Mrs Hughes organised the school bus, for all of us to go out for the day to Annaghmare and Corliss Fort, two beautiful local landmark situated close to school… from the minute we left the classroom the excitement grew for this trip. On the way the children pointed out places they knew. This was a great opportunity for me to see the amazing countryside surrounding Crossmaglen.
Annaghmare is got to by walking down a secluded lane surrounded on either side by swamps…Its an ancient site – a well preserved tomb and was excavated in the early 1960s by Queens University.Mrs Hughes asked a local historian, Kevin to talk to the children all about the tomb and the folklore of the area. We all sat round in a circle to hear Kevin tell us about the faeries and the little people and he delighted us with WB Yeats poem ‘The Stolen Child” read aloud.
The children had time to explore and imagine what it was like long ago… were there really bones in the chambers?
Did the faeries leave sweets?The children each took a clipboard and charcoal (also an ancient drawing tool!) and made some sketches of what they saw.
The children drew the shapes of the stones, texture and details…
…they carefully observed their surroundings and drew confidently.
Jessica observed the shapes the stones made from a bird’s eye view, since the children were able to stand on the grass area at the top of the stones and look down over them.This lovely drawing was made by concentrating and observing shapes and layers.Louis has drawn the strong shapes he observed. super!Daniel’s drawing uses a variety of lines and marks to create shape … well done!Anthony’s lines and marks describe the shape and pattern of Annaghmare – wonderful!The scale, shape and patterns of the stones is carefully observed – super!Stones, plants and the sun are in clouded in this wonderful sketch – well done Cathal!Dylan has looked carefully at the different layers going back in each section of the tomb, super work!Sophie’s drawing has taken on a life of its own – look at how the stone layout seems to be like a round creature with two big eyes! Amazing!Michael has drawn with the charcoal, smudging it with his finger to create soft blurry effect. Really effective!Keigan’s drawing is full of life describing the stones, the ground, the sky and trees. Lovely work!Antoin’s drawing has captured the shape and density of the tomb and included some surrounding trees. Well done!The shape of the tomb in Callum’s drawing is captured and look how it also seems to look like a jaw of an animal. What a great effect!Coilin has carefully observed the tomb, its stones and shapes of different sizes. well done!
Jack’s drawing has wonderful strong shapes like the stones at the tomb… what lovely dark charcoal lines!Jessica has made a lively drawing including the stones, trees, sky and plant life. Super!Gareth’s drawing has described the heavy solid shapes of the stones so beautifully!Eamon has used lines to create the shape of the stones and the layout of the tomb. Well done!Dylan’s drawing describes the patterning on the stones and the plant life around it . Super work!Cormac’s lovely drawing has captured the many stones, sizes and shapes at Annaghmare It looks like an exploding universe. wonderful!What lovely sensitive lines and marks Noah has used to create his drawing!The strong shape of the tomb and pattern of the stones is wonderful!Jack has observed both the small and large things at Annaghmare. Well done!Charcoal is a lovely tool for drawing because you can smudge and re- draw things – look at this this super drawing!I think the person in this drawing looks happy to be exploring Annaghmare! Well done!Oscar has created beautiful sensitive lines in his drawing. Wonderful!The strong, dense charcoal marks capture the feel of Annaghmare very well! Great work Keelan!John has created a wonderfully lively drawing of the trees and plants surrounding the tomb.
But that was not all we did…
We met a dog, Max…We walked down the country lanes to Corliss Fort…We met a cat…Not just any cat but a a cat that Daniel had lost some weeks ago!
We all climbed the slope to Corliss Fort…What amazing views as we looked back… you can see Slieve Gullion in the distance!The cat came too!
The children explored the slopes enjoying the freedom of running and climbing.Some peeked inside this space, deep in the ground..
Some explored strange markings on the tree trunks…
This was really a special place and mysterious too – look at the strange effect when I took a photograph of the trees… do you think the faeries had anything to do with this?flowers were gathered for the May Altar…
We all went home on the bus, singing!
A great day out for friends…
and Mrs Hughes performed a BALANCING act on a bucket… or did she?
Thank you to EVERYONE who made the day so memorable – I’m sad the project has come to a close but take so many GREAT memories with me! Thanks so much Mrs Hughes and the children of P3 !
