Gaelscoil Eois named 2024 Our World Irish Aid Awards School of the Year

A mixed media project focusing on Food for Life created by 3rd Class pupils at Gaelscoil Eois, Co. Monaghan has won the top prize at this year’s Our World Irish Aid Awards national final event.

The announcement was made this lunchtime at the Hibernia Conference Centre, Dublin Castle where pupils and teachers from 10 schools across the country gathered to celebrate their collective success at a ceremony hosted by Clara Murray.

The school’s Bia Don Bheatha entry comprises an illustrated book telling the story of Salama, a girl from Uganda whose family were helped to grow their own food by Irish Aid, along with a stop motion video, artwork and seedbank all of which reflect this year’s Awards theme Food for Life. The entry also earned the school this year’s Our World Irish Aid Gaeilge Award.

Sean Fleming TD, Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora said:

“I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to the 3rd class pupils at Gaelscoil Eois and their teacher Claire Nic Gabhann on being named School of the Year at this year’s Our World Irish Aid Awards. Their project shows us how Irish Aid is making a tangible difference to the lives of people living in our partner countries, helping them to grow their own food as well as additional crops for sale to help generate much-needed household income…

“The Our World Irish Aid Awards enable young people all over Ireland to learn about important issues affecting the world’s citizens and the planet. This year, pupils and teachers have focused on the theme Food for Life, looking to farming practices to help combat hunger and climate change in a way that will provide practical help to those less fortunate than ourselves, protecting communities now and for generations to come.

“I am encouraged by the commitment and enthusiasm shown from primary school pupils all over Ireland. The standard of entries was excellent, demonstrating that young people in Ireland have a clear understanding of the importance of Food for Life.”

Bláthnaid Burke, a teacher at Carrabane National School, Co. Galway was also announced as this year’s Our World Irish Aid Teacher of the Year Award for her outstanding commitment to teaching Global Citizenship Education to young people, while 4th, 5th and 6th Class pupils from St Mogue’s National School, Currin, Co. Cavan scooped the Our World Irish Aid Changemakers Award for their insightful entry comprising a video entitled Keep Tasting, Not Wasting telling the story of the Global Goals for Sustainable Development in action in their community.

The Our World Irish Aid Performance Award went to 5th Class pupils from Ballinspittle National School, Co. Cork for their video entry which provides an overview of the 17 Global Goals, insight into the work of Irish Aid and this year’s Awards theme Food for Life. It includes information, a poem and a range of artwork produced by the pupils.

The Our World Irish Aid Food for Life Award went to 6th Class pupils from Castleconnell National School, Co. Limerick for their entry comprising a series of quizzes, wordsearches, crosswords, information posters and colourful artwork, while 3rd Class pupils from St Patrick’s National School, Co. Carlow were presented with the Our World Irish Aid Countries in Focus Award for their colourfully illustrated book which tells The Story of how Irish Aid Helped Afiya and her Family.

Gaelscoil Eois’s project, along with the projects created by the 9 other finalists, will feature in a special print and digital edition of the 2024 Global Goal Getters annual magazine.