Skryne pupils' stained glass project to get pride of place

A stained glass window which celebrates the culture and heritage of Tara and its surrounding landscape has been unveiled by local footballer Trevor Giles and the fourth class teachers and pupils of St Colmcille's National School, Skryne. The project brought together Skryne National School, Glasshaus Studio, Cathy Martin of Meath County Council's Arts Office, and Loreto Guinan, Meath Heritage Officer, to design a stained glass window based on the theme of 'My Landscape - People & Places'. Local stained glass specialist, Liam McCorkell, and the staff at Glasshaus Studio, Navan, worked alongside the fourth class pupils of Skryne National School, their teacher Kieran Fanning and principal Martin Kennedy. Through a series of design workshops, each pupil discussed the Tara landscape and designed a motif or image which captured what it means to them. Glasshaus Studio worked with the pupils to create a stained glass window based on the concepts, ideas and designs created by the children. "It was decided that the images in the window would be connected in a format relevant to the Tara landscape and an aerial photograph was used to complement the overall theme, as Tara is most often shown from the air," explained Liam McCorkell. Lead, fused glass, painted glass, silver-stained glass and kild formed glass were the materials and techniques used in the process. Martin Kennedy added: "It was a great experience working with Liam and the staff at Glasshaus Studio and the students totally embraced the design process." Cllr Anne Dillon Gallagher, former cathaoirleach of Meath County Council, said the window was a wonderful piece of art which captures the children's sense of place and it would be a lasting legacy in the school and local community for many years to come. Conor Newman, chairperson of the Heritage Council, who provided funding for the project, praised the innovation of the students, teachers and artist involved and asked permission to use the window as a teaching aid in the National University of Ireland in Galway to explain Tara to his students. Teacher Kieran Fanning prepared a video in which each pupil introduced and explained their design, which was shown on the night of the launch. The window is part of an exhibition in Solstice Arts Centre, Navan, throughout July. It will then be exhibited at various library branches throughout the county and in the Heritage Council in Kilkenny during National Heritage Week before it is permanently installed at the main entrance to St Colmcille's National School in 2012. The pupils involved were: Peter Swan, Blaze Delemere, Alana Cooney, Conor Powderly, Lauren Murphy, Emma McLoughlin, Niamh Fox, Josh Farrell, Sophie Finegan, Susie O'Rourke, Katie Rattigan, Aimee Devins, Leon Flanagan, Efe Carty, James Finnegan, Sarah Hanly, Craig Nolan, Ava Swan, Jade Halpin, Tara Farnan, Tommy Carpenter, Lauren Carpenter, Eve Cullen and Mollie O'Connor.