Ireland

= = Ireland

Introduction

Ireland is an island in the Northwestern part of Europe. It is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth largest in the world. In the early history, Celtic tribes came to the island somewhere between the years 600-150 B.C. After many invasions and rebellions, Ireland finally declared its independence from the British Commonwealth in 1949 and joined the European Community in 1973. The country is now a favorite of many tourists and has many attractions that people enjoy to visit. Dublin, Galway, Cork and Killarney are some of the most well known cities and are the home to tourist spots such as Blarney Castle, with its famous Blarney Stone, and The Guinness Storehouse. The Irish view in education is something that is highly reflective of their culture. The Irish are known for having a high quality education system which is built around the idea of being committed to excellence. Ireland (known as the Island of Saints and Scholars) is something that dates back to the middle ages. With the fact that Ireland is known as such an island, I believe this in itself is something that reflects their view of education. Their art is projected through their culture in multiple ways. For instance, the book //A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man// written by James Joyce places the protagonist, Stephen Dedalus on the campus of University College Dublin, where Joyce attended school himself. Art within higher education is prevalent, the Book of Kells, one of Ireland's most popular attraction and possibly the most famous piece of artwork, is housed inside the library of Trinity College, Dublin. The Book of Kells and Trinity College both play a part in the tumultuous history involving religion in Ireland; the Book of Kells was illustrated by monks in the 9th century and contains the four Gospels of the Bible, while Trinity College was established by Queen Elizabeth I to educate only the Protestant in a predominantly Catholic Ireland.

Accomplished Artist

James Joyce was born in Dublin, Ireland in February 1882. He attended Jesuit Schools and University College Dublin before moving to mainland Europe. Although he spent the majority of his life outside of the country, most of his novels take place in Ireland's capital of Dublin. His characters were based on people he knew, and the settings delved deep into the streets of Dublin. He originally left to study medicine in Paris, but came back to Ireland to see his mother before she died in 1903.

He met Nora Barnacle in 1904 in Connemara, the same year he re-wrote his autobiographical novel //Stephen Hero//, as //A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man//. That same year they moved to Trieste in Austria-Hungary, only to return to Dublin periodically to visit family and get his books published. In 1915, he moved to Zurich and began working on //Ulysses//, his most famous work.

Nora and James married in London in 1931. They had two children together; George, born in 1904, and Lucia, born in 1907. He died in 1941, shortly after having surgery for an ulcer. He is buried in Zurich with Nora, who died ten years later in 1951.

Some of his most well known works are //Ulysses, Finnegan's Wake, The Dubliners,// and as previously mentioned //A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.// Additionally, there is a library named after him at his alma mater, University College Dublin (UCD).



Successful Arts Organization

Poetry Ireland/Éigse Éireann is the national organization for poetry in Ireland. The program serves 32 counties and is supported by The Arts Council of Ireland/An Chomhairle Ealaíon and The Arts Council of Northern Ireland. They are

"...dedicated to developing, supporting and promoting poetry through Ireland. Poetry Ireland is committed to creating performance and publication opportunities for poets at all stages of their careers. Through four core activities: publications, readings, education and the provision of an information and resource service, we seek to promote access and excellence by embracing and fostering poetry and language as tools for living."

The organization offers programs such as The Writers in Schools Scheme and Cross-Border Scheme. The Writers in Schools Scheme is designed to "...empower the participant by facilitating a magical and memorable experience through the imaginative, emotional and intellectual energy and belief in language that the writer brings to the classroom." It is also one of the longest running programs in the arts and education. Due to the lottery funding from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, the program is able to extend into Northern Ireland for the establishment of the Writers in Schools Northern Ireland (WIS NI). Through the Scheme, the Cross-Border Scheme has also been established to bring writers into the classrooms in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland (ROI).

School Arts Program

Second Year Arts Student at UCD Hannah Murray, Drogheda, Ireland
 * //How are arts included or excluded from traditional K-12 schools?//**

As you can see, from an Irish perspective, art is a large part of the curriculum if you wish to pursue it. As Ireland is largely rooted in tradition, it makes sense that a large part of the curriculum would include arts of any kind.

Throughout Ireland, there are a variety of courses provided to students. From oils/acrylics and watercolor to photography and candlemaking. Whatever medium the student wishes to pursue, there is likely to be a course for them.

Conclusion

In comparison with my own personal experience, the Irish curriculum seems to regard the arts in a more positive light and in a more prestigous manner. In the United States, the arts are not typically thought of as important as subjects like math and science. However, the Irish curriculum seems to equate the two in terms of importance.

The thing that most surprised me about the country's practices is the fact that art is thought of as highly as it is. Through researching other countries throughout the course, there haven't been really any countries that put so much emphasis on their arts programs. However, learning about the Irish curriculum and the culture in general has really opened my eyes as to how some countries actually do put so much esteem into something that not as highly regarded.

****Lauren Sczempek****

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