A ground-breaking story-telling programme is set to take Co. Clare primary school students right into the heart of life in Irish villages over 1,000 years ago.
The ‘Tales of Craggaunowen Series’ is a new digital education pack that will be piloted in Co. Clare and will, through an innovative video series, bring students back to an era where survival was success in Ireland. The series gives an understanding of how people lived very different lives to ours today. Viewers will get an insight into real life experiences of the time including warfare, weaving, story-telling, hunting, ancient construction techniques and farming.
The programme, just one of a number of measures being taken by Shannon Heritage to engage students with all the wonders of Craggaunowen, is available for free to all schools on USB key. Included are 10 educational videos that capture the living history experience that unfolds at the Bronze Age Park and vivid storytelling of the past through a first-person narrative integrated with music and re-enactments.
https://www.facebook.com/Craggaunowen/videos/1703838922960425/
The Co Clare visitor attraction is an award winning ancient Celtic settlement that has an array of fascinating features including a restored Ringfort, Crannog, a 16th century castle featuring the Hunt Collection plus a team of enthusiastic animators who re-enact various activities from days gone by. The attraction is also home to a sounder of rare native wild Irish boar and of course, the famous boat in which Tim Severin sailed across the Atlantic following Brendan’s Voyage.
To launch the programme Shannon Heritage has launched a competition with an incredible prize for primary schools that will not alone engage students in this captivating era of Irish life but will also tap into their own creative story-telling talents.
Schools must first like, share and add their school name to the Craggaunowen Facebook page competition post. Then students are being asked to watch an unfinished teaser video story on the Facebook page in their classrooms and quite simply, put their own finish to the story with a 1,500 word conclusion, story board art creation or video submission.
Said Niall O’Callaghan, Managing Director at Shannon Heritage: “These videos bring this magnificent open-air museum and the world that our ancestors inhabited all those centuries ago to life. As part of our strategy to engage local communities and enable enjoyable learning through our attractions, this programme is something the team at Craggaunowen are particularly excited about. Bringing this attraction to as wide an audience as possible to enjoy is something the team is passionate about, so we look forward to seeing the entries and picking a worthy winner!”
The lucky school will win unlimited access to Craggaunowen for the 2018/2019 season, free school tour to Bunratty Castle and Folk Park with lunch and transport for a group of up to 50 students. Entries for the programme must be submitted by June 23rd to Shannon Heritage Marketing Department, Bunratty Castle & Folk Park, Bunratty, Co Clare or email education@shannonheritage.com. The entry must be in the form of one class entry rather than individual student submissions.
The education packs will be available to order from Shannon Heritage’s Education Manager- education@shannonheritage.com