4th Year Trip to Northern Ireland

4^th Year Trip to Northern Ireland

On Friday the 27^th of April Ms Fitzgerald’s two 4th year geography classes headed off on a fieldtrip to Northern Ireland. 35 students left St Joseph’s at 7am on Friday morning accompanied by Ms Fitzgerald and Ms Hogan. We were barely in Bodyke when the sing song started, with Pauline, Aisling Mc and Lydia leading the troops-girls I don’t think X factor will be calling anytime soon!! After a long bus journey we finally reached the Giants causeways. The Giants Causeway is situated on the North coast of Ireland. It is an area of approximately 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption; however the legend is more convincing for those who prefer a more colourful story. The site plays a major part of Ireland’s heritage. It has often been described as the Eighth Wonder of the World and was declared as Ireland’s first World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1986. After our visit we quickly saw why it has become Ireland’s top tourist attraction. Most of us were blown away by its spectacular appearance with some ushering the words “this is the most amazing place I’ve ever seen”. Visitors each year marvel at the beauty of the 40,000 unique hexagonal basalt columns which form stepping stones that disappear downwards into the sea. The site is also popular with geologists and, according to them, the Giant’s Causeway was formed some 50-60 million years ago as a result of repeat outpourings of volcanic basalt, during the Tertiary period of the earth’s evolution. It was here some of our students displayed their ability to climb up and over anything-Mark Pewter, Spiderman would have done well to compete with you!!! After two hours of walking along the Basalt Column and and two hundred photos (And that was just Keeley and Megan) we got back on the bus and headed for the Carrik-a-Rede rope bridge. A short coastal footpath leads to Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. On the way, there were wonderful vantage points to stop and take in the natural beauty. The geology, flora and fauna have won Carrick-a-Rede recognition as an area of special scientific interest. Fulmars, kittywakes, guillemots and razorbills breed on the islands close to the rope bridge. Of course, Carrick-a-Rede also boasts an exhilarating rope bridge experience. Traditionally fishermen erected the bridge to Carrick-a-Rede island over a 23m-deep and 20m-wide chasm to check their salmon nets. Today visitors are drawn here simply to take the rope bridge challenge! The rope bridge originally consisted of a single rope hand rail which has been replaced by a two hand railed bridge by the National Trust. All but one of our troops braved the rope bridge but some did fear for their lives as the wind blew in and shook the bridge. Others held on tight shouting “don’t look down, don’t look down”!!!.Once we reached Carrick Island, the reward was seeing the diverse birdlife and an uninterrupted view across to challenge. Aisling Hunt, Lisa and Anna did a great job as our cheering squad moving along the cliffs and encouraging us on the big jumps and taking some savage photos. Credit has to go to Mark Perill, who despite reservations give in to his fear and jumped right in. The tide turned quickly and the swell started to make getting out of the water very difficult as Ruairi Nash experienced first-hand and has the bruises to prove it!! So we decided to call it a day. Back on the bus we were hostel bound. Tummies were rumbling loudly on the bus particularly from Emma Vaughan, James Noonan, Daniel Vaughan, Jordan Lorrigan and Sean Culligan. However what we didn’t realise was that marching season had started in the North and there was a march taking place in Coleraine as we arrive so we decided to keep going and find somewhere closer to the hostel. We soon picked up a takeaway and headed for the hostel. We quickly sorted out our rooms and it was finally, after a very long day, time to chill out and relax. Some decided to play cards, others to start a disco on the bottom floor and others were simply happy to chill out on their beds namely Ms Fitz and Ms Hogan!!! By 12 o clock most of us couldn’t keep their eyes open and with thoughts of a 6 o clock start we all headed to bed for some well-deserved rest.

The next morning kicked off early and to my surprise many of our boys were showering before me and Ms Hogan woke up. We packed our bags, had some breakfast and hit the road for Belfast. In Belfast we had the opportunity to meet some leading figures involved in the current peace process and also those who were in prison as a result of the British/Irish conflict. Former activists and political ex-prisoners from within the Republican and Loyalist community hosted this 3 hour tour. These guides provided us with an in depth insight into the most recent phase of the Anglo/Irish conflict. The guides weaved their own personal stories into the tour as we visited many different sites that explained both the local and wider history of Ireland. For these guides this project is a living history and they are a primary source and an invaluable link into the most recent phase of struggle. We started our tour at the Divis Tower at the bottom of the Falls Road and travelled through a main arterial route of West Belfast, visiting The International Wall, the Republican Memorial gardens and many murals, each with their own particular story, some relating to conflict in other areas around the world. We then met our next guide and headed down the Shankill road to experience the other side of the story. Seeing the Peace Wall, the wall that divides the Catholic area from the Protestant area really brought the experience home to us. It is definitely an experience we will ever forget. After the tour we had an hour and a half to get something to eat in Belfast City Centre. With a long journey ahead we got back on to the bus at 2pm and headed for the Republic. Lisa, Eoin, and Niall passed the time playing cards, while James Mc practised his “milking” ability on his phone!! Ellen and James won the award for the most talkative people on the trip and unfortunately they were sitting across from me and Ms Hogan-it was an educational experience lads!! It wasn’t long before the voices in the back row were in full shout. Kathy, Jennifer, Lisa and Niamh showed their love for Joe Dolan with choruses of “you’re such a good looking woman” ringing out through the bus much to the disappointment of the Bryan, Conor, Joseph, Justin and Oisin.

Overall the weekend was a great experience. It really gave us an eye open experience to the events that took place in Northern Ireland. And on the other hand, it showed us the natural beauty our country has to offer with such natural phenomenon’s as the Giantscauseway. I really hope it was a trip ye will never forget-I know I won’t!!

Silver Gaisce Challenge

Silver Gaisce Challenge

Hike over the Macgillycuddy Reeks

On the 29^th of March, seven of our 4^th year students set off to Kerry in an effort to achieve their Silver Gaisce Medal. The adventure challenge was the final part of the Silver Award that needed to be completed. All seven students have spent the year working on other aspects of the award including physical, personal and community challenges. To achieve a Silver Gaisce Medal it is compulsory to partake in a 3 day, 2 night challenge covering 200km on a bike or 50-79km walking. This year the Silver Challenge involved a hike over the Macgillycuddy Reeks.

The group met at 8am at the school. Our group consisted of Mary-Kate Moloney, Joseph Vaughan, Alison Hurley, Eoin Conheady, Sheilagh Larkin, Brian Lennon, John Donlon, Ms Fitzgerald and Ms Whyms. Spirits were high on the bus to Killarney, mainly due to the fact we were in the middle of the hottest few days weâ??d seen in March for a long time.

DAY 1Â Mangerton Mountain Height 893m

Mangerton was our 1^st peak to attempt. Although the sight of the mountain was daunting, the clear blue skies and the sun shine made it all the more enticing. With our boots on, hiking poles ready and lunches packed we were all set. The hike took in some spectacular views of the Lakes of Killarney, the Devils Punchbowl and the Blackwater Valley. Despite the heat our group moved on at a very steady pace and confidence was high at the end of the 1^st day. We packed up our gear quickly and headed on to Ballydavid, taking in the beautiful sights along the Dingle Peninsula. After well needed showers, our chefs got to work (Alison, Sheilagh and Mary-Kate) cooking up a culinary delight-Spag Bol. With our bellies stuffed, our clean up team went to work (Joe, Brian, John and Eoin). After chilling out on the beach we retired early to our beds. Once Joseph stopped walking around (wild horses would have been quieter!) we were all able to sleep.

DAY 2 Mount Brandon height-952m

Day 2 began with a farewell to Ms Whyms who had to return to Tulla. After breakfast we packed our bags, picked up our guide, Conor, in Dingle and headed over the Connor Pass. The day started out with a heavy fog and dark clouds. On approaching the 1^st ridge, on Mount Brandon, the mist began to clear and blue skies were visible to the West. The fitness of this group soon became apparent. With Mary-Kate and Alison leading the troop we were moving along at a very fast pace. After a brief water stop at the Ribbon Lake Valley we began our steep ascent to the head of the valley. The cloud cover had dropped and soon looking into the valley, we could see we were way above the clouds much to our delight, as this meant we were walking towards the blue skies and sun. With the sun lifting our spirits, it wasnâ??t long before we reached the summit. After a bite to eat and a few snaps, the group were anxious to get going (much to Ms Fitzâ??s disappointment!). Eoin and Brian got the gang moving and we soon began our decent down the Pilgrimage side of the Mountain towards Ballydavid. Despite tired limbs, there was no shortage of talk especially with Joe Vaughan around! If there was an All Ireland Medal for talking, it would be difficult to beat Joesph, with talk of cows and farms. Back to the lodge, climbing gear off, we hit the beach. The glorious weather had deceived us a little but as soon as we entered the Baltic cold Irish Waters our senses came back to us. With a few of us only brave enough to only dip our toes in, John Donlon rose from the trenches and dived right it. It might have taken him 4 hours to warm up after it but hey, we were impressed! After dinner we chilled out and hit the hay early with thoughts of Irelandâ??s highest mountain running through our minds.

DAY 3 Carrauntoohil Height 1050m

Day 3 began with a 7am start. Spirits were high as we packed our gear, tidied up the lodge and headed for Killarney, saying goodbye to John in Castlemaine. Following a safety brief, we began our climb. It wasnâ??t as warm as the two previous days but at least it wasnâ??t raining. Despite the hours put in walking, the group were not slowed down and with the girls leading the pack again, we reached the Devils ladder in record time. After a quick water stop we started our ascent of Irelandâ??s highest peak. After 3 km from the starting point the path almost disappeared to leave what looked like a steer cliff. A stream continuously poured down the passage and with the combination of humidity and loose rock it gave our climb a sense of wild adventure. This is where the experience of Eoin and John, our scoutâ??s previous ventures really shone through. When we reached the top of the ladder the views were breath taking. With views of Cork at one side and the Blackvalley at the other we were stunned. The final part of the ascent was foggy, making visibility difficult. At last we reached the top. We took some photos at the cross, had our lunch and prepared for our decent before it got too cold. Going down the devils ladder was much easier than going up so we moved along at a great pace. Everyone was in good spirits as we made our way back through the Hagsglen. It wasnâ??t long until we were on the bus and homeward bound. Overall we had a great 3 days. We were blessed with the weather which made the views around Dingle and Killarney even more breath-taking. We had a very fit and motivated group which made the challenge most enjoyable. Congratulations to our seven students who will receive their Silver Gaisce Medal at nexts years awards night

St Joseph's Chess Club

St. Joseph’s chess 2012

Every Monday since late September the chess players of St. Josephs have met at lunchtime to play, practice and learn more about chess. In mid-March we attended the Munster finals and eventually came out on top to win a coveted place in the All Ireland Finals.

Ms O’Sullivan selected the five best players based on wins at the Munster final to go forward to the All-Ireland Final. On Tuesday the 17^th of April the team travelled to the Carlton Hotel Limerick and waited anxiously to begin the Competition. The other participating schools were Drogheda, Limerick, Cork, Cavan, Killaloe and Waterford. Halfway through the tournament Tulla were ranked second but with two more rounds to go we were beaten by the better team. The final score was Árd Scoil Ris 15 points and Tulla had 10 leaving us in 5^th place. It was an intense affair with clocks putting us under pressure and accounting for some of our losses. But this we intend remedying in 2013 with a guarantee of a set of chess clocks for next September!

We enjoyed the day immensely and hope to progress to this level again next year. Thank you to Ms O’Sullivan for organising the chess and being so supportive, also thank you to all who 25 students who participated in the chess club throughout the year. Thank you to the Players in the final, Jordan Cassells, Luke Mulhall, Cian and Martin O’Mara and Thor Lighvoet our sub.

TY and Fourth Year trip to Manchester

TY and Fourth Year trip to Manchester; 1^st April – 4^th April

On the 1^st of April, Transition Year and a number of fourth year students travelled to Manchester. It was an early start, as we all met at the school at 3.20a.m. Despite the tiredness we were all excited, but still slept for most of the journey to Dublin Port. When we arrived we boarded the four hour ferry to Holyhead.

When we arrived in Holyhead we made the journey to “Go Ballistic” paintballing centre in Wales. Once we arrived everyone changed into clothes they didn’t mind getting covered in paint. The instructor briefed us on the rules, we got our guns and paint and left to enjoy ourselves. Apart from a lot of nasty bruises, including a few to Mr. Ryan’s head, everyone had a great time. We left at about 5 o’clock and made our way to the hotel where we had dinner soon after we arrived.

Day two was all about Old Trafford but before we got there we went to a Science and Industry museum, after we ended up walking in a circle in the town to kill time because the museum wasn’t open when we got there. But when it did open we were left to our own devices to explore the expeditions for an hour. Then we made our way to Old Trafford for our tour of the stadium. We were told the history of the stadium and shown around the grounds, then had a trip to the Old Trafford Megastore, before going to the Trafford shopping centre to shop till we dropped.

It was another early start on day three as we had an hour and a half journey to Alton Towers Theme Park. Everyone agreed that it was a great day, even the teachers; however some weren’t as daring as others when it came to going on the rides. That evening we went bowling, where there was a lot of competitiveness among everyone, with some students not expecting the winners and then rudely making it known…. Later that night, as three of the students were celebrating their birthday’s, we all got together to wish them happy birthday and give them a card.

The last day of the tour was spent travelling, a lot of which was unexpectedly spent stuck in traffic for hours and not going anywhere. We were their so long that we ended up watching a D.V.D, and even that didn’t take up a lot of the time. But luckily we weren’t the only ones stuck in traffic, so the boat was delayed and we just about made it. If we didn’t we would have been in Manchester for another day. But the crossing wasn’t plain sailing as the sea was really rough and quite a few people were very sea sick. Once in Ireland the students decided it was the right time to present the teachers and bus driver with gifts to say thank you, and these were greatly appreciated. Then it was time to make the long trek home, and it was clear that the tiredness was getting to a few people as they were even confused about where we were, so a lot of people decided to sleep for a while. However as we neared home it was time to break out the song book, but that didn’t last very long as one song in particular that was completely made up seemed to dominate, and slowly evolved into many different versions but was great all the same.

Soon we were back at the school and it was time to go home but not without another thank you to Ms. Lonergan for organizing the trip, Ms. Liddy, Ms. Mulhern, Mr Ryan and Bernie for giving up some of the holidays for us, and Pat the bus driver for driving us everywhere. We had a great time and would definitely go again if given the opportunity.

Article written by Emma Hehir (TY)

Sr. Angela's Visit

Our Tuesday was brightened up with a visit from Sr. Angela Hartigan, who visited us all the way from Kenya. Sr. Angela is a former principal of St Joseph’s and has remained in contact with Tulla through our fundraising efforts over the years. This year’s Leaving Certs raised over €5,000 in their Christmas Fast and our Two Presidents Ciara Minogue and Diarmuid O'Connor, presented the cheque to Sr. Angela. She informed us that the money from the fast would go towards providing food for the children in her school, housing some of the abandoned children of the slums surrounding her and buying new tables and chairs for the classrooms at her school. During her visit, Angela also met up with our 4^th year students to tell them about life in Kenya.

Student Enterprise Awards

Student Enterprise Awards

This March students from 4^th year LCVP class and TY attended the County finals of the Student Enterprise Awards. 62 groups with different business ideas entered from schools around Clare. Students in groups of up to 5 must set up a company and come up with a business plan. They must decide on a product, develop it, market it, sell it and make a profit. At the County Final all the schools in the County that have students entering, set up a display stands to show the judges their products.

Four groups entered from St Joseph’s, three from TY and one from 4^th year LCVP. All groups had unique ideas. Their projects included Craft Hurleys, Price Tag Jewellery, T-5ive t-shirts and Fusion Candles.

This year extra awards were added, such as awards for best stand, best business plan, best innovative idea. Every group involved had to display their product and this was one area St Joseph’s had an advantages in over other schools. All the stands put together by St Joseph’s were very well designed and this effort paid off. “Fusion” the group from 4^th year LCVP class won the prize for best stand display. Fusion which was an abbreviation for Fabulous, Unique, Individual, Optimistic, New was created by Ellen Culloo (Managing Director), James Flynn (Production Manager), Clare Flynn (Financial Manager) and Kate Daffy (Marketing Manager).

Well done to all students involved. Special thanks to Ms Michele O’Sullivan for her hard work and dedication throughout the year. This did not go unnoticed as she picked up the “Teacher Enterprise Award”.

Article written by Ellen Culloo and James Flynn 4^th year.

St Joseph's Spring Fashion Show 2012

St Joseph's Spring Fashion Show 2012

On Thursday 8th March St. Joseph’s held a Spring Fashion Show Fundraiser in the West County Hotel, Ennis. All of the money raised is to help acquire a site for the building of a new Secondary School in Tulla.

The Fashion Show in association with the Celia Holman Lee Modelling Agency was a huge success. MC. Mr. Roddy O’Loughlin helped to create a great atmosphere on the night.Our school presidents Diarmuid O’Connor and Ciara Minogue did a great job as presenters on the night. Many boutiques from Tulla and Ennis participated in the show on the night. They included County Boutique, Freya, Annettes (Clarecastle), Chez Marie, Breda’s, Lily’s, Pamela Scott and Willow. The men were also well represented by Michael Corbett of Tulla and Manix Fashions (Ennis).

As well as the stunning professional models, teachers and students also took to the runway to strut their stuff, all looking amazing. The female teachers modelling for the boutiques included Orla Barry, Olivia O’Connor, Aileen Whyms, Siobhan O’Sullivan, Mary Hayes and Siobhan Mc Grath. Senior students from St. Joseph’s Katie McInerney, Vera Loughnane and Sonia Hanrahan looked amazing as they showed off graduation dresses from Breda’s Boutique in Ennis. All hair and makeup on the night was done by Reflections Hair Salon and Pamper Parlour, both from Tulla.

The male staff and TY students were kept very busy all night modelling all of the mens fashions throughout the entire show. Stephen Ryan, Frank Monaghan. John Murphy and Tomas Kelly (teachers) David Kearney and John O’Brien (students) did us all proud. They looked very handsome and received a great reaction from the audience as they took to the cat walk.

A special segment of the show was given to six students of St. Joseph’s who put together their own outfits for Spring/Summer and had an opportunity to show their clothes on the catwalk. These included, Laura Ryan and Marie Vaughan (1st year) Lauren Bourke (2nd year), Shauna Fleming and Catriona Mc Namara (4th year) and Collette Donnellan (Leaving cert).

The students also had an opportunity to show their talents throughout the night. Teachers Mary Liddy and Aisling Mulhern accompanied 20 students who played traditional music in the hotel as guests arrived and broused at the exhibition stands that were there on the night. Cathal Lenihan and Diarmuid Moloney opened the show as they did Irish Danicing on the stage. Opening the second half with a performance of ‘Dancing in the Moonlight’, a band made up of past and present students, Stephen Slattery, Gene Moynihan and Conor Mc Grath. There was also a performance by ‘Kickstart’ from Sparks Dance School which consisted of 16 students.

Special thanks to all of the teachers and students involved in the success of the night. Thank you to the parents association for their help and to all the parents for their continued support.

Particluar thanks and congratualtions to Ms Michele O’Sullivan who spearhead the project. Without her hard work this night would not have been the success it was. Well done Michele

U161 Munster C Tournament

U161 Munster C Tournament

Congratulations to our Junior Camogie team who won the U161 Munster C Tournament in Mallow GAA grounds on Wednesday last. Over 20 schools from all over Munster entered the competition. St Joseph’s were in a position to enter two teams due to high commitment levels at training each week. Both teams put in very strong performances on the day with one of our teams emerging as overall winners, beating off tough opposition in the group stage from Hospital, Limerick, Desmond College Limerick, and Mallow, Co Cork. Following on from the group stage they were victorious over Fermoy, Co Cork in the Quarter final, Youghal Co Cork in the semi-final and Causeway of Kerry in the Final.

All players showed huge committed and a great work rate on the day. However some of our players showed outstanding performances which led to the success of their teams Mary Kate Moloney(Midfield), Kate O’Gorman(Full Forward), Aoife Dillion (Midfield) and Deirdre Cotter (Goalie) in Team one. Edel Mc Namara(Full Back), Samantha O’Connor (Midfield) and Laura McGrath (Half Forward) team two. .

Thanks to Ciara Minogue, Pauline McNamara and Rebecca Kennedy who assisted Ms Fitzgerald and Ms Neylon on the day. Congratulations to all players involved.