News and Events

This site is designed to provide background information on prison education in Dublin prisons as well as news and events of particular interest to teachers in Prison Education Centres. The site also contains samples of work by prisoners who attend the Education Centres in Dublin prisons. Art exhibitions, drama productions, music performances and publication of writings provide the students with the opportunity to have their work seen and heard by those outside the prison gates. We hope and expect that this site will provide a platform for their work to be viewed by a wider audience and extend this viewing beyond the lifespan of an exhibition or performance.

Except in the case of group projects, all works shown here are done so with the understanding that they are owned solely by the prisoner accredited and that the accredited prisoners have consented to them being used on this site. The images, poems and music samples are also copyrighted to this site and cannot be reproduced elsewhere without permission from the site owners, who in turn must get permission from the relevant accredited prisoner. Ownership of any work featured on the site remains that of the accredited prisoner.

Art Exhibition 2009

'OUTSIDE IN' was an art exhibition that took place in St. Patrick’s Institution in February, 2009. It showcased work by students from the Education Unit in St. Patrick’s Institution as well as work from Mountjoy, The Medical Unit, Dóchas Centre, The Training Unit, Wheatfield, Arbour Hill, Clover Hill, Pathways and PACE. The exhibition was held in the school Gym and was opened on Thursday afternoon, 3rd February, by Governor Sean Quigley and Tom Duffy, Head Teacher.
In relation to those exhibiting, Tom said “A few representing many are present. A bit like how the work displayed represents a much larger amount….You (the artists) have harnessed talents and skills and abilities you may not have realised you have.” Some students from Mountjoy who had work on show were allowed up to view the exhibition. Some family members of students from St. Pat’s were able to come to the event.
The exhibition space was only available for three days, which meant it had to be hung, viewed and taken down in that time – no mean feat. Although the viewing lasted only one day, it was well attended and well received. The artists were delighted to see their work on display. Next time round it is hoped that more students from the Dublin prisons and post-release centres will get to see the exhibition as well as more family members. It is also hoped, especially with the success of this exhibition, to have exhibits of longer duration in the future. Congratulations to all involved.

Special Olympics Visit Wheatfield

‘If we open our eyes and hearts, we will find in the athletes of the Special Olympics the best of the human spirit and through them each of us will find the best in ourselves.’
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver, co-founder of the Special Olympics.

Friday, 13th February was a remarkable day for the students and teachers in Wheatfield. That day not only marked the end of their Holistic Health Week but also saw the welcome return of the athletes and friends of the Special Olympics. The annual Holistic Health Week in Wheatfield is dedicated to the physical, emotional and creative well-being of the students. Through a series of workshops and guest speakers, the students are presented with the opportunity to explore a range of issues which are relevant to them and impact upon their lives.
The Special Olympics is an international organisation created to help people with intellectual disabilities develop self-confidence, social skills and a sense of personal accomplishment.

Describing the event, Head teacher Brenda Fitzpatrick said “Our ceremony commenced with the Special Olympic ‘Flame of Hope’ being carried through the school by our invited guests. Students and teachers lined a darkened corridor until the flame reached its destination which was into the hands of one of our students. Anthony accepted the torch on behalf of ‘everyone in Wheatfield.’ This was a poignant and emotional moment for all involved as the flame represents hope, determination, courage and endurance.”
Three Special Olympic athletes - Aisling, Maeve and May - enthralled a packed room with their personal accounts of struggle and success in the areas of education and sport. Their stories were truly inspiring and resonated with the students. In a previous visit to the school in September 2008, Aisling told of her plan to participate in the Tiburon Race in San Francisco. Her endeavour caught the imagination and support of the students who held a sponsored 5 and 10 kilometre run the following December and managed to raise €1,600 The cheque was presented to the visitors from the Special Olympics, much to their surprise and delight.
The spirit of the Special Olympic movement is infectious. It calls upon us to recognise our strengths and reach our potential. It fosters a spirit of community and citizenship.

A Safety First for Prison Education

THE CARDIAC First Response Programme, developed by the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council (PHECC) will be available for students from June when the CDVEC completes its accreditation process with PHECC.

The Council is the national body with responsibility for standards, education and training in the field of pre-hospital emergency care in Ireland. It sets the education standards and conducts the examinations leading to the National Qualification in Emergency Technology (NQEMT).

Two schools, the Training Unit and Wheatfield will be the first CDVEC schools to deliver the course.
Some of the skills that the student will learn are performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on an adult, child and infant. CPR consists of two main actions: Chest compressions, as in the photo, this action pumps the blood. The second is rescue breathing which delivers oxygen to the lungs.
The student will also learn to operate an automated external defibrillator (AED) safely. A defibrillator is a device that delivers a controlled electric shock to restore the hearts abnormal rhythm back to a normal rhythm.
Others skills that the course will cover include: recognising the signs and symptoms of a heart attack, how to administer aspirin to the patient having a heart attack, and completing an assessment for a patient suspected of having a stroke.

Drama News

Mountjoy
'Touching On' is a play that was first performed as part of a family support project in Dublin’s south inner city in 1998. It was written for a specific group who had come together to explore the effects of drugs on the community and family in that area.
Maggie Byrne, Drama teacher in the Medical Unit, introduced the play to her class with a view to adapting it for performance in the prison. It was well received by the group who committed to work together towards a performance in the prison. In December 2008, the play was performed for prisoners, teachers and the probation service. Because the original play had seven female roles, it was necessary to adapt and edit it to reduce these roles to three females. One of these was played by Maggie herself and the other two were performed by colleagues. The male roles were played by nine students.

The play centres around a recovering addict who returns to Dublin after doing time in England, where he also received treatment for his addiction. On his return to his native city, he is confronted by the changing face of Dublin and also the disintegration of his family. He struggles to come to terms with his past and ultimately decides to stay and face his future, remaining drug-free and offering support to his brother and sister. Comedy is used to lighten the story and the plot concludes on an up-beat note where family values triumph.
The response to the play was so good that they were asked to bring it to the main prison where it was a great success. After Christmas, the play was given another run in the Medical Unit and people from outside the prison, including two family members, were able to see it. The family members were given some time afterwards to meet and socialise with the cast. “It was worth all the hard work and effort,” says Maggie, “to see the importance of this for both family members and students. If success is to be measured by the personal development of the individuals involved, this play was a very worthwhile vehicle. As one member of the cast said, 'I got the chance to experience myself in a different way … and it has been one of my most positive experiences and one that I will never forget'. Drama is a powerful tool for transformation in a prison context and is always worthwhile.”

Wheatfield
This year, Helen Hunt, Drama teacher in Wheatfield, brought to the stage her adaptation of Tom Murphy’s play, A Whistle in the Dark. This was premiered in 1961 at Stratford East Theatre in London. It tells the story of the climactic confrontation between Michael, the oldest of the Carney sons, and his father and brothers, a brawling, hard-drinking, criminal gang of Irish immigrants living and working in Coventry.

“It is,” says Helen, “as pertinent to the Ireland of to-day as it was to the Ireland of the fifties and sixties – perhaps more so.” Helen adds, “Through the shared creative endeavour of bringing this play into being, perhaps those involved were able to discover a different way of feeling truly alive.”
Niall, who played the part of Michael, had this to say: “Michael reminds me of myself – what I could have been. I think there is a bit of Michael in me still. His frustration comes from the feeling of being trapped – unable to break away and to change his situation. Drama has given me the chance to leave prison and to break away… just for a short while.”
The play was performed over four days. The final performance on May 1st was in front of an invited audience. One hundred and thirty prisoners watched the play and their absolute attentiveness during its one and a half hour playing time, was a tribute to the quality of the acting and production, as much as to the relevance of the issues raised in the play itself.

In Clover

Charity Event
In December 2008, students from the Cloverhill PE class, supervised by their teacher Caitríona McGrath and the gym staff, completed a 150km sponsored run in aid of Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin. The thirty volunteers each covered 5km on the treadmills in an all day event and managed to raise just over €1600. Olympic Silver Medallist Kenneth Egan made a guest appearance in the gym while the event was taking place. Later in the month a representative from the Children’s hospital was invited to the unit and kindly accepted the cheque.

Portrait Painting Workshop
Visiting artist Cathy Henderson held a portrait painting workshop in the Art room in Cloverhill for two weeks in January as part of the artist in residence scheme. The classes became extremely popular and some fine work was produced. Cathy really enjoyed the experience and is looking forward to coming into the unit again to introduce another theme.