Canadian ambassador visits St Brendan’s NS
NORTH AMERICAN CONNECTION TO SLIGO CELEBRATED
A NORTH American connection to a Sligo school was celebrated last Friday with a visit from the Canadian Ambassador.
St. Brendan's NS in Cartron has linked up with an elementary school in New Brunswick through a project about Famine emigration.
Canadian Ambassador, Loyola Hearn called to the Sligo school where he stressed the importance of reconnecting with areas Irish ancestors emigrated to, especially during the Famine.
He said: “To me what it would mean is reconnecting because these children learned about the Famine, as many people had to leave to go to Canada in this case – some New Brunswick and Miramichi which is the area we are twinning with.
“My own people came from Ireland but it is easy to lose contact because of the lack of communication – no televisions, no phones.
“But we had the songs and stories which are just as alive and vibrant today.”
‘ Hands Across the Water' is the name of the project which twinned the Sligo school with St. Andrew's, Middle Island, Miramichi.
Children at both schools focused their project on the Famine and examined what it would be like to say goodbye to Ireland, knowing they would never return.
Principal of St. Brendan's, Marie Hurley, said the students were fascinated with the idea.
She said: “Every class has been involved in some way or another.
“They were taken by the fact that the bit of water we can see from our school is the same piece of water the school in Canada can see.
“The pupils who learned about the Famine were trying to get the idea that these were real people and it is not just a story - it is real.”
As part of the project which was initiated by Sligo Education Centre, teachers and students at Cartron are in regular contact with the school in
Miramichi through emails, podcasts and live Skype sessions.
Mr Hearn believes this has allowed the children to discover that their personalities are the same as those in Canada.
He said: “In the old days if you got a letter on a ship it was maybe once a year, now you have these kids exchanging Skype calls and emails - it's really fantastic.” Director of Sligo Education Centre, Mary Hough, said the project will be expanded to allow other Sligo schools to take part.