming back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"MalachiMalachi Cush leads the choir of St Patrick\u2019s Primary School, Dungannon, one of the North\u2019s most diverse primary schools. PICTURE: BRIAN LINCOLN <\/p>\n

Over the years, Malachi has helped pupils prepare for performances at the Peace Proms, Dungannon Feis and various Christmas carol services, to name but a few.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a lovely break from the normal slog,\u201d he laughs.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the kids keep it really fresh and new. They are always coming in with different ideas and they keep me current because my musical styles probably wouldn\u2019t be what is on the hit parade at the moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut that\u2019s great because it challenges me to incorporate the music that they like and are listening to.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a little bit easier at Christmas though, because everyone wants to hear the old traditional stuff, so they make up a lot of this year\u2019s performance, with a few new things peppered in as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

As part of this year\u2019s Christmas concert, the children will be performing Malachi\u2019s heartfelt hit Sleep Oh Infant Child, which he wrote, in part, while studying for a theology degree through St Patrick\u2019s Pontifical University, Maynooth.<\/p>\n

The Donaghmore-born singer says hearing the pupils, 92 per cent of whom are newcomer children from diverse backgrounds across the globe, sing his song was a real \u201cpinch me moment\u201d.<\/p>\n

Read more: <\/b>Peter Corry to bring festive favourites back to St Anne\u2019s Cathedral<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

\"PupilsPupils at St Patrick\u2019s Primary School, one of the North\u2019s most diverse primary schools, sing with the choir led by Malachi Cush. PICTURE: BRIAN LINCOLN <\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the kids saw a video of me performing Sleep Oh Infant Child with the Omagh Community Youth Choir on YouTube and asked if we could do it as part of our Christmas show,\u201d Malachi explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was really moved by that, so of course I said if that\u2019s what they wanted to do, we could.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I\u2019m going to sing it with them at the carol service, which is a privilege for me because they have beautiful voices and I think that song encapsulates the story of Christmas and the mystery and joy of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd their voices just add that little bit of extra gold dust to the performance. The first time they performed it the whole way through was just magical.\u201d<\/p>\n

He adds that the school\u2019s choir has become a key part of its identity, helping pupils form friendships and build confidence through shared performance.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a communal thing about being in a choir,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll the pupils have their own individual skills, they\u2019ve all got their own individual sounds, but when they come together there\u2019s a oneness.<\/p>\n

\"MalachiMalachi Cush leads the choir of St Patrick\u2019s Primary School, Dungannon, one of the North\u2019s most diverse primary schools. PICTURE: BRIAN LINCOLN <\/p>\n

\u201cI think that\u2019s really important with music, that it unites us when sometimes words don\u2019t – especially for our children here because most of them are coming from different backgrounds.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have all got their own stories and when they come into the choir, we are in this together and I think that\u2019s really special.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he reflects on the children\u2019s effort and enthusiasm in rehearsals, Malachi says he\u2019s looking forward to audiences seeing what the pupils are capable of.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are 150 children in this production, between narrators, kings, shepherds and all the craic that goes along with Christmas,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd while I hope people who come along to see the show enjoy it, I hope that they can also see that up there on the stage are children, performing at the best level, enjoying it, and that even though they might look different, they are one.<\/p>\n

Read more: <\/b>\u2018It was an insane hormone disaster\u2019: Newry fitness influencer on how health struggles inspired a thriving wellness platform<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

\"PupilsPupils at St Patrick\u2019s Primary School, one of the North\u2019s most diverse primary schools, sing with the choir led by Malachi Cush. PICTURE: BRIAN LINCOLN <\/p>\n

\u201cChildren are children, no matter where they come from, no matter what their background, and I think these kids are extra special. That\u2019s why I\u2019m here, that\u2019s why I believe in the school. Part of my heart is here and always will be.\u201d<\/p>\n

The emphasis on unity and inclusion is reflected throughout St Patrick\u2019s Primary, where supporting pupils who face additional barriers to learning is a core part of its ethos.<\/p>\n

\u201cNinety-two per cent of our children in mainstream are from newcomer backgrounds, with the majority coming from Portugal, East Timor, Lithuania, Poland and Guinea Bissau,\u201d explains principal of St Patrick\u2019s, Seamus McCreesh.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd for us it\u2019s really important that the children feel settled and have a community and know that they belong. We place a lot of focus and emphasis on that.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor example, we would have children coming in and maybe they are going swimming. We have a whole set of swimming stuff because they might not have it at home.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr O\u2019Hagan, one of our P7 teachers, his store is just full of football boots because many of the children don\u2019t have their own. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe also work with Saint Vincent de Paul to make sure we have uniforms for all the children as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is practical support like this, he says, that helps ensure every child starts school on an equal footing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to make sure the children get as much as they need in here.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery morning when they come in, every child gets fed. Something like 29 loaves of bread come in here every day and we feed the children before we start, just on the off chance a parent has been on an awkward shift and hasn\u2019t had a chance to do their breakfast or something like that.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just want to make sure we are doing the best we can to look after the children who are here, and their families.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more: <\/b>Pony power: How equine assisted learning is changing lives in Northern Ireland classrooms<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

\"StSt Patrick\u2019s Primary School principal Seamus McCreesh and singer-songwriter Malachi Cush with pupils at the Dungannon school. PICTURE: BRIAN LINCOLN <\/p>\n

For staff, the sight of pupils sharing a stage is proof of what can happen when children are supported, welcomed and encouraged to shine.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so proud that those children who have come here and made this school the special beacon of hope and belonging that it is,\u201d adds Mr McCreesh.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis school is about the children. Malachi, our vice principal Roisin Campbell, our staff and I are all a team. We are all working towards the same goal and we know the most important thing is these children.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo when we see them up on the stage it\u2019s unbelievable and that\u2019s really what inspires us to keep doing what we are doing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe more opportunities we can give those children and the more things we can help them with and give them exposure to, whether that\u2019s sport, dance or music, the better.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pupils of St Patrick\u2019s Primary School will perform Sleep Oh Infant Child as part of their Christmas concert in St Patrick\u2019s Church Dungannon on Wednesday, December 10. <\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Renowned Co Tyrone singer-songwriter Malachi Cush has told how music is helping unite pupils at Northern Ireland\u2019s most…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":617449,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5011],"tags":[171857,35745,5554,84431,269,1144,15642,16,15,30665],"class_list":{"0":"post-617448","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-northern-ireland","8":"tag-choir","9":"tag-christmas","10":"tag-community","11":"tag-dungannon","12":"tag-music","13":"tag-northern-ireland","14":"tag-school","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom","17":"tag-unity"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115677035436550106","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/617448","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=617448"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/617448\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/617449"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=617448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=617448"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=617448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}