CLINTON TO GET FEIRGHAL'S PEACE PLEA
Clinton to get Feirghal's peace plea
By Aeneas Bonner
JOHN HUME is to give Bill Clinton a local student's poetic plea for peace.
Feirghal McCrea, from Newtonabbey, wrote the poem "because I was seeing all the bombing, all the terrorist acts, the bullying and pushing people out of their homes."
One of the first pupils to attend Hazlewood College integrated school, Feirghal (23) writes despite mild learning difficulties.
"I had made friends of different religions straight off the street in nursery school, and I felt it was time for someone to step forward to tell them off for doing wrong - to look at what they are doing, the lives they are destroying, and to unite the country instead of destroying it with bombs."
His mother, Bernie McCrae, describes Feirghal as "passionate about equality, and about religion not making any difference between people" - an attitude directly influenced by his home and education.
Feirghal went along to the Waterfront recently to meet Bill Clinton and show him the poem.
Although he missed out on the meeting, John Hume was struck by what he read and agreed to deliver it himself.
"I am sending the poem to President Clinton. I read it and was very moved. The young man's feeling for peace came across very well and also how strongly he expressed his views," Mr Hume said yesterday.
"I thought it would be good for most people to read it. His poem underlines the strength of feeling that exists among our younger people."
Of his writing style, Feirghal says: "If I'm upset with something like the bombing, I think out loud and act. If it sounds good I write it down and it turns into poetry."
"At the time Clinton was doing work on the peace process in Europe, trying to track down the terrorists doing all the damage. I wanted to give him a note to give out to the rest of the world - to tell everyone off, and tell them to get a grip on themselves," said Feirghal.
"Hopefully he'll agree with it and also unite the rest of the world."
Far from value
Far from war
We've gotta look for an open
door
All of us working
All of us searching
For Peace
We dream of a time when we
all are one
Claiming to hope when the
earth risen sun
So lets get together and things
will be better
If we try
Hear us cry.
Some day the pain of war will
be healed
Some day the music of peace
will be real
Let the walls fall down
Tumbling into the ground
And then there will be love
And peace all around
So lets raise our voices
Hope in them all
Can face and hear our cheer
All of them sleeping
All of them cry
We will try.
Everybody in the world
In a special place
For a special race
For a world
Turned into an integrated
culture
would make us all a giant
bunch of
Happy families
Everybody's gotta price to
pay
In a fair and friendly way
There's be no more wars in a
hopeful case
And that's peace
Some day the pain of defeat
will be sealed
Let the walls fall down
Tumbling to the ground
And then there will be love
and peace
all around
Let the walls fall down
Tumbling to the ground
And then there will be love
and peace
all around
Feirghal McCrea 1.1.98
By Aeneas Bonner
JOHN HUME is to give Bill Clinton a local student's poetic plea for peace.
Feirghal McCrea, from Newtonabbey, wrote the poem "because I was seeing all the bombing, all the terrorist acts, the bullying and pushing people out of their homes."
One of the first pupils to attend Hazlewood College integrated school, Feirghal (23) writes despite mild learning difficulties.
"I had made friends of different religions straight off the street in nursery school, and I felt it was time for someone to step forward to tell them off for doing wrong - to look at what they are doing, the lives they are destroying, and to unite the country instead of destroying it with bombs."
His mother, Bernie McCrae, describes Feirghal as "passionate about equality, and about religion not making any difference between people" - an attitude directly influenced by his home and education.
Feirghal went along to the Waterfront recently to meet Bill Clinton and show him the poem.
Although he missed out on the meeting, John Hume was struck by what he read and agreed to deliver it himself.
"I am sending the poem to President Clinton. I read it and was very moved. The young man's feeling for peace came across very well and also how strongly he expressed his views," Mr Hume said yesterday.
"I thought it would be good for most people to read it. His poem underlines the strength of feeling that exists among our younger people."
Of his writing style, Feirghal says: "If I'm upset with something like the bombing, I think out loud and act. If it sounds good I write it down and it turns into poetry."
"At the time Clinton was doing work on the peace process in Europe, trying to track down the terrorists doing all the damage. I wanted to give him a note to give out to the rest of the world - to tell everyone off, and tell them to get a grip on themselves," said Feirghal.
"Hopefully he'll agree with it and also unite the rest of the world."
Far from value
Far from war
We've gotta look for an open
door
All of us working
All of us searching
For Peace
We dream of a time when we
all are one
Claiming to hope when the
earth risen sun
So lets get together and things
will be better
If we try
Hear us cry.
Some day the pain of war will
be healed
Some day the music of peace
will be real
Let the walls fall down
Tumbling into the ground
And then there will be love
And peace all around
So lets raise our voices
Hope in them all
Can face and hear our cheer
All of them sleeping
All of them cry
We will try.
Everybody in the world
In a special place
For a special race
For a world
Turned into an integrated
culture
would make us all a giant
bunch of
Happy families
Everybody's gotta price to
pay
In a fair and friendly way
There's be no more wars in a
hopeful case
And that's peace
Some day the pain of defeat
will be sealed
Let the walls fall down
Tumbling to the ground
And then there will be love
and peace
all around
Let the walls fall down
Tumbling to the ground
And then there will be love
and peace
all around
Feirghal McCrea 1.1.98
Further Information
Publisher: THE IRISH NEWS
Ref: IN/0394
Published Date: 19-Sep-98
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