Brandon Learning Centre: British Education - process, preparation and practicalities

At this time of year, on the Feast of Saint Patrick, we should be celebrating everything which is good about our country. My favourites are: our family ties, our incredible contribution to literature and our relish for and resilience to the absurdities of life. Everyone will have their own memories and recollections of growing up in Ireland; running along a beach in the rain and returning home to the scent of the peat fire and warmth. For me, this poem encapsulates our childhood joys and dreams and the experiences I hope to pass on. For children or the diaspora who are living outside Ireland, read this for your parents or grandparents and share in their memories and love of our land. Irish Children - An Dara-Leabhar (Gaelic League) Happy Irish children, In your home below, Sheltered when the rain falls, Safe from winter's snow. Sing your songs of gladness In your grand old speech, Climb the sunny hillside, Race along the beach. Nowhere greener pastures, Nowhere bro

Parades... green rivers... flashing shamrocks... Saint Patrick's day is unrecognisable today!   New Orleans becomes Irish! I am in New Orleans which is packed with people wearing green. It is wonderful to see people celebrating Ireland and the diaspora. Rather than buying the Made in China Leprechaun's hat, how about reviving the Irish custom of entertaining family and friends with a dance, a song or a poem? The following is the first stanza of The Exile's Return , by John Locke which tells the story of an exile returning from Texas after longing for his homeland for so long. The entire poem is eight stanzas long and does teeter on the Plastic Paddy territory but St Pat's is a day to be as sentimental as you like! Read proudly and remember the generations who gave up so much for us. The Exile's Return Glory to God, but there it is- The dawn on the hills of Ireland! God's angels lifting the night's black veil From the fair, sweet face of my s

We had some wonderful parties when I was little. Everyone would take it in turns to entertain; to sing, to recite or to dance. You don't have to wait until Saint Patrick's Day to start this tradition in your own families and, when you do, consider something by WB Yeats. The wonderful lyricism of the language appeals to every audience and the simplicity of his visions will delight. The Lake Isle of Innisfree I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree, And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made. Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey bee, And live alone in the bee-loud glade. And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow, Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings; There midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow, And evening full of the linnet's wings. I will arise and go now, for always night and day I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore; While I stand

Robert Emmet (1778 - 1803) has the dubious honour of being the last man to be hanged, drawn and quartered by the British for his leading role in the 1803 uprising. An incredible character who combined bravery and romanticism, he is one of the greats of Irish history. Outside Ireland, anyone who lives in San Francisco, Washington or Iowa can see his statue. For people living in Emmet County Iowa, Emmet, Nebraska or Emmet County, Michigan, you are living in towns named to honour an inspirational man. To bring Emmet's words into your house, how about reciting one of his poems this Saint Patrick's day? My Own Land - Robert Emmet This world hath many a glorious land, Where beauty ever dwells, Old snow-crowned hills, and rivers grand, And happy summer dells. Of these the Poet in his lays, Loves evermore to tell, Where heroes died in former days, Where Freedom's martyrs fell. But my own land is dearer far, Than all, where'er they be, My own land - my own land

Lying on the sofa in Chelsea, shivering on the beach in Ireland, sitting on a bus in Hong Kong. All places that I have read this poem. Each time, I shiver with the exhilaration of the first verse, and the courage of the second. The Hill - Rupert Brooke Breathless, we flung us on the windy hill, Laughed in the sun, and kissed the lovely grass. You said, "Through glory and ecstasy we pass; Wind, sun, and earth remain, the birds sing still, When we are old, are old..." "And when we die All's over that is ours; and life burns on Through other lovers, other lips," said I, - "Heart of my heart, our heaven is now, is won!" "We are Earth's best, that learnt her lesson here. Life is our cry. We have kept the faith!" we said; "We shall go down with unreluctant tread Rose-crowned into the darkness!" ... Proud we were, And laughed, that had such brave true things to say. - And then you suddenly cried, and turned away.

"How do I prepare my child for an interview?" is a common question we get at Brandon Learning Centre. In an ideal world, this question would be "How do I prepare my child for life?" The two aims are very closely linked! Children with no outside interests are children with little to say in an interview. Equally, in later life, they may not have the cultural richness which will allow them to multiple environments. We are surrounded by opportunities to expand our children’s horizons; museums, galleries and plays are all available and are not necessarily expensive. These environments not only provide stimulation but as parents and teachers, we can also use them to challenge children to develop their critical thinking skills. As a child, my parents would take us to libraries where we developed our ability to explore literature and learn about the history of our areas (the Thomas Ashe exhibition at the Dingle Library which included the dessicated remains of the last p

The Irish have always had a love of performance and I grew up surrounded by powerful speakers and singers. Family parties would always end up with people reciting, singing ballads and dancing (usually me but there was money involved!) We all had "party pieces" which would be trundled out in front of a crowd of relatives who had heard them a hundred times before. As a child, performing in front of a non-critical, family audience is a perfect start to a public speaking career. Memorising poetry at an early age helps to develop an appreciation for language and stretches the vocabulary. The love and encouragement that you receive from the family will stay with you forever. So this Christmas, instead of loafing in front of the television, try some of the sites below and start performing. Wonderful Radio 4 poetry programme with readings of contemporary and classic poetry A treasure trove of poetry Use the quote search function to identify half remembered poems My father's party

We Irish have always been famed for having the "gift of the gab". Language is our currency and, when I was growing up, it was pretty much the only currency we had in any quantity! We all know what happened next... This week, Brian Lenihan, Irish Finance Minister (and not a man who will be sleeping well in the next few days!) described the EU bailout amount requested as being "less than 100 billion euros." This is a perfect example of how, when giving presentations, speakers can frame numbers and statistics in order to create the effect they are after. Example one: The loan is going to be in excess of 99.9 billion euros. Example two: The loan is going to be less than 100 billion euros and substantially less than 110 billion euros. The second example aims to minimise the perception that a large amount has been borrowed. This technique can be applied to any type of figure which you anticipate will be badly received. Alternatively, politicians use it to discredit oppone