This year, Ireland will celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the 1916 Rising, an important historical moment in our country’s history.

All schools in Ireland will be part of the commemoration. At St. Mary’s, we started our programme of events in November when we received our very own Irish flag and a copy of the Proclamation from members of the Defence Forces.

Over the coming weeks, classes will be learning more about the events that took place during the 1916 Rising and reflecting on past events. The senior classes began with a visit from storyteller, Brendan Nolan on Monday, 15th February to set the scene. 5th and 6th Class attended a performance of ‘Me, Mollser’ by the Abbey Theatre at the Ilac Library on Wednesday, 17th February and on Monday, 22nd February will go on a walking tour of the inner city, remembering the important events and looking at the places they happened with a local archaeologist.

Our older children are also using their work on children’s rights and learning about the United Nations Convention for the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) to write their own, new version of the Proclamation that represents our families and community in Dublin in 2016.

All classes are learning songs and poems to share at our Flag Raising Day on 15th March, when the whole school will come together to raise our Irish flag and read the proclamation and share the learning that has taken place. We will aim to remember and reflect on the past while celebrating Ireland as a nation and will complete our programme with our annual ‘ceili’ for Seachtain na Gaeilge on 16th March.