Sponsored Walk- A Walk back in Time
Friday 23rd March we came to school dressed like this
and this
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Class sitting in the old desks in the 'Education Museum' created in the halla
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We then went on our Annual Sponsored Walk- but this year it was different. We walked through the village - getting a few strange looks because of the way we were dressed. It was a laugh. Then up the Glenmacnass Road and over the bridge. We walked with our guide Bridie Merrigan to the village of Brockagh where she lived as a child. Bridie is Ian's Granny. Nobody lives there now. She told us many things about the place and the people who used to live there. Nobody has lived in this part of Brockagh for over 50 years.
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Bridie Merrigan with the class outside the house Bridie lived in when she was young in Brockagh.
Bridie told us about her family and the way they farmed and cut turf. She showed us these stones where the hay and straw was placed to keep it dry. The girls are sitting on the stones and this is a picture of one stone.
We walked the path that Bridie walked every day coming and going to school. It was like an outdoor classroom. We learned about 'Barry's Field' ; this was where people called Barry once lived. Over 160 years ago one of the people who helped build St Kevin's Church and the Parochial House was called Barry from Brockagh. We saw and felt the soft greenery of the larch showing off its new spring colours; we saw the catkins on the willow and the hazel trees; we also saw the black tips- new buds on an ash tree; we saw lots of gorse bushes; some people tasted wood sorrel that looked a bit like shamrock under the Spanish Chestnut trees.
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We came back to school and ate lunch- we tried to have lunches like our parents/grandparents had when they were going to school.- Anna's Mum made soda bread like she used to have going to school. Many of us had wrapped our lunches in paper. Then out to the playground for old games.
Jim Clarke who used to be a guide in the Information Centre was so interesting. He told us about school in Glendalough about 1,000 years ago. It was for boys only and then only for the sons of wealthy chieftains. They studied astronomy, law and latin - subjects they would use when they became leaders. Thanks to Jim. Even some of the adults came into the class to hear what he had to say.
In school we set up a museum of old educational artefacts. We had desks, ink bottles, school books, roll books, photographs and much more.
While we were in the museum we had a Question and Answer Time with some of our Grannies, Granddad's. They told us of their memories of their school lives.
Finally we got to the 'Old Sweet Shop'- we were given lots of sweets to say Thank You for doing the Sponsored Walk. Caroline was the Shop Keeper.
Thank You to everybody who helped in any way with our School History Day.
Míle, Míle Buíochas
