Rath Eoghan pupil wins county title in national art competition

Fifth Class pupil Holly Maguire from St Mary’s National School, Rath Eoghan has been named Senior County Winner of the national art competition, Someone Like Me, and will join winners from 48 other schools to compete for the national title at an event in Dublin City Hall on Wednesday January 18, 2023.

The announcement was made by Minister of State with special responsibility for disability, Anne Rabbitte, TD, yesterday Saturday 3 December, as Ireland joined the rest of the world in marking the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

Now in its seventh year, the Someone Like Me art competition, organised by the National Disability Authority, attracted more than 2,700 entries from national schools across the country.

The competition was created as part of the authority’s work to nurture more positive attitudes towards persons with disabilities and, to date, more than 12,500 children have taken part in lesson plans and pupil activities designed to challenge them to appreciate and respect similarities and differences in people.

The judges – Caomhán Mac Con Ionmaire from the National Gallery of Ireland, principal Ann Higgins from the Hospital School CHI at Temple Street, and Niamh Fawl from the National Disability Authority – were impressed with the entry from Holly Maguire and selected her as the Senior County Winners based on her insightful and inspirational responses to the theme of ‘Someone Like Me’.

Minister Rabbitte said: “I am hugely encouraged by the growing interest in the Someone Like Me art competition. It shows a real commitment on the part of teachers and pupils to helping to develop a shared understanding of how we should treat others in a caring, sensitive and inclusive way, promoting a sense of belonging and connectedness.”

“The standard of entries has been extremely high this year, presenting the judging panel with a real challenge as they worked their way through each submission. Selecting the county winners was not an easy task and choosing an overall winner will be an even harder job.

“While I know it will be an anxious wait for the pupils and teachers to hear which of the 48 county winners will be awarded the national title, every pupil should be congratulated for helping to enable each and every single person in Ireland to feel a valued member of society.”

The competition offers a range of prizes up to the value of €1,250; it was open to all primary school pupils from junior infants to sixth class. Entries ranged from posters and collages to large sculptural installations and multi-media pieces.

Holly Maguire’s entry

Senior County Winner: Holly Maguire, 5th Class, St Mary’s National School, Rath Eoghan

Teacher: David Morgan

Project Description: This artwork includes five side by side pencil drawings, depicting people with different disabilities engaging in various sports. A quote has been placed under each picture, highlighting the fact that people can still be highly successful in their chosen sport despite their disability. ‘A disability is a new ability’ is the central message in the bottom left of the picture of the artwork.