Merlin Woods Primary School is a new and developing school in Doughiska, located on the east side of Galway city. Principal Paula O’Connor and 1st class teachers Aoife de Paor and Melissa Donohue played a vital role in mapping out the Creative Space project’s future, and selecting an artist to work closely with over two years.

“In our experience, we believe creativity and the arts are fundamental to the holistic development of a child. Expanding the children’s imagination through creative arts has a positive impact on all areas of the curriculum we teach. The children develop valuable skills such as critical thinking, communication, collaboration, persistence, resilience and confidence. It goes without saying, these are qualities we as teachers would love to nurture in all the children we teach. This is why we were thrilled to participate in the Creating Space with Baboró.

We are particularly drawn to the fact that Creating Space places an emphasis on the creative process rather than the end result and are looking forward to discovering the direction the children take on this creative adventure. As well, it is our shared hope we can use the knowledge gained from this project and from Colm Ó Foghlú in our future teaching. Our experience will be shared with the staff of Merlin Woods so Creating Space will have an impact on our school community, especially the children, long after it has officially come to an end," said Paula O'Connor and Aoife de Paor.