From laurel trees to the Elm Tree, German visitors make an impression
If you go down to the woods today you're in for a big surprise, thanks to the work of six German students and their two leaders who spent the majority of February in Clonmel. The group from Berlin was in town on an educational programme aimed at promoting personal development and intercultural learning among young people.
The programme, run by EIL Intercultural Learning, was facilitated by the South Tipperary Volunteer Centre, The Two Bridge Partnership and four host families in the town.
While the students have gained the life experiences from integrating themselves well into the local community, the real benefactors of their visit have been the people of Clonmel. Having a month to work on local projects has enabled the students to complete three major projects, both in a rural and urban environment.
Their first assignment saw the students work with The Two Bridges Partnership at Glenbawn woods near Marlfield, under the guidance of local man Shay Hurley. The area, an undiscovered treasure to many Clonmel residents, is teeming with wildlife and diverse plant species and was once part of the Bagwell Estate.
It boasts three looped walks of varying lengths, with the longest taking approximately one hour to complete. Over the course of their two weeks in the woods the students removed a vast amount of laurels and other overgrown vegetation to facilitate the extension of the marked-out walks in the woodlands. Their endeavours have opened a large section of the river bank to the public once more and showcases the beauty that is the River Suir.
A quick Google of "Glenbawn Loop" will provide all the details and directions you need to start enjoying this wonderful amenity on the doorstep of the town.
The second half of the programme brought the students to the Elm Park area of Clonmel, where their artistic skills flourished. Week three saw them paint a large mural on the wall of the Elm Tree Youth Club. The theme of the piece was music and the students were quick to put their own stamp on the project, incorporating both their own music traditions and those of their Irish hosts into the piece. With painting the mural taking precedence in the morning, the afternoons, with the influx of patrons to the centre after school, bought about the intercultural learnings that the programme was designed to facilitate.
Having been accepted by the children, who use the centre, the fascination of the younger kids with their German visitors quickly changed from interrogation to friendship, as they traded lessons in Irish and Germany. One child was heard telling her friend that she had been learning German after spending time with the students.
The girls in the German group were the real winners in the early exchanges, leaving the centre with glittery cards and beaded jewellery, all made by their new local friends. The same can’t be said for the lads, who weren’t quite up to the standards their Irish counterparts demonstrated on the pool tables.
With the music-themed mural completed at the Elm Tree, the artistic talents were transferred across to the Elm Park Area Childcare Centre where the students, under the guidance of professional artist John Donovan, transformed their centre's enclosed play area into a fairytale wonderland with another mural, this time comprising the younger kids' favourite nursery rhyme characters.
So after four weeks and three projects completed the Germans returned to Berlin on 27th February. An enjoyable time was had by all and the group are looking forward to returning to Clonmel in the future to check up on their handy work and reacquaint themselves with the friends they have made in the area.
The great memories of their time in Clonmel would not have been possible if it was not for the time and effort that was been devoted to them by a number of people from the town. The South Tipperary Volunteer Centre acknowledges the contributions of Shay Hurley, Joe Burke and their colleagues from the Two Bridges Partnership; Deirdre Landers and the staff of the Southside Centre, Elm Park; the management and staff of Elm Park Area Childcare Centre; the host families; John Donovan and all who interacted with the German students to make their first trip to Ireland a memorable one.
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Weather for Clonmel
Saturday 04 February 2012
Today
Heavy rain
Temperature: 2 C to 9 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 6 C to 7 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: South west
