Our School Tour By Amy Carroll
On the 12th June, 2013 5th and 6th class went on their school tour. The bus picked us up and brought us into Cork City, to the Crawford Art Gallery. Next 5th and 6th class were separated into different tours. Our tour guide was an artist. When we went in, our tour guide told us about the casts of sculptures. Casts are copies of sculptures so that if they’re stolen, they will have the cast. All the original sculptures were in the Louvre or the Vatican.
The Olympian sculptures stood out for me the most. My favourite painting was ‘’The Waterfall’’ because I loved all the bright colours put into it. After the tour 5th and 6th class drew pictures. I drew a bird called a snipe. The Art Gallery was very interesting and I would visit again.
Next we went to the Cork City Gaol. Our tour guide Deidre told us about the first Catholic Governor, John Barry Murphy. Then she brought us around to all the cells. We got to go in and look at the prisoners made out of wax. The most outstanding prisoner for me was Mary, Ann Twohig and her baby boy. She was caught stealing a cloth cap and utensils. In prison she had a baby boy so her sentence was shortened to two months and sadly they both died before being let free. After that we got see a short film but we had to leave before it was over. The Cork City Gaol was a very good experience. I would recommend it to anyone.
The very last we went to was The Glen Activity Centre. First we were sorted into groups I was in group three. After that we climbed a thirteen metre high gladiator challenge. I got to the top and then the instructor lowered me down. Next we went zorbing. Allie and I went into the one of the balls together. In zorbing you had to get strapped in and then the instructor pushed you down a sixty metre hill. It was great fun! That probably was the best part of my day. Then we went into a hall to do archery. We got turns to go up to the white line and try hit to board. When I went up the instructor gave me a bow and three arrows. I hit the archery board a couple of times. Next we went to get our bags and we all walked to the bus. On the way back, we were all talking about what a great day we had. I had a fantastic day and I definitely will do it over again.
OUR SCHOOL TOUR by Sean Flannery
We set off at 8:50 am on Wednesday morning .I scrambled into the bus and sat myself next to Kevin and Finbarr. Everyone was bursting with excitement. Eventually we arrived at the Crawford Art Gallery. It was a large building made of sandstone. As we walked into the gallery we met our guide Gillian. She brought us into the sculpture exhibition. There were lots of beautiful sculptures .My favourite was one of a horse’s head because it had so much detail. I also liked one of a mother and baby because of the type of stone. It was Kilkenny limestone .By Seamus Murphy. Lots of the sculptures were replicas of Michael Angelo’s work.
After that we went upstairs and looked at the paintings. The first room was very old. Most of the paintings in there were mainly portraits of very rich family’s. My favourite painting in that room was one of Cork in the 1800s.
Then we went into the second room. The paintings in there were more modern. My favourite painting was a painting of the the life of the people on the Aran Islands. I liked it because the style of painting was strange , different and unique but still appealing. After looking at the paintings we went sketching. I drew a picture of different coloured mountains
After that we went to Cork City Gaol. It was an old building that didn’t look much like a Gaol except for the inside. When we went inside we met our guide Deirdre. First we saw the wax model of the Govenour John Barry Murphy. We were taught about how the prisoners entered the Gaol and the clothes they wore.
Next we took a tour of the east wing. We saw the wax models of the prisoners in the cells and learned about how they were convicted. We saw one boy who was only 9 and he went to prison. He was whipped twice a week. After that we saw a short film. It was very interesting.
After that we went to the Glen Resource Centre. First we went to the changing rooms where we put down our bags. Then we put on a harness and helmet.
First I did traversing. For that we had to climb up a log. Then walk on a cable only holding onto a rope above you. Then we had to climb another log and catch ropes that were hanging down.
Then we had to do crate stack. That was when we had to stack crates up and stand on them without falling off. My team got the highest score. Next we did the water challenge. We had to pour water down a gutter and into a pipe and float a ball in it. After that we played dodge ball. I had a great fun day.
By
Sean Flannery
Our School Tour by Finbarr Mulcahy
On the 13 of June 5th and 6th were very excited, hopping on the bus to go on their school tour. Everyone got there seats next to their friends. I was sitting next to Sean F. and Kevin. The bus was quite loud from all the excitement and chatter. After the 30 minute drive we finally arrived at the Crawford Art Gallery Cork. Children burst out the door and onto the footpath, then briskly walked up to the Art Gallery.
We scurried into the first room where there were Roman and Greek sculpture casts, and two minutes later our tour guide, Gillian arrived. She explained the casts and where they came from, the story of them and who sculpted them. Then we looked at some paintings in the same room. Next we went to the staircase and looked at more paintings. We walked up the stairs and looked at more paintings of famous people from the past and a painting of Cork back in the 1800s. We walked into another room and there we saw glass objects. We continued walking to the next room where we looked at paintings of landscapes. Now it was time for sketching. I sketched the grave of a chieftain on a hill next to some yellow flowers. I got the idea from one of the paintings in that same room. Me being not the best at art the sketch turned out terrible. We were now finished our tour of the Crawford Art Gallery. We hopped back onto the bus and got our seats. Personally I didn’t like the Art Gallery because I am not the biggest fan of art. But I was excited to see the Cork City Gaol.
We arrived at the gargantuan walls of the Gaol and walked into the picnic area, sat on the bench and started to eat our lunch. I wasn’t very hungry so I didn’t eat much. We continued up to the main Gaol. First we went to the toilets and then to the governor’s office and learned about the governors. Then we walked to one of the two cell blocks where we learned about the different prisoners and found out why they had sentences. Next we learned about the church in the Gaol and the look of the building before it was remodelled — the gloomy, cold, dark and rat infested building, hence it was closed down. We then learned about the hospital and work in the Gaol. That was the end of the tour of the Cork City Gaol. We then had more lunch and hopped on the bus we all chatted about the Gaol. Personally I preferred the Gaol to the Art Gallery.
The next trip of the tour was to the Glen Resource Centre. When we arrived we walked down the steps and into the changing room where we left our bags. Then we walked onto one of the courts and split up into four groups. Each group had a different agenda. The agendas ranged from water games to crate stacking, traversing, zorbing, soccer, dodge ball, gladiators archery to maze- finding. My group did water games. We had a basin of water, plant pots with holes in the bottom. You have to fill up the pots rush to the half pipes that other people are holding still at the end of the half pipes the water will go if done correctly someone at the end with a cone will stand at the end of the pipe collecting the water and putting it into a water cylinder with holes in it other people had to block the holes. Our group was not the best at this so eventually it turned into a water fight, throwing the water at each other. Some people got soaked, some barely wet. It was a blast.
The next activity was soccer. We were split up into two teams. I’m not the biggest soccer fan do I didn’t enjoy It. The next activity was maze finding which is a 5×5 grid area. A man has piece of paper with a route on it and the first team to find the route wins – that was a very good guessing and memory game. The next activity was crate stacking, which is a game where there are three crates making a triangle-looking shape. A woman keeps adding more and more crates onto the stack and the goal is to try to get up as much crates as possible. This was a very good game for team work because you had to pull your team and yourself onto the crates and hold them to help them keep their balance. The last activity our group did was traversing which is climbing a pole and walking across wire, climbing up more walking across wire etc. When at the top you climb back down the pole and it’s the next person’s turn. I didn’t do this event because I did the crate stacking instead There were other events that my group didn’t do they were dodge ball which is there is two teams you split a court in half in half. One team on one side and one on the other there are two soccer balls each team starts with one the goal is to eliminate the other team by hit them with a ball. This would have been one of my favourite events but unfortunately I didn’t get to do it. There was zorbing which is rolling down a 60m slope strapped to a ball with another person then it’s another pair’s turn. It seemed like great fun. There was also a gladiator challenge which is climbing up a vertical obstacle course made up of ropes, logs and tyres to grab and jump onto and then when you had enough of climbing you simply just jump off. Of course all vertical events used harnesses. I wouldn’t have liked to do this personally. There was also archery which was inside a building. This archery event was when you have a bow and three-five arrows and you have to shoot a board. I wouldn’t have liked to do this. In the end crate stacking was my favourite event but maybe not if I did zorbing and dodge ball.
Now it was time to go home so we got our bags and went back up to the bus. Everyone was exhausted. We got onto the bus and went back to school, but we were so tired after the Glen that we weren’t that loud in the bus. Everyone was chatting about the tour. When we got back to the school, my Dad was waiting for my brother and I. Then we walked down to the car where my Mom was waiting for us. We all got in the car and my Dad drove home. In the car we were talking about the tour. It was a great day.
Our School Tour By Liadh Hanley [5th Class]
On the 12th June 2013 5th and 6th classes went our school
tour. We left our school at 8:50 a.m.
First we went to the Crawford Art Gallery.An artist gave us a tour of the art gallery.She showed us Greek and Roman casts of Michaelangelo’s sculptures in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.She then brought us upstairs to the paintings.My favourite painting was one of a waterfall.Our tour guide gave us some paper to draw something from a painting we had seen.I drew a queen’s hands with lots of rings.
Next we went to the Cork City Gaol.We went into the governor’s office where there was a wax figure of the governor,John Barry Murphy.The tour guide showed us some prison cells.In a few of the cells,there was writing behind glass from prisonsers.
Finally we went to the Glen Resource Centre.We were put into groups.First my group did archery.We had to try to hit the cup for 10 points and the plate for 5 points.Next my group climbed the gladiator.You had to try to reach the top which was 13 metres high.After that we went on the zorbing ball.We were strapped in by our feet and waist.We rolled down a hill that was 60 metres long.
We arrived at Shanbally at 4:30 to the awaiting crowd of parents after a very enjoyable and interesting day.
OUR SCHOOL TOUR by HEATHER BANNON
On Wednesday the 12th of June 5th and 6th classes went on their school tour. First we went to the Crawford Art Gallery. Which is beside the Cork Opera House. We had a tour guide. She was an artist. We went into the Roman room, where we saw lots of sculptures and paintings. Some of the sculptures were of Olympian athletes. Michelangelo painted the roof of the Vatican chapel. The lady said that some of the sculptures were casts. Then we went upstairs. We saw many portraits of Kings and Queens. We saw a painting of Cork in the olden days. There was one painting I liked it had a lot of colour in it. Then we had a drawing lesson. I drew a bird that I saw in one of the paintings.
After that we had our lunch in Cork City Gaol. When we got into the jail we saw a wax sculpture of John Barry-Murphy. He was the Governor of the jail. Then we saw Mary Mc Donald who stole some material. She was put in Gaol for a long time. Many people were hung there to die. The cells were very small and five or six people would stay in there. Then we had our big lunch in the lovely gardens. After that we went to the Glen Resource Centre. I did archery in my group. It was so much fun. Then we did Zorb ball. It’s a big ball blown up and two people go in it and you roll down a hill. Then we did gladiator where you have to wear a harness and a helmet. Then you must climb up to the top if you can. After that we got on the bus and headed back to school. It was a great tour.
By Heather Bannon