‘Storying Royal Canal’ project invites families to get involved

Local families are invited to indulge in nature and learn about the Royal Canal in a free video series.

The canal, which connects Dublin and the Shannon, has inspired two primary school teachers to join forces to give the free outdoor heritage project which will run this summer.

Eliya Lavine, originally from California, and Susan McCarthy from Kildare are both primary school teachers who have a passion for nature and the outdoors.

The Covid-friendly event entitled ‘Storying the Royal Canal from Maynooth to Mullingar’ is purely virtual and invites families living near the canal to explore their surroundings.

The four-part video series explores “the natural, cultural and built heritage of the Royal Canal through stories, nature craft, flora and fauna identification and much more”.

The project by ‘Seed Scholars’ is supported by Waterways Ireland and is aimed at families with children between the ages of four and 12 years.

With various Covid-19 restrictions in place over the last year, Eliya has said that they have noticed a lot of people visiting the canal and they thought it was a great opportunity to help those people learn more about it.

“Especially during lockdown and Covid we are seeing a lot of people engage with the canal and are connected to it, and it really inspires us.

“We are hoping to bring more ideas for games, songs and engaging young people and their families to come together and share what they’re already up to, and to learn,” Eliya said.

The project is geared towards getting young people involved and gives a chance for families to get outdoors during the summer.

Susan McCarthy has done a lot of research into environmental education and said that often young people’s input is not considered.

“In Ireland, a lot of young people’s voices are often absent when it comes to the promotion and conservation of heritage,” she said.

Because of that, they are excited about the project and hope it will be a good opportunity for young people to engage more with the environment.

Along with the videos, the project also has an interactive map which means visitors to the canal can get involved and share their stories.

For more information on the project and to sign up visit the website at seedscholars.com/events.