ROAD Forward Programme has positive impact with pupils
Children’s Books Ireland and author Oein DeBhearduin delivers copies of Why The Moon Travels to the pupils of Tallaght CNS, as part of their national ROAD Forward book-gifting initiative Photos by Julien Behal

ROAD Forward Programme has positive impact with pupils

OVER 1,900 pupils received books based on Irish Traveller storytelling tradition in partnership with Children’s Books Ireland in an event held in Tallaght Community National School last week.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Children’s Books Ireland celebrated their ROAD Forward initiative, that will give away 1,900 copies of ‘Why the Moon Travels’ by Oein DeBhairduin to children in 64 schools across Ireland, at an event in Tallaght CNS last week, which was attended by the book’s author.

Through the initiative, sixth class pupils will receive their own copy of ‘Why the Moon Travels’, a collection of folk tales rooted in the oral tradition of the Irish Traveller community collected by Oein DeBhairduin and beautifully illustrated by Leanne McDonagh.

“We were delighted to be chosen by Children’s Books Ireland to be the location for the launch of the ROAD Forward project,” Conor McCarthy, Principal of Tallaght CNS told The Echo.

“In Tallaght Community National School, we place an emphasis on reading. We have invested in books and levelled readers this year. We have a fantastic Literacy programme in place which allows us to deliver on our commitment to excellence in education.

“The 6th class children were thrilled to meet the author, Oein DeBhairduin. They each got a copy of Oein’s book ‘Why the Moon Travels’ and were lucky enough to have it signed too! Oein was really engaging with the children, they had a lot of laughs, and the photos look great.

Mawamdy Mbhele and Devin McEllone from Tallaght CNS with the books

Mr McCarthy added: “Fair play to Enterprise Ireland for donating to the programme. Encouraging children to read is not something that needs to be overthought. Their partnership with Children’s Books Ireland which puts books and stories in the hands of children in over 90 schools is a simple but hugely effective initiative. Thank you to the people within Enterprise Ireland and Children’s Books Ireland who made it happen.”

The donation is part of Enterprise’s ROAD (Respect, Opportunity, Achievement and Diversity) Forward Programme, which is a $55 million global initiative funded by Enterprise’s philanthropic arm, the Enterprise Holdings Foundation, to promote early childhood development, youth health and wellness, and career and college preparation.

Speaking of the initiative, Enterprise’s Managing Director for Ireland, Brendan Grieve, said: “Enterprise has a long-standing relationship with communities across Ireland and we continue to support this through initiatives such as ROAD Forward, which stands for Respect, Opportunity, Achievement and Diversity. These are values that are central to everything we do at Enterprise.

“We’re incredibly proud to partner with Children’s Books Ireland and are grateful to Norma Foley for supporting the launch. It’s a brilliant book, which I hope will give a lot to the pupils. As a father of four, I understand the positive impact that a love of reading can have on children and the opportunities that it can bring as both a source of pleasure and empowerment. I hope the children enjoy ‘Why the Moon Travels’ and that it helps to foster a life-long love of the written word.”

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