ARTiculation is a public speaking competition which promotes the appreciation and discussion of art and history in secondary schools throughout Ireland. Carlow students were tasked with delivering a ten-minute presentation before an audience about a work of art, an artefact or piece of architecture of their choice, and express their ideas, opinions and conclusions on their chosen work.
St Leos College in Carlow participated in the Carlow Heat which was held on the first-floor gallery of Carlow County Museum. The students spoke about their chosen pieces while surrounded by heritage and history of Carlow. Judging the presentations were Sinead Dowling, County Arts Officer for Carlow, and John O’ Neill of Toastmasters Carlow. As part of the competition, the judges also ask the speakers a question each about their presentation; the speakers don’t know the question in advance, and it really challenges their knowledge and interpretation of their chosen topic.
Amy McLoughlin (pictured right) secured first place with her fascinating take on The Basílica de la Sagrada Familia, the UNESCO World Heritage Site in Barcelona, designed by Antoni Gaudi.
Second place went to Méabh Johnson (below, left) who spoke with great passion about Kryzwy Domek (the Crooked House) in Poland, while Clodagh O’ Regan (below, right) placed third for her engaging interpretation of Botticelli’s ‘The Birth of Venus’.
Awards were presented by Dermot Mulligan, Curator of Carlow County Museum, who commented that “we were delighted to organise the Carlow heat, the judges and the Museum were very impressed with the high standard of the presentations. The students clearly demonstrated that they understood their topics and challenged us to look differently at these items. We would like to thank Mr Sean Woods, St Leo’s College, for his assistance in promoting this event among the students. We wish Amy the very best of luck as she represents Carlow at the National ARTiculation Finals in Tralee later this month.”
ARTiculation is run by the Roche Court Educational Trust. Carlow County Museum will open the competition to more secondary schools in Carlow for ARTiculation 2020/2021.
