Fionn Primary School Science Project also known as the Fionn School Science Project was a wonderful pioneering government-funded programme that operated from school year 2001/2002 to 2004/2005. It was designed to help prepare teachers for the introduction of science into the Irish primary curriculum which took place in September 2004. The pilot scheme involved 35 Galway city and county primary schools. For four consecutive years the Fionn schools formed the major educational component of the annual exhibition of the Galway Science and Technology Festival that was held during this period at in Salthill. Fionn was managed by myself Brendan Smith on behalf of the Galway Education Centre working under the auspices of its director Bernard Kirk, Ciaran Folan and Ciaran Folan-who was regional ICT advisor for the National Centre for Technology in Education, and with government funding secured by Minister of State for Science, Noel Treacy TD who was also patron and founder of the Galway Science and Technology Festival. Diarmuid O’Riordan developed its website with Lol Hardiman, Podge Daly, Diarmuid Mullen and Martin O’Ceidigh providing artistic support mentoring to the schools.

Click on the link to see the films made by the participatory schools