Do you know where
Inis Oírr is?
Inisheer (Inis Oírr) is the smallest and most easterly of the three Aran Islands in Galway Bay, Ireland. It also has a proud tradition of Irish music, song and dance.
Founded in 2012, Drop Everything (DE) is a contemporary arts and culture organisation based on the smallest of the Aran Islands, Inis Oírr.
In 2018, however, DE launched a creative inaugural programme, ‘Do Anything’, aiming to inspire students from the local secondary school on Inis Oírr, Coláiste Ghobnait.
Regular school classes were programmed by DE and consisted of talks and workshops hosted by a range of professionals and entrepreneurs from the worlds of art, design, film, photography, fashion, beauty, architecture, music and hospitality.
This way, students got first-hand insights and advice on how to approach working in the creative industry as a career.
About the initiative
The curator of the programme, Mary Nally, who worked on the Drop Everything initiative, thought they could do more to incorporate students in the local school.
“We have all these amazing people with different career trajectories coming to the island.
"It is a really a good opportunity for essentially a career guidance week, aimed at inspiring the kids and showing them that creativity can go into loads of different industries,” she explains.
“In Ireland, career guidance is limited; it doesn’t really show you the scope that is out there. We would have a lot of chefs, writers, designers, artists, architects and builders. It was a way of putting these people in front of the students.”
About Coláiste Ghobnait
Coláiste Ghobnait is a co-educational school on Inis Oírr operating under the patronage of the Galway and Roscommon Education and Training Board (BOOG&RC).
Every year, through Scéim na bhFoghlaimeoirí Gaeilge, the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport & Media funds a Gaeltacht residency programme.
This offers post-primary students a unique opportunity to spend one academic year, minimum, at Coláiste Ghobnait. It is the only secondary school on Inis Oírr and has 11 staff members and 30 students.
Bríd Ní Dhonnacha has been the principal of the school since September 2014. With a lot of students coming over to the island to learn Irish for a year, they are fully immersed in the Irish language.
They come and stay with host families and often go home during holidays and at weekends every two to three weeks; weather dependent, due to the ferry.
“What you do find is that they are getting a full taste of the island life,” Bríd explains. “It is a living language; even going down to the shop, you can speak to someone and say ‘how’s your day going’ through Irish.”
The impact on students
The DE initiative came to the school when Mary had a few speakers on the island for the DE event. She thought it would be a great idea for them to talk to the students in the school.
“The feedback was just unbelievable. Teachers saw students who might have been very quiet in class come out of their shells and take part in the different talks and activities.
“It brings the opportunity for students to see the different jobs and careers out there.
"Everyone has a talent – if you are interested in computer games, that could very well be your future career, be it the design or cartoon aspect,” says Brid.
Student Q&A
Aoibhin Ni Chonghaile
Previous student who took part in the 2022 programme.
From: Inis Oírr.
What did you enjoy about the Do Anything programme?Being given the chance to gain a better understanding of the wide variety of careers there are available! I found it beneficial because I learnt lots about a wide variety of careers.
What would you like to do when you finish school? I’m still not sure what, but I’m hoping to do a business degree.
Did the programme help you make that decision? I learnt so much that I understood the creative arts industry isn’t for me at the moment.
Why do you think it’s important to speak Irish and promote the language? I think it is extremely important to speak and promote the Irish language, especially in a community which is fluent in it!
Ella Tirial
Sixth year.
From: Dublin.
Ella Tirial, sixth year student in Coláiste Ghobnait.
What did you enjoy most about the Do Anything programme?Spray painting t-shirts and the music.
Why did you find it beneficial? It was interesting to learn about the many job opportunities out there that involve using your creativity.
What would you like to do when you finish school? Business.
Why do you think it’s important to speak Irish and promote the language?It’s part of our culture and history.
Read more
Promoting peat landscapes to the next generation
Young Economist of The Year finals take place
Do you know where
Inis Oírr is?
Inisheer (Inis Oírr) is the smallest and most easterly of the three Aran Islands in Galway Bay, Ireland. It also has a proud tradition of Irish music, song and dance.
Founded in 2012, Drop Everything (DE) is a contemporary arts and culture organisation based on the smallest of the Aran Islands, Inis Oírr.
In 2018, however, DE launched a creative inaugural programme, ‘Do Anything’, aiming to inspire students from the local secondary school on Inis Oírr, Coláiste Ghobnait.
Regular school classes were programmed by DE and consisted of talks and workshops hosted by a range of professionals and entrepreneurs from the worlds of art, design, film, photography, fashion, beauty, architecture, music and hospitality.
This way, students got first-hand insights and advice on how to approach working in the creative industry as a career.
About the initiative
The curator of the programme, Mary Nally, who worked on the Drop Everything initiative, thought they could do more to incorporate students in the local school.
“We have all these amazing people with different career trajectories coming to the island.
"It is a really a good opportunity for essentially a career guidance week, aimed at inspiring the kids and showing them that creativity can go into loads of different industries,” she explains.
“In Ireland, career guidance is limited; it doesn’t really show you the scope that is out there. We would have a lot of chefs, writers, designers, artists, architects and builders. It was a way of putting these people in front of the students.”
About Coláiste Ghobnait
Coláiste Ghobnait is a co-educational school on Inis Oírr operating under the patronage of the Galway and Roscommon Education and Training Board (BOOG&RC).
Every year, through Scéim na bhFoghlaimeoirí Gaeilge, the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport & Media funds a Gaeltacht residency programme.
This offers post-primary students a unique opportunity to spend one academic year, minimum, at Coláiste Ghobnait. It is the only secondary school on Inis Oírr and has 11 staff members and 30 students.
Bríd Ní Dhonnacha has been the principal of the school since September 2014. With a lot of students coming over to the island to learn Irish for a year, they are fully immersed in the Irish language.
They come and stay with host families and often go home during holidays and at weekends every two to three weeks; weather dependent, due to the ferry.
“What you do find is that they are getting a full taste of the island life,” Bríd explains. “It is a living language; even going down to the shop, you can speak to someone and say ‘how’s your day going’ through Irish.”
The impact on students
The DE initiative came to the school when Mary had a few speakers on the island for the DE event. She thought it would be a great idea for them to talk to the students in the school.
“The feedback was just unbelievable. Teachers saw students who might have been very quiet in class come out of their shells and take part in the different talks and activities.
“It brings the opportunity for students to see the different jobs and careers out there.
"Everyone has a talent – if you are interested in computer games, that could very well be your future career, be it the design or cartoon aspect,” says Brid.
Student Q&A
Aoibhin Ni Chonghaile
Previous student who took part in the 2022 programme.
From: Inis Oírr.
What did you enjoy about the Do Anything programme?Being given the chance to gain a better understanding of the wide variety of careers there are available! I found it beneficial because I learnt lots about a wide variety of careers.
What would you like to do when you finish school? I’m still not sure what, but I’m hoping to do a business degree.
Did the programme help you make that decision? I learnt so much that I understood the creative arts industry isn’t for me at the moment.
Why do you think it’s important to speak Irish and promote the language? I think it is extremely important to speak and promote the Irish language, especially in a community which is fluent in it!
Ella Tirial
Sixth year.
From: Dublin.
Ella Tirial, sixth year student in Coláiste Ghobnait.
What did you enjoy most about the Do Anything programme?Spray painting t-shirts and the music.
Why did you find it beneficial? It was interesting to learn about the many job opportunities out there that involve using your creativity.
What would you like to do when you finish school? Business.
Why do you think it’s important to speak Irish and promote the language?It’s part of our culture and history.
Read more
Promoting peat landscapes to the next generation
Young Economist of The Year finals take place
This is a subscriber-only article
SHARING OPTIONS: