Knock
On Thursday the 14th of September the whole of our TY group travelled to Knock in county Mayo.
We arrived at the school at around 7:45 and assembled in the social area. When everyone arrived the teachers Ms Dunne and Ms Ryan called a rol and we then entered the bus. The bus journey was long and tiring. When we arrived at Knock we were each given a name tag and put seated at different tables with other schools.
Our first speaker was FR Peter McVerry. He spoke to us about homelessness and how he got into helping people with no homes. He told us if we ever see someone on the street they would love if you went over to them and have a conversation. After each talk each table would discuss what was said and how it impacted you. I found FR Peter McVerry’s talk very interesting and inspiring.
The next talk I found interesting was Joanne O’Riordan’s. She talked to us about her life and her disability. She has a condition called “Total Amelia”, which means she was born without limbs. She always says “it’s not the disability, it’s the ability”. She then told us stories about her childhood and about her family. After the talk we again discussed questions on the speech. Then we were allowed to ask questions to the speaker the she would answer then to the room.
At around half 3 we finished and got back on the bus. We arrived back in Portumna at around 5 o’clock. Overall I found the trip to Knock a great experience. I learned a lot about homeless people and the work FR Peter McVerry does to help these people. I also found Joanne O’Riardan speech very inspiring and made me realise how lucky I am.
We arrived at the school at around 7:45 and assembled in the social area. When everyone arrived the teachers Ms Dunne and Ms Ryan called a rol and we then entered the bus. The bus journey was long and tiring. When we arrived at Knock we were each given a name tag and put seated at different tables with other schools.
Our first speaker was FR Peter McVerry. He spoke to us about homelessness and how he got into helping people with no homes. He told us if we ever see someone on the street they would love if you went over to them and have a conversation. After each talk each table would discuss what was said and how it impacted you. I found FR Peter McVerry’s talk very interesting and inspiring.
The next talk I found interesting was Joanne O’Riordan’s. She talked to us about her life and her disability. She has a condition called “Total Amelia”, which means she was born without limbs. She always says “it’s not the disability, it’s the ability”. She then told us stories about her childhood and about her family. After the talk we again discussed questions on the speech. Then we were allowed to ask questions to the speaker the she would answer then to the room.
At around half 3 we finished and got back on the bus. We arrived back in Portumna at around 5 o’clock. Overall I found the trip to Knock a great experience. I learned a lot about homeless people and the work FR Peter McVerry does to help these people. I also found Joanne O’Riardan speech very inspiring and made me realise how lucky I am.