December the 1st, 2015, was an historic day at Scoil Ghormáin Naofa with the arrival of the Defence Force signifying the start of the commemoration of the centenary of the 1916 Rising.
There was a wonderful atmosphere in the school as we all gathered in the hall to celebrate the occasion. The ceremony began with a lovely performance of Grace by Ms. Byrne and the school choir.
Officer Flood and Officer Kennedy proceeded to tell us all about the 1916 Rising and the significance of the commemorations. The children had already been well versed in the topic as they prepare to engage in further study of 1916 in the year ahead.Officer McNeill and Officer Flood were very impressed that the children knew all about Thomas Francis Meagher, the person who designed the flag.
The tricolour was collected by Jack and the Proclamation was collected by Catháir, both in Senior Infants. James, in 6th class, read the 4th paragraph of the proclamation for us. The children’s choir then sang a beautiful rendition of Amhrán na BhFiann.
Officer McNeill and Officer Flood proceeded to answer some of our questions and they told us about their uniforms and what the symbols mean. Overall it was an extremely informative morning and one that will definitely go down in history at Scoil Ghormáin Naofa.
Parents, Grandparents and members of the wider Castletown community then joined us in the school library, that was appropriately decorated in our national colours, for a cup of tea and a chat.
In celebration of the centenary of the 1916 Rising, the children were asked to come up with a new Proclamation for 2016 that can be read out with the raising of the Tricolour on Proclamation day.
Proclamation day took place on March 15th 2016, where at midday every school around the country rose their Tri colour flag.
Many thanks to the Defence Force, and in particular Officer Flood and Officer McNeill, for their input on the day.