Children from Oban’s Gaelic Medium department in Rockfield Primary School shared a fabulous afternoon of song, music and stories on Thursday 22 November with a special guest all the way from Cork, Ireland.
In advance of his concert as part of the town’s Winter Festival, John Spillane, a gifted singer, songwriter and performer, made a special visit to the school, courtesy of the festival organisers. John’s blend of songs in Irish and English, combined with his witty stories and highly engaging manner, were a huge hit with the pupils. During the afternoon, the children and John also compared words shared by Irish and Scottish Gaelic. The Gaelic-medium pupils joined enthusiastically in learning some of the Irish songs, and in addition, sang a couple of songs for their guest.
John Spillane said,
“The kids were fabulous! I really enjoyed their singing and it was great fun to share our songs and stories.”
Catriona Garvin of Rockfield Primary School’s Gaelic-medium department said,
“We were so delighted to have John visit us. He was sensational and extremely entertaining, and had everyone singing. The children were really interested to learn about our cultural and linguistic connections with Irish Gaelic, and enjoyed sharing their Gaelic singing with John. We are most grateful to Oban Winter Festival for enabling this special visit to our school to take place.”