Minister for Education Norma Foley TD has announced that her Department is going to establish a new national schools’ folklore project for the 21st century.

The project will follow in the footsteps of the ground-breaking schools’ folklore project, which was set up by the National Folklore Collection in 1937.

It gathered 500,000 pages of oral history, folktales and legends, riddles and proverbs, games and pastimes, trades and crafts from more than 50,000 pupils in 5,000 schools across the state between 1937 and 1939.

The new schools’ folklore project will be carried out with the National Folklore Collection and UCD Library and will be open to all of the country’s 4,000 primary, post-primary and special schools.

It is aimed at empowering students to create a rich and diverse picture of their communities as part of a national schools’ folklore collection for the 21st century.

Minister Foley made the announcement at an event hosted by the Department of Education on its Marlborough Street campus to mark 100 years since the establishment of the Department in 1924, under the Ministers and Secretaries Act.

Schools are expected to be contacted in the new year to advance the project. This represents a change from the original schools’ collection by the National Folklore Project between 1937-1939. It focused exclusively on primary schools because most students at that time did not go to post-primary schools, which were not part of the free education system. It will be optional for schools and students to take part. The schools’ folklore project will gather its information in a variety of formats, including handwritten accounts and digital options for students as well. The records will form a national archive and will be published after a substantial length of time,

Minister Foley also announced the department would be recruiting an archivist to preserve a comprehensive record of its business and decision-making for future generations.

The occasion reflected on a century of change and progress and also heard addresses from journalist and writer Olivia O’Leary, as well as Department Secretary General Bernie McNally.

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