Sheila Forsey - Heritage Experts | Heritage in Schools

Sheila Forsey

Headshot Sheila Forsey
Ábha(i)r:
Eolaíocht, Stair, Tíreolas, Arts (including Visual Art and Drama, Film and Theatre Studies), English
Na contaetha a bhfreastalaíonn siad ar:
Ceatharlach, Baile Átha Cliath, Cill Chainnigh, Port Láirge, Loch Garman, Cill Mantáin
Ranganna a bhfreastalaíonn siad ar:
Gach rang, All Year Groups (Post-Primary

Cuairt beo a cuir in áirithe


As an author, playwright, and heritage educator, I bring Ireland’s stories to life through creative workshops exploring history, culture, and community. Drawing on my own published and produced works as well as Irish writers of the past - students investigate heritage through storytelling, drama, research, and creative expression.

Please note Sheila visits schools in the south side of Dublin only.

Primary school visits

  • Invite your students to travel back to the 1920s and experience life in Dublin through the eyes of Nora, a spirited woman living with her five children and their mischievous cat, in a tenement house during the dawn of the Irish Free State. This original piece of immersive theatrical storytelling explores the daily struggles, resilience, and spirit of ordinary people in a rapidly changing Ireland. Designed to be interactive and age-appropriate with the context changing for each class.
  • "Nora’s Tenement Life" offers something for every student. Younger children will enjoy the playful antics of Nora’s cat, while older students will be encouraged to delve deeper into the social and historical context, reflecting on Ireland's past and its relevance to today.
  • This flexible performance can travel from class to class throughout the day, making it perfect for schools with limited space and can offer a workshop element if desired.

Bring the past to life in your classroom through the art of storytelling. Meet Sheila, a writer and storyteller who carries Ireland’s rich traditions through words and voice. Sheila invites children into the world of Irish story, tracing its roots back through time to the ancient legends of the Tuatha Dé Danann, the mythical people said to have shaped Ireland’s earliest tales.

Through vivid storytelling, Sheila explores how stories were passed from generation to generation -shared by firesides, across landscapes, and through memory. She weaves together tales of heroes, goddesses, the land, and the changing seasons, helping children understand how story is deeply connected to place, nature, and identity in Ireland.

In this workshop, Sheila guides children through the cycle of the year as seen through Irish tradition, using storytelling, discussion, and creative engagement. Pupils don’t just listen -they imagine, reflect, and connect with the stories that have shaped Ireland’s cultural heritage.


Curriculum Connections
This storytelling workshop supports the curriculum by:

· History – Exploring myths, legends, and traditions of Ireland’s past.
· Geography & Science – Understanding the seasons and the natural world through story.
· SPHE – Encouraging respect for heritage, place, and community.
· Drama & Oral Language – Building confidence in listening, speaking, and expression.
· Arts Education – Inspiring imagination through narrative and creativity.

What to Expect
· Live Storytelling – Engaging, expressive storytelling led by Sheila.
· Ancient Legends – Discover stories rooted in Ireland’s earliest mythological traditions.
· Creative Engagement – Opportunities for discussion, imagination, and response.
· Classroom-Friendly – Flexible and designed to suit any school setting.

“A storytelling journey through Ireland’s past—where ancient voices echo and imagination brings them to life.”

Open the box. Follow the clues. Discover a child’s world 100 years ago.

What was it really like to be a child in Ireland in the 1920s?

In this hands-on heritage workshop, children become History Detectives, exploring a mystery box of objects, photographs, documents and other clues from everyday life in 1920s Ireland.

As they investigate the evidence, they piece together a picture of childhood - school, home, games, travel and keeping in touch -while discovering what has changed and what has stayed the same.

As a writer of historical fiction, researching the past and using evidence to create a believable world is central to my own work. I bring this approach into the workshop, encouraging children to look closely, ask questions, make connections and use evidence to imagine life in the past.

Sessions

Junior Classes – 60 minutes

An interactive introduction to childhood in 1920s Ireland through objects, photographs, stories and clues. Children explore everyday life and compare childhood then and now.

Senior Classes – 90 minutes

A deeper investigation of historical evidence. Children examine clues, discuss what they reveal, distinguish between evidence and inference, and use their findings to build a picture of life in 1920s Ireland.

Curriculum Connections

The workshop supports History, English, Oral Language, Creative Writing and Arts Education, with links to:

Life in the past
Continuity and change
Historical evidence and enquiry
Questioning, discussion and communication
Creative and imaginative response
Developing believable historical settings through research
What children take away

Children experience history as something they can investigate for themselves. They develop curiosity about the past, practise using evidence and discover that even an ordinary object can tell us something about how people lived.

Suitable for: Junior & Senior Primary Classes

Duration: 60 minutes (Junior) 90 minutes (Senior)

Location: At your school - Classroom

Format: Hands-on, interactive heritage workshop

Post-primary school visits

Students explore how stories preserve Ireland’s heritage through drama, creative writing, and performance. Drawing on Sheila Forsey’s writing and theatre experience, students examine local histories, traditions, and personal stories before developing their own creative responses. Through character creation, storytelling exercises, and discussion, students discover how theatre can bring the voices and experiences of the past to life.

Using themes from Sheila Forsey’s historical fiction - students explore the social history of 20th-century Ireland, including migration, community, family life, faith, and changing traditions. Students examine how historical events shaped everyday experiences and use research, discussion, and creative activities to understand how personal memories contribute to Ireland’s wider heritage.

Students learn how local heritage can be researched, recorded, and shared through storytelling. Inspired by Sheila Forsey’s school heritage projects, students explore their own communities by investigating local people, places, traditions, and events. Through writing, discussion, and creative activities, students develop an appreciation of how communities preserve and pass on their cultural heritage.

Teistiméireachtaí

  • "Each and every student thoroughly enjoyed Sheila's visit, her character Nora brought the past to life. They were transported to a very different time in Ireland from the present." - Lurga NS, Galway
  • "Sheila was really good with the children. She was very kind and delivered content in a very sensitive and age appropriate way. Kids really believed she was Nora from the 1920s." - Ballindangan NS, Cork
Tuilleadh →
  • "The children really enjoyed the visit. Sheila brought history alive in the classroom." - St. Fintan's BNS, ,Laois
  • "Sheila was fantastic and so engaged with the children." - Ballymurn NS, Wexford
  • "The children were very engaged." - St. Aidans NS, Kilkenny
  • "Sheila worked very well with all the children. She was well-prepared and her content was very visual. The children enjoyed learning about Irish myths and legends and learned lots of new vocabulary. The younger children particularly enjoyed discussing the fairies. They all really enjoyed the interactive part of the workshop which involved leaf printing and painting with leaf stems and sticks recreating painting techniques from long ago. Our AS children struggled with the listening element of the workshop but they really enjoyed the hands-on part involving leaf printing and painting. I would be happy to recommend Sheila's workshop to a colleague/another teacher." - Holy Spirit GNS, Dublin
  • "Sheila was absolutely amazing. Her ability to engage the children in the story of Nora from the Tenements was fantastic!" - St Brigid's NS Coon
  • "Junior classes loved Sheila's performance" - Scoil Naisiunta Muire Lourdes, Carlow
  • "Excellent facilitator- children really enjoyed the visit." - Lacken NS, Wicklow
  • "Sheila was fantastic. She engaged brilliantly and kept the interest of the pupils from Junior Infants to 6th Class, all throughout the sessions. Sheila made the sessions informative and fun and tailored specifically to each class group. It was very enjoyable and the teachers found it to be a wonderful resource." - Drumphea NS, Carlow

Tuilleadh Eolais

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Teagmháil

Fón póca:
0876338027
Seoladh ríomhphoist:
sheila.forsey@gmail.com
Seoladh an tsuímh ghréasáin:
sheilaforsey.com