Gaelscoil an Choillín pupils enjoy festive trip to Christmas Express
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Children from Junior and Senior Infants with Santa Claus - all officially on the Nice list.Image 2 of 12
Patrick, Ryan, Oscar, Ryan and Theo, from senior infants, all chilling out as they looked forward to meeting Santa Claus.Image 3 of 12
Páistí ón Seomra Gréine agus Réalta, with teachesr, Aideen, Shannon and FOlivia, along with Tinsel the Elf at The Christmas Express.Image 4 of 12
Naíonáin Mhóra - senior infants from Gaelscoil an Choilín enjoying their turas go dtí Daidí na Nollaig.Image 5 of 12
Junior Infants with the elf at Christmas Express.Image 6 of 12
At the “Elf Academy”, children enjoyed making festive crafts under the watchful eyes of the elves.Image 7 of 12
Sophie and Caoimhe from Senior Infants met Santa and were delighted to receive beautiful gifts.Image 8 of 12
Some of the Gaelscoil an Choilín girls pictured at Mount Druid.Image 9 of 12
Múinteoir Deborah and some of the children enjoying the train ride around Mount Druid.Image 10 of 12
Standing in line to take their places on the Mount Druid train.Image 11 of 12
The Gaelscoil children listening intently to the message from the elves.Image 12 of 12
There was plenty of Christmas cheer for pupils from Gaelscoil an Choillín when they enjoyed a special visit to the Christmas Express at Mount Druid on Tuesday December 16.
More than 100 pupils were exclusively welcomed to the popular festive attraction, where Mount Druid provided a special experience for them, including pupils from the school’s ASD classes, An Seomra Gréine and An Seomra Réalta.
The day was filled with highlights, from a festive train ride and a visit to the Elf Academy, to meeting Santa Claus in the magical Boathouse. The páistí were delighted to hear they had all made the nice list, adding to the excitement of the experience.
Teacher Fiona Gallagher said the visit was particularly special because of the inclusive approach taken by Mount Druid. “It was a phenomenal day out,” she said. “Not every location is ASD friendly, so this really stood out.”
Fiona explained that she contacted Shane Barkey in November after hearing about the Christmas Express, and arrangements were quickly put in place to accommodate the school.
“He put a lot of wheels in motion and the visit was arranged and took place before Christmas,” she said. “It’s great to see somewhere like this in the locality.”
The school was also delighted to discover that Santa had taken an Irish language course, allowing him to chat with pupils as Gaeilge, much to their enjoyment.
The school extended its thanks to Shane Barkey, Adrian and Deirdre at Mount Druid for creating such a warm and welcoming experience for the pupils.
Older classes from Gaelscoil an Choillín travelled to Dublin to enjoy a pantomime as part of their festive activities. Fiona said that if the Christmas Express returns next year, attendance could well become a new school tradition.