Réalt na Mara // Star of the Sea
Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin, Doire, BT48 7DF
Wednesday 25th November 2026
I dtuaisceart Bhéal Feirste i 1969, bhí an chuma air nárbh fhéidir foireann sacair club óige áitiúil, Réalt na Mara, a chloí agus iad ag buachan gach comórtais sa cheantar gan trácht ar bhuachan ar fhoirne rogha XI ó Phoblacht na hÉireann. Foireann óige éachtach ba ea iad gan aon agó.
Scéal é seo faoin gcaoi ar éirigh le foireann sacair óige pobal a thabhairt le chéile i dtuaisceart Bhéal Feirste go dtí gur srac an foréigean agus na Trioblóidí ó chéile í. Leanaimid ar tharla do na himreoirí in imeacht scór bliain go leith. Feicimid a mianta cróga maireachtáil faoi shíocháin, in ainneoin an uafáis agus an mhéala a d’fhulaing siad agus feicimid Réalt na Mara ina eiseamláir dóchais ag glúin na linne seo ar mian léi todhchaí níos fearr a bheith aici i dTuaisceart Éireann.
Insímid an scéal, sa scannán faisnéise (75 nóiméad) seo, trí shúile imreoirí, Raymond McCord, Denis Sweeney, Geordie Hussey, agus Dessie Black – a thug a gcúl leis an seicteachas ach a ndeachaigh na Trioblóidí i gcion go mór orthu ar bhealaí go leor.
Ní furasta éalú ó dhoilbhe na dTrioblóidí. Gabhann triúr imreoirí leis an bhforéigean. Téann beirt imreoirí i bpáirt leis an UVF agus imreoir eile leis IRA – faigheann cúlaí clé Réalt na Mara, Bobby Sands, bás tar éis Stailc Ocrais sa Cheis Fhada i 1981.
In ainneoin na doilbhe, an liútar éatar, na deighilte agus an fhoréigin a d’fhulaing na fir sin, léiríonn Réalt na Mara gur mar a chéile muid go léir – sin é ba bhun leis an rath a bhí ar Réalt na Mara, tráth, agus is é sin léiriú an dóchais don bhunsíocháin i dTuaisceart Éireann.
Tá an t-imeacht seo mar chuid de chlár an 39ú Féile Scannán an Fheabhail, agus cuirfidh an scríbhneoir agus stiúrthóir James Wynne i láthair é, glacfaidh sé páirt fosta i bplé a bheidh ar siúl i ndiaidh an scannáin, in éineacht le Raymond McCord, ceann de na himreoirí a bhíodh ag imirt do 'Star of the Sea' agus a fheictear sa scannán.
___
In North Belfast in 1969, the local youth club football team, Réalt na Mara, seemed unbeatable; they won every competition in the area, and even triumphed against select XI teams from the Republic of Ireland. They were, without a doubt, an extraordinary youth side.
This is the story of how a youth football team brought a community in North Belfast together—until the violence of the Troubles tore it apart. We follow the fate of the players over the course of fifteen years. We witness their courageous desire to live in peace, despite the horror and grief they endured, and we see Réalt na Mara emerge as a beacon of hope for today’s generation, who aspire to a better future in Northern Ireland.
In this 75-minute documentary, the story is told through the eyes of four players, Raymond McCord, Denis Sweeney, Geordie Hussey, and Dessie Black, men who rejected sectarianism, yet whose lives were profoundly affected by the Troubles in many different ways.
It is not easy to escape the grim shadow of the Troubles. Three of the players become drawn into the violence. Two players join the UVF and another the IRA, Réalt na Mara left-back Bobby Sands dies following a hunger strike in Long Kesh in 1981.
Despite the grimness, the turmoil, the division, and the violence those men endured, Réalt na Mara demonstrates that we are all the same, that was the foundation of the club's past success, and it represents a message of hope for lasting peace in Northern Ireland.
This screening is part of the 39th Foyle Film Festival programme and will be introduced by writer-director James Wynne, who also will take part in a post-screening discussion with Raymond McCord, one of the former Star of the Sea players featured in the film.
Scéal é seo faoin gcaoi ar éirigh le foireann sacair óige pobal a thabhairt le chéile i dtuaisceart Bhéal Feirste go dtí gur srac an foréigean agus na Trioblóidí ó chéile í. Leanaimid ar tharla do na himreoirí in imeacht scór bliain go leith. Feicimid a mianta cróga maireachtáil faoi shíocháin, in ainneoin an uafáis agus an mhéala a d’fhulaing siad agus feicimid Réalt na Mara ina eiseamláir dóchais ag glúin na linne seo ar mian léi todhchaí níos fearr a bheith aici i dTuaisceart Éireann.
Insímid an scéal, sa scannán faisnéise (75 nóiméad) seo, trí shúile imreoirí, Raymond McCord, Denis Sweeney, Geordie Hussey, agus Dessie Black – a thug a gcúl leis an seicteachas ach a ndeachaigh na Trioblóidí i gcion go mór orthu ar bhealaí go leor.
Ní furasta éalú ó dhoilbhe na dTrioblóidí. Gabhann triúr imreoirí leis an bhforéigean. Téann beirt imreoirí i bpáirt leis an UVF agus imreoir eile leis IRA – faigheann cúlaí clé Réalt na Mara, Bobby Sands, bás tar éis Stailc Ocrais sa Cheis Fhada i 1981.
In ainneoin na doilbhe, an liútar éatar, na deighilte agus an fhoréigin a d’fhulaing na fir sin, léiríonn Réalt na Mara gur mar a chéile muid go léir – sin é ba bhun leis an rath a bhí ar Réalt na Mara, tráth, agus is é sin léiriú an dóchais don bhunsíocháin i dTuaisceart Éireann.
Tá an t-imeacht seo mar chuid de chlár an 39ú Féile Scannán an Fheabhail, agus cuirfidh an scríbhneoir agus stiúrthóir James Wynne i láthair é, glacfaidh sé páirt fosta i bplé a bheidh ar siúl i ndiaidh an scannáin, in éineacht le Raymond McCord, ceann de na himreoirí a bhíodh ag imirt do 'Star of the Sea' agus a fheictear sa scannán.
___
In North Belfast in 1969, the local youth club football team, Réalt na Mara, seemed unbeatable; they won every competition in the area, and even triumphed against select XI teams from the Republic of Ireland. They were, without a doubt, an extraordinary youth side.
This is the story of how a youth football team brought a community in North Belfast together—until the violence of the Troubles tore it apart. We follow the fate of the players over the course of fifteen years. We witness their courageous desire to live in peace, despite the horror and grief they endured, and we see Réalt na Mara emerge as a beacon of hope for today’s generation, who aspire to a better future in Northern Ireland.
In this 75-minute documentary, the story is told through the eyes of four players, Raymond McCord, Denis Sweeney, Geordie Hussey, and Dessie Black, men who rejected sectarianism, yet whose lives were profoundly affected by the Troubles in many different ways.
It is not easy to escape the grim shadow of the Troubles. Three of the players become drawn into the violence. Two players join the UVF and another the IRA, Réalt na Mara left-back Bobby Sands dies following a hunger strike in Long Kesh in 1981.
Despite the grimness, the turmoil, the division, and the violence those men endured, Réalt na Mara demonstrates that we are all the same, that was the foundation of the club's past success, and it represents a message of hope for lasting peace in Northern Ireland.
This screening is part of the 39th Foyle Film Festival programme and will be introduced by writer-director James Wynne, who also will take part in a post-screening discussion with Raymond McCord, one of the former Star of the Sea players featured in the film.
Price
Ticket price incl. booking fee
£7.55
