This blog is the result of the work we did in class before the trip and will serve as a link with the pupils' families when we are in Ireland. A group of journalists will be appointed to make the daily account of our visits and activities. Read, play and enjoy! And we will appreciate reading your commentaries in return...
Mrs Teyssières and Mrs Simonian
This is a song written in 1983 by Bono ( Paul Hewson) from the rockband called U2. The song refers to two tragic events in Northern Ireland. The first one took place on Sunday 30th, 1972 in Derry.. Some 20,000 civilians were marching in the town because they were protesting against the policy of the English government which had emprisoned suspected IRA sympathisers without trial. While they were demonstrating, the English army fired on the unarmed marchers, killing fourteen people, some shot in their back. In 1981, another tragic event took place in Ulster when IRA members were left to die from their hunger strike..
In this song, U2 denounces the violence of this war.
Alan: "I love the band and the song so, when we sang the song in class, it was the best school lesson of my life. Thank you U2."
Molly Malone is an Irish girl.She was a fishmonger like her parents who were fishmongers before her. She sold cockels and mussels on the streets while singing : "cockels and mussels, alive, alive-oh !".She carried them into a wheel barrow. She died in Dublin of fever but her ghost is said to wander in the streets still today.There is actually a statue of her and her wheel barrow in the center of Dublin.
Origins of the song:
It all started in 1880 when the song became very popular. It is the national anthem of Dublin. Famous football players and rugbymen sing this song before starting a match .
The song In Dublin’s
fair city, where the girls are so pretty, I first set my eyes on sweet
Molly Malone, As she wheeled her wheel-barrow, Through
streets broad and narrow, Crying, « Cockles and mussels, alive alive
oh! »
She was a fishmonger, And sure ’twas no
wonder, For so were her father and mother before, And they both wheeled
their barrow, Through
streets broad and narrow, Crying, « Cockles and mussels, alive, alive
oh! »
She died of a fever, And no one could save
her, And that was the end of my sweet Molly Malone. Now her ghost wheels
her barrow, Through
streets broad and narrow, Crying, « Cockles and mussels, alive, alive
oh! »
Fill in all the gaps, then press "Check" to check your answers. Use the "Hint" button to get a free letter if an answer is giving you trouble. You can also click on the "[?]" button to get a clue. Note that you will lose points if you ask for hints or clues!
We will be driven to the airport by bus .The airplane will land in Dublin. We are going to be hosted in an inn which looks very nice and discover the Irish way of life. It will be very funny to improve our English through sportive, musical and touristic activities. We will admire monuments like the O'Connel monument in Dublin on Monday or Blarney Castle, play Gaelic football and Hurling on Tuesday and visit the farm to do interesting activities such as milking the cows etc. On one evening, English games will be organised. That's very exciting ! Let's not forget the wonderful landscape of this country and its fascinating history !
In 1607, Irish lords left their lands, so Englishprotestants became the rich landowners. In 1800, Ireland became part of Great Britain. In the 1840s, many Irish people emigrated to the USA because of the Great Potato Famine. In 1918, the Irish political party Sinn Fein and the Irish Republican Army (IRA) established a parliament in Dublin because they wanted to be independent. In 1948, there was the partition :
Northern Ireland remained part of Great Britain, while Southern Ireland became independent. It was a big change.
In the 1970s, the IRA organised terrorist attacks in the north because they disagreed with the partition.
History of Ireland
History of Ireland
Matching exercise
Match the items on the right to the items on the left.
Gaelic football was first played in the 16th century. It is played on a field, with two teams composed of 15 players . Gaelic football is a combination of 3 sports : soccer, rugby and basketball. But the ball is heavier and smaller than a foot ball.. The game lasts one hour ( 2 halves of 30 minutes ) . It's a violent sport , but players don't wear any protections , except gloves . In Gaelic football, you can pass the ball by kicking it, hand-passing it, or bouncing it. It isn't as violent as Hurling, but for Hurling you wear protections like head protections or a gum shield. But they have a commun point: you must practice a lot to play the two sports! We can't wait to try!
We worked on this video in class. Watch and learn how to play Gaelic football.
Complete the crossword, then click on "Check" to check your answer. If you are stuck, you can click on "Hint" to get a free letter. Click on a number in the grid to see the clue or clues for that number.
