This article is from page 33 of the 2008-06-24 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 33 JPG
THE Burren has dozens of new scholars and protectors this week following the graduation of children from nine primary school in the area from the Eco-Beo programme.
The programme, which is organ- ised by the BurrenBeo organisation, aims to give students and their teach- ers a unique insight into the Burren’s famous landscape and tradition.
“It was great fun. Different people came to the school and did a lot of presentation with us about the Bur- ren,’ said fifth class student from Tubber National School, Evan Fahy.
“They showed us load of pictures and slides about the Burren and we
learned so many different things about our own area. We went on field-trips and we also were paired with a school in the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. We tried to teach them all about the Burren.”
Besides Tubber, students from Kin- vara, Kilnaboy, New Quay, Corofin, Kilfenora, Doorus, Kilshanny and Boston National Schools took part in this year’s programme.
“T learned a lot of thing about the place where I live. We learned a lot about the winterage for example, where the cows graze outside in the winter to help the Burren flora and fauna come up in the spring and Summer,’ said Ita O’Connor from Tubber. “The cows graze and keep
down the brush and scrub and that lets the flowers grow.”
The students also put together an award winning video inspired by their experiences. “The video looked at different ages of the Burren; start- ing at the Stone Age and the Ice Age and going right up to the present time,” said fifth class student Sibeal Hanrahan.
“We did dramitisations of the peo- ple who would have lived in the dif- ferent ages of the Burren. There was one scene where people were in Ca- herconnell cooking up some fish and another down in the Ailwee caves.”
“I’d like to be a farmer when I grow up and I’d like to farm in a way that would be good for the Burren, said
sixth class student James O’Grady.
“IT live on a farm now and I don’t think I would have to make many changes on the farm to be able to farm in a way that would help the Burren.
“T think it has thought them a great since of respect for the beautiful place in which they live,” said Tubber school principal Ann Comyn.
“T think that they all feel privi- leged to be living in such a weird and wonderful part of the country. It has developed a great since of pride of place within the children.”