Families all around Ireland are staying home right now, and dealing with the dual challenges of educating young people, and keeping them entertained.
Producers of Ireland’s only Irish Language and rural based TV soap opera, Ros na Rún are inviting children and young people to showcase their Irish Language, creative writing talents and imagination with a Short Story Writing Competition while in lockdown.
This writing competition is sponsored by the world renowned Kenny’s family bookshop and art gallery, who are marking 80 years as part of Galway’s cultural landscape in 2020.
There are two key themes at the centre of this competition, one where budding young writers are asked to choose their preferred Ros na Rún character whom they would most like to self- isolate with, and how they imagine a 14 day quarantine would transpire with the chosen character.
The second theme, looks at what the future holds for the writer, post pandemic. Will life as they’ve known it so far change?
Irish language competition
The competition is aimed at supporting parents who are homeschooling their kids by helping them to focus on their use of the Irish language, and writing skills.
According to the organisers, they are keen to support “creativity, writing, imagination and the Irish language,” among young people.
There are three age categories for it, ages 6-9, as well as 10-14 and 15-18 years olds.
In the first two categories, entrants are asked to submit 300 words in Irish, while older competitors are asked for 500 words.
Ros na Rún is all about telling stories and creating real life drama for TG4 TV audiences”, says Marion Ní Loingsigh, series producer with the popular TV soap opera,
“Families and people of all ages are confined to home, and need positive and constructive outlets to focus their minds and imagination at this challenging time.”
“From the experience of cast and crew who’re currently home schooling, and those of us working behind in the scenes on completion of the storylines for our 25th season next Autumn, we thought it a fitting way to engage with our audience by launching a short story writing competition.”
For their contribution, Kenny’s bookstore are sponsoring three book hampers to the value of €50 each for the winners in each category, a welcome supply drop for long days indoors, without a doubt.
The judging panel will include leading actors from Ros na Rún, Niall Mac Eachmharcaigh from the Donegal Gaeltacht who’s an accomplished writer and plays the part of John Joe Daly, Domhnall O’Donoghue who plays Pádraig, also an accomplished travel writer and published fiction writer, along side Tom Kenny, Director of Kennys Bookshop and Gallery Galway and leading historian.
Writers are asked to have their completed entries to leiriuchain@rosnarun.com no later than 5pm on April 24, 2020.
The winners in each category will have the opportunity to read from their winning creation on the TV set of Ros na Rún ahead of the opening of series 25.
