Boys and their Toys.

Last Sunday was a busy day but filled with lots of fun and laughter. The sun shone brightly, it was what we call a "pet" day. Our school hosted a model engineering exhibition. Model makers travel from all over Ireland to exhibit their models, get together and have a chat. The exhibition began as a once off the celebrate the talent of a local man, John Doyle, who made models for his children when they were younger. He had recently passed away. The school agreed to host the exhibition as a fund raiser.

We are now in our seventh year and the exhibition has grown in size. Originally we had about  20 model makers and it filled two classrooms, this year we hosted 75 exhibitors, it filled our five classrooms and spilled over to the outside.

What never fails to amaze me is the skill with which these models are built. They are made from scratch, using bits and pieces collected with care over a period of time. Many are researched carefully, plans of originals studied carefully and redrawn to scale. They are fully working.

The exhibition is a great day for our commuity. The school parents turn out in their dozens, to help on the day and to keep our exhibitors fed and watered I think some of these men spend their lives in the garden shed, banished there by their wives:-) When they come out, they chat to each other about their craft and of course banter with the "tea ladies"

Almost everyone young and old  arrive to view the exhibits, the children have their faces painted and enjoy the bouncing castles, while the adults admire the skill, and catch up on the news.