Children from St. Patrick’s NS (Photographer Anthony Griffin)
Children from St Patrick’s National School in Ringsend took a trip recently to Sandymount beach, inspired by the annual Brent Geese migration to the shores of Dublin 4.
The children worked with choreographer Muirne Bloomer on movement and dance and in this way traced the patterns and formations of geese flocking and communicating. They kids created their own flying and dance sequences to represent and interpret geese on the move.
Visual artist Vanessa Daws was also on hand for some added inspiration and Brent Geese drawings were created by the 5th and 6th class students. These drawings were used as part of the design for the ALIGHT! double-decker bus which last week took passengers on a Mystery History Cabaret tour of the local area.
Brent Geese fly some 8,000km from their breeding ground in North Canada to Dublin every winter (stopping off in Iceland on the way). They first arrive in Dublin at the Merrion Gates on Sandymount Strand in one large group, where they feed on eelgrass and green seaweed. Once this food becomes scarce they fly inland in smaller groups to search for more grub in local parks, football pitches and, more recently, Dublin Port.
By Paul O’Rourke
