A Celtic Experience

A wonderful and exciting experience. The last March 24th we could enjoy on line with our European partners. We shared our songs, dances and Celtic instruments for a few minutes. All of us were very excited and happy. We had a very good time and I hope we will be able to repeat it again with the April activity. We know that there were some partners who liked to join but they had some problems for doing it. I hope that the next time we will be more than only 4 partners.

Celtic Homes in Ireland

The Celts in Ireland settled down throughout the countryside. Forts were the most common type of homestead.

Hillforts

Strong kings lived in hillforts. They chose a site on the top of the hill which gave them a good view of the countryside round them. They dug a deep ditch around the hill and used the earth to form a bank on the inside of the ditch.
The most famous hill fort in Ireland is at TARA

Ringforts

The most usual type of forts were the ringforts. There are still remains of the ringforts in the Irish Countryside.They measure 12 to 65 meters in diameter.They were surrounded by a sitch abd ab earthen bank. They built a house inside the ringfort. They made a roof of thatch made from straw or rushes. A hole was left in the riif to allow the ssmoke to escape. The interior was one large room.The floor was covered with dry rushes.
some ringforts had underground passages called souterraines which were used for storage or as an escape route in times of danger.

Staigue Fort is a magnificient example of a fort

In rural Ireland people were reluctant to go on to ringforts so that they wouldn't disturb the fairies. They feared that the fairies would bring misfortune to their lives. Today many ringforts have disappeared and the fairies were powerless to save them.

Crannóg

The word crannog comes from the Irish word for tree and uas usualy a partly man-made island. The island was constructedd using piles of stones, branches, logs and tree trunks They built a stockade round the edge. Inside huts were constructed. They used a wooden dug-out or a small skin-covered going to and from the mainland.

Link to a reconstructed crannóg

Stoneforts

In the west of Ireland in places where there was little soil stone forts were built. These are great circular walls of stone, sometimes up to 5 meters thick. There was just one narrow entrance to the fort. Inside, fitted into the walls they built steps for the warriors to keep guard or defend the fort when attacked.

Dún Aengus is a fine example of a stonefort

10th anniversary

Inmaculada and myself would like to share with all of you how we and our students celebrated the tenth anniversary of eTwinning yesterday. It was a nice day. Our students met the first time and we did a common activity. We hope you enjoy like we did it.

St. Patrick's Day

Today, we celebrated St. Patrick's Day. Although we are not Irish people we really enjoy this day. We usually learn a lot about Ireland.

Cúchulainn

Fifth class pupils have made a Photostory to tell the story of Cúchulainn. He was one of the great heroes of Irish legends and was known as The Hound of Ulster.They have recorded the legend in Irish a Celtic language.

The Legend of Cúchulainn in English

Long ago there was a boy in Ulster called Setanta. He was a nephew of King Conor. Setanta loved to play hurling. He had a hurley and a special ball called a sliotar.


One day King Conor went to a party at the home of a famous blacksmith called Culann. Culann’s watch dog was a fierce wolfhound with big, sharp teeth. Culann put the hound on guard and he closed the doors.

Soon afterwards Setanta arrived carrying his sliotar and hurley. The hound charged at him. Quick as a flash, Setanta hit the sliotar and sent in straight into the mouth of the hound.The great wolfhound fell down dead.

Culann was very upset when he discovered his great wolfhound was dead. Setanta said that he would be the guard dog until Culann could find another one. Setanta was given the name Cúchulainn which means the “hound of Cúlainn.”

An Irish Legend Oisin In the Land of Youth

Fifth class made a Photostory to tell the well known Irish legend about Oisín in the Land of Youth, an idyllic land across the sea where people remained young and beautiful forever.One day a beautiful woman crossed the sea and asked Oisín to marry her and go and live in the Land of Youth.After three hundred years Oisín felt homesick and persuaded Niamh to allow him return to Ireland on a visit. She allowed him but warned him not to get off the horse while he was in Ireland.

Oisín discovered that all his friend were gone. While travelling around the country Oisín came across some men trying to lift a large rock.He bent down to help them but unfortunately the strap of his saddle broke, Oisín fell to the ground and his horse ran away back to the Land of Youth. Immediately he turned into an old man. Oisin met Saint Patrick before he died.