CBS Ennistymon held a CD launch in the town this week to kick off the school’s annual arts week which is packed as ever with workshops, performances and outings.
The CD, launched in the Cheese Press on Monday, features three original songs written by the students, namely “The Burning of Ennistymon”, “Summer in Lahinch” and “Inis Oirr”.
English teacher Eimear Griffey explained that the songs were written about places and feelings close to the students’ hearts, having learned about the local stories from their history teacher, John Galvin.
She said, “We kept the songs about simple things, things the students could draw inspiration from through their own experience.
“We were lucky enough to get the funding to take part in the Creative Engagement programme, and this was what this particular group decided to do with it with the help of our artist in residence John O’Connell.”
Both the lyrics and the music were composed by the students, and Eimear attributed a lot of the group’s successes to the high concentration of musicians in the group. John O’Connell could then guide them in the more difficult phases of the project.
Eimear added that the students took real ownership over the project and continued to exercise agency throughout the process, with very few changes needing to be made to the songs by teachers or the artist in residence.
Samples from two of the songs were played at the launch, accompanied by performances from the musicians in the school rock group as well as the Irish traditional bands.
Eimear continued, “The launch acts as a kickstart for our Arts Week, to build momentum for the workshops. On Monday, we had a group going around the Burren for a photography workshop, and Alan George did some Kung Fu lessons with first years, second years and TY.
“We had other workshops for things like dance, music technology, carpentry – for the lads who are more practical and perhaps don’t see where they fit into the arts.”
A student of CBS Ennistymon will also be running their own workshop on animation with the first years, as part of a new initiative within the school to run more student-led workshops throughout Arts Week, now that it’s more established.
The week also features a sustainable art project using recyclable materials, and other students went to St Tola farm to witness the culinary arts, learning about the processes that bring meals from farm to fork.
As part of the week, CBS Ennistymon are bringing all third year students to the Bórd Gáis Theatre to see a production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, directed by Marianne Elliott and based on the novel by Mark Haddon.
Eimear said: “Our fifth years are also doing a mental health poetry class, which is getting them writing while also focusing on male mental health. As a guidance councillor, I like to see it ticking both boxes.
“Friday is our festival day then, when we’ll have a drumming workshop for some year groups and the sixth years will open up a gallery with the photos from Monday.”
An open mic session is also set to take place and Eimear stated that the teachers are always pleasantly surprised by the willingness of students to get up and sing or play music in a relaxed, informal atmosphere that encourages a feeling of safety among their peers.
Eimear outlined that with the additional funds secured through grants, there is an additional pressure to do as much as possible with the money, and she is optimistic that next year will see an even bigger event for the fifth annual Arts Week.
She added that because CBS Ennistymon is mostly associated with sports, the teachers and staff wish to encourage sportier students to embrace their skills as artists – she highlighted that she has taught many boys whom she had no idea played any instrument or sang or danced until afterwards.
“It’s important that this dimension of these same guys is fostered because they’re humble, they’re secret creators. We want to show them that they are ambassadors of the school and remind them that we’re proud of them.”