Granda’s Fir Aff
Date Posted: September 29, 2023
Granda’s Fir Aff, a new locally-filmed online teaching resource for young children in the Ulster-Scots language has been launched.
Granda’s Fir Aff features ten short animated films and accompanying teacher’s notes following the adventures of a grandad and his dog as they visit some of Northern Ireland’s best known locations and landmarks, from the Mourne Mountains to Marble Arch Caves. And on their journeys, the duo use our best known Ulster-Scots words, plus a few lesser known, to help describe and reinforce the delights of each location.
The series has been funded by Northern Ireland Screen’s Ulster-Scots Broadcast Fund and piloted at Derryboy Primary School in Crossgar where P3/P4 pupils have been enjoying watching the films and interacting with the content.
P3/P4 Teacher Caitlin Pension said: “The children love the animated characters of Granda and Doag as they introduce the vocabulary in a simple way. The series is also based in familiar places like the Armagh Planetarium, the North Coast and Lough Erne where a lot of them have been, so that adds to the excitement and learning experience. The teachers resources that accompany the series enable the videos to be used with the whole class or individually if that is what is needed.”
Derryboy PS Principal Dr Judith Harper who also wrote the teaching materials said: “This is a wonderful way of engaging the children in what is principally a language resource but also from the point of view that we are looking at and visiting various parts of Northern Ireland and helping to fulfil our requirement to teach geography and the World Around Us.”
Ulster-Scots expert, scriptwriter and voice of Granda Liam Logan said on behalf of production company Macmillan Media: “We are exploring a range of Ulster-Scots words and making them relevant to the local places that everyone loves to visit. These include the Armagh Planetarium, Exploris in Portaferry, The Ulster American Folk Park and many others. It has been a great journey and Granda and Doag are taking a well-earned rest!”
Northern Ireland Screen’s Ulster-Scots Broadcast Fund Executive Heidi McAlpin added, “It’s lovely to see a well-behaved Doag, voiced by Ruth McNeill, enjoying some of Northern Ireland’s finest destinations. With Granda by her side, voiced by Liam Logan, young children can discover a fun and age-appropriate Ulster-Scots vocabulary.”
The series can be viewed at www.discoverulsterscots.com where teachers can also download the accompanying learning resources.
