Terry McDonagh, the poet and dramatist of international acclaim, arrived in Davitt College recently. Throughout the course of his visit he hosted a variety of workshops, which catered for the Transition Year and fifth year students within the school.

Due to Terry's experience within the realms of poetry and drama, he was able to encourage students to adopt an active approach to such aspects of the English curriculum.
Furthermore, due to his emersion within German society he could offer a unique viewpoint to those who study the subject of German in Davitt College also.
The English workshops were coordinated by Terry and proved to be extremely successful as the room was fuelled with enthusiasm and interest.

The students involved were enthralled by Terry's animated demeanour as he encouraged them to reflect on their thoughts and to act out various emotions and scenarios.
Their creativity was channelled into their written expression as students were then asked to compose mini-sagas of their own.
Their creative compositions are currently being compiled into a collection, which will be available to all of the students who had partaken in the workshops. The skills gained from the activities in the workshops will be very beneficial to students as they embrace senior cycle English in the forthcoming years.

In the German workshop Terry was able to provide an insight into the area of translation, as a range of his poems were translated into German from English. He had the ability to engage students in an active way so they thoroughly enjoyed the learning experience.
To add to this, he highlighted how learning a language such as German can open doors both in Ireland and abroad. This aspect of the workshop helped to broaden students' horizons with regard to their future subject choices and educational pursuits.

The students and staff of Davitt College were thrilled with the success of Terry McDonagh's creative workshops. Terry's knowledge and experience proved to be invaluable and he has instilled a wealth of knowledge and skills in the students which will help them to develop as creative writers and language enthusiasts for many years to come.