Merry band of Ballyea pupils await féile náisiúnta results

FOURTH-class pupils from Ballyea National School have been improving their spoken Irish and getting over stage fright over the past few weeks in the lead-up to their performance in the Féile Scoildramaíochta Náisiúnta in Mullingar last week.

FOURTH-class pupils from Ballyea National School have been improving their spoken Irish and getting over stage fright over the past few weeks in the lead-up to their performance in the Féile Scoildramaíochta Náisiúnta in Mullingar last week.
Twenty-six boys and girls, under the direction of their class teacher, Helen McMahon, made it through qualifying rounds of the Féile Scoildramaíochta competition with their production of Robin Hood as Gaeilge.
“We also made it through the finals last year but unfortunately, we didn’t win but it’s not all about winning. We’re just delighted to take part and it is a wonderful experience for the children,” Ms McMahon said.
She said that they started rehearsals for the play when the school re-opened after Christmas. “We competed in the county heat of the competition in Glór in February, which we won and then we went on to take part in Féile na Mumhan, which was also held in Glór before Easter. A number of groups went through from the Munster final to the Féile Náisiúnta,” the teacher said.
She explained that the competition is categorised by age and school size. “It is quite difficult to get through to the final because we are up against gaelscoileanna where the children would have a greater level of fluency in Irish. All of the children in our play have worked really hard on their Irish for this production and there’s no doubt but that their Irish has greatly improved. Of course, it hasn’t all been hard work as we’ve had a lot of fun too,” she added.
They were on stage in the féile náisiúnta last Wednesday. The competition is due to conclude this week and Ballylea National School are anxiously awaiting results.
“It is great for the children to be involved in drama and it is a fantastic way to build their confidence and to get them used to working together. I know the children have enjoyed it and it would be really wonderful if we are successful in the competition. It is a competition we intend to compete inagain because the benefits of our involvement in it have been clear,” she commented.