Laois art students immerse themselves in Parisian culture

The Portlaoise College students soaked up the sights and sounds of Paris

LCA1 and Fifth Year art students from Portlaoise College have recently returned from an informative art and cultural trip to Paris.

They spent a week exploring some of the world’s most celebrated artistic and architectural landmarks with their teachers, Mr Hennessy and Ms Dunne.

The educational tour, which took place last week, was designed to deepen students’ understanding and appreciation of art in preparation for their upcoming examinations. By experiencing the artworks first-hand, students were able to enhance their classroom learning with real-world examples of art history, techniques and cultural context.

During the trip, students navigated the French capital using the Paris Metro, gaining confidence and valuable life skills as they travelled between museums and galleries. One of the highlights was a visit to the newly refurbished Notre-Dame Cathedral, where students admired the restored Gothic architecture and learned about the cathedral’s historical and artistic significance.

Students were particularly captivated by the Musée d’Orsay, housed in a former railway station and renowned for its Impressionist and Post-Impressionist collections. There, they viewed iconic works by Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Edgar Degas, among many others, seeing famous paintings they had previously studied only in textbooks. The group also visited the Louvre Museum, the world’s largest art museum.

A physically challenging yet rewarding experience followed at the Arc de Triomphe, where students climbed more than 300 steps to reach the top. From there, they enjoyed panoramic views across Paris.

To experience the city from another perspective, students took a boat cruise along the River Seine, passing many of Paris’s historic buildings and bridges. They also spent time walking around the grounds of the Eiffel Tower.

Another standout visit was to the Musée de l’Orangerie, where students viewed Monet’s breathtaking panoramic Water Lilies series. Seeing the large-scale works up close allowed them to fully appreciate the immersive quality, colour and brushwork of the paintings — a key learning moment for those studying Impressionism.

Overall, the trip proved to be an enriching and memorable experience for all involved.