Proud to Live In Ballyfermot – Schools collaborate on book on the area
By Cody Hutchinson
Over the past year and a half all the primary schools and preschools in Ballyfermot have collaborated together to produce a book called Proud to Live in Ballyfermot.
The purpose of the book is to showcase the wonderful place Ballyfermot is and to help the children to identify positive aspects about life in Dublin 10 and increase their pride and sense of belonging to the area.
Declan Markey, Kathryn Crowley, Emily, Erin, Margaret Condon, Ciara, Weronika and Gary Jones.
The book will be given to all junior infant pupils enrolling in schools in September in Dublin 10 and will journey with them throughout their time in primary school.
Each primary school contributed content for the book, with the topics chosen relevant to the life of the child and are closely aligned with the content objectives of the primary school curriculum.
They focus on the themes of myself, my family and my community - and allow the pupils to explore their local environment while introducing the pupils to local folklore and hidden treasures waiting discovery in the locality.
Candle Community Trust in Ballyfermot and the local adult literacy group helped with the content of the book making it a truly collaborative project.
The primary schools involved were St Raphael’s, St Gabriel’s, St Dominic’s, St Ultan’s, Mary Queen of Angels, St. Louise de Marillac and De La Salle, who collaborated closely with Candle.
Alma Quinn, the principal of St Louise de Marillac Primary School, spoke with The Echo about the launch of the book that took place on Monday June 25 and answered questions about the production and inspiration behind it.
How were all the primary schools in Ballyfermot involved in producing the book and what inspired it?
There were eight schools in the area involved with the book. Each school nominated a teacher who was interested in taking part of it. The schools had a different task and played different roles in the production. The inspiration behind it was that we wanted to encourage the children to be proud of where they all live and a sense of community.
How did you come up with the name for the book?
The name of the book was initially Proud to be From Ballyfermot, but we realized that not all of the children who attend the schools are necessarily from Ballyfermot so we thought it was more appropriate for it to be called, Proud to live in Ballyfermot. We wanted to create the book as a notion for the kids to be proud of the area they live and because of the rich culture Ballyfermot holds. It was important to us that they learn the local places of the area.
What is the theme of the book?
The theme of the book is linked to Irish culture but everything always leads back to Ballyfermot. A lot of the material that is covered involves Irish culture as a whole, however, leading it and connecting the culture to Ballyfermot was the most important part.
How does it feel knowing every junior infant child in D10 will read this book created by all of you and are you happy with how it has turned out?
All of the schools are very excited about it because there is a shared sense of ownership. Each of the eight schools had a contribution, so we are all very delighted. This is the first time such a project has taken place in Dublin 10. It would not have been possible without the support of Dublin West Education Centre and the other sponsors, who helped raise funds to cover the printing costs. We are all happy with the book because it is user friendly and appropriate. There is great continuity and we are very excited for the children and teachers to have a copy.
Is there anything else important to know about the book?
Declan Markey, Education Officer with Ballyfermot really brought together the schools and made the production happen. He played the role of getting sponsorships for the book and provided funding. This book was conceived under his guidance and could not have been made without his help.
