On Tuesday, 24 , February, Mrs Cullen organised and hosted a Talk in the library by award-winning storyteller, Niall de Burca. It was for the Year 9’s who will be studying this topic in History very shortly.

In his completely unique and mesmerizing style, Niall transported the audience back to the beginning of the war. With his vivid depiction of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, we could clearly see in our mind’s eye the whole scene as it unfolded. Niall used his considerable acting talent to seemingly effortlessly convey to us the poignant stories of the real people who enlisted to fight for their countries. We heard about the brutality of the battles at Mons, Gallipoli and Passchendaele and came to understand how this conflict sowed the seeds for the Second World war which was to follow.

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What our pupils thought……

“On Tuesday morning we had an amazing talk in the library about World War One. It was so inspiring! Niall de Burca was a lovely, charismatic man who knew a lot of information on the war. It was clear it was well- researched and was so entertaining I wasn’t bored once. I even went home and researched the war. I was hooked !” Aimee Mc Cleave. Year 9

“The World War One talk was very good. I thought that Niall de Burca was outstanding and his presentation of the talk was fantastic. He made it sound very realistic – as if the war was happening just when he was talking ! “ Euan Neeson. Year 9

“We had a Talk with a man named Niall de Burca and had an enjoyable time. He fused history with humour…. to teach us about the cruelty and starvation of the First World War. I enjoyed it very much and would like to see it again.” Nathan Delauney. Year 9

“I really enjoyed the stories. They showed us that the soldiers were people with family too. It was informative but not boring as it was delivered really well and in a funny way. I think I know much more about the war now. Niall de Burca was really good and hilarious.” Ellie Mc Alinden . Year 9