Local Schools' Competitions
Each year students at eight primary schools and two secondary schools are invited to submit short stories and poems on a chosen topic.
Primary Schools' Section
Open to children at Aghamore, Tooreen, Kilmovee, Knock, Kilkelly and Ballyhaunis schools.
There are three categories:
8 years and under; 9 and 10 years; 11 years and over.
Seconday Schools' Section
Open to students who are enrolled at a secondary school in the West of Ireland.
There are two categories:
15 years and under; 16 years and over.
This year's Competition Details
Topic for Primary Section: My Choice for President of Ireland
Topic for Secondary Section: Selecting the President of Ireland
Closing Date: Friday 7th October 2011.
Entires online or by post to:
Local Schools' Competition, Kenny/Naughton Autumn School, Aghamore, Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo.
The competitions was judged by Ginny Waln (Competition Secretary).
Prizes were awarded on Saturday October 29th 2011.
Venue: The Kenny/Naughton Centre, Aghamore
Time: 3.00 p.m.
Erna Naughton's Speech at the awarding of prizes in October 1993.
Bill Naughton said this in July 1962 when asked about writing:
"I was fourteen when I left school. How did I become a writer? How did I learn to write? Now I tell you. There used to be a boy named Charlie who sat next to me at school. He hated every lesson. Then one day a new teacher heard him say, 'Sums again, I hate sums,' and the teacher said, 'Now, you can dig a hole through hate, or you can do any job through hate, but you cannot make your mind work through hatred. You can only do that through interest and the way to get interested is to put some love into your work.'
"There might be some of you here today who are sometimes at the bottom of the class, then one day you will get near to the top, for there is nobody here who can't do something, no matter what it is, better than nearly all the others. I had a play on television. All I did was to write it, but that means you write down on paper what you want the actors to say. After this play, it was called June Evening, I got a letter and it read like this; 'Dear Mr. Naughton, I wonder could you be my Billy Naughton. If so you went to St. Peter and St Paul's School in Bolton and I have all the examination papers and lists for 1920, and that was forty years ago.'
"I went to visit my teacher and I looked at all the papers and remembered that all the boys who had been at the top hadn't always done better than the boys at the bottom, so in life it is the courage and faith that counts. Be brave and do your work with love - in the long run it's that which counts."