Young Storykeeper Volume III

STORYKEEPER VOLUME III
WELCOME | 1
WELCOME
Irish Lights – Great Lighthouses of Ireland and Fighting
Words decided early this year to collaborate on a story
writing project that has turned out to be a wonderful
experience for our two organisations. The idea
behind Become a Young Storykeeper was to invite
children aged 7–12 years of age to write imaginative
and creative stories about Ireland’s lighthouses. The
symbolism of the lighthouse – bright, magical, brave,
mysterious – offers so many exciting possibilities.
Then the covid-19 lockdown invaded our lives, and a
whole extra dimension was added. Social distancing
– the need to stay away from those we love to keep
them safe – draws instant parallels with the lighthouse,
which essentially pushes ships away to keep them
safe. Our lighthouses are a powerful symbol of loss,
hope and light and it’s incredibly exciting that so many
hundreds of young imaginations have tapped into
them in this collection of stories. We are delighted
and proud to have been part of this great adventure.
Seán Love
Executive Director,
Fighting Words
Yvonne Shields O’Connor
CEO,
Commission for Irish Lights
The Creative Ireland Programme are delighted
to collaborate and support this new initiative to
encourage children to create inspirational stories
about Ireland’s lighthouses as part of Cruinniú na
nÓg 2020. Developed by The Commissioners of
Irish Lights’ (Irish Lights) tourism and community
partnership, Great Lighthouses of Ireland, and creative
writing organisation Fighting Words, this creative call
to action demonstrates how, together, the ambition to
support and encourage children and young people to
become more resilient using the creative practice of
writing and storytelling can be achieved.
We are overwhelmed with the level and quality of
entries from around the world and salute the originality
and joy of the work of the nearly thirteen hundred 7 –
12 year olds who responded to the call.
Ireland is the first, and only, country in the world
to have a national day of free creativity for children and
young people under 18. Cruinniú na nÓg is a flagship
initiative of the Creative Ireland Programme’s Creative
Youth plan to enable the creative potential of children
and young people, to celebrate their creativity and to
ensure creativity becomes part of how they become
successful shapers of their own lives. Become a
Young Storykeeper has achieved just that.
Tania Banotti
Director, The Creative Ireland Programme
Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht