MAGNIFICENT MARSHALSTOWN
MARSHALSTOWN National School was the worthy winner of an art competition held to coincide with the recent release of author Caroline Busher’s book ‘ The Ghosts of Magnificent Children’.
The competition for primary schools, run in association with the Wexford Education Centre, focused on Ginny, the main protagonist in the novel, who has a bird called Blue living inside her. Her ribs are woven together to form a bird cage and Blue perches on a swing made from one of her ribs.
‘Whenever I meet children I’m always asked about Ginny. She is a wonderful character who seemed to come to me in the dead of night. Out of the blue, so to speak,’ said Caroline.
The author’s love of clothes shines through. Ginny wears a powder blue dress with embroidered delicate flower details, a gold belt that glistens and a matching blue shawl embellished with clouds in silver thread.
School children responded with enthusiasm to the character and placed her in settings such as the graveyard on Inis Rua and other locations on a fictional island that appear in the novel. The entries were of a high standard and showed an understanding of plot and character. The children re-imagined aspects of Ginny that Caroline hadn’t even thought of.
‘It was surprising to see how the children re-interpreted Ginny. It was fantastic to see them coming up with such great ideas,’ she said, thanking the director of Wexford Education Centre Seán O’Leary for his support.
The winning school was announced at a special ceremony in the Book Centre in Wexford, with children, teachers and parents in attendance. The event was organised by children’s book buyer Amy Devereux.
Fifth and sixth class in Marshal- stown school worked closely with the visual artist John Busher and class teacher Catherine McCarthy in the week leading up to Halloween to create three-dimensional installations and textile pieces based on Ginny. The support of school principal Michelle O’Neill made the project possible.
‘It was a wonderful experience to see a character spring from the page and a joy to see children fussing over the costume to see who would wear it next,’ said Caroline who is writer-in-residence at Wexford libraries.
‘I am considering bringing it to every children’s event. I absolutely love what the school, the artist and the children have helped to create. It’s a real honour.’
The project is part of ‘ The Ghosts of Magnificent Children’ book display at the Book Centre. The Ghosts of Magnificent Children is available in good bookshops and on Amazon.