Students walk near a cross as they change classes at St Patrick School in Smithtown, NY, US. Photo: OSV News /
Gregory A. Shemitz. More than 140 home-educated children from across Ireland took part in the sixth annual Catholic Home Education Awards on April 18 in Ardee, Co. Louth, with around 180 people attending.
“The awards are about recognising the hard work and talents of home-educated children, but also about bringing Catholic homeschooling families together,” organiser Stephen Tyrrell said.
Organised by Knights of St Columbanus Council 3, the event has grown in recent years and was held for the second year in a larger parish centre. The day began with Holy Mass, followed by an awards ceremony recognising achievements in Fine Art, Craft, Literature in Gaeilge and English, and Music.
Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Grâce Cantillon Murphy of Mater Dei Education said homeschooling in Ireland is “really growing”. “We’ve certainly seen a huge increase of enrolment… every year it’s booming,” she said.
Mr Tyrrell said families receive “very little support”, adding the event aims to remain accessible “so that no family feels excluded”.