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Carnaun National School is one of the most progressive National Schools in the country. Principal Teacher Mr. Finbarr O’Regan believes that schools should play to their strengths and Carnaun does this very well through its integration of IT and the local environment.

It has produced the following excellent projects. The Lambert Project, The Blue Ridge Mountain Project, Irish Emigration Project, English Pilot Project and the Comenius European Project.

Through contact with schools, world-wide Finbarr believes that Irish Rural Schools compare very favourably with European and other schools. The school has an informal approach to language learning and this is enhanced through the many European visitors calling to the school especially European and Irish Teachers.

Sixth class pupils Martin Browne and Seamus Gilhooley have produced a booklet entitled “Carnaun Heritage Trail ” a guided tour of the Carnaun school area.

Carnaun National School, Athenry, Co. Galway will next week be honoured when their European Communications Project “I eat, therefore I am.” will be one of four projects selected for the launch of Netdays Europe 2001 on the 19th of November in Brussels. The project co-ordinators were invited to Brussels to present the projects.

Last week the project was chosen as no.1 in Netdays Italia. This presentation is on Tuesday 20/11/01. Netdays is the most important European Commissioned initiative promoting online technology in education and culture.

Theme categories for Netdays projects in Europe, which combine creativity, innovation and high quality contents, are: European Youth on the Net, European Citizenship and the Internet and European Cultural Diversity on the Net. Coming under the latter category which is aimed at providing a better understanding of European cultural heritage by using new technologies to study traditions and cultures and current artistic developments in EU countries, the Carnaun School Project has been done in partnership with 12 other European schools from, Sweden, Italy, France, Germany, Malta, Wales, Finland, Latvia, Romania, Czech Republic and Greece have been nominated an “Official Netdays Project” with the European Commission and will receive Europe’s wide attention especially through been a “Labelled” project on the Netdays Website – www.netdays2001.org which had over 8 million visitors last year.

Last year for Netdays European 2000 there were 150,000 organisations involved, 150.000 projects of which 300 were highlighted (labelled) on the Netdays website. Being involved in Netdays will not only benefit the school children involved but will also benefit their local areas by bringing them to the attention of the rest of Europe.

This project “I eat therefore I am”  and others on the Carnaun school website. Carnaun children’s expertise in this project is in environmental awareness (they have won more prizes in the ESB national awareness project run by St. Patricks, Drumcondra —the teachers training college – than any other school in Ireland) and in the practical production of organic vegetables in the school. They are the first school in Ireland to be awarded an organic licence.

Christmas Greetings from some of the pupils in Carnaun c/o Partners Schools in Europe.

Pat Foley, Project Manager Athenry ADC, November 2001

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Written by Pat Foley

Published here 24 May 2023 and originally published Christmas 2001

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