Granlahan National School - our school year 2003-2004

(By Mr Billy Phillips - Principal)

The school year 2003 - 2004 was a very exciting and varied one for pupils and staff of Granlahan NS.

Pupils took part in a range of activities that were new to them and they welcomed interesting visitors to the school who introduced them to new aspects of culture, literature, environment, and modern technology in music.

The first of these interesting people was the author Lorraine Francis. Pupils met her on a visit to Ballyhaunis library. She writes childrens’ books. She read her latest book for them, and she really made the characters come alive. In addition she also told how she writes her books. She always has a notebook with her and jots down ideas as they come to her. Her stories stem from these jotted down notes. She told how books are published, from the first jotted down ideas, through the various writing stages, proof reading, editing, until finally the book is printed and in the shop.

John Crowe came to visit. He is a very talented musician. He can play a wide variety of instruments. He played themes from cartoons and TV programmes many of which the pupils recognised and could clap and sing along to. He also played lovely classical music. He had a keyboard with software that included drums, rhythms and accompaniments. It could also alter voices. He could make the pupils sing like chipmunks or with the software they could sing in harmony. In the end he burned a CD with all of doing their party pieces.

The next visitor was John Conneely. He is a poet and folklorist. He told about old traditions and customs. He also told lots of ghost stories. Some of them were quite scary! But they enjoyed them.

Granlahan NS is located in a spectacularly beautiful place. The surroundings are green and peaceful. The school itself is small, but bright and cheerful.
The atmosphere is happy and friendly. A lot happens here. For the second year in a row the school has won the Tidy Schools award for two teachers schools.

Gordan Darcy visited on a beautiful Spring day. He is a naturalist and an artist. The pupil went on a bus to Coolcam lake. They had never been there before, even though it is very close. They were surprised that Gordan Darcy knew so much about it. He explained that he had been there many times. He said it was a well known bird sanctuary. He allowed pupils use his field glasses as he pointed out three different types of duck that were on the lake. He allowed them look close up at the swans as he explained the difference between the three types of swan. He also pointed out some Winter visitors like the Fieldfare. He said that Coolcam was a Esker lake and when pupils returned to school he drew diagrams, showing how Esker lakes and Turlough lakes were formed. On the trip he pointed out Eskers and also Lazy Beds which date from Famine times. When the pupils returned to school he drew a swan and also the three types of duck that they saw. Not only that but he showed how to draw them too.

On another occasion a lady came to school to teach pupils how to play bells. The Bells were very precious. They were wrapped in soft cloth and they had to be handled with great care. Each bell played a different note. One had to pay great attention so as to play ones bell at the right time. But they did play tunes and it was great when we got it right.

The school had a visit from Clann Cluana, a travelling theatre company, who write their own material. This time they performed “Osin in Tir na nog”, in the Community Centre. Trien National School also came for the occasion. It was great fun. The actors came down amongst the audience for parts of it.

A party was held in the school for much loved postmistress, Noreen Kelly, on her retirement. Noreen has always been very kind to all the children who went into the post office and she was always supportive of our school.

Pupils took part in many activities this year. There were annual activities of swimming and Ceili dancing but in addition there were some new ones. The first new one was a cycling safety course. It took place in school and ran for seven weeks. The instructor was strict but fair. On week seven he took pupils on an eight mile cycle on the open road to put into practice the safety rules he had painstaking taught.

This year for the first time the school took part in Operation Christmas Child. It made all of aware of children who did not live in a rich country like Ireland, and who don’t have all the things others take for granted.

Another very enjoyable activity was glass painting. Pupils collected old jars that had nice shapes and painted them with special paint. Later on two students painted glass pictures as a memento of First Holy Communion of the children in second class. They were presented to them on their first Communion day.

This year pupils took feeding the birds very seriously. They fed them through Autumn, Winter and Spring. They also undertook a study of the birds in the area observing them twice daily from two different locations in the yard. A lot was learned. They got to know all the native birds - finches, robins, blackbirds, thrushes, but they also got to know some Winter visitors, the redwing, the fieldfares and flocks of lapwing. It was a great treat to see the lapwings in flight with their undersides shining silver in the Winter sun.

This year saw the beginning of the Chess club. There was one boy who was very good and he helped other people a lot.

The usual vegetable patch was planted. In September the vegetables will be harvested and shared out so that everyone will bring something home.

In the school there are talented people. Some play wonderful traditional music. They play outside sometimes, when the weather is nice. It is lovely to hear the music floating back into the classrooms. In the school are many wonderful artists. Two of them actually made two window blinds, using a fabric collage technique. The blinds are beautiful and really works of art. In addition there some fine poets, story writers, light footed dancers and people who are truly gifted on the sports field.

Pupils completed an eight week course in swimming. During each class they learned the various movements and techniques and how to breath properly.

The school entered two boys teams and one girls team in the Ribena 5-a-side soccer competition held in the grounds of Donamon Castle. The three teams showed great skill in their games with the girls team progressing to the finals of the competition.

Cumann na mBunscoil football competitions commenced in April and Granlahan entered two teams, one in the boys competition and one in the girls. This gives an opportunity to the young boys and girls to learn and practise the skills, to take part in, enjoy and play Gaelic games.

The girls are enjoying their Gaelic Football and Granlahan has a long and successful tradition in girls football. For many years girls from the school have gone on to represent the Michael Glaveys club at all levels.