Sincere thank you to everyone - Echoes by the Lough

As we reflect on the year gone by, it is impossible not to feel an enormous sense of pride. Following our ETI Inspection in December 2025, inspectors described our school as “a welcoming, supportive and inclusive school community where the vision and values are lived out by all.” They recognised the “strong sense of loyalty and belonging” across our school and highlighted our “strategic and creative collaboration… to support professional learning and enhance provision.”  We have so much to celebrate, and our whole-school production was a joyful and fitting culmination of that success.

Friday's performance took us on a journey back in time — to a world before iPads, mobile phones, and constant connectivity. Through music, drama, and storytelling, our children explored life in 1910, when our school first opened — a time when entertainment was found in community, imagination, nature, and simple moments shared together. It is a lovely reminder of how much has changed, and perhaps, how some of the simplest joys remain just as important today.

I would like to begin by expressing our sincere thanks to Brian McMahon from B Dramatic — or ‘Bugsy’, as he’s better known to the children — who has written and directed this wonderful production. Brian, thank you for your creativity, your vision, and for guiding our pupils every step of the way.  We are so grateful for the time, dedication, and energy you have invested in making Friday such a special occasion.

A huge thank you must also go to our amazing staff. Over the past few weeks, they have given their time, energy, and patience so generously to ensure this production would be something truly memorable. Your dedication and teamwork made Friday possible — and I think it’s fair to say we’ll all be more than ready for the summer break when it arrives!

We are also very grateful to Maureen McKinless and everyone at Ballinderry Community Hub for making the space available for rehearsals and for their constant support.

My thanks also extend to our parents, our PTA, Tony, my daddy Kevin, our caretaker John, John and Pat Wilson, Sean Conway and everyone who helped with staging and setting up the hall. Last Wednesday evening, many parents gave their time to transport chairs, black out the windows, and even go the extra mile by adding black polythene to the roof above the stage to create an even better atmosphere — your support has been incredible.

A special word of thanks to Tyler for setting up the lighting and sound, ensuring that we capture every moment of Friday’s performance so perfectly. Your work behind the scenes has been invaluable.

We are also fortunate to have strong connections with our post-primary schools, and we are very grateful to St. Pius for kindly lending us their stage last week. Thank you to Eamon McGarrity for coming into school over the past few weeks to help the children learn their songs and create such beautiful backing tracks.

We extend our thanks to John O’Neill for joining us on Friday evening and for capturing lasting memories of the children’s performances through photographs and video.  See link below with all the amazing photos of Friday night.

We would also like to offer a sincere thank you to all our local businesses and parents who sponsored the show. Your generosity is very much appreciated, and your names are proudly displayed in our beautiful programme. Special thanks to Lee-Anne McNally for designing the stunning programme cover, backgrounds, and raffle poster — thank you, Lee-Anne.

Thank you to everyone who donated raffle prizes — winners will be shared in a separate post.

A special mention to Anne Marie for the delicious shortbread, and to Brigid Ann and the hub committee for serving tea at both our matinee and evening performances — we are so grateful for all your help.

Thank you also to our past pupils who returned to support us by running the tuck shop — we always love to see our past pupils return to Ballylifford.

And last, but certainly not least, I want to recognise the true stars of the show — our 80 children. Not one of them has performed in a show before, yet every single one has shown remarkable courage, enthusiasm, and talent throughout this journey. We are so incredibly proud of each and every one of them.

Friday was all about them — their hard work, their achievements, and their moment to shine.

Link with photos - https://www.facebook.com/sperrinsphotography/?locale=en_GB

We hope you all enjoyed Friday as much as we did - thank you!