Story Seeds project sprouts creativity in young authors

The Mayor of Limerick Francis Foley, with Charlie McNamara age 9 of St Marys National School, Elliot Owokole age 10 of Thomond Primary School and Alisha Ryan age 8 of Corpus Christi School pictured at the Launch of the Limerick Collection Story Seeds Book. Photo: Brian Arthur

Story Seeds project launch at Thomand Stadium inspired more than 600 primary school students in reading and writing

‘Story Seeds-Adventures Across Limerick & Beyond’ was launched at Thomand Stadium on Thursday, March 2, and marked a way to celebrate World Book Day 2023.

More than 600 students had a day to remember as they attended the event in Thomand Stadium with pupils, teachers, and librarians from around Limerick and Tipperary. Attendees from both counties celebrated the launch of the latest Story Seeds project publication.

Representing Limerick at the event were students from Corpus Christi Primary School, Thomond Primary School, St. Mary’s National School Bishop Street and Our Lady Queen of Peace, with students travelling from Corville National School in Roscrea, Tipperary for the event.

The Thomand Stadium event saw five students read a chapter from the book and also included a performance by the Copus Christi Primary School Choir from Moyross.

The collection of stories is named Story Seeds: Adventures Across Limerick & Beyond is made up of 10 stories written by the Limerick and Co. Tipperary primary schools from October 22 to January 23.

Over 600 primary school children in Limerick and Tipperary have taken part in the Story Seeds project to encourage more young people to become writers and their stories have now been published as part of World Book Week. @HalloranCathy has the story. @FightingWordsIE pic.twitter.com/MBqaqbi70w— RTÉ news2day (@news2dayRTE) March 3, 2023

The event had guest speakers such as the Mayor of Limerick Francis Foley and Executive Librarian Patricia Foley. Also speaking at the event was Pádraig Kenny, a local children’s author who reminded the young authors of the importance of conveying emotion in their writing – the importance of making your readers laugh and cry.

Each young author was given a copy of the book following what was an inspirational event to motivate and inspire the young students in creative writing.

The initiative focuses on the positive aspects of the communities where they all live and play and it is just one of many projects run by Fighting Words, a Dublin-based creative writing organisation, founded by Roddy Doyle and Seán Love.

The Story Seeds project supports young people to write their own story with the aim of enabling them to begin to understand their own life story – their personal, circumstantial and emotional story and their place- geographical, social, and imaginative.

Story Seeds, is a creative writing project in which over 4000 children were encouraged to use their imagination and to have fun writing a collection of stories in locations across Ireland.

The project is aimed not only to introduce children to creative writing but also to strengthen their positive sense of themselves and to allow them to re-imagine the negatives in their lives and transform their sense of places and possibilities.

Read similar stories here.
Find out more about Stoy Seeds here.

For further information, please contact the Limerick Fighting Words project co-ordinators Michelle [email protected] or Sarah, [email protected] at Watch House Cross Library.