- Kilmovee Heritage Tour
Fifth and Sixth Class pupils went on a short heritage tour of various Kilmovee sites on Wednesday, October 6th. Our first stop was a field in Rusheens belonging to Martin Feeney. We learned from our tour director, Lorraine that the first church in Kilmovee, founded by St. Mobhí, was built here. We spotted a hole in the ground close to the remains of the church. Lorraine informed us that it was a tunnel, possibly used for food storage and for hiding people. Sadly, it had caved in.
Our second stop was the Triple Bullaun Stones. We thought they were used to provide water for animals. However, Lorraine told us they were used as a place to grind herbs to be used for medicinal purposes. The Bullaun stones are often mistakenly called The Three Wells.
Stop number three was The Holy Wells and the Ogham Stone. If you rub your fingers along the Ogham Stone, you can feel and see the ancient writing. The stone was once used as a kneeling stone beside one of the Three Wells. It was replaced in an upside down position!
One of the Three Holy Wells is located beside the Ogham Stone. A legend tells the story that St. Mobhí’s sister came to Carralackey to visit her brother. She was chased by people who thought she was a witch. A young boy bringing water to his cows offered to help her. She was very thankful and said he would never again be short of water. She took three big steps and up sprang the Three Wells!
Next stop was St. Patrick’s Graveyard. It was really interesting to see how old it was. We spent some time reading the names on the headstones and trying to find the oldest date. Once a year, the priest says Mass there.
Finally we arrived at ‘The Caiseal’. This was my favourite part of the tour. This is an old stone ringfort, built from a reddish stone. We explored two creep ways and had fun walking along the top of the walls. It is said the fort was used to keep people and animals safe.
The tour was a great experience!
By Alex Egan
Sixth Class.
- The photographer visited the school.
- We were thrilled and honoured to receive a visit from Brother Bonaventure Frain during the month. Brother Bonaventure who is a member of the Marist Order, is the oldest past pupil of the school. We were delighted that during a trip back to his native Rusheens, he made time to call in and chat to us. Bonaventure recalled how during his time, boys and girls were segregated and taught in different classrooms. This was quite a surprise for some of the children! He answered questions from pupils and made a lot of connections as he knows many of their grandparents. Brother Bonaventure told us the names of his classmates, many now gone to their eternal reward. He then posed for photos with his grand-nephew and grand-niece, Oisín and Tara Rose Lynchehaun. This was a lovely experience for our pupils and a tangible link with the rich history of our school.
- There was one lotto winner this month-Aoibhe Duffy.
- Frása na Míosa- Is é dochtúir na sláinte codladh!
- This month’s Aistear theme was Haunted Hill/Halloween. A haunted house role play area was created where the children loved playing trick or treat, telling each other stories, making potions and having general play. Throughout the month of October the pupils constructed haunted houses, including various rooms and decorations. In messy play, playdough was used to construct and create Halloween symbols and the water station to explore potions. Learners created Halloween pictures using 2D shapes and played lots of literacy and numeracy games- for example, I spy, connect four and pumpkin matching. The ultimate favourite however was the planning, writing up and creation of potions. The children added phoenix feathers, witches nails, wart of a frog, princesses’ hair and many more ingredients to make these potions! There was lots of fun had in the junior room this month!
- On Friday the 22nd of October the pupils in Infants and First Class were delighted to attend the Community Centre for a morning of art and crafts and lots of fun! The children arrived in their fantastic costumes and there was great excitement. They were then brought through the corridor which had lots of spooky decorations! Geraldine, who had extended the invitation, explained that the pumpkins that were going to be used were all grown in the nearby tunnel. Each child had their very own pumpkin that they designed, carved, decorated, and painted. The children had so much fun and were delighted to be able to take their pumpkin home! Thank you so much to Geraldine and everybody at the Community Centre for a really enjoyable morning!
- Lots of merriment was also had by the pupils of the middle and senior rooms on the last day before the Halloween break. All children were permitted to come to school in costume and what a sight that was! Witches, skeletons, ghosts, zombies, Harry Potter and Frankenstein all made their way through the doors in the morning! Traditional games such as ‘ducking’ and ‘the saucer game’ were played and their origins discussed. It was a light-hearted and enjoyable way to round up a very busy and productive period for our learners and staff!