Summer Holidays Begin

3rd June 2011
As of 1.20pm on Friday 3rd of June the summer holidays begin for all those who are not involved in State Exams. I (Miss Cullen) would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have helped out with the school website in any way during the year. A special thanks also to Mr. Paddy Jordan who helped redesign the site in November. I would also like to wish everyone best wishes for a happy and sunny summer!

Farewell to some Scoil Mhuire staff

2nd June 2011
On Wednesday June 1st the staff of Scoil Mhuire had a celebratory lunch to bid farewell to four staff members. Laura O’Neill and Nicola Honan are leaving Scoil Mhuire after working here for a year in place of Ms. Kearney and Ms. Garvey respectively. Both teachers contributed hughely to the school during the year and will be missed next year.
It was also time to say goodbye to Mrs. Helen Cleary and Mrs. Mary O’Flaherty who are both retiring on Friday 3rd, the last day of term. It was an emotional occassion with Mrs. Uí Dhomhnalláin making a presentation to the two teachers who have given so so much to Scoil Mhuire during their time here. It will be a different school next year without these two teachers who are an inspiration to both staff and students. We can only wish them the very very best for a long and happy retirement (albeit with a tear in our eye!).

Niamh is Song Champion

2nd June 2011
Congratulations to Niamh Hogan who won “Music Made Easy” Songwriting competition. Niamh wrote and recorded the song, entitled “One Cold Winters Night”, entering the competition just after Christmas. Niamh played the guitar and sang and Sharon Howley played the cello – a fabulous combination.

Students from all over the country entered this competition and the results were finally announced at the end of May. Niamh received her certificate and prize in the post to great excitement.

Leaving Certs Graduate

30th May 2011
On May 26th Leaving Certificate students took time out of their hard study to come together with their parents and teachers at their Graduation Mass to celebrate their time together in Scoil Mhuire and to mark the beginning of a new and exciting era on their horizon. Addressing the girls the principal thanked them for their efforts throughout the last 6 years adding that they had made an excellent contribution in so many ways. She encouraged them to enjoy their lives and be positive at all times. As ever the mass was a wonderful evening of reflection, music and celebration and in his homily Fr. Feeney reflected on the journey undertaken by these young women thusfar and the great possibilities which lie ahead of them. After the final blessing all students were called forward to individually receive a certificate of completion and a class photograph signed by each class member as a token of recognition of the contribution each student made to the life of the school.-As these 56 students embark on the next leg of their life journey they are grateful for the knowledge, skills, mentorship and academic standards of Scoil Mhuire that will influence them. They leave expecting to do great things and we wish them the very best in their pursuits. Make sure to come back and see us!

Awards Ceremonies

27th May 2011

As the school year hurtles to a close Scoil Mhuire Ennistymon has been a hive of activity. On May 17th and 24th the latest instalment of the proud tradition of annual awards took place as staff and students gathered to see students singled out for exceptional achievements and honour those who have contributed to school life during the past academic year.

This is one of the highlights of the school calendar, signalling the culmination of a productive year when the school remembers the achievements and endeavours of students and gives recognition to the commitment, dedication and hard work of the award winners.

The awards on May 17th were this year presented by the glamorous author and columnist Tara King who congratulated all receipients on their achievements and commended the teachers. She encouraged students to continue to work to fulfil their ambitions stating that she had come to journalism by a roundabout way. Her advice to the students to nurture their talent and give it expression was both practical and inspirational and was delivered with great enthusiasm and humour.

On May 24th, the sports awards were presented by four special guests. Mr. Stephen Ryan (World Siver medalist in Taekwon-Do) spoke to the students about his commitment at an international level but also reminded the girls how important it is to take part in sport for numerous different reasons including health benefits, social activity and character building. Mr. David O’Brien (Clare Ladies Football manager) complimented Scoil Mhuire on the callibar of sports students produced, noting that many of the Clare Ladies team past, present and hopefully future are from Scoil Mhuire. Mr. Stephen Leigh (basketball coach) commented on the dedication of the sports teachers in the school and the hard work that he also witnessed from the basketball teams. Mr. Kevin McGillicuddy (Clare fm) reaffirmed statements made by the previous presenters about the dedication of staff and also the excellent sports students we have as he regularly gives air time to Scoil Mhuire achievements. He also encouraged the girls to get involved with sport in whatever way possible whether it be on the team or helping out.

YSI comes to an end with two Presentations

26th May 2011

During the last academic year Transition Year students at Scoil Mhuire Ennistymon have participated in the Young Social Innovators (YSI) Project. The YSI Project is held nationally and involves work young people do to improve the lives of people in society or the local community. It is led by the students in a way which is respectful, empowering, fair, innovative, fun and experiential but also suggests and takes actions for change to make the world a better place.

Transition Year students at Scoil Mhuire Decided to address the topic of the older person. Their project was entitled “If Youth Knew… If Age Could”. Their inspiration for this project was their will to learn about the older person in the community and to learn more about the past and their lives. These students started to imagine a world where the ability of the younger person and the knowledge and experience of the older person were combined. They hoped to encourage the participation of older people in our local community of Ennistymon and likewise to encourage the youth to be the catalysts of developing and sustaining a strong relationship between the young and old through the showing of skills and tradition and so bridge the gap between the older person and youth.

They believed that this issue was extremely relevant to their rural community because the students in Scoil Mhuire, Ennistymon travel from Lahinch, Kilfenora, Miltown, Corofin, Inagh, Liscannor and many other nearby villages, all of which had a dense population of older people, many grandparents, other relations or neighbour’s of theirs. They felt that by addressing the issue of the elderly they had a project whereby the older people in their community may benefit from while they would develop many important insights on the older person and the services that are provided to the older person in Ireland but in particular Ennistymon.

Young Social Innovators believe that ‘actions speak louder than words’ and these Transition Year Students knew that Ennistymon Community Hospital and Day Care Centre that care and address the many physical and social needs of the local older people was the perfect location for such actions to take place. Since November 2010 students have volunteered to go to the Community Hospital and Daycare Centre three times a week, helping the older person, hosting bingo competitions and reminiscing about days passed. They wanted to get to know the older people better by talking with them and to learn some traditional skills e.g. making St. Bridget’s Crosses from them but also to share some of their perhaps more modern e.g. texting Also, with the help of their Transition Year Co-Ordinator, Ms. Gearldine Barry they provided the Log on to Learn Programme to the older people of the local community, teaching them some useful computer skills. They also decorated the Day Care Centre for Christmas. They also put up the Christmas tree and painted window designs on the windows. It was enjoyable and they shared many interesting stories with the older person and discovered that they were full of life, enthusiasm and definitely young at heart. Perhaps one of the most interesting discoveries that the students made during their project was that the term ‘the elderly’ was no longer considered politically correct by people who work with older people, they were now addressed or discussed as the ‘older person’’.

On Wednesday March 16th The Transition Year students travelled to the Black Box Theatre in Galway to participate in the YSI Regional Speakouts. Here they performed a role playing displaying the work they had completed with the older people while also highlighting their various learning experiences.

During their time at the Community Hospital and Day Care Centre they learned of the importance of exercise for the elderly. People always say “You’re only as old as you feel!” Well as these Transition Year students discovered… it turns out to be true! Science has proven that staying active keeps your body younger. After speaking to the Community Hospital and Day Care Centre and putting themselves in the position of the older people the students saw that there was a deficit of easy useable exercise equipment. Following some internet research and many phone calls the students discovered that a piece of exercise equipment called the Active Passive Trainer would fill this void. This is an exercise machine used to work out the upper and lower body. It has been specifically designed for the older person particularly those with rheumatism and arthritis. This machine is perfect for the older person as it allows them to work out while sitting in their own chair, or wheelchair.

Unfortunately, we are in the midst of a recession and costs are huge so the students thought it was fitting that they would endeavor to bring their project to the YSI Den (a similar format to the RTE’s T.V. Programme of the Dragon’s Den) On Wednesday April 13th four transition Year students Róisín Nestor, Éimear O’Sullivan, Aishling Torpey and Alex O’ Doherty travelled to KPMG Offices in Dublin to pitch their project to the ‘YSI Dragons’ in the hope that they would receive funding for a Active Passive Trainer for the Community Hospital and the Day Care Centre. The girls had to complete their pitch in two minutes and were then questioned by the Dragons on their project for another 2 minutes. Following some deliberations the Dragons offered the girls €250, which they gratefully accepted on behalf of the Ennistymon Community Hospital and Day Care Centre. Ms. Nicola Honan, their Religion Teacher praised the Transition years for their hard work and dedication to the project. She also praised the girls who represented the class in Dublin highlighting that the funding they received on the day would culminate their work at the Community Hospital and Day Care Centre and will act as a token from the time they spent there, along with improving quality of life of the older people they have grown to know.

Ms Dooley completes the 250 Mile Cycle

23rd May 2011
Huge congratulations must be extended to Ms Patricia Dooley who completed the Clare 250 Mile Cycle on Sat 21st and Sun 22nd of May. The weather was not favourable for the weekend but she battled against the wind and rain to complete the long event at around 11pm on Sunday night. Fundraising for the Cycle takes place every year for a Pilgrimage to Lourdes in September & the Clare 250 Cancer Centre.
The Trad Group and other members of the staff and student community organised a Bake Sale/Coffee Morning on Monday morning to help raise more funds for Ms Dooley’s contribution to the 250 Cycle Funds. Thanks to all you supported and congrats again to Ms Dooley.

Sports Awards Postponed

16th May 2011
This year’s Sports Awards ceremony have been postponed. The Sports Awards will now take place on Tuesday 24th May from 12.15 – 1.00.
The remainder of the Awards will take place as originally scheduled on Tuesday 17th May.

TY Fundraising Activities

16th May 2011
The Transition Year students are currently organising different activities to raise money for the Transition Year Funds. The first event is a Non Uniform Day which will take place on Friday the 20th of May. The cost is €2 per student or €3 per family.
The second event is a table quiz for all 1st and 2nd year students. This will take place in the Community Centre on Wednesday the 24th of May from 10-12. The cost for this is €3 per student and the teams are to be made of 4. The TYs would like to thank everyone in advance for their support.

2nd Year Basketball Success

16th May 2011
Huge congratulations to the 2nd year basketball team who won the All Ireland Play-Offs. The team travelled to Causeway in Kerry with Ms Eustace and Stephen Leigh on Saturday 14th May to play two different teams, one from Causeway and one from Portlaoise. The girls were successful in both their matches with scores of 31:19 against Causeway and 29:9 against Portlaoise. This means that the 2nd year team will now progress to the All Ireland Semi Finals in UL on Wednesday 19th May. If they are successful in the semi finals, the finals will also take place on the day. GOOD LUCK GIRLS!

Happy Heart Collection

16th May 2011
Well done and thanks to the Transition Year students who collected for the Irish Heart Foundations Happy Heart Weekend on Friday 13th of May. The girls volunteered their time to collect in Ennistymon town and raised an impressive €250 in a short space of time. Click here for more information about the Irish Heart Foundation and all the good work that they do.

TYs Trained in CPR

13th May 2011

On Friday the 13th of May, 30 of this year’s TY students took part in CPR training. The course delivered was the American Heart Association CPR for Schools course and the girls will receive certification from the Irish Heart Foundation. Huge thanks must go to Áine Montgommery of the HSE who ran the course and the other 4 instructors who gave of their time voluntarily to teach the TYs. This now means that the vast majority of senior cycle students in Scoil Mhuire are trained in CPR. Click here to learn how you can perform CPR.

Trad Group Exchange

4th May 2011
Good luck to all the students taking part in the Trad Group exchange on Thursday 5th and Friday 6th of May. The bus is leaving at 7.45am on Thursday from the church car park. The girls have a very busy schedule over the two days and are required to bring:

a clean pressed uniform on a hanger, tracksuit, casual wear, swim gear, old runners/wellies

Big thanks must be extending to Ms Dooley for organising this exciting trip.

Great Review of Log On, Learn

14th April 2011
The following is a lovely review we received from one of the clients about Log On, Learn:

“On behalf of the Thursday group, I wish to extend my sincere thanks to all the students and teachers involved in this project. I learned about Twitter, File Management, eBay, Internet, sending and receiving emails, MS Word, Google Maps, Skype, ordering supplies for my garden and booking flights. Having the same buddy every week was very helpful. It was an excellent project and very helpful to the whole group. Students were very helpful, one-to-one is the way to go! The cup of tea at the end was very sociable and a good idea for feedback etc.

Many thanks Denis Creedon”

Leaving Cert Easter classes

8th April 2011
Some teachers have agreed to provide extra classes/subject work for their individual subjects.

Second Years Victorious in Regional Finals

8th April 2011
Congratulations to the second year basketball team who won the Regional Finals yesterday in Co. Mayo. The girls played excellently and their efforts paid off with a final score at full time of 34-9.
Although the first year team also put up a valiant attempt, victory was not to be with Scoil Mhuire twice and the girls were very gracious in their defeat to Salerno’s first years.
The second year team will now progress to the All-Ireland Playoffs in May and the first year team get another round to give them a chance to progress to the Playoffs as well.

First and Second Years progress to Regional Finals

6th April 2011
Both the first and second year basketball teams were successful in the regional semi final basketball matches on Monday 4th April in Ballinrobe Co. Mayo. The teams have now progressed to the Regional Finals which are to be played in Claregalway on Thursday 7th with both teams playing Salerno from Galway. Good luck to all the girls and their coaches.

Daffodil Day Presentation

6th April 2011
At Tuesday assembly Mairead Healy presented the cheque to Josephine Blackwell and Teresa Coughlan from the Irish Cancer Society for the collections on Daffodil Day. The support on Daffodil Day this year was exceptional and people in the local community were very generous resulting in the Transition Years collecting a total of €2207. The ladies were delighted to accept this cheque for the Irish Cancer Society and congratulated the girls on the great efforts for this cause.

Young Social Innovators Project

4th April 2011

Transition Year B has been working along side Ms. Honan in a project called Young Social Innovators. This project aims to get more young people involved in their local community. Each entry team must choose a topic that they feel is important and would benefit their community. Then they do volunteer work around the project, raise money and other things that would help. Then for the competition, they have to write up a report describing the things they have been doing and what other things they plan to do in the future. The second part of the project is the ‘Speak Out’. This involves creating a short role-play, dance or something else creative that describes their project and captures the attention of the judges.
Through much discussions and deliberations, transition years decided on basing their project on the Elderly. Next we had to name the project and after a few snappy, catchy titles, we all agreed on ‘If Youth Knew, If Age Could’ The next step was deciding how we could help the elderly of our local community and it was decided that regular visits to the local Day Care centre would be the prefect option. Other things that came to mind were the Log on Learn and the trading of skills and stories, they would tell us about their past and how life has changed, then we would then tell them about our life or teach them about computers or mobile phones. This worked really well as both sides benefited from the experience.
We all worked long and hard on both the report and the ‘Speak Out’. It was decided that Roisin Nestor, Aishling Torpey, Alice Marr, Ailbhe O’Mara, Ciara O’Brien, Laoise Mackey, Eimear O’Conner and myself Alex O’Doherty would go up on stage. Finally, it came time to present the Speak Out in Galway on the 16th of March. The Speak Out for the Connaught region was held in the Black Box theatre in Galway city. It was an early start for the Transition Year but we all agreed it was worth it.
Upon arriving at the Black Box theatre, it was all hands on deck as we got ready for our presentation. Our idea was to half our faces, one-half of the older person, the other of a younger person. Then we tried to show the comparison between the lives of the youth today and the lives of the youth 40 years ago. This was very effective and all judges looked happy when they were performing, which can only be taken as a good sign. All girls performed well on the day. We also had great support from their class who travelled up with them. They were one of the loudest schools in the audience.
We are still waiting for the judge’s decision on whether we get through to Dublin. We will know this by the 8th of April, so
fingers crossed all our hard work put us through!!

Dazzling Dangles

30th March 2011

A group of the TYBs have set up an enterprise business called ‘Dazzling Dangles’. They make key rings of felt and beads at the moment but are trying to expand the materials they use to make the key rings, one idea is wooden key rings but so far none have been made.

This business started just before the mid-term and new they are selling on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the central area at lunch time, also the key rings are available in two shops in Ennistymon and soon will appear on the farmers market.

These little key rings are sold for €2 each and you can get five for €8, which means you get one free. Raffle tickets are also sold at the moment for a raffle in a few weeks, the price you have a chance to win is a black Easter bunny which is one of a kind. The raffle tickets are going at 50c and are available on Tuesdays and Thursday at the Dazzling Dangles’ stand.

Log-On Learn Progressing Well

30th March 2011

Student report:

Each year, the transition year students run a computer education program for older people.  This year is no exception, and so far we have been working hard each week, passing on our knowledge to older people who may never have used a computer before. We are now in week three of the program, and our “students” are progressing well. Each week, we focus on a different aspect of computer skills, gradually becoming more advanced at each stage. There is a lot of flexibility in the program, allowing for many different skill levels and rates of progress. Because we are working one to one, the log on learn students can request different aspects that they would like to focus on. We have found that many people are interested in learning more about the internet and how to book tickets, flights etc. as well as setting up email addresses and just having fun with Google maps!

There is such a wide variety of experience levels. Some people have never used a computer before, and have learned from scratch how to use the mouse, and turn the computer on and off. It’s really rewarding to see how much this has benefited our students and how happy they are when they progress. It has been a really nice experience for all, in a friendly, comfortable environment. Afterwards they can relax and chat with a cup of tea, meaning that this is also a great social event for everyone involved.

by Rachel Flanagan

Europe Day

29th March 2011

Student report:

Last Friday the 25th March, Máiread McGuinneas visited our school to celebrate Europe Day. She gave us a talk on what a MEP’s job is in Europe and she talked about issues in the news at the moment like the Japan Nuclear disaster as well as different issues brought to her attention by students. She gave us a very insightful talk which she expressed her views on different topics and listened to our views in turn. After the talk she looked at the European projects which the Transition year students had been working on for some time on topics which related to the E.U. She went around individually talking to us about our projects and why we chose them. It was a very interesting day and we all enjoyed meeting Máiread McGuinneas.

Official report:

On Friday March 25th, MEP Mairead McGuinness took time out of her busy schedule to address the school community of Scoil Mhuire Ennistymon. In an intriguing speech she first discussed her weekly routine of flights to Brussels and Strasbourg with long meetings in the European Parliament, combined with her hectic personal life as mother to 4 children and family farm management with her husband. She explained that the EU was designed to ensure that a World War would never happen again and tanks and guns would be replaced with patient talks. She shared thoughts on controversial issues such as children in institutional care across Europe and the current topical issue of nuclear power which is hotly debated in the European Parliament. Explaining that one third of our electricity comes from nuclear power, she expressed grave concern that the Irish government has no strategic plan for a sustainable bioenergy industry.” Ireland is in need of radical changes to our energy policy, and the focus now should be on finding different energy resources to reduce our dependency on other countries”, said Mairead, citing the radioactivity issue in Japan as an example of the dangers of nuclear power.

Another issue close to this MEP’s heart is the need for women in politics. She expressed her despondency at the invisibility of women in Irish politics, maintaining that we are going backwards in this matter, and motivating her all- female audience to think more critically about politics and controversial issues and evaluate their opinions and beliefs more heavily. She tackled the myths and misconceptions which come attached to females in politics and, offering her own career as an example she reiterated that it is possible to combine family life and political life.” The issue of gender equality has to be taken more seriously” said Mairead, calling for the introduction of gender quotas in the Irish Government. She explained that in our communities women are the driving force behind many orgaqnisations and that must be harnassed by encouraging more women to make the jump into politics. She explained to the girls that at 17, when she left school, women’s rights were a big issue in Ireland and the students now need to reawaken in themselves a debate on this issue. Although the country has difficulties at the present she told the girls to consider themselves very lucky to live in a society where they have freedom, they can vote, enjoy the benefits of education and have ambitions in life while so many their age across the world have these human rights denied them.

Following this motivating assembly Mairead spent time with Transition Year students viewing their numerous, colourful and varied European projects which they have been working on for the past few months. These ranged from hairstyles in Europe to religion, money, boxing, rugby, and horseriding projects to name but a few of these EU related projects. Mairead was very well received by both students and teachers alike who admired her strength of will and determination to slowly and politically bring about changes since she was first elected in 2004.

Daffodil Collection – Another Successful Year

29th March 2011

Groups of Transition year students went selling Daffodils for Cancer society Ireland on Daffodil Day. They sold them in Ennistymon, Lahinch and Liscannor, raising over two thousand two hundred Euro for the Irish Cancer Society. It was an absolutely beautiful Day for selling Daffodils. Click here to read more about the great work the Irish Cancer Society do.

Lá Idir Náisiúnta

15th March 2011

As part of its SEACHTAIN NA GAEILGE festivities Scoil Mhuire Ennistymon organised a’ LA IDIRNAISIUNTA’ or International Day on March 14th. This special event was a time for students to come together to share a little of their own cultural backgrounds at a time when we are celebrating ours. In all 12 countries were represented, Australia, Japan, Russia, Malta, Slovakia, Germany, Poland, Romania, The Netherlands, Nigeria, England and of course Ireland, reflecting the diversity of the school community.

Each country had a display prepared and hosted by students who provided items of interest representing their culture. These displays included a wide variety of beautiful objects, posters and arts and crafts from which to learn, as well as activities such as food tasting and watching dvd’s. Each display provided a basic introduction to the country represented with samples of International food such as sushi from Japan, placinta from Romania, sledziowe from Poland and of course brown bread from Ireland. The displays also included visual representations of each country such as pottery from The Netherlands, money from Romania, Russian dolls and icons, Australian boomerangs and koala bears, origami and a samauri sword from Japan, a salacamiz from Bangladesh and an aran sweater from Ireland.
Especially captivating for the students were the samples of food which included native recipes to accurately introduce the students to different meals from around the globe. Making the day extra colourful, many students wore either national clothes from their home country or something representing another culture. Shikha Akter from Bangladesh was accompanied by her parents and siblings in full International costume adding to the festive ambience of the event.

Included in the event was an interlingual exchange which saw Irish students learning a smattering of languages such as Japenese, Slovak and Russian and in return teaching their international classmates a ‘cupla focal’. As well as being a fun day for students the event also proved to be a valuable learning experience providing knowledge and understanding in an interactive and entertaining way. Scoil Mhuire feels it is critical that the multicultural nature of the school is acknowledged and reflected and pupils are encouraged to be proud of their cultural heritage. Activities such as this are vital to ensure that students get a well-rounded comprehensive education. Many thanks to Ms Maoliosa Ni Chleirigh for her comittment to this special day.

Taekwon-Do World Championships

10th March 2011
Scoil Mhuire Taekwon-Do club and everyone else in Scoil Mhuire would like to congratulate Mr. Stephen Ryan, examiner for Scoil Mhuire TKD, who won a silver medal at the World Championships in New Zealand last night. He was competing in the individual patterns competition and had to beat the representatives from Germany, New Zealand, Argentina and Sweden before being beaten in a nail biting final by Jaroslaw Suska from Poland. Congratulations on this great achievement!

U16 All-Ireland Play Offs

10th March 2011
The All-Ireland play offs took place in Castleblaney, Co. Monaghan on Wednesday 9th. The dedicated team were on the bus, leaving Ennistymon at 6.15am. They narrowly lost the first came of the play offs before taking victory in the second. This meant that it all came down to the final game but unfortunately the girls were not so lucky this time. Well done to the team and their coaches for a great performance. They did us proud.

A busy week of Basketball Ahead

7th March 2011
Best of luck to the Under 16 Basketball team who are travelling to the All-Ireland Playoffs this coming Wednesday (9th of March). They will have a busy day ahead of them, leaving school at 6.15am to travel to Castleblaney in Co. Monaghan. During the day they will have to play 3 different teams from around Ireland.

On Friday the First and Second year teams will play Castlerea, Co. Roscommon in Ennistymon (thankfully no long journeys for us!)

Best of luck to all the girls involved and their coaches Ms. Eustace and Stephen Leigh.

TY Enjoying Paris

7th March 2011
The TY students departed for Paris on Friday the 4th accompanied by Mr. Quinn, Mrs. O’Flaherty, Ms. Aherne and Ms O’Neill. They have a packed schedule for the trip with trips to the Lourve, Montmartre, the Eiffel Tower, Eurodisney and of course some time for shopping. Reports so far are all good and we will get all the news from the girls when they return to school tomorrow.

Best Wishes to Chloe

18th Feb 2011
Students and staff of Scoil Mhuire would like to wish the very best to first year student Chloe Barr who is moving to Derry over the mid term break. Chloe will be missed very much by her classmates in 1B with whom she has bonded very well since beginning secondary school in September. We have no doubt that she will make just as many friends in her new school in Derry. Click here to see the presentation made by the girls in 1B

Take part in Trocaire Fast

18th Feb 2011
Ms Honan is currently organising the Trocaire Fast for Scoil Mhuire. It is a great tradition in the school that so many students fundraise for this worthwhile cause. It is intended that students will do the 24 hour food fast (or other fast e.g. Facebook, phone, make up etc) on the 3rd and 4th of March. If this date doesn’t suit, students can choose their own date. Sponsorship cards have been given out to students to collect over the mid term break.

TY trip to GMIT

15th Feb 2011

Last Tuesday, the transition year class took a trip to Galway, to visit the Institute of technology. After a tiring and uneventful bus journey, we arrived in Galway. With a few minutes to spare, we made a much appreciated pit stop for our morning dose of caffeine and sugar, before heading on to GMIT.

We were welcomed into the building by one of the lecturers. She talked to us for a while about the many different degrees and courses that were available, both on their Galway campuses, and in Castlebar and Letterfrack. She informed us of some of the main areas of study in GMIT such Business, Art and Design, Engineering, Hotel school, and Science but to name a few. the rest of the afternoon passed quickly. We were given a quick walking tour of the building, passing the training restaurant, kitchen and bar, which are run by students in order for them to gain experience, and were shown into the library, which was quite extensive and packed with books and handy study desks. It seemed to have a nice atmosphere; there were many students studying and bustling around the halls, which gave us an idea of day to day life in the college would be like. By then, were were pretty hungry, and so armed with our 4euro cupons, we made for the cafeteria.

After digesting and soaking up the student atmosphere, it was time to head back to Ennistymon. We piled onto the bus once more, and eventually, we were back in the church carpark.

Overall, I think it was a good day, but we were all a bit dissapointed at how much of the campus we got to see. It was a pity that we couldnt attend the official open day, because we were recieved quite informally, and it seemed that they weren’t quite prepared for us, as we had to wait in the lobby for quite a while because no classrooms were free. Other than that, I think that it was a beneficial and somewhat enjoyable day out for the transition years.

Report by Rachel Flanagan

Senior Camogie

15th Feb 2011

On Monday the 7th of February Scoil Mhuire’s Senior Camogie panel travelled to Eire Og pitch in Ennis to play Rice College in the first camoige match of the year. Scoil Mhuire girls played a very strong and experienced group of players yet playing against the wind were playing extremely well only 2 points behind. They went out with positive heads for the second half but unfortunately wasn’t enough. Scoil  Mhuire will be looking forward to there next match against Killaloe. Congratulations to all the team and coach Ms Eustace.

Log On Learn

9th Feb 2011
The Transition Year students are starting Log On Learn again this year. This programme is designed for adults who would like to learn the basic computer skills. The students teach the adults over an 8 week period in a buddy style system without the pressure of exams. An introductory meeting will take place on Tuesday February 15th at 2pm in the school. Please park in the church carpark and a welcoming committee will be there to meet you. Any more information is available from the school office. 065-7071224

Cross Country Success

2nd Feb 2011
Congratulations to Áine Rouine, Siobhán Nestor and Emer Hillery who took part in the North Munster Cross Country Running competition on Thursday 27th January. All three girls qualified for the Munster Championships. Special congratualtions must be mentioned to Áine Rouine who received an individual fourth place.

Study News

31st Jan 2011 
Arrangements have been put in place for Supervised Study on Friday February 4th. Study is being offered to students from 9 – 1.50 (no classes due to a staff meeting and parent teacher meeting). Normal Friday study will then take place seperately from 2.30 – 5.30.
Further information about study for the upcoming mid term break will be available soon.

Farewell to Charlotte

31st Jan 2011
Charlotte Wolfe was part of the school community since September as a visiting student from the United States. She joined the Transition Year group and everyone in Scoil Mhuire would agree that she integrated very well into Irish school life. Her bubbly personality and enthusiastic attitude made her a welcome student in any class. She finished school here on Friday 28th of January to return home to the United States and she will be greatly missed.

LINK launch a Great Success

25th Jan 2011

A wonderful night was had by all at the official launch of LINK, the Scoil Mhuire Alumni Art exhibition on Fri 14th Jan in the Courthouse Gallery, Ennistymon. Featuring 110 artworks by over 40 artists the show displays a wealth of artistic talent in the area. The diversity of artwork on display was evident in film, paintings, prints, mixed media sculptures, puppets, photography, life drawing and much more. Three transition year students modelled ‘Living Art’ avant garde costumes made by the students from entirely from recycled materials.
The show was launched by Siobhán Mulcahy, Clare Arts Officer, who commended the very high standard of work.
Linked to the show are talks based on Leaving Certificate Art History and Construction Studies questions. Marie Connole from Liscannor gave an insightful presentation on her work on Mon 17th at 6.30pm, Myriam Riand and Branwen Kavanagh, two art college students, gave very helpful presentations on portfolio preparation on Sat 22nd at 2pm and on Monday the 24th at 6.30pm Architect John O’Reilly spoke on the restoration of the Courthouse gallery to an attentive audience.

LINK is the brainchild of the Scoil Mhuire Parents Council. The project was facilitated by art teacher Mary Fahy. The show was co-funded by Creative Engagement and the Clare Arts Office. Helpful worksheets aimed at both primary and post primary students are available free from the gallery.
The LINK exhibition is running from tue – sat 12 – 4pm in the Courthouse Gallery until Feb 9th. Well worth a visit! Group visits are welcome.

Click here to view the photographs

Upcoming Bake Sale

19th Jan 2011On Monday 24th January the 3A class are fundraising for the Samaritans as part of their CSPE Action Project.
They are organising a Bake Sale at break and lunch with treats galore! the treats will include Hot chocolate, a chocolate fountain and many more lovely treat!

Please support this very worthwhile cause.

For more information about the Samaritans and all the work they do, please click here.

LINK Exhibition Info

10th Jan 2011

Scoil Mhuire, The Courthouse Gallery, Clare Arts Office and Creative Engagement present ‘LINK’, a Scoil Mhuire Alumni Art Exhibition in the Courthouse Gallery, Ennistymon.

The show will be launched by Siobhán Mulcahy, Clare Arts Officer on Fri 14th Jan 2011 at 7pm.

This exhibition is the brainchild of the Scoil Mhuire Parents’ Council. It is facilitated by art teacher Mary Fahy and the artwork has been selected by Trudi Van Der Elsen of the Courthouse Gallery in Ennisytmon.

The show is jointly funded by Creative Engagement and the Clare Arts Office. Most artwork will be for sale and 25% of the sale price will be donated to the Art Department in the school. This money will be used to buy materials and equipment for use in the Art Deparment.

The educational aspect of the show will feature talks and workshops by some exhibiting artists There There will be detailed educational notes and worksheets available to take away, compiled by Mary Fahy, the art teacher responsible for the show. These handouts are specifically designed for the Art History section of the Leaving Cert art, craft and design course.

Details of the Talks/Workshops at the Courthouse Gallery, Ennistymon for Scoil Mhuire’s LINK art exhibition:

• Mon 17th Jan 2011 at 6.30pm:  Marie Connole, -will present a slide show on her artistic processes
• Sat 22nd Jan 2011 at 2.00pm: Branwen Kavanagh (2nd Yr sculpture student at NCAD) and Myriam Riand (2nd Yr graphic design student at LSAD) will give a presentation on their current work and portfolio entry requirements. – relevant to any budding art students who wish to prepare portfolios and apply to art college.
• Mon 24th Jan 2011 at 6.30pm:  John O’Reilly architect –will give a presentation on the Renovation of the Courthouse – relevant to Art History and Construction Studies students at Senior Cycle, and all those interested in local history.

I wish to take this opportunity to warmly invite you to the exhibition, an exciting and important art event in North Clare.

Kind regards,

Mary Fahy

Art Teacher, Scoil Mhuire.

Learn About Christmas in Slovakia

16th Dec 2010
This year we have three girls visiting from Slovakia; Ivana Lucia and Klaudia. As part of their religion class, Ivana and Klaudia made PowerPoint Presentations about how they celebrate Christmas in Slovakia. The girls are returning home for the holidays on Saturday 18th. We would like to wish them and their families a very Happy Christmas.
Christmas Slovakia by Ivana Kobylinska
Christmas in Slovakia by Kaludi Chochulova

Junior Footballers win County Semi Final

15th Dec 2010
The Junior Football team took on Spanish Point in the County Football Semi Final in Lahinch yesterday. After full time in this very exciting match it was a draw so went into extra time. Scoil Mhuire secured the victory in the last seconds of extra time to win by one point. Congrats to all involved and Good Luck in the final!

U16 Basketball Team into Regional Final

14th Dec 2010
Congratulations to the U16 who who won the Regional Basketball semi-final yesteday. The team travelled (on a three and a half hour journey!) to Ballinrobe to play Claremorris. The final score was 36-30 to Scoil Mhuire. Unfortunately the U19 team were unlucky not to take victory in their semi final. Congratulations to all involved.

Staff Team Basketball Champions

13th Dec 2010
Last Friday saw the annual Staff vs. Students Basketball match. Following a very strong performance from the students at last years match, the staff were very eager to regain the Champions status and their hard work and dedication paid off with a 14-12 scoreline to staff at full time!
Congratulations to all who took part in this fun activity.

Farewell Anna

13th Dec 2010
Anna Schloesser has been part of Transition Year in Scoil Mhuire since September as part of an international academic programme in Germany. Anna fit in so well to the class and really became one of our own here at Scoil Mhuire. Unfortunately, Anna’s visit came to it’s end on Friday and she returned to Germany on Saturday. We will really miss her in Scoil Mhuire and hope that she will keep in tough with all the new friends she made.

Staff vs Pupils Basket Ball & Santa Hat Day

9th Dec 2010
Friday the 10th of Decemeber is set to be an eventful day with the annual staff vs. pupils basketball match in the Community Centre. There will be prizes on the day for the best costume and best Santa hat and all proceeds for entry (50c) will go to St. Vincent de Paul.
Good luck to both teams involved (but especially staff!!!)

Stunning Carol Recital

9th Dec 2010
Following many weeks of intense rehearsals the Scoil Mhuire bi-annual Carol Recital took place on Sunday the 5th of the December. It was a fabulous night with stunning performances from the choir, past pupils and other special guests. Although the weather was not ideal, the church was still packed and there was a great Christmas atmosphere (helped in no small part by the fabulous decorations). Fr. Ned Crosbie was in attendance on the night launched the Carol Recital CD “A Shining Night” which was recorded at the last recital. A truly great night was had by all. Congratulations to Ms Dooley and all those involved in the choir and also those who helped out with the preparations and on the night.photos…

TY Enterprise

3rd Dec 2010

Eco-Friendly Handmade Brooches Scoil Mhuire Transition Years are bursting into the fashion scene with their new product; eco-friendly handmade brooches. Get creative with a dull jacket and add some colour with a cute felt bunny, or revive an old bag and give it some love with a heart pin. Using all recycled materials, like felt scraps, buttons and old ribbon, and a splash of imagination these inventive, quirky pieces were created. These locally produced brooches are handmade with attention and care to generate a totally unique accessory. Rest assured no two brooches are the same; you can safely give one as a Christmas present, knowing they definitely won’t have something like this already! To order your original wearable art brooch call today on 065 7071224 during office hours or  087 6498744 anytime for orders or  specially commissioned artpieces Transition Year Photo Etchings These limited edition photo etchings are handmade by transition year students in Scoil Mhuire, Ennistymon. The etchings feature the world famous shop and pub fronts from the local Ennistymon area, as well as local flowers and animals. The prints cost €10 each and can be made to order from transition year students. Here we have attached just a sample of the wide selection of etchings we currently have available. Each handmade etching is signed by the artist and tastefully mounted using antique white mountboards and cellophane wrapped. For more information, or to place an order, please contact us at: TYA@scoil-mhuire.ie or 065 7071224 / 087 6498744
	Examples of the Etchings and Brooches

Sleepover Fundraising Success

1st Dec 2010                        

After many weeks of fundraising sleepover sponsorship money in aid Focus Ireland, Scoil Mhuire Transition year Students raised a total of €326.60. This money will help raise vital funds that will help focus Ireland provide services for people who are experiencing homelessness. Well done to everyone involved and who supported the cause!

Another Football Match cancelled

1st Dec 2010
The junior football match scheduled for tomorrow, the 2nd of Dec, has been cancelled due to the current weather conditions. The pitch is unplayable in the current conditions so the match will have to be rescheduled.

Football Match Cancelled

29th Nov 2010
The senior football munster quarter final that was scheduled for tomorrow has been cancelled due to the ongoing poor weather conditions.Ms Eustace’s PE students will require their PE gear tomorrow as her classes will go on as normal.

Parent Teacher Meeting Cancelled

29th Nov 2010

The 2nd year Parent Teacher meeting that was scheduled for this evening has been cancelled due to the poor weather conditions.

Alternate arrangements will be made in the near future. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Carol Recital Practise Cancelled

29th Nov 2010

The current cold snap caused some issues this morning in school with regard to heating and water provisions. These issues have now been resolved and classes are continuing as normal.

Carol Recital practise for this evening and tomorrow evening has, however, been cancelled. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Carol Recital Preparations Going Well

26th Nov 2010
Yes, this musical note reminds us that once again the time of year is fast approaching when a variety of well known Christmas melodies will be heard around the county. Lifting melodies floating in the air tells us that the season of love and affection is here to make us feel the real spirit of Christmas. To create the ambience for the celebration it’s time to get in the spirit of the season and for very many people, Christmas carols are an essential part of the Christmas experience. With that in mind the enchanting Scoil Mhuire Ennistymon choir with guests, will combine their talents as they present their concert of familiar and new carols, directed by Patricia Dooley at St. Michael’s Church Ennistymon on Sunday December 5th at 8pm.
The sound of Christmas carols sung by a talented school choir is an important and familiar part of Christmas and there is nothing quite like the warmth of the sound of pure voices filling this beautiful church. In Ennistymon the tradition of the Scoil Mhuire Carol Recital is well developed and refined over the years and has become an important community event. Since the first carol recital was performed many years ago it has since grown into a beloved Christmas tradition held bi-annually. This year the carol recital retains a tradition of warmth and unique timelessness with an uplifting presentation. As in previous years the evenings event will be varied. Solo artists will include respected sopranos and past pupils of the school, Kate Daly, Gráinne Curtin, Ailbhe Howard and Aisling Davies while the incomparable smooth base Micheal Mulqueeny is set to delight the audience with his rendition of Adeste Fideles. Other carols to be performed on the night include, The Cloud Song, One Child, Jamaican Noel, Carol of the Bells, In the Bleak Mid Winter and of course that sublime and haunting O Holy Night which never fails to lift the spirit and cheer the mind.
The sound of the Scoil Mhuire Christmas Carol Recital can now also be brought home in CD form. The cd entitled ‘A Shining Night’ was recorded in 2008 and features a combined chorus of the school choir with special performances from Marie Hegarty along with Kate Daly, Micheal Mulqueeny, Teresa Garrihy and Maretta O’Hehir amongst others. This is an exceptionally beautiful recording. The carols and the arrangements chosen, the performances and the engineering are all beyond reproach. The soloists are exemplary and the young voices of Scoil Mhuire give the carols that angelic purity and other-worldly quality that seems a speciality of the school choir. The acoustic of St. Michael’s church is exceptionally well caught, large, live and reverberant when filled with the heavenly echoes of the caroling sounds. Included on the track list are tried and tested favourites, Joy to the World, Silent Night, Carol of the Bells, Have yourself a Merry little Christmas and Away in a Manger. This is a carol album that deserves to make every Christmas Cd collection feel incomplete without it.
Christmas without carols cannot be thought of. It is one aspect of the holiday season that never fails to lift the spirit. It’s easy to get caught up in in holiday events such as office parties, visits to Santa or doing last minute Christmas shopping. As exciting as these events are, it’s important to maintain one’s sanity by carving out some time for moments of reflection and there is no better way to  achieve this than to unwind in a true, spiritually uplifting celebration of Christmas. Welcome the Christmas season on Sunday December 5th in Ennistymon or capture that magic on cd at 065 7071224 and savour the peace and goodwill of the season.

TY Build A Bank Opening Soon

26th Nov 2010 The AIB Build a Bank is opening on Monday at lunch time in the central area.

Everyone is welcome and encouraged to open an account as it is a useful way of saving and keeping your money safe. Lodgements cannot be made on Monday as it takes a couple of days to set up your account however if you are an existing customer you may make lodgements.   As a student customer of AIB you are entitled to laser card and an ATM card FREE of charge.

You also have access to a range of services such as Internet and Phone Banking and much more.

To find out more information visit the bank on Monday and the team will be happy to help.

See you there!

Late Late Toy Show

26th Nov 2010 
Emerald Kenny, in 2B will be playing the violin on the Late, Late Toy Show tonight. This is an amazing achievement. Thousands of young people apply to perform on the Late, Late Toy show every year and only a small few are selected. We are delighted that Emerad is getting this very unique opportunity. Scoil Mhuire wish her and the rest of her music group every success for a great night tonight.

Hot Chocolate Day

19th Nov 2010

As part of their Enterprise Class Transition Year A are holding a ‘Hot Chocolate Day’ on Thursday 25th of November. For the price of just €2 get a delicious cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows to keep you warm during the winter months. The fundraiser will take place during 11 o’ clock break and during lunch. Treat yourself and support the event!

Alumni Careers Exhibition

15th Nov 2010 
A Careers Information Evening was held in Scoil Mhuire on Friday 14th November. Past pupils from the class of 2009 were invited back to the school to share with the present students their experience of college life and inform students about the courses they are presently studying in terms of course content and career options. The purpose of the evening was to provide an opportunity for the present Leaving Cert class to meet with past pupils and to ask them about college life from a personal perspective and about the courses they are studying. Students were offered non-biased information on specific third level courses. They had the opportunity to talk to past pupils on a one-to-one basis about their experience in college, the transition from school to college life and the different options available to them.

A Report from an Attending Student (Pauline Kenneally):

6th year Scoil Mhuire girls gratefully receive invaluable information for their future 3rd level education from past students of the school on the evening of Friday 12th November.

It’s rare that the opportunity comes along that 2nd year college students come back to visit their old school with tales to regale us with of their adventures in life so far. It is even rarer still that the Leaving Certificate students have the time to listen to these voyages into the wide, unknown and highly independent world. On Friday the 12th of November, however, both came together to rendezvous about the big, bad and somewhat enigmatic place also known as “college” or “university”.

After being invited back to the school by Miss Ahern, the 6th years’ careers teacher, eight students agreed to make the reminiscent drive back to the school that they spent so many years in during their teenage years. The girls came from colleges all over; Waterford, Maynooth, Galway, Limerick but to name a few. Arriving promptly on the 8 o’clock deadline, a plane of chairs arranged in sweet circles dotted the central area greeted all comers. Each group had their own specially assigned number and they were clearly marked out using appealing helium-filled balloons… needless to say; it’s easy to entertain children!

With talks varying from New Media and English to Primary Teaching to Arts and Business, there was more than a fair share of pathways and modules dealt with. Unfortunately, the Civil Engineering group had to be cancelled as the girl could not make it, due to an illness. Get well soon!

Receiving invaluable information on the courses themselves, general overviews of the colleges, grants, accommodation and etc in 15 minute slots was all that was needed. All questions were answered and all options explored and, by the end, college didn’t seem half as daunting as it had previously been.

A huge thank you to all the girls who came, you’ve helped make our lives that little bit more stress free because we know what lies before us now. For some, you’ve helped decide which college they choose and for some, you’ve helped broaden a narrow mindset, revealing other options. Thank you all who attended for you’ve all gotten the best information, 1st hand from colleges and courses you may be interested in. Finally, thank you Miss Ahern. Without you organising this talk, none of us may have gotten the opportunity to get all of this information. Kudos to all involved!

New Website launch

12th Nov 2010

The new school website was launched by Ms Cullen at assembly. With a fresh new design and much more content this website should be an excellent resource for students (past, present and future), parents and staff alike! At the launch Ms Cullen expressed sincere thanks to Mr. Paddy Jordan for the new web design and also to the photographer Mr. John Kelly for the excellent photos of the students used in the design. Ms Cullen also appealed to students for their continued support with report writing and also in taking photographs of the vast number of events that happen in the day to day life of Scoil Mhuire.

The new sections that have been added to the website include

• Study Notes – an area dedicated to notes posted by staff for students to view or download at home.
• Past Pupils – a section that will (in time) grow to give a snapshot of the paths some of our past pupils have chosen
• Timetable – all class timetables will be stored
• Junior Cycle and Senior Cycle – pages dedicated to the course followed by Junior and Senior Cycle students

Over the next few weeks and months this website will only improve as more content is added to each page. We, at Scoil Mhurie, hope the website will be enjoyed by those who view it.

Please do bare with us through any teething problems and feel free to email Ms Cullen with any comments/suggestions/problems.

Visit from Alcoholics Anonymous

On Tuesday last, two guest speakers from the Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A) branch in Ennis visited Scoil Mhuire to give a talk to the Transition years students about Alcoholics Anonymous Ireland. They explained that the A.A’s primary aim is to help its members, to achieve and maintain sobriety. Sobriety is maintained through the sharing of experiences, strength, and hope in mutual support. The A.A. is a voluntary organization that preserves the anonymity of its members which are drawn from all walks of life. The speakers shared their own experiences of alcoholism with the students and explained how the A.A. helped them achieve sobriety. Thanks to the Ennis branch of the A.A. for providing the guests speakers and to Ms. Barry for organising the talk.

Scoil Mhuire secure 2nd place in Show Jumping Competition

Scoil Mhuire Ennistymon were the only Clare School to travel to Clonshire Equestrian Centre in Adare Co. Limerick on Sunday last. The North Clare School were competing in the Hoofprints Interschool League and faced stiff opposition from the other twelve teams in the Novice Competition. Scoil Mhuire’s team was made up of two sets of sisters, Niamh and Aoife Hegarty and Martina and Ailise Corry. Scoil Mhuire’s Chef d’ Equipe for the day was Monica Hegarty. The Novice Competition required each rider
to complete two rounds, one in the Indoor Arena and one in the Outdoor Arena.

Niamh Hegarty was first to jump for the Ennistymon school in the Indoor Arena. Niamh and Shanbally Survivor got the team off to a great start with a clear jumping round and just one time fault. Niamh’s sister Aoife was next to jump with Castle Keeper. Aoife followed the example set by her older sister and got a clear round. Scoil Mhuire’s third rider was the first of the Corry sisters Martina. Martina and Murt added to the record of clear rounds but had a single time fault. The last and youngest member of the team was Ailise Corry riding Spark of Roxton. Alise completed the fourth clear round leaving Scoil Mhuire with a first-round total of just one fault.

The same order of Jumping was completed for the North Clare side in the Outdoor Arena where Niamh, Aoife and Martina all went clear. Ailise was the last to jump for Scoil Mhuire and was having an excellent ride until disaster struck when her horse Spark of Roxton took a dislike to the second last fence. Despite Ailise’s fall the Scoil Mhuire girls secured second place behind Laurel Hill Secondary School from Limerick. Thirteen teams took part in the Competition and Scoil Mhuire beat teams from, Castletroy College, Ard Scoil Ris (Third Place), Villers, Desmond College, Salesians Pallaskenry, St. Brendans Birr and Scoil Mhuire agus Ide Newcastlewest. Scoil Mhuire will compete again in Duffys Equestrian Centre Galway on Sunday 14th November in an event organised by Seamount College in Kinvara.

Psycho Spaghetti

Monday 1st of November saw the Transition Years make the journey to the Temple Gate Hotel, Ennis for a comedy show called ‘Psycho Spaghetti’. Ger Carey’s one man show produced some dubious expressions but within moments he had the whole audience in fits. The show is aimed at young adults from 14 to 18, and the audience was a selection of local Transition Year students. The performance detailed how teenage life is in phases, dealing with everything from school to relationships to the ‘testosterone pixie’. The aim was to help teens see their lives as part of the bigger picture and I think it’s safe to say that the group came away with more open minds. The success of the show hinged on how teenage life was dealt with in such a humorous light. Carey had insights into every aspect of our lives, even the mystery of the teenage girl’s minds, and enlightened us to ideas we didn’t even realise about ourselves. It was a hugely enjoyable and thoroughly hilarious 90 minutes.

Visiting Students having a great time!

When someone says “Ireland” the first thing that comes to mind is green, followed by leprechauns and shamrocks and potatoes. However, after six weeks experience in Scoil Mhuire our perception of Ireland has changed. Part of that transformation is thanks to our time in Transition Year. It has given us a chance to learn about Ireland in educational sense and to experience activities that most tourists wouldn’t ever have.

As part of the T.Y. curriculum we participate in several special activities and field trips. The first of these activities was our trip to the Boghill Centre where we took part in fun activities including ceramics, Indian head massage and cob building. It was also a great opportunity to get to know our fellow T.Y.s. Surfing and hip hop dancing as our gym classes were fun new experiences for both of us. It was our first time doing such creative things for P.E. Surfing in Lahinch was the first time for both of us to swim in
the Atlantic Ocean.

The Red Cross first aid course was a very important educational experience that we would not have received in our home schools. Also, it was nice to be able to wear track suits for a few days. No matter what country, language, or school it is important to know how to save a life and this is something we can both use in practice when we return home.

Even though we LOVE our uniforms here at Scoil Mhuire one of our favourite days so far was the non-uniform day. It was almost surreal to see our friends walking around in jeans and t-shirts. We, as part of the T.Y. A class were privileged to support our school football team in the county finals. We like to think that due to our amazing cheering (and some mad skill on the part of the players) we won. Having never even heard of Gaelic football the game was fun, exciting and a learning experience. The most beneficial part of transition year, work experience, has also been one of our favourite. Charlotte was placed in the Ennistymon Primary School and Anna was in the Inagh Crèche. Even though we are only halfway through the term it has still been an amazing experience. Every Wednesday we gain valuable real life knowledge about the work force which we will soon be joining. Also, it is so much fun to
hang around with junior and senior infants all day! I, Charlotte, would not normally have the opportunity to participate in work experience in the U.S. I think that I have learned more about careers and work doing work experience than I have doing business courses.

So, from now on, when someone says “Ireland” we think of all our fun times so far in T.Y. (and
potatoes). We have met people and done things that we will remember forever. The best part is we aren’t
even leaving yet.

Very Exciting Art Exhibition for Scoil Mhuire

Scoil Mhuire, Ennistymon invites all students, past and present, to submit artwork in any media to be considered for exhibition in ‘LINK’ at The Courthouse Gallery in January 2011.

‘LINK’ will show case exciting artwork by second level students in Scoil Mhuire alongside vibrant work from art college students and more established artists. The common thread will be that all exhibitors are alumni of Scoil Mhuire. A percentage of sales will be donated to the school as a fundraiser for art equipment.

It is hoped that some participating artists will run workshops during the course of the exhibition to share their skills and work processes.

The exhibition will be selected by curator Trudi Van Der Elsen of The Courthouse Gallery, Ennistymon.

If you or anyone you know are interested in participating, please complete the form below and return it either by email to mary_fahy@hotmail.com by post to Mary Fahy, The Art Dept., Scoil Mhuire, Ennistymon. Co. Clare

Senior County Football Champions

Scoil Mhuire Ennistymon travelled to Inagh to play in the ‘Pat the Baker’ Secondary Schools Ladies Football Senior Final against St. Flannan’s College (Ennis) on Tuesday last. Both sides had wins over Spanish Point and St. Camins (Shannon) on the path to the Final and were competing for the Johnny Hayes Perpetual Cup. read more…

Click here for photos.

Elaine Egan – Science Olympiad

Scoil Mhuire Transition Year student Elaine Egan has been selected to participate in the EU Science Olympiad 2010. This is a Science competition open to 16 year old EU Science students and participants are the top achievers in Maths and Science in the Junior Cert Exam 2010 as detailed by the State Examinations Commission. The competition aims to challenge and stimulate gifted Science students and develop their talents in that area. The participants are tested in their skills in tackling science problems and dealing with scientific experiments. Elaine was one of 120 students in the country who scored 11 A’s in her Junior Cert this year.

Another Great Golf Classic

The 2010 Scoil Mhuire Golf Classic took place on Saturday 9th October. The competition was held on the Castle Course at Lahinch Golf Club. The rain held off and a great day was had by all. Twenty three teams took part with the first team teeing off at 7.30am.

First prize in the “Team of Four” Stableford competition went to Declan McInerney, Colette Conneely, Ciara McInerney and Suzanne Conneely. Second place went to Emma Frazer, Mervin Frazer, Michael Cremins and Bill Frazer and they were followed in third place by Flan Clune, Richard Meaney , Donal O’Brien and Patrick Hanley . The prize for nearest the pin on the 7th went to Martin Clohessy and on the 13th went to Jimmy Condon.The raffle prizes were a beautiful watercolour of the waterfalls (painted and donated by Sean O’Doherty) – won by Pat Shannon, a Hydraulic Jack (Donated by Banner Motors) – won by TJ Kerins and a Room Pommander (donated by Crosbies) – won by Sinear Rouine.

The parents association would like to thank Lahinch Golf Club for the use of heir wonderful facility for the day. We appreciate the generous support of all our sponsors and all the teams who participated. Thank you to the ladies who helped with the catering from 7.00 am. to 7.00 pm.A special word of thanks to the First Year parents for the wonderful home baking and the T.Y’s for looking after the raffle.

Click here for photos.

No Sleep on Friday Night!

On Friday the 8th of October, the Transition Year students took part in a Sleepover in aid of Focus Ireland. The students arrived to school at 8 and had a great night enjoying dvds, a table quiz, lots of sweets and goodies, some dancing (thanks Clare and Róisín for the entertainment!) and plenty of chatting! Although the curfew to be in the rooms was 3.30 this didn’t seem to translate to sleeping at 3.30 and there were plenty of students who kept chatting the whole night through. The wake up call at 8.15 was not too difficult as most were up and ready for cleaning at that time anyway and after a quick clean of rooms 1, 2 and 3 it was hometime (bedtime!) at 9.

Thanks to all students who took part in the event and are still fundraising for Focus Ireland. Thanks to Ms Uí Dhomhnalláin and Ms Honan for supplying some extra goodies. Thanks also to Ms Laura Cullen, Ms Ruth Cullen (who taught here 2 years ago), Ms Dooley and Ms Barry who supervised the students.

Click here for photos.

Drugs Awareness Talk

On Monday October 5th, all Scoil Mhuire students attended an excellent talk about Drug Awareness given by Tony O’Carroll. The presentation was extremely insightful as students watched clips of how people suffering from addiction have damaged their appearance and general health and destroyed many lives.  The content of the presentation was both frightening and shocking and the damaging and destructive effects of substance abuse were clearly conveyed. The talk was also offered to parents that evening. Huge thanks to Mr. O’Carroll for presenting such an interesting talk. Thanks also to Ms Ahern for organsing this event.

A great start for Senior Football

Congratulations to the Senior Football team who started this year with a great win against St. Caimans, Shannon in Lahinch on Monday 5th October. The team have been training hard since the start of the school year and their hard work paid off with a score margin of 4 points at the final whistle. Well done to all the players and to their coach Ms. Eustace.

Scoil Mhuire welcomes foreign students

Scoil Mhuire welcomed another foreign student on Monday October 4th. This brings to 7 the number of students who are visiting Scoil Mhuire this year. Charlotte Bilsing has come from Frankfurt in Germany and will stay here for 2 months in the 2A class. Anna Schloesser is also here from Germany and along with Charlotte Wolfe from the USA will take part in Transition Year until around Christmas. Kaori Kobata, visiting from Japan, is also in Transition Year but will be staying for the full academic year. In 5th year we have three girls visiting from Slovakia for the full year. These students are Klaudia Chochulova, Ivana Kobylinska and Lucia Kucbelova. We are delighted in Scoil Mhuire to welcome all these students and we wish them every success and enjoyment in their time with us.

First Year Camogie Blitz

First year students went travelled to their first sports blitz on Friday October 1st. All students travelled to St. Flannans College in Ennis to take part in a camogie blitz against other Clare schools. Although the girls were unlucky this time around, they greatly enjoyed the day. Congratulations to all who took part and a big thanks to their organsing teacher Ms. Eustace.

Click here for photos.

Fond Farewell to Mrs. Hillery

Scoil Mhuire last week bid farewell to Mrs Moira Hillery, teacher of Maths, Business and Accounting, who retired from the teaching staff. Moira will be missed as a no-nonsense teacher who always got an immense amount of pleasure from her students’ successes and helped shape many careers. She was a hard working, dedicated teacher, year head, advisor, mentor and someone who gave wise counsel, sound advice and valued expertise to students and colleagues alike. Moira achieved the desired learning results in her students and always maintained the traits and characteristics that led her to become an excellent teacher. She modelled the kinds of behaviour that she wanted her students to model-respect, honesty, persistence and perseverance. Thank you Moira for encouraging young learners to become all that they were capable of and for touching lives in ways that can make a difference in the futures of so many.

TYB Horticulture

As part of the Transition Year Horticulture Programme, the TYB class tried their hand at making bird feeders. The aim was to use recycled materials and waste or outdated dried food.  Materials included plastic bottles, string, twigs, old baskets, wire and food products, such as dried fruits, cereals, bread, fruit skins, popcorn, coconut, nuts and lard.

Making bird feeders helps; i) introduce birds to the school garden, ii) increase wildlife diversity in the school environment, iii) liven our school environment with bird colour and song, iv) birds help to control garden pests.

Bird feeders are easy and cheap to make and greatly help our ‘feathered friends’ survive harsh winter conditions.

Click here for photos.

TYA Bake Sale

As part of the Enterprise class with Ms Fahy, the TYA class organsied a bake sale on Tuesday 21st. The money collected will be used by the class to set up their enterprise during the year. Always a welcome event in the school, this Bake Sale was no exception with a vast array or delicious items for sale. Chocolate cookies, brownies, toffee biscuit cake and a few other items didn’t even last through the 11 o’clock break!! Congratulations to all the girls involved in organising the Bake Sale.

Click here for photos.

Adult Education Classes

Following our very successful Spring Adult Education Programme, we are delighted to offer a new Autumn Programme of classes. The following classes are on offer: Basic Computer Applications, Introduction to Internet and E-mail, Everyday Baking on a Budget and Basic Patchwork and Quilting.

If you would like to have a course organised which is not already advertised and have sufficient numbers intersted, please contact the school with details.

Junior Cert Results

Scoil Mhuire has once again maintained its excellent standard of academic achievement in State Examinations. Quite a number of students were today rewarded 9 A’s or over while 2 students, Eimear O’Connor and Elaine Egan received straight A’s at Higher Level, in 11 subjects. Scoil Mhuire is proud that students at all levels were very well rewarded again this year, all achieving wonderful results. The achievement of outstanding results in such a broad range of Junior Cert subjects demonstrates Scoil Mhuire’s commitment to academic teaching across all disciplines.

Click here for photos.

New Prefects, Vice Prefects and Head Girl

Congratulations to all the newly elected Prefects and Vice Prefects. These students will represent their individual classes on a daily basis and also as part of the Student Council. Special congratulations must also be extended to this year’s Head Girl, Katie Guthrie. There is no doubt that Katie will follow in the footsteps of the previous Head Girls and represent Scoil Mhuire in an excellent manner. Below is the full list of student all representatives:

Click here for photos.

Move Over Valentino!

Scoil Mhuire Ennistymon Fashionistas Step Out in Style!

Sharon Malone, on behalf of The Enterprise Centre, Ennistymon invited art students in Scoil Mhuire, Ennistymon to design, construct and perform three exciting fashion outfits made entirely from plastic, paper and recycled materials to be performed at the Ennistymon Fashion show on thursday 9th September. The project was facilitated by Art teacher Mary Fahy. The girls had less than a week to produce their outfits!

The flamboyant costumes were adjudicated by Sharon Malone in Scoil Mhuire. The standard was so high it was decided to let all five outfits go through to the Fashion Show in the Falls Hotel.

The students explained their design proposals to Sharon to show how their ideas developed.

The costumes were judged on their Visual Impact, their use of materials and the girls performance of the outfits.

The winning entries performed at the interval of the Ennistymon Fashion Show on Sept 9th in the Falls Hotel to a packed audience. They wowed the crowd as they proudly strutted their stuff on the catwalk. Models were assisted on the night by the Martina Costello Agency. A huge thank you to Sharon Malone and Susanne Crosbie for all their hard work, and to the Falls Hotel for their hospitality on the night. Thanks also to Martina Costello and all the models for their support.

Scoil Mhuire models were Eimear Haugh, Catherine Finnegan, Róisín Nestor, Ciara McAleese and Naomi Cleary. Two Scoil Mhuire staff also made an appearance on the catwalk, well done to Rosie and Mary, the super-super models!

Click here for photos.

Sports Notices

• Congratulations to Liscannor Ladies Football Team who won the Senior County ‘B’ Final and to Corofin who won the Intermediate Camogie Title for 2010.Well done to all!
• Walking Club resumes on Monday Sept 6th and will continue every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, weather permitting. Any students interested meet on the basketball course at 1.15 sharp.
• First Year Hill Walk takes place on Wednesday 8th. All students must bring PE gear (no jeans), warm layers, hat/scarf/gloves, suitable walking shoes/boots, rain jacket, sunscreen, lunch and drink

Scoil Mhuire Says Goodbye

As Scoil Mhuire staff and students settle into a new academic year, one familiar smiling face is notably absent. Long serving dedicated Science teacher Mary Nolan, who helped shape many careers and successes, retired from the teaching staff last June. Mary gave the gift of herself to Scoil Mhuire, her energy, enthusiasm, honesty, respect and genuine love of students was exemplary. Many fine young people were privileged to have been in her classroom and Mary strove to reach beyond teaching, into the hearts of students, and always understood and respected what she found there. The standards Mary set helped make many what they are today, she gave understanding and advice, challenged and taught the joy of learning. It is impossible to measure what Mary has meant to the school and where her influence stops. We wish her a long, healthy and happy retirement secure in the knowledge that she will always remain in the heart of Scoil Mhuire.

Bell Rings on a New School Year

Scoil Mhuire opened its doors and new school year on Monday last to what will hopefully be a happy and fruitful year. 52 new eager faces graced the first year classrooms enthusiastic to begin a successful and productive secondary school journey. Also welcome to Scoil Mhuire for this academic year are 6 visiting students from Slovakia, Germany, Japan and the USA.

School Re-Opening

Scoil Mhuire will re-open for the academic year 2010/2011 as follows:

• Monday August 30th – 1st and 6th year students return
• Tuesday August 31st – 2nd, 3rd and 5th year students return
• Thursday September 2nd – TY students return

We are looking forward to seeing all students!

Leaving Cert Results

Huge congratulations must be extended to the class of 2010 who received their Leaving Cert results on Wednesday 18th. The results this year were great and we hope that all students are also happy with CAO offers or whatever else they have planned for next year. We sincerely wish all students the very best for the future and hope that you’ll come back to let us know how it’s all going!

Jasmine completes UL summer course

Congratulations to Jasmine Ashby who has just completed the Mathematics Modelling Summer School in Ul. This course has a large number of applicants but only 50 students from around the country are selected and our Jasmine was one of the lucky ones (only 2 students from Co. Clare were selected)! Needless to say the week had it’s academic focus but it also involved plenty of other activities and the 50 students got a real insight into the applications of Maths and other sciences in real life.

Jasmines full report:

When I applied for the UL Mathematics Modelling Summer School I didn’t think that I would get one of the fifty places on offer. I got my acceptance letter some months after and was both shocked and excited.

I set off on the 21st of June not knowing what to expect. It was a hot summers day and here I was practically going to school! Arriving at UL can be quite confusing, as it is a bit of a maze, so it took me a while to find my accommodation. After about an hour of walking, on what seemed like an endless road, I finally arrived at Cappavilla, my new home for the next six days. It was a great start. I was given my own room in a six bed-roomed apartment that had a TV room, stocked kitchen and balcony.

Next we were introduced to everyone. All my housemates seemed really nice, the lecturers were approachable and the other kids weren’t what I expected, they were really friendly and talkative!

Throughout the week the lectures we attended were excellent as they gave us an insight into the different applications of maths in college and life. One lecture showed us all the careers in which maths was a key factor. Apart from the obvious “mathematician” maths is used in gardening, journalism and even hairdressing! It helped me see why we actually study so much maths in school and how valuable it is to listen as we never know when we might need it.

There was a broad range of subjects discussed from finance to physics and we found out what was involved in each of them. It opened my eyes to a whole side of maths that I had never seen before. It made maths fun! We played games involving maths such as The Weakest Link as well as finding out the best way to win at Monopoly (Christmas here I come).

One day we visited a factory and witnessed the process involved in making a product. We saw how people get involved in this process even when robots do the manual labour. Engineers are behind the scenes. They control what happens and fix any problems. It gave me an idea of work life first hand and what careers resulted from certain courses. The week as a whole led me to look at what courses are for me and what courses I really wouldn’t be interested in thus helping me eliminate half my list of future possible careers (it’s still perhaps a long list).

The week wasn’t just maths we did get time away from the books! The last event was a magic show. It was quite entertaining (for someone like me who didn’t do chemistry and was in awe at nearly everything). As well as the Astronomy evening we also got involved in sports, salsa and movie nights. Most of our spare time was filled with card games and boxes and boxes and boxes……and boxes of pizza! There was great food, an excellent atmosphere and wonderful people. I have to say when I first went I expected it to be strictly maths and indoor lectures but in the end it turned out like a holiday camp. We even went swimming in the Shannon! I really enjoyed my stay and I would recommend it to anyone who is any way interested in maths.

Taekwon-Do Black Belt Grading

On Saturday and Sunday June 26th and 27th, the ITA National Black Belt test took place in Quin. 22 Taekwon-Do practioners from around Ireland were tested to 1st degree, 2nd degree and 3rd degree levels of black belt. Congratulations must be extended to Miss Cullen and Ms Angela Keane who were promoted after a gruelling 4 hour test on the Saturday (following a 3 hour training class that morning!)

Miss Cullen is now a third degree black belt and Ms Angela Keane is a 2nd degree black belt.