Fionnuala Doherty
Sular dearadh agus tógadh an Seomra Oideachais i Meán Fómhair 2023, bhí ar ár n-ardáin meán sóisialta faisnéis a scaipeadh ar bhealach a bhí inrochtana agus tarraingteach. Roghnaigh muid pictiúir, teicstílí agus dealbha ar leith chun téarmaíocht ealaíne mar chiaroscuro, stucówork, memento mori agus contrapposto a phlé ar bhealach a bhí furasta le húsáid. Chuireamar saothair ealaíne faoi leith i ngrúpaí le chéile faoi théamaí mar Éin sa Chnuasach, Art Inspired Recipes agus L’Influence Française chun déimeagrafaic éagsúla lucht féachana a léiriú. Chruthaíomar buaicphointe Tráth na gCeist ar ár leathanach Instagram ag spreagadh úsáideoirí a dtuiscint ar bhailiúchán ealaíne agus stair Chaisleán Bhaile Átha Cliath a thástáil. I mí Eanáir 2024, d’fhógraíomar Astrology mar théama an Chláir Oideachais agus tá ár gcinntí maidir le ceardlanna a thacaíonn le teaghlaigh agus poist ar na meáin shóisialta mar thaca leis sin i rith na bliana. Ba dhóigh thaitneamhach an téama le stair an tsuímh a fhiosrú, ag spreagadh naisc nua le déanamh idir saothair ealaíne.
Since May 2023, the Education Team has designed and delivered over 100 individual events as part of our Education Programme. In this year alone, we delivered over 70 free educational events on site, including talks, tours, workshops and demonstrations. In August, we hosted 13 educational events, 11 of which took place during National Heritage Week 2024. It was a wonderfully diverse programme made possible by the talents of the Guiding Team and external collaborators. From Apollo Marks inspired by the stuccowork ceiling of the Apollo Room to Origami Skull Bookmarks inspired by painterly depictions of St. Jerome, we had lots of fun and engaging activities to offer members of the public. We ended theweek on a high, celebrating Wild Child Day with the delivery of a Bird-Box Workshop inspired by those hanging in the trees of the Dubh Linn Gardens. Following the success of the Focal an Lae social media posts and our Turais Trí Ghaeilge, we launched our very first Caint agus Comhrá session in October
2024. This drop-in session will be a monthly event in the Education Room of Dublin Castle. The purpose is to provide a space and framework to speak Irish in a comfortable, relaxed and historically rich setting. It’s another mode of engagement and one that we’re excited to offer as part of our Education Programme. Based on the popularity of our Respond to the Artwork workshops, we’re continuing to adopt ‘slow-looking’ strategies in leading our family-friendly and dementia-inclusive sessions at Dublin Castle. These workshops offer participants space, time and guidance in discussing the art elements as
they relate to chosen artworks in the collection, before completing an appropriate art activity. It’s a format that captures active learning across all age groups, and one that we’re keen to develop in upcoming years. Currently in development is our Educational Video Series, which will provide insights into selected artworks in the collection. These short videos will assist teachers, students and members of the public in learning about the collection in a way that is art-specific and student friendly. We’d like these videos to be part of an ongoing project that complements the Art History curriculum at post-primary level. We recently launched our Painting Pursuit Educational Resource, a trail
that celebrates the artwork of the State Apartments and challenges detectives of all ages to decipher clues hidden in the paintings. It’s been a fun project to lead, and will complement both the ‘Death in the Collection’ tour and ‘Secret Agent’ tour at Dublin Castle. Moving forward, we’re excited about the inclusion of a Portfolio Preparation Course and regular drawing sessions within our Education Programme.
Eascraíonn an tsuim seo as taithí phearsanta ag staidéar agus ag teagasc líníocht bhreathnóireachta sa seomra ranga. Agus an t-ádh linn go bhfuil dealbha teilgthe plástair den scoth againn sa bhailiúchán, tá go leor scóip ann le ranganna Líníocht Bargue agus Cast a fhorbairt sna blianta atá le teacht. Ar deireadh thiar, ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil leis an bhfoireann i gCaisleán Bhaile Átha Cliath as a dtacaíocht leanúnach d’obair na Foirne Oideachais. Ó bunaíodh ár gClár in 2023, tá dlús curtha leis an dul chun cinn tríd an Seomra Oideachais a thógáil, trí shaineolas na Foirne Treorach agus tríd an méid a chuireann staraithe agus ealaíontóirí seachtracha leis. Tá sé ar fad sa tóir ar chlár tarraingteach imeachtaí, agus táimid ag tnúth le tuilleadh deiseanna foghlama a fhorbairt do dhaoine amach anseo.
