The event was the culmination of a year's work by the pupils and teachers of Gaelscoil an Chaistil, as well as Gaelic Language Development group Pobal an Chaistil, and was delivered through an innovative partnership with Queen's University Belfast and University College Dublin.

"The idea for the books came about because we wanted to give the children a sense of connection to their local area and an understanding of where they come from," explained Brídín Ní Dhonnghaile, principal of Gaelscoil an Chaistil.

"There were two key elements to the project for them to work on – the origins of local placenames and the meanings of surnames.
"The surnames project was worked on by the younger children, using the school register to get a good snapshot of surnames. As there are nearly 100 children at the school now, this gave them plenty of material to work with.

"The children gained a valuable insight into our shared heritage with our Scottish and European cousins and learned how much we have in common with our neighbours. For example, the surname McAuley is a very common one in the Moyle area. However it is actually Viking in origin. The name is an approximation of the Gaelic surname Mac Amhlaoibh, which means "Son of Olaf". Another example is the surname Forsythe, which is a corruption of the original Scottish surname Ó Fearsíthe, which means "Man of Peace".

The book project not only taught the children about their own personal ancestry, but about the area in which they live. The focus here was on the four long-established parishes of the ancient Barony of Carey; Ballintoy, Ramoan, Armoy and Carey. Well-known landmarks and placenames such as Knocklayd (Cnoc Leithid, or Broad Mountain), Glenshesk (Gleann Seisc, or Barren Valley) and Carrick-a-Rede (Carraig an Ráid, or Rock of the Casting) as well as more than 200 other local place names are explained in "Ár nOidhreacht Bheo – Our Living Heritage".

Brídín describes how this was approached: "The pupils each wrote a piece about the names of the places where they live, or where they like to go walking or playing.

"This meant that they could easily relate to the material and it helped them appreciate how important it is to understand and value where we come from. There's such a richness to our heritage here in the Moyle area that it was an exciting project to get involved in."

Two other books of local and traditional stories make up the quartet, which can be enjoyed by young and old alike. Copies will shortly be available for sale in local shops and from Pobal an Chaistil, priced at just £3 each.

The book launch occasion itself, which took place in Ballycastle's Marine Hotel, was an extravaganza of music, dancing and song performed by the pupils. A number of the children read excerpts from the books in both Gaelic and English. Several local schools, including Ballycastle's Cross & Passion College, St Patrick's PS, Loughgiel, and St Brigid's PS, Ballymoney attended the launch and were presented with gift packages, including copies of the books and educational software, by local Gaelic language champion Ailín Mhig Fhearraigh.

Celia Gormley, of Cross & Passion College, said afterwards "I enjoyed the evening tremendously and really appreciate the gift of the books and resources to our school. These will be very useful in our own classes for the next school year."

Local MLA Declan O'Loan also enjoyed the night. "The children's fluency is very impressive – you often hear about this with the bilingual schools but seeing it right in front of you really brings it home," he continued.

Marcas Ó Murchú of St Columb's College in Derry agreed: "The children were fantastic and it was obvious how much work and preparation had been put in with them."

Former school parent Una McKinley paid tribute to Brídín's work as principal: "She's like a whirlwind – full of energy! The school has always had a happy atmosphere but the amount of effort put in by Brídín and the teachers is incredible. Tonight is a wonderful celebration of that. My child was one of the first pupils of Gaelscoil an Chaistil and even though he's now moved on from primary level, we still feel a strong connection with the school. It just lifts my heart to see how much the school has grown and flourished since those early days.
"It's a great way to finish off the school year alright! We had a glowing inspection report in January and we've been incredibly busy since then. This has been a wonderful achievement for the children and I have to praise the hard work and dedication of all the school staff in getting us here. The work doesn't stop over the summer though, and we're already looking forward to big news in the new term!"

To find out more about the four books, or for any other enquires, email pobalanchaistil@googlemail.com or call 07716 369 439.