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.