Children Turn Scoil Aoife into a Multilingual Streetscape for Cruinniú na nÓg 2025
On Saturday 7 June, something special happened in Citywest: the doors of Scoil Aoife Community National School opened for the very first time on a weekend and not just for any occasion. The school transformed into a colourful, multilingual playground as children, families and artists came together to celebrate Cruinniú na nÓg, Ireland’s national day of free creative activity for young people.
The celebration marked the culmination of “Word Play: a Multilingual Streetscape”, a unique project led by Mother Tongues in collaboration with Scoil Aoife CNS. Over several weeks, children from 2nd and 3rd Class worked with professional artists to explore ideas of neighbourhood, belonging, language and play, all through the lens of their own lived experience.
At the heart of the project was a beautiful idea: that childhood games connect us across cultures. Through music, spoken word, 3D visual arts, performance and puppetry, the children reimagined the spaces around them, inspired by the ways that games are played across languages and borders.
The result? A joyful, multilingual performance where 40 children shared their creations with proud parents and friends in two showings on the day. Artists Debora Adachi, Pius Ojo, Justyna Cwojdzinska, Margot A. Jones and Tadashi Kato guided the young participants in a truly collaborative process that celebrated every child’s voice, culture and language.
Hosting a Cruinniú na nÓg event at our school on a Saturday offered a wonderful opportunity to bring families and the wider community together in a celebration of culture and the arts, in a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere
This event continues a growing creative partnership between Mother Tongues and Scoil Aoife CNS, following successful collaborations during the Mother Tongues Festivals in 2024 and 2025. At the core of this work is a shared belief that schools should reflect the rich diversity of the communities they serve, places where children who speak Polish, Yoruba, Arabic, Portuguese and many other languages at home feel fully seen and celebrated.
As Ireland becomes increasingly multilingual, projects like this offer a vital reminder of what inclusive education can look like. According to the 2022 Census, 15% of people in Ireland speak a language other than English or Irish at home and over a quarter of them were born in Ireland. In many classrooms, linguistic diversity isn’t the exception, it’s the norm.
Through Word Play: a Multilingual Streetscape, children didn’t just participate in the arts, they led the way. And in doing so, they showed us what a truly inclusive, creative Ireland can look like.
This project was produced by Mother Tongues in collaboration with Scoil Aoife Community National School and funded by Cruinniú na nÓg South Dublin 2025.
THANK YOU TO CHILDREN: Ms Dooley’s – 3rd Class: Peter John Amusa, Aaron Latvenas, Ashlan Mascarenhas, Brody Nicholl, Tyler Onibudo, Joshua Oshingbeme, Maximillian Peter, Emir Lodovik Stefan, Aiden Thomas, Esmé Cramer, Zara D’Arcy, Amina Gladkykh, Saanvi Kollipara, Sofia Kudryashova, Maimoona Mazumdar, Tanisi Mondal, Asiya Muhammed, Aliza Naeem, Maanvi Namana, Olivia Oliveira, Palwasha Wagas Qureshi, Sarah Shujaat | Mr Murphy’s– 3rd Class: Eden Benjamin, Carson Collins, Kieran Fullham, Jason Jephte, Jeremiah Johnston Joshy, Nivedh Krishna, Kaius Lisauskas, Alex Mitchell, Gabriel Orlov, Kasper Pietraszewski, Mihran Rahman, Fernando Velcu, Aisha Adigun, Adina Alex, Elizabeth Atiroko, Isabel Badell Flynn, Advika Chandu Salim, Aurora Ghindi, Gabriela Golebiewska, Ingrid Gradinariu, Alisa Kaliuzhna, Sooryvagayathri Malayil Sanju, Eva Shino, Paige Whelan | Mr Bellew’s – 2nd Class: Muhammed Musa Ammar, Richard Gligor, Piyush Karthikeya Kayata, Adetayo Oshaye, Iyob Sam, Mahilmithran Venkadesh, Alitza Anoop, Zuzanna Chmiel, Dayna Dempsey, Serah Maria Fenil, Rufaidah Hasan, Emily Hennessy, Joanna Elizabeth Joe, Lacey Kett, Victoria Kudryashova, Anannya Manivannan, Emily Molloy McNevin, Chloe Nenyashu Mburuma, Amelia Oni, Maite Perelles De Moraes, Behira Rosales Beltrán |
SPECIAL THANKS TO STAFF: Sinéad Mc’Loughlin, Niamh Dooley, Ronan Murphy, Alanna Phillips & Emmet Bellew
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