3rd/4th class • 9 • Dublin
8-11 Category • 2026The third class in Scoil Mhuire created a collaborative art piece exploring what makes a home. The project was inspired by the stories the students collected from their families and neighbours about the history of their homes, streets, and roads, and from residents at the local care home in Shankill. These stories helped the students see how the past and present of their community are connected. Each child contributed their own artwork, using recycled materials and handmade natural dyes. They also included a precious 1892 manuscript, linking the area’s history with the students’ creativity. When joined together, these pieces formed a single artwork that reflects the lives, memories, and experiences that make a neighbourhood feel like home. Visits to the care home were a key part of the process. Residents shared memories of growing up in Shankill, of friendships, celebrations, and changes over time. These stories shaped the students’ choices , the colours, textures, and small details including hidden messages of kindness woven throughout the piece, connecting past and present. The artwork is a shared story of community. It celebrates people, streets, and memories, showing how individual voices come together to create something larger. For the students, it was also an opportunity to listen, learn, and connect with neighbours, families, and older generations. In the finished piece, collective experiences come together. It is a reflection of home as more than a building, a place shaped by people, relationships, and shared stories. Through this project, the students learned that art can preserve and celebrate community, creating something that belongs to all of us.
