A visitor from afar

There was great excitement in the school today as many of the classes took the very rare opportunity to see a black swan that has decided to visit its Galway relations here in Claddagh!

Originally native to Australia, and unknown to Europeans for thousands of years, black swans do now breed in some places in Europe, and there have been reports of small numbers in Ireland in recent years. This is, though, the first time we can remember that our own Claddagh swans have met one!

"For People and Planet" - Irish Aid Awards

Both 6th classes recently finished and submitted their projects on the theme of ‘For People and Planet’ for the 2017 Our World, Irish Aid Awards

The Irish Aid Awards seek to enable pupils to learn about the lives of children and their families in developing countries, and how Ireland, through Irish Aid, and 192 other countries in the United Nations are working together to create a safer and fairer world, and a better future for all the world’s children. Pupils, as global citizens, can play their part by taking part in these awards and engaging with these issues.

The 6th class pupils engaged eagerly in this project and produced some fantastic projects in the art room over a period of three weeks. 

There are projects on Irish Aid’s eight partner countries : Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Zambia, Malawi, Vietnam, Mozambique, Uganda, Tanzania and also on the Global Goals for Sustainable Development as agreed by the United Nations in 2015. The aim of the Global Goals is to make a better life for all people now and in the future. 193 countries, including Ireland, have promised to work really hard together to achieve the Goals by the year 2030.

Have a look at our fantastic projects!

Braving the elements, doing us proud

The children of the mighty Claddagh School Band were not deterred by the atrocious weather conditions in the St. Patrick's Day Parade 2017. They nailed their courage to the sticking place and donned their capes, before marching through the city, treating the thousands of very wet spectators to a spirited show of both music and true grit. 

Enjoy our three galleries of photos below, which we might call, in chronological order: "Dry", "Wet" and "Soaking"!

Well done, one and all - we couldn't be more proud of you!

Rosa Parks by Jena Deegan, 4th Class

Rosa Parks is not somebody you will know, like Ed Sheeran, Little Mix or Lionel Messi. Rosa Parks is not a singer or a sports star but she is a hero. Let me tell you why......

She was born on February the 4th 1913 in Alabama, America. She had a little brother and a nice Mom and Dad. She lived on a farm. When she was young she was scared of a group called the Klu Klux Klan. The KKK did very hateful things to black people like burning their homes and beating them up!

During this time, the place where Rosa lived was segregated. This means that things were different for white people and black people. They had different schools, churches and shops and black people were not treated equally. When Rosa took the bus to work she would have to sit at the back because she was black. Sometimes she would have to stand, even if there were seats at the front. Those seats were only for white people. One day Rosa was sitting on the bus when a white man got on. The bus driver told Rosa to get up and give him her seat. Rosa was so angry and she was sick of being treated differently just because of the colour of her skin. She would not give up her seat so the bus driver called the police. She got arrested for breaking the law! 

From this day on, Rosa led other black people in protests and marches. They all decided to boycott the buses. This means they would not ride the bus anymore. This lasted for over a year! Finally the segregation laws in Alabama came to an end because of their actions. Rosa Parkes is a hero because she fought for equal rights and she made a difference.

Junior Curators - Our labels at Galway City Museum

The children of Mr. Leonard's Rang a IV were delighted to see the results of their collaboration with Galway City Museum when they visited today. 

As part of a joint project between the Museum and Claddagh School, the children had examined artefacts before writing and drawing their own personalised labels. Those labels are now on display in the Museum for all to see.

Well done everyone!