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The Great Famine Poetry Trail
As part of the community engagement programme leading up to the National Famine Commemoration which was held in Milford on the 21st May 2023, the Library Service commissioned Arts Facilitator John D Ruddy to work on a Poetry Trail Project with the following primary schools:
Please click on the school and then the text of each individual poem to listen.
The purpose of the project was to engage with school children to highlight that the National Famine Commemoration was taking place in Milford. This was a momentous occasion for the County and a great honour to be selected as the host County.
John held workshops with the four schools over a four-week period, where he peaked the children’s interest in creative writing and on the history of the famine. Due to John’s entertaining and charismatic character the students thoroughly enjoyed the workshops. Poetry is a powerful teaching tool, and this project allowed the students to express their emotions while interacting with quite sensitive topics. Creating their own poems allowed them to put their voice to a very traumatic time in Irish history. This project also motivated the children to read, to build their vocabulary and encouraged their creativity. Each student was recorded reciting their poem and the results are below for you to read and listen.
The Poetry Trail
Some of the poems were selected for display on storyboards at the National Famine Commemoration. These boards will be available to view as a poetry trail in Milford Town in the coming weeks. The story board includes a QR code which links directly to this webpage where all the poems are available. The Library Service also plans to collate all 70+ poems into a booklet and present a copy to each school involved. More information on this to follow.
We congratulate the students on their work on this project, the results speak for themselves. We also thank the teachers for allowing us the opportunity to work in their schools. We hope you enjoy listening to the poems as much as we did.
In the words of Robert Frost;
‘Poetry is when an emotion has found it’s thought, and the thought has found words.’
Enjoy!
Scoil Mhuire, Creeslough
Creeslough National School
Endless Walk by Daniel Parry |
Help Ireland by Jake Alcorn |
Hunger by Conrad Parry
|
No Food by Donna Moore |
Nothing Left by Shauna Moore
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People by Leon Parry |
Sick Spuds by Ryan Moore |
Starvation by Shane Moore |
The Famine by Amy Gallagher |
The Guards of the Grain by Nathan King |
Thoughts by Conor Moore |
Two Days by Emily Wright |
Scoil Eoin Baiste, Carrigart
Scoil Mhuire, Milford
2022
Decade of Centenaries Commemorations and Heritage Week, 6 Podcasts. Sit back, listen, and be transported back in time.
Click this link shorturl.at/qvEHK.
Night Night North West
Night Night North West is a series of half-hour radio broadcasts of bedtime stories on Highland Radio, which were aired in the Spring of 2018.
The programmes were recorded at library venues around the county, featuring various readers reading to pupils from local schools.
The first and final broadcast in the series featured Laureate an nÓg PJ Lynch reading tales by Oscar Wilde to local primary school pupils in Central Library Letterkenny.
The series was designed to educate and inform but in a soft and informal way, where those present and those listening will get to experience and learn about Irish literature.
Speaking about the project, Real Films Director, Alison Toomey said ‘Night Night North West is a bedtime story format which aims to use the power of oral tradition and the depth and strength of our literature, to explore themes of Irish culture, heritage and experience with the young people of Donegal. In doing so we will encourage, reading, literacy, debating and the process involved in creative thought.’
Click on the 'listen back' links below to listen to a bedtime story suitable for all ages.
Schedule of broadcasts:
2019
Series 2
Date |
Library |
School |
Reader |
Title of Book |
Listen back |
07/02/19 |
Central Library Letterkenny |
Educate Together |
Siobhan Parkinson |
The Nightingale and the Rose |
|
14/02/19 |
Buncrana Community Library |
Scoil Íosagáin |
Alison Toomey |
The Dreaming Tree |
|
21/02/19 |
Carndonagh Community Library |
Scoil Mhuire Gleneely |
Alison Toomey |
Olanna’s Big Day |
|
28/02/19 |
Bundoran Community Library |
St MacCarthan’s N.S. Bundoran |
Terence McAnerney |
Favourite Rhymes from an Irish Childhood |
|
07/03/19 |
Bundoran Community Library |
Four Masters, Kinlough |
Terence McAnerney |
A Sailor went to Sea, Sea, Sea |
|
14/03/19 |
Cross Border Mobile Library |
Ray National School |
Alison Toomey |
A Garden for Tom |
|
21/03/19 |
Twin Towns Library |
St Marys N.S. Stranorlar |
Tricia Keane |
The Boy who fell off the Mayflower |
|
28/03/19 |
Carndonagh Community Library |
Donagh N.S. |
Alison Toomey |
Guess how much I love you Can’t you sleep little bear? |
|
04/04/19 |
Leabharlann Phobail Ghaoth Dobhair |
Scil Phádraig, Dobhair |
Mary Thoraig |
Éasca Péasca. Scéal Eile |
|
11/04/19 |
Twin Towns Library |
St Marys N.S. Stranorlar |
Tricia Keane |
Ed’s Funny Feet |
|
18/04/19 |
Leabharlann Phobail Ghaoth Dobhair |
Scoil Chonaill, Bunbeg |
Mary Thoraig |
Taibhse |
|
25/04/19 |
Buncrana Community Library |
St. Mura’s N.S. Buncrana |
Alison Toomey |
Owl Babies Lottie's Letter |
|
02/05/19 |
Milford Community Library |
Scoil Mhuire, Milford |
Alison Toomey |
The Secret of Kells |
|
09/05/19 |
Central Library Letterkenny |
St Patrick's N.S. Lurgybrack |
Siobhan Parkinson |
The Remarkable Rocket |
|
2018
Series 1
Date |
Library |
School |
Reader |
Title of Book |
Listen back |
18/01/18 |
Central Library Letterkenny |
Scoil Colmcille |
PJ Lynch |
The Selfish Giant |
|
25/01/18 |
Bundoran Community Library |
St McCartan's NS |
Alison Toomey |
The Bee-Man of Orn |
|
01/02/18 |
Twin Towns Community Library |
St Mary's NS |
Marion Rose McFadden |
The Sunbeam Path & the Dolmen Arches |
|
08/02/18 |
Milford Community Library |
Scoil Mhuire |
Eoin McNeill |
Did You See My Celebration? |
|
15/02/18 |
Carndonagh Community Library |
Scoil Mhuire Gleneely |
Alison Toomey |
Sinead the Dancer, Ribbit-Ribbit & No Shoes for Tom! |
|
22/02/18 |
Buncrana Community Library |
Scoil Íosagáin |
Alison Toomey |
Molly's Secret World |
|
01/03/18 |
Leabharlann Phobail Ghaoth Dobhair |
SN Gort an Choirce |
Bernie Ní Dhuibhirb |
Marita |
|
08/03/18 |
Cross Border Mobile Library, Newtowncunningham |
Moyle NS |
Alison Toomey |
Amy's Wonderful Nest & The Little Black Sheep |
|
15/03/18 |
Central Library Letterkenny |
Scoil Mhuire gan Smál |
PJ Lynch |
The Happy Prince |
|