Day 7

During the first workshop we looked at Irish films by examining the history of Irish filmmaking, the most typical themes that appear in Irish films and some good films that could be used with students. We got lots of useful ideas and links for working with films and we focused on one short film titled The White Dress, and we looked at several types of activities that we could use before and after watching this short film.

The second workshop was about The Book of Kells, because we visited the exhibition in the afternoon, so we needed some preparation for that. We worked in small groups and carried out a research about the world’s most famous and oldest book which is regarded as the most important national treasure of Ireland. It was interesting to hear that it is treated as a kind of 'celebrity' by Irish people.

We learnt all the necessary information during the presentations of our findings and we were fully prepared for our visit in the afternoon, during which we visited this old manuscript and the Long Room in the Library of Trinity College. The exhibition and The Long Hall was impressive. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the smell of this old library that was built in the 18th century. This impressive manuscript can be seen online, too.

In the evening with some Spanish colleagues we visited the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin and watched the performance of the world-famous Riverdance. The show was amazing and we were impressed by the talent of the musicians and dancers who presented some wonderful pieces of Irish music and dance.