‘Someone Like Me’ art competition Longford winners

St Patrick's National School, Dromard and Scoil Mhuire, Clondra will fly the flag for Longford and compete with 46 other schools from around the country for the overall national ‘Someone Like Me’ art competition awards which will be announced at Dublin City Hall on Wednesday, January 17.

‘If you are kind you will save the day!’ by second class pupil Ruairc Harney, from St Patrick's National School, Dromard was the junior county winner in the 'Someone Like Me' national art competition

While second class pupil Ruairc Harney, from St Patrick's National School, Dromard was the junior county winner with his entry which states ‘If you are kind you will save the day!’ Ruairc’s teacher is Eimear Duffy.

Now in its eighth year, the ‘Someone Like Me’ art competition, which is organised by the National Disability Authority, attracted more than 2,200 entries from national schools across the length and breadth of the country.

The competition was created as part of the National Disability Authority’s work to nurture more positive attitudes towards persons with disabilities and, to date, it has seen more than 17,500 children take part in lesson plans and pupil activities designed to challenge our young people to appreciate and respect similarities and differences in people.

The three-person judging panel comprising Ann Higgins, principal of Hospital School Children’s Health Ireland; Dr Carly Cheevers, senior research officer at the National Disability Authority; and Laura McGrath, an autism class teacher was particularly impressed with the entries from St Patrick's NS and Scoil Mhuire, selecting them as winners based on the theme of ‘Someone Like Me’.

Congratulating the county winners, Minister of State with responsibility for disability, Anne Rabbitte T.D. said that the number of entries this year is a tribute to the commitment not just of the National Disability Authority, but also to Ireland’s primary school teachers, who continue to play an important part helping to create an ever-more inclusive Ireland.