Armagh Integrated College

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Jim O’Connor of The American Ireland Fund visited Armagh Integrated College June, 2007.  The college, whose existence and sustainability is critical to the Armagh area, was established as a result of the dedication and tenacity of the parents in the area and their desire to participate in the extraordinary success of integrated education in Northern Ireland.  Among the most immediate needs is that of a school bus and driver.  This would not only transport the students to and from school but provide them with the means to go into the community as part of their "Week Without Walls" initiative whose purpose is to put into practice the school’s mission of peace, reconciliation and integration.

Armagh is an area with a rich and celebrated history, famed for being the ecclesiastical capital of Northern Ireland.  In the city itself are the two Cathedrals of St. Patrick – the Church of Ireland structure occupying the site where St. Patrick had a church built in 445 while on the neighbouring hill is the Roman Catholic Cathedral dating back to 1840.

Armagh Integrated College was founded in 2004 by a group of committed parents, many of whom had been involved in the establishment of the local Integrated Primary School, Saints and Scholars. They wanted to see their children continue to be educated in an integrated environment in the next stage of their education.  Their desire was to have their children educated in a surrounding which celebrated diversity and which promoted mutual understanding.

Armagh Integrated College is now going into its fourth year. When it first opened, it was on a temporary site in the former City Hospital / Queens University building on Abbey Street.  In July, 2006, work began on a new permanent site at Keady Road, Armagh.  It is currently housed in temporary classrooms on a greenfield site outside Armagh city.  It draws its children from all social classes and also welcomes children from the local migrant population.

Since opening, Armagh Integrated College has been involved in many activities within the community, holding Carol services in both cathedrals and, on January 19,  2007 became the first school in the county to help out with fundraising for the Special Olympics by holding a non-uniform day.

The College receives its recurrent funding from the Department of Education which covers staffing and daily costs. For additional resourcing, it is dependent on the fundraising efforts of its parents and the charity of others.  The College is still in its early days. It is committed to growing into a vibrant school, dedicated to educational excellence and to promoting the cause of reconciliation in the Armagh area.  As with other areas in Northern Ireland, Armagh is segregated by religion. Integrated schools, such as Armagh Integrated College, provide an avenue to a shared future.

Photo Index

1. Principal, Noreen Campbell, students, Jim O'Connor
2. Noreen Campbell, Jeanine Toner, Suzie Smyth (Integrated Education Fund)
3. Student presenting Jim O'Connor with a gift from students and faculty
4. Creativity Lab
5. Noreen Campbell, Jeanine Toner, Jim O'Connor, Sharon McCullough (Expert Events), Sarah McCullough