Prize winners Amber Sweeney, Zakaria Iskizzi, and Keira Duffy with their classmates after the prize-giving ceremony at Colaiste Baile Chláir on Friday afternoon.

 

A joyous event took place in Coláiste Baile Chláir last Friday afternoon when talented young cartoonists were honoured at a special ceremony for first year students who took part in our Cartoon Challenge.

The ‘Dúshlán Cartún’ is an annual event organised by Gaeltacht an Eachréidh and the Galway Cartoon Festival to foster a love of cartooning among the young students through workshops in our native language.

Dublin-based cartoonist Caoimhe Lavelle travelled to Claregalway to lead a 90-minute workshop ‘as Gaeilge’ for the first years, who also enjoyed a bus trip into Galway city centre to check out the cartoons on display during the festival in early October.

Caoimhe challenged the pupils at Coláiste Baile Chláir to come up with drawings of their own within a fortnight and the organisers were thrilled by the standard this year.

The ‘Dúshlán Cartún’ allows the first years to enjoy a cartooning workshop ‘as Gaeilge’, to develop their own cartooning skills, and brings the cartoon festival, which will celebrate its tenth birthday next year, out into the community.

First prize went to Amber Sweeney, who produced a stunning story book which took hours to compile. Amber won a €100 voucher for Cregal Art in Ballybane and her beautiful booklet has now gone on display at the school.

Second place went to Zakaria Iskizzi, who drew an inspirational, heart-warming story about a lonely fish who finds a new friend and changes his outlook on life. Zakaria won a €50 voucher for Charlie Byrne’s bookshop in Galway City.

The third prize went to Keira Duffy, who produced a beautiful, colourful series of cartoons on the theme of ‘Oíche Shamhna’. Her Halloween story saw Keira pick up a €25 voucher from Powell’s. All of the prizes were sponsored by Gaeltacht an Eachréidh, who aim to revive the Irish language in Annaghdown, Carnmore, and Claregalway.

Margaret said it was really important to give honourable mentions to students who had not won prizes, but had shown exceptional talent and work-rate in submitting their cartoons. She picked out Conor Rafferty, Aodán O Mainnin, and Evan Richie as the ‘honourable mentions’ this year and urged management at the school to display their work prominently over the coming weeks.

Margaret said the winners were not necessarily the ‘best’ cartoons, but those who had shown the greatest imagination or put the most work into their entries. The three winners, in particular, had spent hours on their submissions.

There is currently a six-year language plan being implemented in Gaeltacht an Eachréidh, and part of its aim is to foster a love of Irish among young people through enjoyable workshops such as the ‘Cartoon Challenge’.

This is the third year for Gaeltacht an Eachréidh to partner with the Galway Cartoon Festival and Coláiste Baile Chláir for what has become an annual highlight for the first-year pupils who opt to take extra subjects in Irish.

 

 

Dushlán Cartún winner Amber Sweeney with teacher Joe Seoighe, Richard Chapman (Galway Cartoon Festival), Ciaran Tierney (Gaeltacht an Eachréidh) and Margaret Nolan (Galway Cartoon Festival) after the presentation of prizes on Friday afternoon.

Prize-winners Amber Sweeney, Zakaria Iskizzi, and Keira Duffy at Coláiste Baile Chláir following the announcement of the ‘Dúshlán Cartúin’ winners.