Our Sixth Class students had a wonderful day out in when they visited Leinster House and the National Museum of Ireland. Here, students Niamh, Mia and Jaden write about the
experience:
We came in the normal door on Thursday the 21st of May and saw all three sixth classes and teachers standing in the hall. Everyone was excited to go to Leinster House and the National Museum. We talked amongst ourselves whilst waiting for everyone to come in. When everyone arrived we got on the bus in our pairs. The bus drive was around an hour long due to traffic. We pointed out many different things we saw, including old architecture, and buildings like the Spire and the G.P.O. When we arrived on Kildare Street, we went straight to the museum. It was full and there were other schools also on a trip there. There were many different areas to explore with a unique assortment of artefacts on display, including bog bodies. Bog bodies are human bodies from mediaeval times that have been preserved in bogs. Whatever is in the bog keeps most of the skin and bones intact. They were intriguing. Very much so.
Whilst walking to the Dáil we witnessed a group of people protesting against overfishing. When we arrived at the Dáil, we met our tour guide and he told us the rules. After that we continued on inside. We first walked up a staircase into the gallery. We watched Helen McEntee as she debated with other TDs in the chamber below. We were guided into a long hallway with portraits of past Taoisigh hanging on the walls. The tour guide told us a little about each Taoiseach before moving on into a hallway of offices. It turned out that one of the fireplaces in that hallway came from the mid eighteenth century. Next, we went into the upper house, which is also known as The Seanad. It had a very beautiful ceiling. It was blue and white with many intricate details. In a hall downstairs, we viewed the original Proclamation of Independence. It was extremely interesting to see how the Irish people protested for our freedom. If that hadn’t happened we would not be living in the same Ireland that it is today.
All in all it was a wonderful learning experience and a lovely day out.
Written by:
Niamh Farrelly
Mia Kelly
Jaden McGurk
Leinster House 6th 1
