Month: December 2007

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Christmas in Kilcrohane

sheep on Sheepshead Wayme in KilcrohaneWe had a wonderful Christmas in Kilcrohane on the Sheepshead Peninsula in West Cork. We went with Stephen, over from St. Petersburg, Russia; Emily, from Minneapolis; and Matt, one of their friends, from Saint-Raphael, France. Our week included a visit to Fitzpatrick’s one evening, several to the O’Mahony store, and stops in Durrus, Bantry, Ahakista, and other charming towns.

swan lakeWe also had winds, fog, sleet, and torrential rain. Locals call it “rain,” even though it blows horizontally, rather than falling sensibly from the top down. There were several terrific gales (or was it one long one?), which made us thankful for the stone walls of Betsy and Michael’s cottage. Sitting by a warm fire, we could look out on gorgeous Dunmanus Bay with sunny skies one time and am awesome storm the next.

Lough HyneDespite the general theme of winter storm, we had frequent sun and glorious skies. That allowed us to manage several good walks. One was in the ancient forest above Glengariff; another around Lough Hyne south of Skibbereen; and others on the Sheepshead Way. We made good use of Kevin Corcoran’s West Cork Walks.Mizen peninsula

Emily was a writing dervish, thus missing some of the walks. Her friend Matt played his guitar, while posed on the large window seat. Stephen had a swim down at the end of the road. He was inspired in part by Frank O’Mahony, who had done the St Stephen’s Day charity swim at the pier. Perhaps it was warmer for the swimmers to be in the water than in the air, given the sleet and winds. And we played a fair bit of bridge.

Photos by Susan Porter Bruce.

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Digital Literacy in Irish Primary Schools

National College of Ireland is starting a new project, Digital Literacy in Irish Primary Schools (DLIPS). The aim is to investigate digital literacy practices and to develop a conceptual framework for the needs of the Irish Primary Education system. Digital Literacy is regarded as incorporating a broad range of competencies; there is a need to investigate new approaches that facilitate greater student engagement and connection to everyday experiences.

The project involves the evaluation of how teachers integrate ICT into their classroom activities to promote teamwork, collaboration, creativity and co-operative learning using a project-based learning approach. This approach will be evaluated with regard to the student’s academic performance and engagement with learning, particularly in relation to their literacy proficiency. The framework will be developed by reviewing existing frameworks and adapting these according to the above research findings.

This is a collaborative project with the Education Research Centre, the Digital Hub Development Agency and the National Centre for Technology in Education. It is funded by the Department of Education and Science research and development council. Leo Casey and I are co-principal investigators.

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Premier of “Round Here”

Round Here sceneWe attended a gala movie premier last night at the National College of Ireland (NCI). The film, Round Here, explores themes of community and identity in the rapidly changing Dublin Docklands area.

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limoTwelve young people from the Docklands area not only star in the film, but devised it based on their own experiences there. Philip McMahon wrote the actual script following interviews with the young people; it was directed by Colin Thornton. I thought it was an excellent portrayal of the challenges facing many young people today.

NCI atriumThe event began with the young people arriving by limo and walking down a red carpet. They were announced by young escorts wearing top hats and tails. There was of course popcorn and soft drinks as for any cinema event. Kirsten Sheridan (My Left Foot, In America, August Rush) was a surprise guest who presented DVDs of the movie to the young stars. Afterwards, we were able to visit with the cast and crew over cocktails.

actorsThe project was a joint venture of NCI, Calipo Theatre and Picture Company, and the Sheriff Street After Schools Education and Support Programme (Celine Howard) and was funded by patrons of the NCI.

people-3Photos courtesy of the National College of Ireland.people-2

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Catch 22 in Iraq

Michael Schwartz has an excellent piece in Mother Jones, Catch 22 in Iraq: Why American Troops Can’t Go Home, about why the Iraq occupation is likely to last a long time. He cites a recent video-conference press briefing for reporters in which Col. Jeffrey Bannister refers to the five-year plan, not just any old plan, but the plan. This implies a generally understood long-term mission, one which is not based on changes on the ground, such as a reduction in sectarian violence.

Moreover, he quotes and links to articles showing that the leading Democratic party contenders are fully with the program, seeing “vital national security interests,” i.e., oil in the region as grounds for continuing military force. The Catch 22 is that violent resistance to the occupation is defined as terrorism; thus, the military presence is needed to combat the very terrorism that it creates.

Schwartz’s article provides further evidence that the issue in Iraq is not promoting democracy, ending sectarian violence, reducing terrorism, promoting peace and justice in the Middle East, or any of a number of other worthwhile goals. It is to secure and maintain ample, low-cost supplies of oil to fuel the global economy, and especially for the Western nations, which use such a disproportionate share of the world’s resources.

All of this makes me think that my 12 steps to respond to 9/11, because “we have to do something!” is still relevant.