On Thursday the 8th of November as part of our Digital Schools Cluster Project the senior room visited Claremorris for a local history tour led by Colmán Ó Raghallaigh. The tour began in Claremorris Train Station where the children had a very informative tour and were lucky enough to walk over the footbridge. Following this we walked a short distance to view the monument erected in memory of many famine victims. Next we returned to the bus and headed to another part of the railway line. Colmán pointed out the railway line to Galway that is no longer in service. It is hoped this line will open again in the future. We then headed off to view the old famine workhouse. Many of the children were surprised to learn this was an old workhouse. The Famine is a topic we have covered in a lot of depth over the last view months and we are currently reading some novels based on this time in Ireland. Our previous knowledge on this topic helped the children understand the significance of the workhouse and having one located so near. Following the closure of the workhouse we learned the building was then used as a bacon factory. We returned to the bus again and headed back towards the town centre. Colmán gave us with a very informative talk on the history of the current library building used as a church in olden days. The children were fascinated to learn this was a building that was hit by lightning twice in the past. This information suggests that the old saying may be something of a myth. Our final visit was just across the road to the stunning St Colemans Church. As a special treat Colmán organised for the children to visit the gallery which is used by the church choir. Here the children were treated to a stunning view of the church and alter. The children got a close up view of the organ, one of the largest organs in Ireland. The final part of our tour included a look at the stunning stain glass windows and a description of the images that appear on them. Colmán was extremely knowledgeable and answered all of our questions. It was a very enjoyable day.

Naomh Bríd by Amy & Sian.

On the first of February we made St. Brigid’s crosses. They were made with rushes. Every class got a turn making them.

Saint Brigid was named after a goddess. She was born in Dundalk. She died in Kildare. Her feast day is on the first of February. Her name in Irish is Naomh Bríd. Her saint names are St. Brigid of Ireland or St. Brigid of Kildare. She is one of Ireland’s patron saints along with St. Patrick and St. Columba. She helped a lot of people and animals. She was very kind and loving. There are many stories of St. Brigid. Here is one of them.

One day while Brigid was cooking steak for dinner a hungry dog came by and smelled the food. He went to where Brigid was cooking. She gave him a steak even though she knew her father would be mad at her. The dog left and Brigid prayed that her father wouldn’t be angry. She looked in the pot and a new steak had appeared. God was helping her because she helped the dog.

Saint Brigid’s crosses in the senior room.

Crosses with Senior Infants.

Crosses with Junior Infants.

Saint Brigid’s crosses with the middle room.

Making crosses in the middle room.

Making some crosses.

The girls with Ms. Dooley making crosses.

Sian and Amy with their Saint Brigid’s crosses and project.

Eoin, Evan and Conor with their crosses.

Recently we went for a visit to Galway because our film League of Skeletons was being shown at the Galway Junior Film Festival. We watched movies from other schools and got our picture taken. There were many great films shown. Afterwards our teacher brought us on a walking tour of Galway. First we went to Eyre square.

Eyre Square, Galway.

In 1631 it was a market area. It was officially presented to the city in 1710 by Mayor Edward Eyre but it was named John F Kennedy memorial park when JFK, president of America at this time, made a speech on his visit to Galway in 1963, only a few months before he was shot.

JFK making his speech in Galway in 1963.

We went to the shopping centre and saw part of the original city walls. We also saw a building with limestone walls. Then we saw a building called Lynch’s castle. The Lynches were one of the fourteen merchant families who dominated the life of Galway city between the mid-13th and late 19th centuries. That’s why Galway is known as the city of the tribes. On the roof of Lynch’s castle were stone heads of monsters. Their mouths were open so when the rain hit the roof it would flow through a pipe and out their mouths. There was also a statue of a stone monkey. This was there because once when a fire broke out in Lynch’s castle and everyone got out except one infant, Lynch’s pet monkey climbed in the window and saved the child.

Lynch’s castle in Galway.

We went inside The King’s Head pub and saw the huge stone fireplaces. It is called The King’s Head because when the king of England, King Charles 1, was to be executed in 1649, a man from Galway called Gunning was sent to execute him. This was because English people didn’t want an English man killing the king of England. So with an axe, Gunning chopped off the king’s head. As a reward he was given the King’s Head pub and some land in Galway. The novel, I Coriander, we are reading at school is set in the time of King Charles. It is set just after he was executed.

The King’s Head pub in Galway.

We then went to Saint Nicolas’ church. Oliver Cromwell once invaded the church with his men. They used the butts of their rifles to deface the statues. Only one statue (where Cromwell’s men tied up their horses) was unharmed. A mark in the floor can be seen where the horses were tied up.

Inside Saint Nicolas’ church in Galway.

Outside the church is a monument with an engraving of the Claddagh ring. Barthomelew Fallon made the first Claddagh ring in 1700. Next we saw the home of Walter Lynch. Above the door was a skull and cross-bones. This was because in 1649 his own father sentenced him to death because he murdered a friendly Spanish merchant called Gomez who was having an affair with his girlfriend. Lynch was hung out of a window just above the skull and cross-bones. In 1477, Christopher Columbus visited Galway possibly on a voyage to Iceland or the Faroe Islands. We saw the River Corrib. It flows fast and is very deep. It powered most of the industry in Galway many years ago. There were about twenty water wheels built on the river Corrib. We had a great day and learned a lot.

Today is the 104th Anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. Here is a story I wrote based on the event. 

As I got out of the car, getting ready to board the Titanic, I felt a sudden gush of excitement. I know posh fellows, like myself, don’t usually act like immature people jumping around the place and breaking everything just because they are excited. That’s why I kept the excitement to myself. Then my mother got out of the car. She was dressed in a delicate fabric dress along with a sun hat to match. She was very into delicates. She had ginger, curly hair, like myself, and, don’t tell her that I said this, but her hair was piled up to the top of her head like a bird’s nest! Then my father got out of the car and gazed at the ship. He had black hair with a black moustache and was wearing a grey suit with a black tie, a pink shirt and shiny black shoes –  weird choice, right?  When we got all thirty-six, ten-kilo bags out of the eight cars, we started to queue for first class.

 
We waited for a whole THIRTY minutes before we got on board! I thought I would completely ‘lose it.’ A few crew members had to help us load all of our luggage. When we got to our cabin I looked around with awe. It was beautiful. It was one of the biggest, most elegant cabins on the ship! There was furniture made of gold, two king-sized beds and giant plants with tall flower pots. When I finally snapped out of it, my family and I started to unpack. While I unpacked our valuable treasures, my mother hung up some portraits and, as for my father, well, he went haywire exploring the ship.

When we finally finished unpacking, Daddy came rushing in with a flurry.  He then caught his breath and told us why he was so excited. Apparently, there were lots of cinemas, restaurants and spas around and lots of other features. There was even a deck pool! I then went out to explore. I bumped into a boy named Jack. The way we met was, well, kind of strange. But let’s NOT get into that right now! At that moment, I could sense that my mother was looking for me so I said I had to go back to my cabin. But, before I left, I invited him to dinner that night with my family.

When we got to our restaurant I met Jack and we sat down. My family and I ordered our food and had a little chit chat. When our food was laid on the table, it smelled lovely. I ordered a beef steak with vegetables and potatoes. Jack ordered a cheeseburger with chips. My family looked at him like he was a crazy person. I don’t think he yet understood the concept that we were posh, as well as rich, and we never, ever ate fast food. Anyway, we all enjoyed our meal very much. I went back to the cabin to have a ten-minute nap afterwards.

In the middle of my nap, I heard a huge bang! crash! scrape! It sounded like the ship had been picked up and dropped back on the ocean. I jumped out of my bed and rushed out of the cabin to see what was going on. I bumped into one of the crew members handing out life jackets. He gave one to me and ordered me to put it on right away. I still had no idea what was going on so I pulled the crew member back and asked him what on earth was going on. He said that the ship was sinking. That was what changed everything. I found my mother getting into a lifeboat and my father waiting. Apparently, women and children first, then the men. My mother tried to get me onto the lifeboat but I refused because Jack was missing. Other women began trying to persuade me to board a lifeboat, but I still refused. I then ran off to find Jack because I wasn’t leaving without him. I ran into the ship and heard Jack shouting. He was trapped in a cabin below deck. I grabbed an axe that was on display. I smashed the door open and we got back up and out on the deck as fast as we possibly could. There were musicians playing sad music trying to calm the mood but, of course, it didn’t work as people were still running around like headless chickens. My mother’s lifeboat then left. Mother started crying as she left and begged the crew member to turn back. The boat kept going forward.

Soon after, an SOS signal flare shot up into the sky like a scarlet firework. I was starting to panic. Two hours later, I heard the biggest crash ever! Apparently, the ship had split in two. Jack and I were at the bow of the ship which soon began to tip over. We held onto the front bars for dear life. When the ship went down we let go of the bars. The water was freezing. Jack got me a door to lie down on so I wouldn’t get too cold. During the night Jack kept hold of the door beside me, until he died of pneumonia. He let go of the door and drifted slowly down, deep into the Atlantic Ocean. Then a half-empty lifeboat came back. I tried to raise my voice and call it over to me but they didn’t hear. Then I spotted a drowned officer floating about two metres from me and he had a whistle. I paddled over, took the whistle and blew it as loud as I could. The half-empty lifeboat turned around and started coming towards me.

After ten minutes of rowing we spotted a ship called the Carpathia coming towards us. When I got on the ship, I was given blankets. At that moment, mother started hurrying towards me. I could see her but she hadn’t yet spotted me. I didn’t want to face her at that moment right after refusing to get on the lifeboat. It seemed like she was looking for someone. I overcame my hesitation, ran to her with open arms and gave her a big bear-hug. I’ll never forget that terrible night.

Based on the diary entry of Rose DeWitt Buckater, 15th April 1912.

We made a website and computer game in memory of the 1916 Rising. All the fourth to sixth class pupils took part. You can play it on any desktop or touch device. Click here to play.

Earlier this year, The National Museum of Ireland – Country Life invited students to use their creative writing skills by composing a poem or a short story inspired by the Cross of Cong.  The Cross of Cong is one of Ireland’s greatest treasures which returns to Mayo after an absence of 170 years.  It was made in 1123 to encase a fragment of the True Cross.  The overall winning story, below, was by Patrick in 6th class.

The Story of the Cross of Cong

My name is Mael Isu. I live in an Augustinian monastery in Roscommon. Life here is hard and very strict. It is very cold here. I wear a cloak but it is still cold. We fast on Wednesdays and Fridays. I have two jobs – working in the scriptorium and in the forge making chalices and other valuables. I am working on a cross for the High King of Connacht.  It is a special cross.  The king gave us gold and jewels with which to make it. His name is Tairdelbach.

Right now I am on the watch tower looking out for any Vikings. I am looking at my best friend farming. I can see the dinner getting ready in the refectory. From up high the monastery looks like a ring fort. I can see the bee-hive shaped cells where we sleep.

When the bell rings for dinner we all stop what we are doing and go to the refectory. I usually sit beside my best friend. Today, after dinner it’s someone else’s turn to go on watch. I go to the church to pray.  The next day I start working on the cross for the King of Connacht. My friend helps me. We first carve some oak into the shape of a cross. We then make a mould and begin to carve designs on it. It is very hard work.

Half-way through I made a mistake. The second time I was almost finished when I went off the line and had to start again. The third time I got it finished. We smelted some gold and poured it in. When it dried, I put the rectangular shaped jewels onto the cross. I carved the jewels to the right size so they would fit. It was done in about six months.

The king collected it two days later. He thanked us and left. Sometime later the king gave the cross to the Bishop of Tuam. The Bishop in turn gave the cross to the monks in Cong Abbey. The cross was hidden for many years and found some years later before being brought to the National Museum in Dublin. Last year the cross was returned to Mayo after 170 years. Many people have visited the Museum of Country Life in Castlebar just to see our cross. I feel very proud.

The story of the Wright brothers first flight….

The story of the Wright brothers and how they developed the first airplane.

Patrick’s Titanic story.