A&L Goodbody are a long-established international law firm advising companies on their business operations in Ireland. They have a strong tradition of collaborating with and supporting the communities in which they work. They have a clear focus on education, with a particular aim of improving literacy among primary pupils in designated socially and educationally disadvantaged communities. The A&L Goodbody Writer-in-Residence was a three-year programme, from 2016 – 2019, building on A&L Goodbody’s collaboration with education partner SUAS, to enhance this partnership with creative writing.

The artist, Catherine Ann Cullen, a children’s author and poet, worked with third to sixth class pupils in St Joseph’s Co-Ed Primary School in Dublin’s East Wall, with the aim of improving their writing and reading skills through creative means. Catherine Ann worked with the pupils for an hour and a quarter each week throughout the school year. In addition to writing poetry, prose and songs with and for the pupils, Catherine Ann devised ‘Poemwork’, where each week the pupils decided on a subject, and Catherine Ann wrote the poem to bring back the following week.

Over the course of the residency, the pupils took inspiration from their local community to work with Catherine Ann to create a large range of work, including poetry, short stories, raps and songs. At the end of each year, a showcase was held to display the work created during the residency. The pupils sang their songs (with musical accompaniment by Imogen Gunner) in front of an audience, including family members, other pupils, and A&L Goodbody staff.

Catherine Ann Cullen, A&L Goodbody Writer-in-Residence:

My residency was a wonderful learning opportunity. It increased my knowledge of the primary school curriculum and my interest in complementing it with some of my work. It challenged me to find new, small-scale ideas for the students each week, and to plan some larger projects that the children might work on for a few weeks in a row.

Sinéad Smith, Head of Corporate Responsibility, A&L Goodbody:

A&L Goodbody was delighted to support St Joseph’s Co-Ed Primary School through this innovative Business to Arts initiative. The partnership built on and complemented our ongoing work to help children in our local community improve their literacy levels. The school and children really benefitted from Catherine Ann’s passion and creative talent which provided an exciting approach for the children to engage and learn.

Niall Heneghan, Principal, St Joseph’s Co-Ed Primary School, East Wall:

The initiative was a wonderful way of inspiring the children to make very real connections between poetry and their local community.

In 2019, Catherine Ann Cullen became the inaugural Poet in Residence at Poetry Ireland. She is an award-winning poet, children’s writer and songwriter, and recipient of a Kavanagh Fellowship for Poetry 2018. Her three collections include The Other Now: New and Selected Works (Dedalus, 2016). As A&L Goodbody Writer in Residence 2016–19 at St Joseph’s CoEd Primary School, East Wall, she won the Business to Arts Award for Best Use of Creativity in the Community 2017. Her latest book is All Better! (Little Island, 2019). She has a PhD in Creative Writing from Middlesex University.

‘East Wall Bridges’ Written by 4th Class, St Joseph’s Co-Ed Primary School, East Wall with Catherine Ann Cullen, 2017. Illustration: Holly Pereira.