Engaging school children with Fermanagh’s vernacular or traditional buildings
The past two weeks have been very busy but also really enjoyable visiting the teachers and pupils of P6 & P7 classes from various Primary schools in the Lisnaskea/Derrylin and the Belleek/Kesh areas. Thanks to funding from the Department of Communities, Historic Environment Division, Research Stream, school children are learning about Lough Erne landscape and the important of its vernacular heritage. Children will be interviewing the older generation, researching a traditional or vernacular building, describing and showing photos of the building and also researching and recording the social history connected to the building and general way of life.
It has been absolutely heart-warming to see the enthusiasm of the children, their interaction was wonderful and I know we are going to get lots of wonderful projects and indeed historical information that can be shared and passed on to future generations. Thanks very much to the children, teachers and principals for getting involved.
At the end of March 2023 (dates to be confirmed) we will be holding intergenerational events in Kesh, Belleek and Lisnaskea area where the younger generation (the school children) and the older generation will be invited to come along and share their research and memories with each other. Please keep in touch with this facebook page for further information. Some links below may be of interest – explaining the importance of vernacular or traditional buildings and also a ‘home owners handbook’ published by the Mourne Heritage Trust in 2004.
Please do get in touch, if you have a traditional or vernacular building and would be willing to share some photos and some stories and history connected to the property, please email Hazel Long – hazel.long@rspb.org.uk
Click to access traditional_buildings.pdf
