Join artist Genevieve Harden, from her Studio in Greystones, for Part 1 of this fun and interactive Rock Art workshop, as part of our Draíocht Rocks Project. Collect some stones or rocks from your garden, the park or the beach and give them a wash before this workshop with Gen, using a variety of techniques to create rock art.

Share your finished Draíocht Rocks images with us by emailing a picture to paula@draiocht.ie or share on social media with the hashtag #DraiochtRocks
Or why not place your finished Draíocht Rocks back in nature for others to find and enjoy!

This programme aims to allow your pupils to hear from interesting artists who work in a range of art forms in Ireland today. The artist will zoom right into your whiteboard to virtually meet and talk with pupils and teachers in your own classroom. You can choose a session from our range of specially selected artists. Each session will include a short demonstration, task or showing of work depending on the particular artist, where pupils can hear all about who the artist is and what they do, followed by a question and answers session.

Choose from:  

ALL ABOUT ACTING WITH EMILY MATTHEWS: Actor and Theatre Producer
Hear all about the wonders of acting, making a movie, and being on stage. How did Emily decide to be an actor - how can you become one too?

MAKING MUSIC WITH KEVIN BOUSHAL: (Available in Irish)
What's it like to be a musician? What instruments can Kevin play? Has he ever been in a band? What's it like to be on stage? Do you really need to practice every day?

DRAWING, MAKING, CREATING WITH ANDREW CARSON: 
Andrew is a contemporary visual artist working with many materials and new technologies to create lots of different kinds of visual art works. What is a visual artist? What is it like to be an artist? What is his work about?

LIGHTS, SOUND, SPACE, ALL ABOUT TECHINCAL THEATRE WITH LAURA MURPHY:
Ask one of Draíocht’s very own technicians, Laura, questions about the magic of the lights, the booming sounds, amazing sets and more!

WORKSHOP NOTES
Sessions can take place from Mon 21 Sept - Fri 27 Nov 2020 on a date and time of your choosing.
Book through Draíocht’s Box Office tel: 01-885 2622 / boxoffice@draiocht.ie / Temp Covid19 Box Office: 083-084 7249 / 083-028 9771

The programme is offered on a first come first served basis and is restricted to primary schools within the Dublin 15 area.
Cost is €10 per class, per session. All materials are provided. Schools are welcome to make multiple bookings, subject to artist availability and programme funding.
For further details please contact Paula on 01-809 8029 or email paula@draiocht.ie

Notes on Participation in Virtual Live Engagements:
Teachers will be asked to sign a consent form agreeing to participate with their class in this session. A Zoom meeting for this session will be sent to the school before the scheduled time of the session.

Important: A teacher in the classroom must actively engage in the session with their pupils and be present in the room throughout the session.
- Computer or white board is needed for the session, placed at pupils' eye level.
- The session will be delivered using a private Zoom session from the Zoom video call software. The session can only be accessed by those who have booked into the workshop, the artist and Draíocht staff.  For the safety and security of all participants, the workshop will be recorded. This recording will not be shared publicly and will be deleted within 30 days.
- The sessions are intended for one class group at a time.

Enjoy this gorgeous poem by artist Emily Matthews, created especially for our Draíocht Rocks Project. It sums up perfectly how much we miss having all our young people into our spaces. Videoed in Draíocht’s Studio, a place usually full of audience members of all ages for a variety of events, we can’t wait to welcome you all back as soon as we can! 
 

--

‘A Little Bit of Magic’ by Emily Matthews

Here in my hand is more than just a rock or a stone.      
It’s a little bit of magic, for our community to own.
We miss you in the theatre and know you miss it too.
The Draíocht is not the same without you, so let's see what we can do.

We have this nice idea, we'd like to share with you.
Find a stone and dress it up, with chalk and sparkles and magic dust.
You have what it takes, you know what to do,
the ideas are waiting inside of you!

Put your wonderful creations on display
somewhere you will find them as you go about your day.
Leave one in your chest of drawers or on your bedside stand,
or leave one in your coat pocket, so that it's close to hand.

And every time you see a stone, this is what you do
think of something in your life that means a lot to you.
Make each thought different … that's the most important part
and let that thankful feeling stay and warm your heart.

And soon before you know it, some magic will take place
and every day, you'll find you have a smile upon your face.
And in the meantime, we will work hard to get you in our space.
And soon we can see in person those smiles upon your face.

Draíocht means magic … that is true,
but part of that magic will always be you!

--

We hope you are enjoying Draíocht Rocks! Now is a perfect time to share your decorated rocks (after Gen’s Online Tutorial), for all to enjoy … because we’re going on a Rock Hunt with Emily! Emily has been strolling around Blanchardstown’s Millennium Park and hiding secret Draíocht Rocks! 
 

Follow the Guide, starting behind Draíocht, to see if you can find the rocks in real life in the park, and then add your own decorated Draíocht Rocks to the collection for others to enjoy!


click for larger image

We’ll be checking the locations and featuring the Rocks on our social media, so keep an eye out for yours to pop up!

Artist Bridget Flannery will walk us through the gallery telling us the stories of how prints are made and helping your pupils to explore this beautiful exhibition. Make sure to download the accompanying worksheets, created by cartoonist Alan Nolan, helping you to further explore and enjoy the gallery from your own classroom, in your own time with your pupils.
The Virtual Tour is full of tips, questions and ideas on how to talk about the works with your pupils in a fun and easy way that can be used to talk about other art works or exhibitions.

If you would like visit an exhibition in person with your class please do get in touch and we can advise you on current gallery visit numbers, and assist you in managing your visit in a safe way. Contact paula@draiocht.ie or call on 01 8098029.


Click for larger downloadable PDFs

Artist and facilitator Bridget Flannery will walk exam students through the gallery, allowing them to gain an understanding of the curatorial process, installation considerations, and key messages of the art works. Students will see and hear about featured works, techniques and inspirations behind the works. The tour will focus on two artworks, to compare and contrast style, subject matter and artistic techniques.

There is also a free downloadable worksheet (coming soon), helping you to further explore and enjoy the gallery from your own classroom, in your own time with your students.

If you would like to visit in exhibition in person with your class please do get in touch and we can advise you on current gallery visit numbers and assist you in managing your visit in a safe way.
Contact paula@draiocht.ie or on 01 8098029.

Youth Theatre Oct - Dec 2020

Returning to a new normal, with smaller groups and shorter times, Youth Theatre members will adapt as that is what creative young folk do. We will continue to work in fun and exciting ways exploring all things theatre through improvised games, group work and the on-going explorations of themes of interest, just in a social distancing kind of way. Youth Theatre facilitators Emily Matthews along with Eimear Morrissey will continue to lead the group both on line and in Draíocht. Youth Theatre gives young people aged between 14-18 years a space to create, express themselves and explore ideas, every Tuesday evening either in person or on line. 

Please Note: D15 Youth Theatre Auditions usually take place in October of each year. Due to the ongoing health emergency and government restrictions, auditions have been postponed to February 2021. 

For further information please contact Paula on t:01-8098029 or e: paula@draiocht.ie
Read our BLOG or visit our Facebook Page

After spending much of this year’s project in a virtual space, we are looking forward to returning to move and dance together, while also being apart! Create Dance is a fun, innovative dance project, where the dancers love to dance and move and also have an intellectual disability. Dancers and facilitators, Mark Rogers & Conor Donelan, work together with participants and their parents to explore dance and free movement, ending each workshop with the all-important solo dance.

Over the Autumn some of our dancers will begin to work with our 2020 Dance Artist in Residence Jess Rowell on a new piece of choreography. Create Dance will also be collaborating with Lámh  Signs Ireland to create another very special piece of choreography to showcase in early 2021. Due to government restrictions we are currently not accepting new dancers, however if you have a child with a love for dance and an intellectual disability please do get in touch and we can add you to our list for future workshops.

Please get in touch with Paula, paula@draiocht.ie / ph 01 8098029.
During term time, workshops are on Saturdays: Juniors (Age 6-12 yrs) 12.15PM-1.15PM and Seniors (Age 13-17 yrs) 1.30PM-2.30PM. Pre booking for this project is essential.

If you are interested in dance, check out some of Conors FREE dance videos and downloadable worksheets that you can try at home.

If you cannot come to visit Draíocht's Galleries, then we would like to bring our Galleries into your home or school instead! 

Art is one of our most meaningful forms of expression and we feel it's important that children experience a wide range of original art images and objects where and whenever possible. We want to make that possible with this art sharing project for families and schools in Dublin 15. We are offering your school or home, the opportunity to display some art work by a range of established artists with a range of arts practices, from photography, illustration and print; from artists Sharon Murphy, Des Kenny and Garvan Gallagher and others, to share and enjoy with your pupils, teachers & families.

A work of art can be a wonderful stimulus in the classroom or home, and is a natural starting point for children to observe closely, think critically and share their thoughts and reactions through their own words. 
If you are interested in hearing more, please contact paula@draiocht.ie with a contact name and number. 

PROJECT NOTES
This project is FREE and is open to a very limited number of families & schools in Dublin 15 only.
All families & schools will need to sign a lending contract.
All participants will be supported by Draíocht with an integrated project.
A refundable deposit of €50 will be required at the beginning of the project. This refundable deposit can be waived if cost is an issue and will be considered on a case by case basis.

Printing is a kind of magic. Join our artists Deirdre O'Reilly & Genevieve Harden for this wonderful workshop where you'll hear all about how printing works and what different techniques printers use. Then they'll show you how to use colours, inks, lines and shapes to create your own small magical mono print! 

Suitable for ages 5-10 years, but older & younger children are always welcome to try too.

Join us on YouTube or Facebook at 11am on 7 November.

Join Jo Quinn of JogaYoga as she takes us on a calming mindfulness journey involving all of the senses. This video will give you tips on how to be a little bit more mindful in your everyday life and how to relax the mind from all of those busy thoughts, especially during this stressful pandemic year. 

Age Range: 10+ (but all ages welcome to try) 

Join us on YouTube or Facebook at 11am on 14 November.

Join Jo Quinn of JogaYoga for this wonderful Yoga session for families. Escape from the world for a few minutes, stretch, meditate and relax the mind from all of those busy thoughts, especially during this stressful pandemic year. 

Age Range: 10+ (but all ages welcome to try) 

Join us on YouTube or Facebook at 11am on 21 November.

REMIND ME

Join Jo Quinn of JogaYoga as she takes us on a calming mindfulness journey involving all of the senses. This video will give you tips on 'How to use Mindfulness in the Real World ' and how to relax the mind from all of those busy thoughts, especially during this stressful pandemic year. 

Age Range: 10+ (but all ages welcome to try) 

Join us on YouTube or Facebook at 11am on 28 November

REMIND ME

Draíocht has teamed up with DabbledooMusic to create a special online theatre show called 'Quest for the Jingle', with Emily Matthews & Jo Quinn, where you will join in with the elves on-screen to make music that might just save Christmas. Enjoy DabbledooMusic's short videos to give you some ideas for sounds you can create at home or in the classroom HERE, then along with our Elves, Fluffy Fiona & Nollaig Shona, you can help Jingle the Bells again, and get Santa's sleigh moving. 

When you are ready with your sounds, sign up to receive your FREE show link for 'Quest for the Jingle', HERE or email boxoffice@draiocht.ie 

Dabbledoo music is a music education resource for primary schools across Ireland. With their interactive videos and resources they'll have you singing and playing along to music from around the world!

Suitable for Schools and Families
Available Mon 01-Thu 31 Dec 2020 (excluding 24-27 Dec) 

Oh No! There's a problem in the North Pole. Santa's Sleigh won’t move. There's no Jingle in any of the Bells! Chief Irish Elves, Fluffy Fiona & Nollaig Shona, need your help to get the sleigh moving, so Santa can get gifts to children all over the world. DabbledooMusic comes to the rescue, creating musical sounds from all sorts of instruments ... Join in at home or in school, create your own sounds and let's see if you can save Christmas by making magical music to help Jingle the Bells again. Expect to see plenty of snow and some crazy elves, as you sing along and get into the magical spirit of Christmas with this gorgeous online experience. Commissioned by Draíocht, to be gifted for FREE to families and schools online during December.

* A password protected link will be emailed to you at 10am on your chosen date, giving you access for 24 hrs for your classroom or family. Book as many times as you like & spread the word!!

Book Now

Suitable for Schools and Families
Duration: 25 mins
Schools & families can access Videos from DabbledooMusic in advance HERE
Available Mon 01-Thu 31 Dec 2020 (excluding 24-27 Dec) 

REMIND ME

Make a Donation to Draíocht

Are you ready to get Christmas started? It’s time to Jingle Bells and Rock around the Christmas Tree. Live from the Black Box in Galway, you can enjoy this Online musical treat for the whole class with a merry mix of festive favourites and rocking rhymes performed by a fantastic 5 piece band. This festive feel-good live music show-Ho-Ho will have everyone jiving all the way to Christmas! 

Ages: Jnr Infants - 2nd Class
Duration: 40 mins approx

* A password protected link will be emailed to your classroom or school 30 mins before your show-time.

Book Now  boxoffice@draiocht.ie 
You can pay per class, or you can buy a full-day link for the whole school to enjoy.

Click here for Family Show