Giant Steps for pupils in an extraordinary year

A new film, chronicling a year in the life of sixth class pupils at a Galway City primary school will premiere online this Friday, February 19.

Giant Steps, made by Des Kilbane, which follows the children of Scoil Bhríde Primary School, Shantalla, is part of the Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture’s ‘Small Towns Big Ideas’ strand.

And it disproves the old adage of about never working with children or dogs, as it offers heart-warming and life-affirming insight into everyday school life for nine pupils by charting their activities and adventures.

These include taking pride in and tending the school garden; taking a tour of City Hall to learn about the workings of Galway City Council; and learning wire-walking with Galway Community Circus.

Des began filming in September 2019 as the pupils looked ahead to finishing primary school and embarking on their next big adventure – starting secondary. But that’s not exactly how things turned out, as arrival of coronavirus in Ireland led to the country being shut down in March.  The children’s schooling was done remotely for six months, which meant the film couldn’t proceed as planned.

Des had originally intended that Giant Steps would follow the pupils as they took part in the Galway Community Circus Wires Crossed project, which would conclude with 400 participants crossing the River Corrib and Claddagh Basin on tightropes, also a 2020 initiative. That would also be the culmination of the film. However, it couldn’t happen.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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