School Tour 2017
Yesterday we went on our school tour to Dublin. We left at 7.45am! We had a great time! We went to Kilmainham Gaol, Dublinia and took a Viking Splash tour. On the way up and down we stopped at Applegreen. We got a tour of Kilmainham Gaol where we learned about the Famine and about the difficulties facing the poor, starving people of Ireland at that time. Our tour-guide told us that even five year old children had spent time in Kilmainham Gaol for begging. She also told us that other children went to jail for stealing stuff such as grass and chains. We learned that their exercize involved walking around in circles for one whole hour with their hands tied behind their backs. If they talked they got whipped. Their heads were down looking at the other peoples' feet. We saw a message on a cell wall by a past prisoner, stating, "beware of the risen people that have harried and held ye that have builled". Our tour guide told us that James Connelly was executed at one end of Kilmainham courtyard and 13 others were executed at the other end due to their involvement in the 1916 rising. They had their hands behind their backs and they were blind folded. They had a sticker on their heart and that was where the British soldiers aimed for. Then we went to Dublinia. Here, we learned all about vikings. We also learned about the Black Death. It came from black rats and fleas and originated in Asia. The dreaded disease killed a lot of people. Over 75 million people in fact, across Europe. Towns and villages also smelled of pigs. Then we went to the gift shop and bought something as a souvenir of our great visit. Afterwards, we walked to the Viking Splash tour. We had great fun there. On our journey home, we stopped again at Applegreen and got some tasty food! We had a long journy home and arrived back at our school by nine o clock. It was a wonderful school tour!
By Ruby Jennings
By Ruby Jennings