Latest news with #MercyPrimarySchool
Irish Independent
04-07-2025
- General
- Irish Independent
Work begins at last on vital link road in Sligo
The news has been welcomed by Cllr Declan Bree who has been campaigning for the project for several years. He told The Sligo Champion: 'I am extremely pleased that this project is finally getting underway.' Cllr Bree said the development of the road had been delayed for many years due to insufficient funding being provided by successive governments. 'It has been a long time objective of our Development Plan to have this road link constructed which will allow vehicles from Temple Street and Mail Coach Road to directly access Pearse Road and vice versa. 'I have been highlighting the need for the link for the past 15 years. 'The ongoing delay in constructing the road has caused significant problems, particularly for residents of the lower St. Bridget's Place area because motorists have had to this residential street as an access road. 'As part of the project, Sidney Gallagher Parade, which is currently a cul de sac, will be extended onto Burton Street. 'This will significantly reduce motorised traffic congestion, and its associated air and noise pollution. 'New road pavements and new wider footpaths will also be constructed and new traffic lights systems will be installed at Pearse Road and the Mail Coach Road junctions. 'New pedestrian crossings will be installed at Pearse Road, adjacent to the Mercy Primary School, and at Sidney Gallagher Parade and new cycle lanes will also be included,' said Cllr Bree.
Irish Independent
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Galway pupils perform original songs as part of Biodiversity Week – ‘I don't think people believe kids wrote the songs'
The tracks, written by the schoolchildren themselves, with the aid of musician educators, are inspired by nature, biodiversity, and climate action. The performances are part of 'Music in Nature', a creative music project delivered by Music Generation Galway City in collaboration with Galway City Council Arts Office. Now in its third year, Music in Nature was developed by musician educators Caroline and Colin Stanley with Music Generation Galway City. The programme is run in collaboration with Radharc na Mara Mervue School, Mercy Primary School, and Castlegar National School. 'Music in Nature' engages students in weekly workshops exploring environmental themes through song-writing, performance, and musical collaboration. Two of the performances took place on Wednesday, May 21, and Thursday, May 22, with one still to come tomorrow, Friday, May 23, from 1.00pm to 2.00pm, featuring Mercy Primary School students in the Galway City Museum. These public performances are a celebration of creativity, learning, and environmental awareness, made possible by Music Generation Galway City. The music education programme is managed and supported locally by the Galway Roscommon Education and Training Board, Galway City Council, Foróige, CYPSC, Galway City Partnership, Galway Childcare Committee, Youth Work Ireland Galway and Involve Youth Service. Speaking about the 'Music in Nature' programme, musician educator Caroline Stanley said the programme developed because of her own involvement with music and nature. 'The programme developed really because I'm involved with Friends of Merlin Woods, and we do cultural performances in the woodlands there,' Caroline said. 'So, we used to write songs about nature as part of those performance. My husband, Colin, and I ended up talking to Music Generation Galway City at the time and the manager was talking about the idea of the music and nature in the classroom. That was kind of where the idea then came from to bring these ideas into classrooms with Music Generation.' ADVERTISEMENT Learn more Caroline explained that the children are really engaged with nature as part of the programme and take in the facts around nature before starting the song-writing process. 'Part of the programme is bringing the kids out on nature walks,' the musician educator said. 'If the schools are not in an area where nature walks are accessible or if it's too wet to go out, we also have a visualisation process to encourage the kids to think about where they live, or the places that they go in nature.' As the programme continues each year, Caroline and her husband hope they see a better understanding of nature from the kids. 'A lot of what we try to do is teach the facts around nature and the threats to nature, because we're big into nature as musicians,' she said. 'The kids are giving us all these ideas that will go into the songs, you know, and we go through the process together, and we'll have discussions about different things they say. 'It's fact-based writing that we're trying to do,' Caroline continued. 'Now, some of it is characters, depending on which way the song goes - characters that come out of whatever you're seeing on the walks. We've had a 'Gary the Snail' for example. We like to write about what you see in your own localised nature; you know.' 'I suppose what we're really trying to do is ensure the kids have a good understanding of nature as children and that it is fact-based, and also that they're learning how to play music,' Caroline added. The performances so far have been going really well, with Caroline believing the quality of song-writing produced is shocking onlookers. 'We've been so lucky with the weather - there's climate change for you now,' Caroline laughed. 'The performances have been going really well. The final performance will be either outside or inside Galway City Museum, weather dependent. It will feature two classes from Mercy Primary School and their great songs. All the schools write great songs – I don't think people believe kids wrote the songs when they hear them, because they're such good, good quality songs as well with a really great mix of styles.'
