15/11/2024

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By Marco Kokocinski

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As of recent years, mental health has become more and more mainstream in media and significantly more attention is being brought to mental health, especially the issues associated with it. Anxiety, stress and depression are all examples of the consequences associated with neglect of mental health. The World Health Organisation estimates that globally 1 out of every 4 people will be impacted by mental illness at some point in their lives. We are living in a time where mental illness is becoming a serious problem for young people, and it is heartbreaking to see that so many young people are experiencing some sort of mental health issue. To help shine a light on this crisis, on Friday, Dr Harry Barry visited St, Caimin’s to provide professional and practical advice to LC1 and LC2 students, on how to overcome anxiety, soothe stress and deal with depression, as well as raising awareness for the excellent resources available to anyone struggling with mental illness.

Dr Harry Barry is a well-mannered, altruistic and wholesome man who took time to come and share help and advice to those who need it most. With the stress of the Leaving Cert hanging over us students, it was a nice relief to take time off class and really reflect on the problem of mental health. Dr Barry explained that us young people are especially vulnerable to mental illness, because from the ages of 13 to 25 our brains are undergoing development, especially in the area of our brain responsible for emotion. This leaves us more likely to develop conditions like anxiety or depression. I think that this is a very helpful insight, as it shows that anxiety and stress is not a unique experience, and I think it brings a great deal of comfort that all of us are impacted by it.

Dr Barry also showed us that our mental health can be developed into a positive one by coping and handling life’s trials and tribulations. As he said, “Life is innately hard……….it’s how you manage those problems that really matters.” He showed us ways to control the overwhelming feelings associated with stress, anxiety and depression as well as how to fix the root causes of the problem. His solutions ranged from finding inner peace and self-acceptance, to tackling anxiety by challenging your ideas of how people will react to what your personal actions. He explained that people are ‘self-obsessed’ and claimed that 90% of the bad things you think will happen, never do. I think that this resonates with a lot of people including myself and I believe it’s extremely helpful advice to anyone struggling with social anxiety.

 

The main takeaway I have from this talk, is that all of these heavy and burdening feelings we get, are a huge part of life and human nature. Happiness wouldn’t exist without sadness and I think what really matters is how you hold onto hope in the low points in life. Dr Harry Barry really highlighted and expressed that life will always have problems and that no one in the room will live an ‘easy life.’ It’s a fantastic thing to know that you aren’t alone in these difficult experiences we face in our life. I believe that the challenges we face in life are a beautiful and wonderful thing as they encourage us to grow, mentally and physically as well as moving us forward through our saturated lives.

08/11/2024

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By Laura Meaney, Aibhe Ring and Caoimhe Hourigan

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Wednesday October 16th we left for Meath at quarter past 6 and we were all completely wrecked. We packed our gear bags onto the tiniest bus ever and finally left Shannon. Even though we were all exhausted it was still good fun on the way up. When we were awake, we chatted away and the trip passed quickly enough. After about 2 hours we stopped in the shop for breakfast. We got back on the bus and roughly 40 minutes later we arrived in Meath. The facilities there were unreal! We all went out onto the astro to stretch our legs and have a quick puck. We knew all our matches were going to be played on astro, so we all tried our best to get used to the surface.

The nerves were starting to kick in as we got ready to play our first match. I think we had all kind of forgotten that we still had to go out and play! In our first group game we were playing St Fergal's Rathdowney from Laois. Our tiredness disappeared as soon as the whistle blew, and we realised how important the first match was. By half time we were up a good bit, but we all knew the work wasn't half done, as 7s matches are quick and can be turned around within a minute. We had a comfortable win in our first match but all of us knew our next match would be far more intense and difficult. Thankfully there was a 20-minute break before our next group game. While the group matches were only ten minutes a half, you'd still be wrecked, due to the amount of running and hard work you need to win in sevens.

We lined out against High Cross from Tuam for our second match. While the second match was far tougher than the first, we still had a comfortable win over the Galway team. After the second match we found out we were straight into the final against St. Dominics from Belfast. A few of us had seen Dominics playing one of their group games, and we knew they had some impressive players, and we understood they were going to be tough to beat. I think for me that was the moment when it finally kicked in that we were going to be playing in an All-Ireland final, and that our hard work in the group matches in Meath and that our hard work in the lashing rain in the Munster 7s was finally starting to pay off. The final was going to be 15 minutes a half and while all of us were feeling tired we knew we were thirty minutes away from possibly being all Ireland Champions. In my opinion, the best part of that final was how well we played together as a team, everyone was happy to work hard for each other, and everyone was happy to get stuck in and give it their all.

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At half time we all knew we were good enough to win, and that we deserved to win. We went out and we absolutely proved it. We won with a final scoreline of 5-09 to 1-09. The individual performances were amazing but what was even better was how we played together.

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When the final whistle blew, we were all delighted! For a lot of us, including myself, it was our last year of junior 7s, which made it even more special to finally win firstly in Munster, and then secondly to go on and win the All-Ireland. For me that final was one of my favorite matches that I've ever played in with the school. We all know that finals, especially All-Ireland finals, don't come around too often so we all knew to appreciate it. After the trophy presentation and once we were done taking photos we finally packed up and got back on the bus to head to Athlone for food.

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We stopped in a hotel in Athlone, where we ate probably the spiciest chicken stir-fry of all time! The dinner was still great craic, we were all just sitting around having the chats. We all ran across to the shop in the lashing rain to buy sweets for the rest of the bus trip home. The bus home was so much fun, everyone was in great form! We got back to the church in Shannon about an hour and a half later. At that rate we were all wrecked and happy to be heading home after a great day. For me personally, it was one of the most fun days I've had since starting in Caimins in first year. We were all so glad to have had the opportunity to play in an All-Ireland final. Like I said earlier they don't come around often and that's what made it so much better.

25/10/2024

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By Jimmy Frosting

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“Our ability to reach unity in diversity will be the beauty and the test of our civilisation.” (Mahatma Gandhi)​

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My name is Jimmy Frosting, and I came to Saint Caimin’s in 2023. Originally, I'm from Germany and then went to the US, so when I came into the school, I didn’t really have an idea of what to expect.

I wondered whether I would have a hard time slotting myself into some friend groups. But soon, I didn’t feel those concerns. I am quite social, but I still loved how students took the initiative and showed a genuine interest in me and my background. They weren’t just politely saying “hi”, but the students were genuinely curious about wanting to know who I am and where I was from.

I also didn’t expect to see other new students, but I was wrong, there were many new people who needed to adjust to the new school. That helped me a lot! I also realized that this fact shaped the school by adding a layer of understanding and acceptance to students and staff.

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We also had a “cultural week” where students from different countries demonstrated their cuisine and culture. Even now it’s not uncommon that students share their diverse experiences and cultural backgrounds which adds to the welcoming atmosphere of the school!

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After I joined the school, I was amazed again by the focus in St. Caimin’s to create a positive and inclusive environment. I also saw how the students were very open with their teachers about concerns involving other students. I really loved that because I think that this helps weave diversity into the daily life of the school.

Diversity is not just celebrated once a year, it’s an integral part of our identity as St. Caimin’s students!

We often have talks dedicated to diversity and how to create a safe space where all can feel individually respected. Additionally, every classroom in the school has a big poster emphasizing the differences we have but the unity and togetherness we can produce.

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Diversity is not just a concept at St. Caimin’s, it’s a lived reality!"

25/10/2024

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​Two of our 3rd years reflect on how tricky it can be to balance their academic and extra-curricular commitments.

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Kate recognises the importance of being super-organised if she is to be successful at soccer and school!

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I’m Kate Lee. I play for Treaty Untied U17s team in League of Ireland. I have been playing soccer since I was 10. I’ve played for Shannon Town, Janesboro FC women’s team and at the start of this year I was signed for Treaty.

This year soccer has become a lot more serious as it is a more professional environment as League of Ireland is the highest standard you can play at in Ireland. This has also meant that juggling soccer and school has been harder especially with training four times a week in Limerick and matches at the weekend all over the country.

Most days I’m in the door from school eat my dinner or sometimes I have to come home at lunch to have my dinner depending on the time of training, do my homework, I try and just get my homework done as quick as possible, and leave for training. One of the most difficult things is I’m not usually home from training till after ten o’clock and not asleep till after twelve some nights depending on if I have homework to finish, but I’m usually pretty good at getting homework done before training. I’m one of the closer ones to training, other girls have like a 3 hour round trip so I’m lucky in that sense. I think sometimes teachers forget that students have other commitments outside of school so when they give loads of homework it can be challenging to do it all especially for someone like me. On Friday I try get my homework done and we have tactical analysis to look at because on Saturday I spent the whole day at a match. If it’s an away match I have to leave as early as 7:30 and I’m not back till 7:30 at night. Then on Sunday it a recovery day I have a long lye in as it is really needed. I also try and get study done as I am in 3rd year. I then will have to analyse my match from Saturday. So, it can be hard to manage my time.

That’s just some problems I must face but overall soccer is a massive positive for me. If it’s been a tough day at school or people are getting on my nerves, I know have training later and that always puts a smile on my face. Although on the pitch I’m very serious or I like to think I am. I love training and playing with Treaty. It’s a really high standard and I have a good group of teammates that I love playing with and really good coaches that I’ve learned a lot from. Soccer is my happy places because I know when I’m on the pitch I’m solely focus on soccer and playing to the best of my ability. I give my all whenever I play, and it can be tiring on my body especially as I’ve played a lot this season particularly in the second phase of the season but it’s a good tiredness as I know I’ve given it my all.

I really like playing school soccer as there’s no pressure and it’s just a bit of fun. As well as that we have a good team and a great coach in Mr Corbett. Hopefully we can win something with the school this year.

It can definitely be challenging to juggle school and soccer, but I love soccer, and this is something that I’ll continue to balance with school and studies as I hope I can stay getting to an even higher standard with soccer.

 

Caoimhe is grateful to everyone in our school community who help make it possible for her to do all the things she wants to do…

Hi, my name is Caoimhe. I’m from Sixmilebridge and I attend school here in St Caimin’s. I am in third year. I am an active person and play the harp and accordion with the school trad group while also playing with the school camogie team. Balancing my two favourite pastimes with my academic work is very challenging. Trying to stay on top of schoolwork and homework isn’t easy if you are missing the class but there are several means and ways to overcome this difficulty.

I try to keep up with my schoolwork and homework as best as I can on a regular basis when I have been out at a match or music performance. One thing that has helped me to catch up on work is Microsoft Teams. When teachers upload that night's homework to the class team it really helps and gives me an understanding of what was covered in class that day. Another way of receiving homework when I am at a school activity is my friends. I feel that it is important for everybody who takes part in extracurricular to have a peer who will update you on what was covered in a particular class that day. This really works for me. I have ‘’study buddies’’ to rely on!!

I am lucky that only school matches and music performances take place during school hours. Camogie training is Monday afterschool and on Wednesdays at lunch I have trad group.

A special word of thanks must be said to the teachers who organise these school clubs. They are so understanding and considerate when it comes to a clash between music and camogie or clashes between activities and schoolwork. For example, last Wednesday, the camogie mini 7s was on the same day as day 2 of my October exams. At first, I did not know what to choose. This was going to be a fun filled memorable day in my camogie career but also it was important for me to sit my exams. Thanks to Ms Morey, Ms O’Leary and Ms O’Loughlin both options were made possible! These teachers gave up their time to supervise our exams on Tuesday and Thursday so that we could travel to Meath for the All-Ireland. To make it better, we won!!

I would encourage other students to get involved in school activities. Whether it be sports, music, chess, environmental club, taking part in an activity is a good start to healthy wellbeing. With all the stress and pressure of schoolwork, heading to a match is a source of relaxation and can clear your head from all thing's books! I am very grateful for the brilliant support and opportunities I have in St Caimin’s. Even though balancing these with schoolwork can be a challenge, it is 100% worth it in the end!

18/10/2024

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Lauren is starting TY, Nessa did TY last year and is settling back into life in “normal” school. What do they have to say about their TY experience?​​

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Lauren is loving everything about it so far…

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TY is an amazing opportunity for anyone who loves having something to do, I've always been active in the school community, so I knew I had to go and do TY. Engaging in TY will bring so many benefits, but you have to make the choice to engage with it as much as possible.

I started TY a month ago and I've already made so many memories and experiences that I will carry on with me for the rest of my life. After the pressure of the junior cert, TY is such a good year to develop within the school community. It is filled with various activities.

Since joining TY, we have been certified in barista training, been trained in hospitality, gone to footgolf, drove a car, been provided a theory test and been to the Killary adventure center for an overnight trip. I've been enjoying TY because there is so much access to time. We can do so many extra clubs, sports and activities that you would not be able to access in other years due to various tests and homework.

I love TY because of the realism it provides for our futures. It provides access to viewing future career choices and how beneficial they would be to us. TY gives us a year to look at our subjects and helps us view our choices in a more mature and calm way.

I’m enjoying every part of TY and although there is less academic pressure, it is no way “a doss year” this year is a year where anything is possible, and I would like to give credit to all the teachers who have been providing us with these opportunities.

I am looking forward to being given new opportunities and the adventures to come. I'm excited to interact with and meet new people, learn new skills that will help me and the people around me and to go on trips and see new places I wouldn't have been able to go to before. One reason I did TY is because of my age, I chose TY to have a year to mature and understand adulthood better.

There are so many ways to grow and progress your life in TY once you choose to do so.

By Lauren Keane

Nessa had great memories of TY and is glad she did it…

My name is Nessa Kennedy, and I was a Transition Year Student from September 2023 to May 2024 at St. Caimin’s Community School. There were 72 students in this year. Three classes called TYA, B and C. I undertook TY to have experiences which were not solely academically orientated.

Throughout the year, we engaged in various workshops these included paint balling, cycling the Limerick Greenway, bodhrán making, a dance workshop, a public access to law presentation and an outdoor educational trip to Killary Adventure Centre.

I thought the 11 week ‘Taster’ classes were a great idea for TY students. These classes helped pupils decide what subjects we wanted to do in Leaving Cert. These ‘Taster’ classes included woodwork, which I had never undertaken before. With the help of the teacher, I made a phone stand and a wooden key cabinet, of which I am very proud.

We also engaged in work experience every Friday. I enjoyed my work experience as I have an interest in pursuing primary teaching. I attended a Special school and two Primary schools for this purpose. I believe my work experience helped me to decide what career path I wish to take in the future.

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I also participated in the end of year trip to Barcelona. I really enjoyed PortAventura as it was a great experience to go on different rollercoasters with my friends in a safe environment. We went on lovely walks around the theme park. PortAventura had lots of facilities where we enjoyed nice food and refreshments and watched the world go by. I would rate the Barcelona trip 10 out of 10.

We were also involved in the TY media studies programme; our team recorded several podcasts and wrote articles for ‘The Caimin’s Connection’. This has helped me to improve my communication skills. Academically, Transition Year helped

me to work on several projects as a team member, which has prepared me for adult working life. I have also gained maturity through travelling independently as part of a large group of TY students.

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TY has helped me in terms of my self-confidence and interpersonal skills. It has also allowed me time to consider my options as I enter Leaving Cert.

The transition from TY to 5th year is challenging. Transition Year was like being on a school tour for a year. It was a great way to make new friends and try new things that you might not get the opportunity to do outside of TY. It takes a few weeks in September to ease yourself back into the structure of classes, homework, study and exams.

Finally, I am glad that I was a Transition Year Student and have happy memories of TY 2023/2024, at St. Caimin’s Community School.

11/10/2024

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By Ema Rus

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Every year, the University of Limerick hosts an event where colleges from all over Ireland set up stalls to present their programs and opportunities to prospective students. This event is a fantastic opportunity for students to explore a variety of colleges without having to travel to each one individually.

As you enter the campus, the atmosphere is buzzing with excitement. The stalls are set up in a large hall, each decorated with banners and brochures showcasing what each college has to offer. Representatives from each institution are eager to talk about their programs, campus life, and the unique opportunities they provide. This is a great chance to ask questions and get a feel for what college is like.

Walking from stall to stall, you gather information about different courses, extracurricular activities, and support services. You might learn about a college that specializes in a field you’re interested in or discover a program you hadn’t considered before. The representatives are the professors, so you get a firsthand account of their experiences.

By the end of the day, you leave with a bag full of brochures and a head full of new information. This event not only helps you make an informed decision about where to apply but also gives you a sense of excitement about your future in higher education. The trip to the University of Limerick and the college fair is an invaluable experience for any student planning their next steps.

8/10/2024

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By Hardev Jhita

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This summer I participated in The Summer Science Program. I represented Ireland and my school St Caimin’s Community School. I conducted research in Astrophysics at New Mexico State University. This was a thirty-nine-day long program starting from the twenty-third of June to the first of August. It was my first time travelling alone abroad and staying in a different country for over five and half weeks, making it an experience I will never forget.

 

Over thirty-nine intense days, I operated a research-grade telescope to take images of a near-Earth asteroid and then calculated its orbital path, including the chance it will impact Earth in the future. There were thirty-five other students from around the world and we all lived together on the campus of New Mexico State University. 

 

My typical day would begin by waking up at around seven or eight in the morning and getting ready for the morning lecture. These lectures would be three hours long. We would learn from top college professors from around the country. One of my professors worked on the James-Webb Space Telescope at NASA as an engineer but eventually left NASA to pursue his dream as a professor in physics. I learned about vector calculus, physics, astronomy, and programming in Python during these excruciatingly long lectures.

 

After the morning lecture we would get a one-hour break for lunch, and we would all head down to the canteen. There would be another three-hour lecture after lunch. That's everything we would do during the day.

 

The most exciting part of this program was going out at night to operate the telescope and take images of (415029) 2011 UL21, the name of my team's asteroid. Each team would observe after three or four days. I would have to go observe at two in the morning for most of the program as this would be the only time when my asteroid would be visible in the night sky. Between lectures and observing we would have problem sets to complete, these problem sets would be on a whole other level of difficulty.

 

Learning and observing weren't the only things we did. We also went on numerous field trips. The second week we went to El Paso, Texas to watch a baseball game between Albuquerque and El Paso. The next day we went to a Fourth of July carnival, there was a concert all night and there were breathtaking fireworks to end the day. The third week we went to White Sands National Park and hiked the Organ Mountains, a rugged mountain range in southern New Mexico. We also visited many observatories. We visited Tortugas Mountain Observatory, Apache Point Observatory, and Sunspot Solar Observatory. On Sundays we would all play volleyball till sunset.

This summer program was the experience of a lifetime, and an experience I will never forget. After finishing this program, I understood the joys, hard work, frustrations, and ambiguity of authentic scientific research.

4/10/2024

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By Nessa O’ Grady and Jill Greene

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On Thursday 19th September, all 6th Years, LCA2 students, and the Athletics Club welcomed guest speaker, Thomas Barr, a track and field athlete who competes in hurdles and mixed pair relay. He is a three-time Olympian.

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Thomas spoke to us about his early career and his rise to the Olympics. To begin with, he spoke to us about all the different sports he had participated in, which were all the sports that were available for him to try. We were informed that he never expected to reach Olympic level in any sport, but once he had realised that athletics was the sport that he enjoyed most, he tried a range of sprints and hurdles until he settled on the 400m hurdles.

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He went through how he balanced school and running, and the problems he had encountered and how he persevered through them. He also told us about his achievements, as well as his injuries or other problems that stopped his performance. He also spoke to us about his influences, and said that his sister, Jessie, is one of his biggest influencers, as he watched her journey and learned from it and inspired his work. She worked as the Irish sports psychologist in the Paris Olympics this year.

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Overall, it was a very enjoyable talk that we got a lot from in terms of setting goals and overcoming obstacles in life and in our careers. His key message was that when you meet an obstacle, do not turn back initially, but find a way to go through it or over it or around it, and don’t let anything get in the way of your dreams and your goals.

30/09/2024

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By Safa Ahmed & Victoria Cajita

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On September 20th, we finally had our long-awaited trip to Emerald Park! After Mr Keane had surprised us with the trip way back in April, we had been counting down the days and we could not believe it was finally here!

I woke up bright and early that morning and rushed out of the house to be at St. John Paul’s church before 7am. Upon reaching the parking lot at 6.45, we all gathered up before getting into the buses. After everyone had reached, Mr Keane did a role call, and we officially began our journey. My friends and I took lots of pictures on her camera as we admired the beautiful sky during sunrise!

After we left, the energy was at once incredible, as the girls began blasting music and we all sang along. We soon got a bit bored, but thankfully for us, we had brought sweets to snack on and my friend had brought UNO cards! We all had fun playing UNO until we reached Kildare, where the teachers let us stop at Junction 14 for a road trip break! We all piled out of the bus, and after grabbing snacks and taking pictures, we continued embarking on our journey.

A whole one hour and forty-two minutes later of talking, singing, playing UNO, sleeping, and making memories, we finally reached Emerald Park! After arriving, we were forced to wait for a few minutes, which was incredibly difficult through the excitement. However, once we were able to leave the bus, we all ran out with excitement through the entrance of the park. Once we were in, Mr Keane gave us our “talk” on behaviour and rules and all that, and after he gave us our food vouchers, we were free to do whatever we wanted!

First, my friends and I ran to the Tír na nÓg as we wanted to avoid heavy queues. My friends insisted we go on the Fianna Force, and although I refused as I am terrified of rides, I decided to muster up the courage for their sake. While we waited in the queue, we took so many selfies that I had forgotten how scared I was! As we got onto the ride, I was shaking with fear and grabbing onto my friend's hand, but I stood shook at the end when surprisingly the ride ended up being fun!

Following the Fianna Force, my friends and I continued having the time of our lives as we ran to all the other rides. We went on the Dino dash where we got to traumatise the dinosaurs and after, we went on the Viking Voyage, where the entire ride we sang ‘Fein’ and ‘Free from Desire’ with the kids in front of us (up until we got absolutely drenched at the end). To dry ourselves up, we ran around the place for a while where we met more friends, and we all went over to the Celtic Dreamer for a more peaceful and relaxing ride (it was high and terrifying).

We took a nice walk around before heading to the Endeavor. I was nervous for this ride, but my friends’ excitement had hyped me up! The ride was terrifying but equally as enjoying! We continued walking around more and as we met more friends; we all ran to the Rotator!

I refused to go on the Rotator, however after some words of encouragement off my friends, I decided to muster the courage to go. The ride was horrendously scary, but I had closed my eyes and imagined myself on a sunny beach, which made it quite enjoyable! We continued to take more pictures before grabbing food using our food vouchers. After we were left feeling nice and full of food, we went over to The Quest. I was unsure about riding this ride as we had just eaten but the speed of the ride had me not feel anything!

As the adrenaline had now settled in, I decided that these were moments to take and enjoy the risks of life and I shockingly went ahead to go on the Fianna Force another two times, and I rode the Air Race too! As we soon only had one hour left, we went ahead to playing games. I won a Toad teddy on my first try on the toss the ball into the cup! I enjoyed laughing at my friend struggling to get one of the bigger teddies but thankfully after a good few tries in the end, she got it!

As time ran out, it was soon time for us to leave the park. My friends and I giggled as we strolled back to the bus enjoying the last few minutes of the park. Once we got to the buses, we sadly said goodbye to the park and set off yet again on our trip back home.

The second we sat down, half the people on the bus instantly knocked out with sleep, as at this point, everyone was exhausted! My friend and I enjoyed having our long deep chats as we reminisced on the day and shared inside jokes. After a whole two hours of traffic, we got to have a twenty-minute stop at Obama

Plaza! I grabbed ice-cream and sweets while everyone grabbed their pizza and treats, and we headed off on the last leg!

Everyone had a lot more energy now as the music was back on and the trip became filled with singing and laughter! Sitting with everyone made me feel a sense of gratitude as I thought of how lucky we were to be having these moments of pure laughter and joy! A group of us continued to mess around as the realisation hit us that this was our last year together. As we began seeing the familiar places near home, there was a bittersweet feeling in the air as although we were all tired from the fun, I don’t think anyone wanted it to end!

Around 8pm we reached home, and our amazing trip turned into one of the best and most memorable memories ever!! Our trip taught me to enjoy life in the moment as time goes by so fast and although it was only one day, the memories we created will last a lifetime. I’m so thankful we had the opportunity to go!

28/05/2024

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By Grace Quinn and Zuzanna Replaska

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Last weekend our TY year group went on our Transition Year trip to Barcelona.We had our flight on Friday evening. Once we arrived at Girona airport and got all our luggage we had a two hour bus ride to Salou as that’s where we were staying.Once we reached Salou it was pretty late so we got our rooms and key cards and found our way to them .to get some much needed rest and relaxation.

 

The next day we went into Barcelona to see the Sagrada Familia Cathedral which was designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi which is one of his major works we then had some free time to look around the streets and shops around the Cathedral.After that we regrouped and and headed to Park Guell which was a huge garden and viewing point which was also designed by Antoni Guadi .While we were here we were able to take lots of photographs.We then had some free time around La Rambla to look around the shops and markets,the atmosphere was very good as there was a little concert in the middle of the city centre. We got our hair braided and got dressed up for the evening.

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The next day we went to Port Aventura theme Park where we went on as many rides as we could the three main ones were The Shambala,Dragon Kahn and the Furious Baco . They were so high up and fast it was brilliant as the park had stunning water rides and much more .We then made our way back to our hotel to freshen up and went to Diverland Les Gavarres for some bowling which was great fun .That evening we were allowed to have some free time in Salou to do some shopping.

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On our last day in Barcelona we had free time in the morning so we went down to the beach to have a look around after that we went to Montserrat which was a beautiful old monk mountain retreat it had stunning views and scenery.We then made our way back to Barcelona we stopped off at the Olympic Stadium which hosted the 1992 Summer Olympics and it is currently the home of the FC Barcelona due to the renovations on Camp Nou .We then went down to the marina to do some last bit of shopping and to get food before our flight home .We got to go to Mc Donald’s after begging Mr .Quealy but it eventually worked .

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Overall ,we really enjoyed this trip it was so much fun and a great way to finish up the year as the weather was lovely and warm while we were there.We would definitely recommend everyone to do TY as it was the best fun and memories you will have that will last you a lifetime the whole trip was such a wonderful experience with so much to do and so much fun .It helped to bond us as a year group and it is one of the highlights of our year in Transition Year.

7/11/2023

A first-year reflection on the first few weeks in secondary school

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Things have been going pretty smoothly for Michal…

As I come to the end of my 1st term, I want to reflect on all the things I’ve done over this time. One of the great things about starting out in St. Caimin’s and doing my first term was making friends, learning how to manage myself my locker and doing many subjects. It's taken me by surprise how quickly the 1st term has gone by and how fast time goes in general. It’s an honour being in St. Caimin’s and having awesome teachers. A lot of things have happened like changing subjects about each week for our option rotations and the hundreds of different rooms in the school or how many people there are now compared to my primary school. So far everything has gone smoothly with me only getting 1 minus point and getting 1 throughout this term. I hope to keep it that way. I don’t think much will change through the next term or this whole year. If I’m wrong, oh well, but if I’m right then things are going to be great!

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Lexie and Padraig have been surprised at how easy they’ve made new friends…

We have been attending St. Caimin’s for about 8 weeks now, and as first years we have a lot to get accustomed to. They tell you a lot about secondary school in primary school btu you really don’t know how different it is until you experienced it. Our initial worries were about getting lost and not being able to find our classrooms, and not making any new friends. But to the surprise of both of us, we have been finding our way around with no struggles and making lots of new friends and meeting plenty of new people. We really haven’t felt pressured with anything whether that be with classwork, homework, or even getting and finding our equipment.

We were really surprised by all the extra-curricular activities they have. There’s something for everyone which we really like: hurling, camogie, soccer, gaelic, basketball and even a school musical.

We were also surprised by how busy it is. We knew it would be busy in the halls, but you don’t realise how busy it is until you are in the thick of it!

We have really enjoyed going more into depth with certain subjects, especially Geography and Religion.

Something I (Lexie) have taken away from the first term of school would be learning that hard work really does pay off. If you put in that bit of effort, it goes a long way. We can’t wait to see what the rest of the year brings.

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27/10/2023

By Chris Jo Gibson and Gia Mirium Gibson

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This week the 5th years and 3rd years went for a trip to Dublin to experience the history of Ireland through a different lens. Each of the places we visited highlighted the individual struggles for independence in Ireland. We visited Kilmainham Jail, The Irish Modern Museum of Art, Collins Barracks, The Irish National Museum and The Royal Hospital.

 

It allowed us to understand the connection between the history of Ireland, past and present. The impact of this struggle is reflected in Irish society even today. We learnt a lot as it gave us a chance to understand the unfavorable struggle of the people in Ireland. We realized that Irish history gave more insights to the reality of the events and rebel movements, unlike what we studied about the history of India. It was an opportunity to understand the hardships that the people of Ireland had to face during the tough times.

 

There was a stark resemblance between Irish history and Indian history - how the people were treated, exploited by the British for their selfish gains. The teachers gave more in-depth information when we visited the sites and made the whole experience worthwhile. The trip was one not to miss and it was filled with great memories because we could experience it with our friends.

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15/12/2022

By Michaela Harden

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On Tuesday the 6th of December the 3rd years did a Reflection Day. Leading up to the day there were a lot of questions running through the 3rd years. What were we going to reflect on for the whole day? What was the Reflection Day about?  Nevertheless, when Tuesday came the whole year gathered in the hall. The room was filled with chatter until the three guides of the reflection day introduced themselves.

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One of the first things they said to us was that they wouldn’t treat us the way teachers treat students, they didn’t see us as inferior to themselves. They treated us like young adults. This added a safe atmosphere to the room and the experience overall.

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The day started off with some games. The games were very fun and easy to play. My personal favourite was when they asked volunteers to take part in the “4 people and 4 chairs” challenge. I was the last person I expected to participate in such a challenge. Yet, somehow, I found myself grabbing onto Hardev’s hand like my life depended on it and my legs on fire. School records were broken and so was my will to stand up.

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The rest of the day was mostly focussed on the experience of teenage life. Struggles unique to teenagers were brought up and discussed, it felt nice to be out and open about our struggles and to be taken seriously.

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It was great be gathered as an entire 3rd year group and enjoy each other's company and support. The day turned out to be better than we had all expected.

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08/12/2022

By Cean Mondero

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On the 23rd of November 2022, over 67,000 students received their overdue Junior Cert results, me included. After 3 years, 10 subjects, 3 lockdowns and a rough round of mocks it all accumulated into one white envelope.  

 

I recall asking my friends throughout the day whether they were excited for what was to come and how well they thought they did. Some were more anxious than others and some were simply happy to be missing class.  

 

I remember feeling stressed about receiving them and how I would feel if my results weren’t good. Sitting in class, that’s all I could think about. Nevertheless, I carried on with the rest of my day until it was finally time. 

We all gathered in the hall and sat down amongst our friends.

 

Awards were given out first. Then proceeded the results. I remember being one of the first few to receive my results and when I was handed my envelope, I wasn’t sure what to do, so I exited the hall. I remember standing outside the hall, envelope in hand, my hands shaking from nervousness and not wanting to open them in case they weren’t what I had hoped them to be.  

I remember my friend telling me that regardless of how they went, it would be okay because I’d still be alive and would have moved on.

 

And they were right, so I took a deep breath and got the courage to open them and to my surprise they were better than I had hoped. Now that that day has passed, I realized that they don’t mean or matter as much as they were brought up to be.  

The Junior Cert experience has showed me that staying organized is definitely helpful for your future self, but most importantly, being able to persevere and being able to keep going under all the stress is an important skill that you will need moving forward.  

 

The envelope is just evidence of the past and is just a symbol of achievement. It is proof that myself and all the other students who received their results on that day, worked hard and achieved something. 

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14/10/2022

By Gemma and Hannah

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“A first-year reflection on the first few weeks in secondary school.”

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Our time in St Caimin’s has been great. All the teachers and staff are nice. Our Year Head is Ms. Dalton. She has been helpful and very patient with us. Mrs. Dalton is one of the people who can help if you’re struggling with your timetable or if you are feeling ill, she’ll answer all your questions. We’ve really enjoy changing classes and finding the day goes by faster!

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Beginning the first day at school was very nerve-racking, but all the teachers were very nice and supportive, aiding us in adjusting to school life. We are in the middle of our options rotations right now; we have visual art and home economics this week. Trying these new subjects will be fun, however having to choose just two options will be difficult.

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Talking to many of the people we have met over the last few weeks, we have all said that having the responsibility to get to class on time with the right equipment makes us feel more mature. We all feel that changing classrooms and teachers every forty minutes (unless it’s a double class) makes the class more enjoyable as it’s only for a short period of time.

 

The canteen is huge and is a hive of activity at break times, you can buy hot lunches if you want but in our opinion the donuts are to die for! We have recently discovered that there are many different types of activities and clubs during lunch, if you're interested in any of them you can go to the room that is holding the activities as Mr. Cunningham is a great source of information.

Overall, we are having a great time a St Caimin’s and can't wait to get into more mischief with all our new friends!

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25/05/2022

TY Students

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“Promoting interfaith dialogue and intercultural relations is an important task in our ever changing and diverse society.”

 

However, having the opportunity to promote these things in the beautiful Italian countryside, alongside amazing teachers, and students from across Europe, is an experience we think none of us fortunate to be able to go, will forget. Our time spent in Citta di Castello was made up of gorgeous historical sites, insights into people's lives and cultural experiences fuelled by a common goal of inclusion and acceptance.

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Citta di Castello is a small community of people situated in the Perugia region of Italy. This city, with its astonishing history in educational research opened its' arms us and eight countries from across the EU, Ireland, Bulgaria, The Netherlands, Turkey, Spain, Greece, Cyprus, and Italy. We were amazed by the walled city which we had the pleasure of experiencing through a tour with lead by neuro-divergent tour guides. Other activities we engaged with included, outdoor team bonding board games in beautiful woodlands, canoeing on the Tiber River, tri location meditation, religious talks, and musical performances. On final day in Citta di Castello we received most insightful presentations from all countries involved, ranging from the experience of Turkish Muslims to the origins and structure of democracy, a very professional student production on stereotyping and the pedagogical approaches central to the project.

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During our trips we had the opportunity to sample a wide range of Italian cuisine. This included amazing cakes, pies and savoury items for breakfast, pasta picnics in the park, as well as fabulous four course evening meals. One of us also had the delight of having ‘Happy Birthday’ sung in four different languages. On our final day in Citta di Castello for lunch we received a fine dining experience from the culinary art students at the Bufalini school. Later for dinner, we received traditional delicious Italian pizza. Each day we ensured we sampled homemade Gelato. Our evenings were top off with dips in the pool, intercultural music, and dancing, especially the Greek dance in which some of us excelled!

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The friendships made over the days were by far the highlight of the trip. We are especially happy this is the case, as the main focus of the trip was to experience tolerance for those who

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live differently from ourselves, we believe that in this area the trip was more than a success. We are, therefore, grateful to NUIG and the Erasmus programme through LIFE2 for bringing us all together.

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We must also thank the Italian transport system for striking on our final day as it meant an extra day with the opportunity to explore Pisa and its magnificent sights.

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20/05/2022

2nd Year Students

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When 2nd year students are told that their CBA1 in English is an oral task, we are often met with looks of terror and trepidation. But, for the most part, this turns out to be an enjoyable and enlightening experience for most. One of our current 2nd year classes have been reflecting on this:

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What was the atmosphere like in the class the week of the presentations?

• I felt like since everyone was nervous it seemed very stressful especially since we didn’t know who would go next. I thought everyone was very supportive and kind to each other and there were many people being positive and cheering others on. I tried my best to smile at everyone to give them some comfort and relief.

• I liked how everyone clapped at the end of each presentation no matter who it was or how good it was

• The atmosphere when we were presenting was very supportive. When I was doing mine, I was first up so I was worried you would have to tell them to be quiet a few times, especially because my presentation was on a topic that I don’t expect everyone to agree with. But everyone listened and I had no one making faces at what I was saying.

• Everyone in the class was so supportive. Anyone who did their presentation before me kept telling me how it’s not nerve racking when you’re up there and is a lot easier than it seems. To help others I tried telling my friends that everyone is just as nervous as you which I think makes it a lot easier to go up and do it.

• The atmosphere in the class during the presentations was great! Our class is known for having the “craic” but during this week, most of our class listened, joined in and supported our class. I was shocked, to be honest, because I thought someone would end up laughing but not this time. Everyone took the time to listen and support each other and it really boosted my confidence and others in the class!

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Did you get to know your classmates better?

• Yes, I felt like I got to know my class better and i found out what there likes/ dislikes/ interests were. And even the fact about how nervous you are, saying that you are starts a conversation with people that you might never have talked to and being able to agree on it because everyone in the class was nervous.

• I feel like I did. Everyone did their presentation on something else, and for a lot of people that meant doing it on something they love. I did my presentation on something important to me, and other people did theirs on their hobbies, like soccer and Irish dancing. After listening to their presentations, I realised I have a lot more in common with some people than I thought.

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How do you think you benefitted from the experience?

• It made me realise that just because many people seem very confident, a lot aren’t. Also, since I’m the type of person who really stresses over such things and is very shy in the class, it was very comforting to see everyone so supportive and kind!

• The experience benefited me because i have only done public speaking once or twice.

• This whole experience made me feel confident and welcomed to the class. Everyone listened to me and even helped me out by giving their opinions after/ during my presentation and I feel like the point I was trying to prove actually ended up making a big impact on my classmate’s point of view.

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For some more tips click here 

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07/04/2022

Freyja Evans

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Easter is around the corner! What once started out as a Christian holiday is now a celebration for all. Easter is all about renewal, reflection, and family. And don’t forget, chocolate! I would like to you about how Easter has adapted for the culture in Ireland.

The whole story of Easter is that on the Sunday, Jesus Christ rose from the dead. He had just been laid to rest in the cave three days earlier, after being crucified. This story is the reason for the holiday’s association with renewal and reflection.

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This Easter we all have our own reflections to make. It could be about how much fun you’ve had in the past month, how proud you are of yourself after lent, how grateful you are for your friends, your family, your beliefs and values, your teachers, your coaches, anyone. Easter isn’t all about the chocolate you know!

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Personally, I will be reflecting on how lucky I am that the brave men and women who came before me paved the way for the rights I have today. I have the right to vote, the right to marry, the right to do whatever I want. We have all of our rights because our ancestors fought for us. This Easter I thank those who were brave enough to make our world the place it is today, brave enough to take a stand against oppression and turn things right.

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Enjoy your Easter everyone, and if you don’t celebrate it, enjoy your time off!

15/03/2022

“Keep fighting – you are sure to win!

God helps you in your fight!

For fame and freedom march with you,

And right is on your side!”

Taras Shevchenko, 1859

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On 24 February, at about 5 o'clock in a morning by Ukrainian time Putin announced a "special military operation" to "demilitarize and denazify" Ukraine. Russia launched a full-scale attack from multiple directions on Ukraine. First of all, they bombed all Ukrainian airports leaving Ukrainian army without military aviation. Lots of people lost their homes, were forced to hide underground or to move abroad to run away from the war...But that is not where it started.

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2014. The former president of Ukraine Yanukovych was promising to get Ukraine into EU and when the time came to sing the papers, he refused to sign the Association with The EU and leaned closer to Russia instead, but unfortunately for him it`s not what people wanted. Hundreds of students went out for a peaceful protest. Yanukovych ordered to roughly beat them. Lots of students were injured. Next day about a million of people of different age and sex went outside, they demanded a re-election of the president and the protest called Euromaidan or Revolution of dignity began. It started on 18th of February 2014 and was going on for 5 days. A special security called "Bercut" was violently biting people, they used tear gas and batons. A special snipers hired by Yanukovych were shooting people from the windows and tops of the building. But people were fighting back with Molotov cocktails, sticks, stones, and makeshift barricades.

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More than one thousand people were injured and more than one hundred died in the Revolution of dignity. Today these people who gave their bodies and souls for the dignity of their country are known as "Heavenly hundred". I was 10 years old back then and I did not take part in the revolution, but my parents did.

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As a result, pro-Russian former president of Ukraine Yanukovych flees to Russia by helicopter and when Ukraine was at its weakest point Russia attacked. On 22 and 23 February, Russian troops and special forces began moving into Crimea through

Novorossiysk. On 27 February, Russian forces without insignias began taking control of the Crimean Peninsula. The first eight years of the conflict included the Russian annexation of Crimea (2014) and the war in Donbas between Ukraine and Russian-backed separatists, as well as naval incidents, cyberwarfare, and political tensions. While everything was happening, the Russian population were being brainwashed by Putin's propaganda with TV, news and in schools.

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As Russia attacked in all Ukrainian school teachers were teaching students how to act in an emergency, but no one ever needed this information until 2022… The conflict expanded significantly when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022.

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Right now, Russia bombs Ukraine from the sky. A brutal cynical air strikes hit schools, hospitals, shops, squares, houses, playgrounds, even nuclear powerplants.

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My friend said, "If you didn't move to Ireland a year ago, you would be there now" and sometimes I want to be there with my family and friends, to help, to fight. I have lots of favorite places in Kyiv such as playgrounds, shopping centers and my previous school where I spent 9 years of my life. I have good memories about some lovely days in Ukraine and now lots of them are buried under ruins.

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Sometimes school, classes and everything that surrounds me doesn`t seem real when I think of what is going on. I realized that the only place where I was really happy is Ukraine and now my beautiful, modern, and brave country is facing an existential threat to its existence. Even though I was born in Ireland, my parents are Ukrainian, and I spent most of my life in Ukraine. Russian government poses a threat to one of the core values of all Ukrainians - freedom. Ukraine was fighting for its independence for hundred years and “freedom" is even the hidden word in the coat of arms of Ukraine. And I`m proud to be Ukrainian because my people went through a lot to achieve what they want and without any doubt fighting now for their country. Glory to Ukraine!

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03/03/2022

Conor, Eilish and Cathal

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Conor was not expecting the fun he had:

I have to admit, when I first found out about LC1’s having to do a week of work experience, I was not overly impressed. I imagined breaking my back scrubbing toilets for eight hours a day, but better that than Maths I suppose. What I did not expect however, was that I would actually learn anything; or, even more surprisingly, that I would have fun!

Throughout the course of the week, I learned about the running of a business, such as dockets and invoices, but also the more general things, such as how CCTV works and why people can’t be trusted not to clog the toilets with tissue. While this may seem like just a joke, it did actually make me realise that a lot more thought goes into managing a business than I had first realised. I also got to meet lots of new people and make new connections.

All in all, I would say that getting to do work experience is a wonderful opportunity and looks great on your CV so I would highly encourage anyone to do it if they get the chance, and not just get their parents to sign the form like some people did.

 

Eilish was surprised by the quiet and calm of the office:

I chose to do my 5-day work experience in PSC Accountants and Advisors. For me the aim of this work placement was to gage the concept of a professional work environment and to gain experience before going out into the real world. I strongly advise getting as much experience as you can before you leave school, even if it’s not something you want to do in your later life, just try it out. You might hate it but you also could love it. “Never regret it. If it’s good, it’s wonderful. If it’s bad, it’s an experience.”

Throughout my work experience I was given to the chance to encounter the working life. I was provided with my own desk and computer and was given the chance to see what working in an office was like. I had the opportunity to observe others at work, while also being allowed to complete my own work in my own time. I liked the way I was allowed to be independent and work on my own.

On my first day I was very nervous as it was my first time experiencing a full-time work experience. However, despite how nervous I was, I was especially excited to try something new. On my first day I was given a tour of the office

and was introduced to all the office workers. Although working in an office is not something I want to do in my life I was able to get a lot of experience and learn a lot about the adult-working life.

One thing I was quite shocked about throughout my work experience was how relaxed offices are and how quiet they can be at times. This was one of the major differences that I have realised between school life and office work. School is full of life and loud people whereas in the working life it is a place where everyone comes to work does their work on their own and then goes home.

I met lovely people who were able to help me and answer any questions I had. I am very grateful that I got the opportunity to experience this type of work and I feel it will really help me in my future.

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Cathal was “only cleaning” but had his eyes opened:

I spent the weeks work experience working with Noonan Services Limited over in the Lufthansa Technik (soon to be AAG) building. If you did not know; Noonans do contracted cleaning with many companies all over the country. So, I spent the week mopping floors for aircraft engineers. I know, spending the week cleaning is not the most appealing or exciting idea but especially now it is vital for every company to have cleaning staff they can trust. Even though we may be coming out of the tail end of this pandemic, every surface that is touched by more than one person (or touch points) have to be sanitised, religiously, every day. Every door handle, canteen table, stairs, and walkway guard rails; all must be wiped down and done up all nice just in time for the workers to go in and make a mess of it all again!

The work may not have been the most exciting but the people on the other hand were great. Every one of the people I worked with, despite working in jobs that do not get anywhere near the respect they deserve, were so full of life and energy. They made even the worst of jobs entertaining and there was a real sense of family between them.

The work gave me a great respect for cleaners. People like to mock and laugh at them, even going out of their way to make their jobs unnecessarily hard. But they need to remember if it were not for the hard work of cleaners, case numbers during this pandemic would have been much higher than they already were. Think about it, indirectly how many lives have they saved by preventing the virus from spreading. Covid can survive 72 hours on stainless steel, if metal touch points weren't properly sanitised all it would take is 1 person to cause an outbreak. So, I think it's only right we give cleaners the respect they deserve and make sure that we don’t do anything to make their jobs needlessly hard. For example, I now have an irrational hatred for people putting full disposable cups

of tea and coffee into bins. I swear more bin bags exploded on me before getting to the bin due to the amount of tea floating around in there!

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31/01/2022

Jack Keane

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"In recent weeks, our History classes have been assessing the Anglo-Irish Treaty and its long-term impact. One of our 3rd year's, Jack, has written this article for our blog about this, often contentious, topic". 

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Friday, January 7th, 2022, marks the 100-year anniversary of Dáil Éireann’s approval of the Anglo-Irish treaty. After three weeks of passionate debate both within the Dáil and throughout the nation, the “Pro-Treaty” side won out on a margin of 64 votes to 57. The Pro-Treaty side of the debate, led by Michael Collins and Arthur Griffith, argued that the struggle for independence had gone on for too long, leading to too many casualties. This is an understandable stance; 2346 people were killed in the war for independence from 1919-1921, including 919 civilians – more deaths than any other group in the war. On the other side of the debate, the “Anti-Treaty” proponents – led by Éamon de Valera and Rory O’Connor - believed that the treaty was a betrayal to the Proclamation of Independence signed in 1916 during the Easter Rising. Under the treaty, members of the Oireachtas (parliament) would have to swear an Oath of Allegiance to the English king, George, and the partition of the island would, in effect, be confirmed.

The ratification of the treaty led to a walkout by Éamon de Valera and his Anti-Treaty supporters from the Dáil, splitting Sinn Féin into two parties which are now known as Fine Gael (Pro-Treaty), and Fianna Fáil (Anti-Treaty) - both of which continue to dominate Irish politics. This split in parties also led to a split in the IRA, and, six months later, a bloody civil war broke out between the two factions which lasted for just under a year, until May 1923. The effects of the treaty were felt for the years and decades to come, as, up to the 1970s, most of Ireland’s major political figures were veterans of the war. The issue of Northern Ireland was also one that continued to plague Britain and Ireland until the latter half of the 20th century. The instability of Northern Ireland’s position can easily be seen at present, as Brexit negotiations currently throw the whole situation into turmoil. A comparison could certainly be made between the negotiations now between the EU and Britain, and those that preceded them 100 years prior. 

This all begs the question: why? Were the technicalities of the treaty worth the bloodshed? Were the Anti-Treaty cohorts right in their refusal of the treaty? In my opinion, no. It is clear from the results of the 1922 June election that the will of the people was to support the treaty. Of course, this didn’t stop de Valera, who believed his ideals to be truer than those of the nation; “The majority have no right to do wrong.” While it is easy to feel sympathy towards his beliefs – I personally believe Northern Ireland should never have had such a drastically different status to the other 26 counties – it is clear that the people of Ireland at the time were against further violence, and as an official elected to represent them, he was wrong to bring additional conflict to a state that had not yet recovered from previous bloodshed. Had the Anti-Treaty side accepted the Dáil vote to ratify the treaty, it is my belief that many lives could have been spared; and the nation could have moved forward as a united front, both internally and externally, in matters such as the status of Northern Ireland.

100 years on and the effects of the treaty are still very visible in Irish politics. Until 2020, Fine Gael (along with its predecessor, Cumman na nGaedheal) and Fianna Fáil headed every single Irish government. Despite this, they never held power together due to the divisions that stemmed from the Anglo-Irish treaty. Thankfully, the divide between the two parties seems to finally be lessening. In June 2020, after Sinn Féin historically won more votes than any other party in the 2020 election, leaders of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael agreed to – along with the Green Party – form a three-party coalition, sharing power together for the first time in Irish history. In the words of Leo Varadkar, “Today civil war politics ends in our parliament.”

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14/01/2022​

Ailbhe O'Grady

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Was the walk of the canal a pretty sight? 
Trees lining the banks watch from afar, 
an audience of leaves, absent from their auditorium of branches, 
taking their seats on the concrete below your feet. 
The water gazes calmly, furiously indifferent, 
even the birds are witness to the last steps of your gait. 
So unsuspecting, so unfair, 
that evil stained that same path with their footfalls. 
The Grand Canal watched 
as our incompetence, our inaction 
took a very real consequence. 
 
The zephyrs of your music, 
bow dancing against string, lilting and singing, 
the remnants of your love and being, 
will forever grace your family’s conscience. 
No longer will your eyes meet with the hazels, greens blues of those dearest to you 
who hold you dearest to them, 
because you shared a path, in that moment, 
with someone willing to substantiate 
the fragility of the assurances we are granted 
to veil our vulnerability. 
 
If a walkway, open to the skies and the eyes of passersby 
can host the most brutal and merciless, callous, barbaric of confrontations, 
then how are we to approach the seclusion, the jeopardy and peril 
of an unbusy street, deserted hallway, obscured alley or lane 
when the utterings of assault and maiming have proved to be so sickeningly real. 
 
It took your life, the light of all who knew and loved you, 
for the people of Ireland 
to realise the gravity of women’s safety in our society. 
 
“Was the walk of the canal a pretty sight?” 
forever forgotten in favour of “did you get home safe?” 

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19/10/2021

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Kaci Toomey

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‘School sports- where lessons of life are still being learned, and where athletes still compete for the love of the game and their teammates’ – Michael Powers. As a student whose school days have been majorly impacted by sports, I can confirm that this statement is incredibly accurate. 

 

It is widely believed that sports are an extracurricular activity, I disagree. Without training and matches, I would have had a very different secondary school experience. Believe it or not, sports aren’t just an excuse to get out of classes for a day, although missing math’s for a match is something I would never say no to! From just one match day, a student learns responsibility, as it is up to us to mind ourselves while outside school grounds, and it is also on us to recover from any work we may have missed. This requires maturity, responsibility, and commitment; all things we learn from sports. 

 

I play camogie with our school, something that was sorely missed last year due to Covid and the lockdowns. There’s nothing quite like getting a bus with the team to wherever we were playing that day, the craic is always ninety on those busses, although the drivers probably don’t enjoy the sound of thirty girls singing all the way to Mallow and back! And you can’t forget the traditional pit stop at Supermac’s after matches. I don’t think we ever realised it at the time, but we are making memories together that we will cherish forever. 

 

I am now in my final year at St. Caimin’s and believe me when I say I nearly screamed with excitement when I heard we were allowed to start training again. I truly missed rushing out of class at the end of the day to get changed into gear and be out on the field on time for training, especially when the punishment for lateness is laps of the field! I really am looking forward to having camogie be a part of my Leaving Cert year and making more unforgettable memories with my teammates. 

11/10/2021

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Introduction 

 

Schools are a microcosm of society and all its ups and downs. While the victories and joys of life are a regular part of school so too are the heartaches and exclusions that we know to be part of the world stage. Racism and bullying are two of these heartaches. One of our students spoke about her experiences in relation to this: 

 

“I never really experienced much racism in primary school, I was close with my classmates and my mixed-race heritage never seemed an issue. I don’t look very different to everyone else. But I made the mistake in first year of telling people where my mum was from. People started playing music from that country when I was around and started talking in a made-up language intended to sound like my mum. When I got mad about any of these things, I was called soft and that I should stop being so defensive. 

 

I just brushed off everything that happened to me, but some people can’t do that. They shouldn’t have to do that. Ok, we are only teenagers, but we should know better”. 

 

And so, we realised that we have some work to do in this area, diversity and acceptance need to be promoted and prioritised. We have set up a Team called ‘Diverse Voices’ which has upwards of 90 members across all year groups. Some of its members have put together their thoughts on why they joined this group and what they are hoping to achieve. 

 

 

Diversity around the World, and in Caimin’s! 

(By Owen) 

 

Diversity is being recognised more and more in as the cornerstone of civilisation.  However, even when we think of diversity, often the integration of race comes rushing to mind, which is a huge aspect of diversity, however diversity also represents so very much more.  What we are trying to achieve through our new platform ‘Diverse Voices’ is this diversity though our English literature studies.  We want to hear the voices of neurodivergent poets, read authors at both ends of the age spectrum, study lyrics composed by those with disabilities, echo the experiences of LGBT+ voices through their writing, integrate the illustrations of immigrants into our studies, and the list goes on and on.  Essentially, we wish to gain the perspectives of those in different intersectional communities than ourselves.  We want to diversify our curriculum.    

  

To comprehend the importance of diversity, I believe we must first understand that it has been suppressed all throughout history and remains to be opposed in some areas to this very day.  For example, in Qatar, where immigrants make up an impressive 90% of the population, they are degraded, dehumanised, and left defenceless every day.  The disparity between Qatar natives and immigrants in relation to wealth, social status, lifestyle, and job prosperity is disturbing.  Whilst immigrants are employed in huge numbers, they’re pay checks reflect quite the opposite.  The Guardian reported this year that over 6,500 migrant workers have died whilst building facilities to hold the 2022 Olympic Games since Qatar was announced as the venue.  It is figures like this that force us to wonder why an organisation such as the Olympic Games, which is supposed to bring people of all ethnicities and nationalities together in utmost sportsmanship, results in the untimely death of thousands of migrants.    

  

This is just one of many examples of how diversity, equality, and integration is suppressed in our world today.  We must stand up and realise that change starts with every single one of us.  To change our practices, we must change our understanding, and that is why we must not only gain the perspectives of diverse voices but also promote those voices.  

  

If we carry anything through our life regarding Diverse Voices, let it be this: 

“Diversity is having a seat at the table,  

Inclusion is having a voice, and,  

Belonging is having that voice be heard.” – Liz Fosslien  

  

It is humanity’s duty to ensure that every person belongs.  

 

Why it is Important to Have Diversity in Schools  

(By Udita) 

  

Maya Angelou once said, “In diversity there is beauty and there is strength.” Throughout history, and even today, this statement has proven to be true. In the country where I come from, India, the grace and might of diversity is an everyday sight.   

  

In Ireland, education is one of the major social institutions of society, with almost 1 million people involved annually in educational programmes from early childhood to later adulthood. While many may immediately think of race when speaking about diversity, there are numerous aspects involved, especially in classrooms such as religion, gender, sexuality, economic background and many more.  

  

A study in the journal ‘Child Development’ illustrated that children feel safer in schools when they are educated in a diverse setting. Studies also show that students work better in a diverse environment. Therefore, diversity directly impacts students’ performance. It gathers a wide range of sources of knowledge and ideas, enhancing creativity and allowing students to view a situation from multiple perspectives.  

  

However, it isn’t enough to have students from varying backgrounds in your school. The atmosphere of the institution should have the means to let diversity flourish. In terms of allowing diversity to thrive in schools, we still have a long way to go.  

 

Hopefully, conversations like this (and blogs like this) are a step in the right direction.  

Studying a diverse selection of poets and writers in English class is another step. If you would like to suggest a short film, article, poem, novel or story to the English department, just send a message to Ms Maguire on Teams. The English department are very keen to hear students’ recommendations.  

 

We asked a few TY’s their opinions on this: 

 

“I think we are lucky to have students of varying nationalities within the school body. It allows for an opportunity to understand and experience other cultures, languages and cuisine from an individual who has known these things their whole lives”. 

 

“They could teach some words and we can start to learn their language. We can try their food. It can be fun to have a friend from a different culture. They invite you to celebrate their festivals and learn more about their country”. 

 

“Going to St. Caimin’s brings a lot of people from different races and sexuality. We want them to be as comfortable as possible in this environment. It is very enjoyable to see an incredible amount of diversity”. 

15/03/2021

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Covid has taken so much, but what has it given us? 

By Carlo (LC1) 

 

On the 29th of February 2020 Ireland was met with a predicament that would change the course of history. The nCov 2019 had spread to the Emerald isle. 

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In St. Caimin’s Community School, I was part of a particular Transition Year group that was studying Micro-Biology under the guidance of Ms. Fallon. As alarming as the situation may be, all kept a level head and continued with our daily lives. Unbeknown to me was a period of isolation, innovation, and perseverance. My pre-assessment of the lockdown was fairly positive, I saw it as a way to expand my knowledge and experience non-scholastically. On March 12, 2020, schools in Ireland had shut down, in response to rising infection rates. By this time, the terror of Covid 19 had been fully realised.  

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The effects of Covid 19 are vast and diverse. A devastating disease that claimed millions of lives, a warning prompted by mother nature herself. To those who live, she whispers the value of life and those who passed were granted rest. Humans tend to believe strongly in individuality, but they cannot deny the norms of society.  As the weeks pass, I confess to losing both my individuality and society, I realised how fragile I was. Life was like a book with recurring pages. I refused to accept this reality and decided to forge my own. I started researching facts from articles, newspapers, and videos on how to cope with a global pandemic. I resolved to come out of this alive and with new skills to prepare me for a world that was volatile and in distress.  

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I produced modified journal entries which had ‘to do’ lists that are unstructured to match the uncertainty and monotony of daily life in the pandemic. I put into practice the way of meditation and gratitude; both were aspects shown to me in school. I maintained a tight schedule that starts early in the morning and concludes moderately into the night. I recognised the importance and power of a good night sleep. And lastly, I had more than enough time for myself and for my family. I was able to support my friends abroad and vice versa.  

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While I did lose my school schedule, I was able to create a flexible replacement that may work for my whole life. My Dad always told me, ‘You gain some, you lose some’, this helped me accept the fact that the reason I did not feel like I was before is because I was a completely different person pre-pandemic. I gained a broader perspective of life and the ability to control mine at my own pace. My musical skills have improved during the pandemic, it expanded not only in playing but in creating and producing music through a digital audio workstation.  

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As of March 15, 2021, we are given the opportunity and responsibility of returning to normalcy. We walk around the halls of our school in the presence of our teachers and friends, mindful that the threat of Covid 19 has not ended. As well as delighted by the hope that everything will be alright. Upon my return to school, I feel very anxious for we not only have to deal with the original Covid 19 but also the B117 variant that is rampant in the UK and is spreading in Ireland. In the words of Dr Gerald Barry, Assistant Professor of Virology in UCD  

“Up to 90% of cases now are being caused by the UK variant and that is naturally going to have an impact on cases and inevitably deaths as well because it is harder to suppress the UK variant.”  

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But the world demands us to keep moving forward, to heal and to overcome. All of this can be made possible by individual efforts that result into collective success.   

21/12/2020

 

As Christmas 2020 approaches; our students have been reflecting on what this year has taught them, what they’ll miss this festive season but also what they’re looking forward to:

 

Dennis in LC2 has a very interesting take on it all:

 

As we steadily trudge towards the much-anticipated day of Christmas, I can’t help but smile while looking over my shoulder at all that has been left behind us.

 

That might not be your initial reaction, but I get it. Lots of plans have been shattered, your day to day life has been drastically changed and a lot of us will not be able to see our whole family at the dinner table at the end of December, but allow yourself to be convinced that not all is so grim.

 

With a vaccine rolling out in Britain and America, restrictions relaxing for a short time and everyone doing their part to stay healthy, Covid 19 will quickly grow more and more manageable.

 

And while already chock full of negative events, the year has had many great ones, with time to experience a few more before it ends. For starters, on the 21st for an hour after sunset, you will get a once in 400 years opportunity to see the Great Conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter as they will merge into one ridiculously bright spot on the western sky.

 

But even for how exciting that can be, I don’t think it can compare to how “exciting” the former half of the year was. The virus took the whole world by storm in what seemed like overnight. When it looked like it couldn’t get any worse, it did. The country looked like it was on the verge of an economic collapse and yet, we pulled through, YOU pulled through.

From the sudden change we learned to not take for granted what we have, from the restraints we learned responsibility and from having gone through the first chunk of the school year already, we learned to live with it all casually. We really have gone through a lot, haven’t we? That’s why I smile, and why I think you should too. Merry Covians!

 

Fellow LC2 student Rebecca talks about the highs and lows of 2020:

 

I'm a Leaving Cert student and I am going to talk about what I think this Christmas will be like, also known as “Covid Christmas”.

The last few months have wrecked peoples' heads and I can imagine that this Christmas will be the usual Christmas stress with a little bit more stress added on because of Covid, i.e., who can come for dinner, due to restrictions, limiting contacts two weeks before where grandparents are going to be present.

A lot of people have properly learned a lot of new skills during Covid, but the main thing would be hand hygiene and how the virus spread. 

There are a lot of things to look forward to after Christmas, like the new year, the leaving cert, how the vaccine will be rolled out and many more things, but there will also be a lot we have miss, the family and friends that died and were not able say goodbye to, hugs when we meet old friends.

The hardest thing for me this year was not being able to meet my friends whenever I wanted, another was trying to concentrate on studies while we had to do the online schooling, and don’t get me started on broadband!

There’s nothing easy about covid, but there is a lot of positive things like people walking or cycling more and there were less accidents on the road. People got to learn more about what was in their neighbourhood and got talking to their neighbours while out walking. So, in some way covid brought out the community spirit.

I am glad about some changes that the government put in place like having to wear a mask in public. I think this was great as less people are getting the flu this year and though they are annoying I hope this change stays in place. Another big change that happened because of covid is the way the school functions. In our school there is a one-way system downstairs and there is only one way to go upstairs and one way to get downstairs. We have base classrooms, where the teacher moves instead of 30 students making the halls less busy.

A lot of things happened in 2020, it shows us that we can’t take things for granted like our friends and family. We can’t worry about the big things as they were always going to happened, only concentrate on the small things in life and cherish the times you spent with your friends and family.

 

Second Year Cean is hopeful about the new year and urges us all to keep up the good work:

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As we end our first term, we have learned a lot, especially the changes that we have had to cope with during the recent Pandemic.

We have learned the importance of safety for us individually and the people around us, with us doing our bit by wearing masks and social distancing when necessary.

In my opinion, I am looking forward to getting a break from school. I am also looking forward to moving into the New Year. But I am mainly looking forward to spending time with my family on Christmas, opening presents and eating the delicious Christmas Dinner.

But on the other hand, I’ll miss being able to go to other friends’ houses on Christmas to spend time with them. I’ll miss being able to travel to visit my family.

Over the past few months, what I have found hard was not being able to go outside with friends, not being able to communicate with friends properly in school because of masks. I missed being able to play sports for the school as well. I found it hard to concentrate in class because of the masks.

But what I found easy was not having lockers because you don’t need much time and aren’t rushing to put everything in your locker. Getting used to the one-way system was easy to adjust to.

Despite all the changes that we have had to deal with, an advantage of being back to school is that I can still see my friends and enjoy it like I used to before the Pandemic. Hopefully next year we can overcome this current Pandemic that has affected everyone’s life as we do our part to prevent spreading the virus.

23/11/2020

Brent, 1st Year

 

 

A Magical Place Filled with Peace, 

Always Giving You Embrace, 

And Keeping You at Ease. 

 

The Bright Golden Sun glowing through the glass window, with a cold draft flowing across the house, 

So tranquil and quiet not sound to be heard, not even a squeak from a tiny mouse. 

The light breeze can be heard brushing against the coarse sand and the exotic trees, 

The salty smell of the vast and deep sea stretched and reached across the sunny beach all the way to the bustling dock. 

Sitting on my warm bed with an electric fan blowing on my face, cooling the temperature to a comfortable degree. 

 

My heaven on earth, my haven filled with the people I love, 

This place makes you feel light, like you’re flying on the wings of a dove. 

 

Opening a cooler and taking out an icy cola, and cracking it open  

It fizzes and pops and gives a nice odour that overpowers the smell of the salty sea. 

Peeking out the window to see palm trees waving their big thick leaves eccentrically, 

Large seagulls squawking at anything they see. 

 

The sun slowly descended over the calm, quiet beach in the horizon. 

 

The small noises all added up to create a bumbling and alive ambience constantly over the seemingly isolated yet populated little beach house neighbourhood. 

Every gust of wind whispered a unique lullaby that sent a soothing chill that put you into a tiny trance.  

In the distance, if you listened closely enough, you could hear a bell being rang in a slow but steady pace caused by the wind blowing past it. 

Waves crashed against each other while they danced with the tide.  

A thin layer of nice and cool mist descended and shrouded the area, creeping into every nook and cranny. The sun marked the end of the day by hiding away from view. 

Small shops and bakeries closed, and the employees went back to their casual lives. 

 

The eerie yet reassuring quietness deafened the area. As I curled up in my bed, lying flat on my face I thought to myself, "Yes, this is my most favourite place”. 

An anonymous LC2 student

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School can be a very scary place, especially if you are in any way an ‘outcast’ or ‘different’. It just makes things 10 times harder. Personally I am too scared to, as people would call it, “come out” which annoys me, as a straight person doesn’t have to do that but anyway I feel that my experience in school has been difficult as I’ve had to hide who I really am and can’t express myself fully as I’m too scared of how people will judge me based on who I’m attracted to.  

 

It’s not fun keeping this in; it’s really overwhelming and in my opinion the bullying and homophobia needs to be stopped as many people including myself are too scared of what would happen or be said to them if they came out. Many times I have heard homophobic slurs in the corridor and even friends of mine who wouldn’t know about me have come across homophobic to others and have made comments which even though weren’t aimed at me have still upset me but also made me angry as I don’t see what’s so wrong about the situation, We are all normal we are all attracted to people that’s life, the gender doesn’t matter as long as you’re happy!  

 

From my point of view, the students are not educated enough about the LGBT community. The teachers need to help here and take time to talk about the history of it and the modern-day issues being faced. If more people are informed about the LGBT community, it will become more normalised and more people will feel safe and more comfortable in who they are and will be able to express themselves truly rather than having to hide it. 

 

I myself haven’t went to a Group meeting which the school provides but having that option to go there and feel normal in who you are is excellent. It’s just, from my point of view, I’m too scared to go there, I don’t want to be judged and I don’t want to be seen as different and I know I’m not the only one out there feeling that way but if the teachers start to properly educate themselves and students the fear of people judging you will be eased.  

 

I am very lucky to have close friends who support me and who I am able to talk to and not many people have that so I really encourage you to be brave and attend a LGBT meeting, don’t hide who you are, you are normal and there is absolutely nothing wrong with how you feel.  

 

For me this year is a stressful year with the Leaving Cert but I decided to speak up and talk to a very supportive teacher, I am able to be myself when speaking with her and I can get things out that I wouldn’t be able to say around many people and its making school a lot easier for me as it takes a weight off my shoulder. I am so grateful to have that option of speaking with a teacher who understands what I’m going through.  

 

I really encourage the other teachers to help out, normalise people being part of the LGBT community and educate the students and encourage people to be themselves, hiding makes things a lot harder all though it seems easier, it can really effect your mental health keeping all that in. it’s 2020 we need change, this year has been tough enough let’s make it easier for those who are struggling and hiding who they are! 

06/10/2020

Sophie Ashton

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On Friday 18th of September, a group of LC1’s, led by Mr. Ahern, held an activity day for the new first years.  The day included a variety of games, obstacle courses and quizzes outside the school. They were split into groups and guided by the LC1 mentors to each station.  

I, myself, quite enjoyed the day as a mentor. Guiding the first years around gave me a sense of responsibility, which I could appreciate greatly. Life can sometimes get frustrating as a teenager, as many people still see you as child and tend to focus on your lack of experience in the world. So, being given a role of leadership, even for just a day, can help young people such as myself, understand that our teachers really do give us a lot more respect than we give them credit for.  

As well as that, I even learned many new skills in regards my people skills, especially patience. If I’m being honest, I must commend my teachers. How they spend all day doing what they do, five times a week, and still manage to not throw us all out the window, I will never know. All I do know is that it must take great skill and great patience, and I can respect that.  

From my understanding, the first years really enjoyed the time out of class to get some exercise and have some much-needed fun. Being a first year and starting at a new school can be quite daunting, well, it was when I was starting out, so I think the activity day did them the world of good.  

It’s important that the first years get to experience the fun side of school and I am glad that I played a part in helping them do so. Activity days such as the one they participated in, allow them to make some happy memories that they can associate with school and their classmates. It’s hard enough trying to make new friends, never mind trying to do it with a mask on, from two meters away. I believe I witnessed the start of many new friendships, all thanks to the activity day.  

With all the terrible things happening this year due to covid-19, and the appalling difference to our school lives due to the virus, everyone can easily get bogged down focusing on the negative and forget to have fun.  I think the activity day reminded the first years that despite all the awful things happening all around us, new bonds can still be formed, new foundations are being laid and we all continue to learn and adapt. 

28/09/2020

Michaela Harden 

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About a week ago our class was disrupted by Mr Keane coming to tell us that on that Friday a sports day would be held for all first years! I was put on the blue team with most of my friends. I was so excited I could hardly contain myself!  

 

That Friday afternoon we walked out to the fields outside the school building. We couldn’t have asked for better weather, the sun was shining and there was a small breeze. There were about fifteen people in each group which made social distancing easy.   

 

I thought that the games were great and suitable for everyone! I myself am not a super athletic person but these were fun and not too difficult. My favourite game would have to be the game where you got on your hands and knees and pushed the soccer ball with your head and got it into a hoop on the ground.  

 

Each group had two mentors showing us how to do each game. All the mentors were very nice and would repeat instructions if needed, they were all very encouraging!  

 

This sports day was a great ice breaker. It got everyone talking to people they may not have talked to at lunch or after school. I felt a lot closer to the people in my class than before. We couldn’t help but clap each other on and encourage one another. I did notice that people were talking more to each other afterwards, I know I was, I made two new friends!   

 

Due to Covid; most, if not all of us didn’t have a last sports day at our primary schools which was very upsetting and disappointing, this really made up for that. This sports day was so enjoyable. It was one of those days when you wouldn’t care if you had mud on your knees or grass in your hair because you were just having loads of fun! We shared some great laughs as well!   

 

I would like to thank all the teachers who put in so much effort to make this day happen, it was very well organised and truly a ball! 

23/09/2020

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A reflection from a first year and a Leaving Certificate Student

Nicole reflects on her return as Leaving Cert: 

 

Personally, the return to school was extremely daunting and scary. I hadn't been with many people in the last 6 months and the thought of returning to a school with over 700 students was very stressful. When thinking of school all I could imagine were the students being like birds swarmed in one area, touching and being way too close but thankfully it's not like this at all.  

My experience as an LC2 student in St.Caimin’s during these past few weeks has been very different to say the least. It's disappointing that this all had to happen right before my last year, but we have all been affected in many ways and I find it’s best not to dwell on it. In my five years of attending Caimin’s this year is incomparable to the rest. I felt like a first year again with all the changes to the school! Although I was worried to come back to school it was so great to see all the familiar faces again after so long. 

The biggest change to my average day in school is the one-way system. It can be quite time consuming but makes for a lovely stroll to class. When returning to school I was very worried about having to wear a mask all day because I get very claustrophobic but surprisingly, I forget I’m even wearing one!  

A major difference due to covid-19 is that we no longer have lockers. This is to reduce people congregating in front of them. Although I loved the little chats my friends and I would have at our lockers between class I love not having a locker! I was very concerned about how heavy my bag was going to be and wasn’t looking forward to lugging around a heavy bag all day, but I was stressing over nothing. I used to worry about what books I needed to bring home and now that feeling is completely gone. I really appreciate the fact that we have been greatly taken into consideration with all these changes and are not expected to carry around very heavy bags, full of books all day. 

Another massive difference to my day is the changes in the time of our break and lunch time. All LC2 and LC1 students have lunch together to reduce the amount of people out at lunch at one time. It feels very odd to not have full corridors at lunch time, but I think this is a change that should stay even when Covid is finally gone! Having a quiet lunchtime is much nicer than when 700 students were roaming around at lunch.  

My personal favourite change to school is that on PE days we get to wear our own clothes all day. This is such a treat because non-uniform days were very rare, but now we have one every week! 

I feel a lot safer about the return to school than I had expected. Not only are there sanitizers at the door of every classroom but we also sanitize our desks after every class. I feel extremely comfortable knowing that there are plenty of precautions in place to keep us safe and I'm sure my fellow students would agree with me. From the precautions taken and the consideration of all the staff I am sure that this year is not going to be as bad as I was anticipating. We are all working together to keep our school as safe an environment as possible and it is greatly appreciated by all. 

 

And from the other end of the scale; Ema in first year talks about her experiences: 

When I first came to Caimin’s I felt super nervous and excited at the same time. Then when I got there all my fear went and I felt so comfortable! 

 

There was a mentor guiding me to my class, 208. That was my base class. I saw all my friends and I made some new ones. I was excited to meet my friends from my primary school. We got into our class and my desk was beside the window.  

 

Our break is at 11:15 - 11:30 and our lunch is at 12:35 - 1:20. The canteen food is divine and affordable. What I chose for the options were Business and Music. They have been easy and have been going great so far. The options you could pick from were Metalwork, Woodwork, Art, Home Economics and a lot more! 

 

The subjects have been interesting, fun and the teachers have been very welcoming. I'm settling in very well, especially now I’m getting more familiar with the school. The school on the outside looks huge but once you know it, it's small!  

 

It's been really and we even recently had a physical day. It was like sports day, that's what you would call it in primary. I'm loving my time here and getting a great education.  

 

Well I hope you've enjoyed this. Thank You! 

18/03/2020

Ailíse Roche (LC2)

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March 12th 2020 will forever be remembered as the day nobody was quite sure what to do or how to feel. Were students meant to be ecstatic at the thought of two weeks off school? Were parents meant to be more scared at the possibility of their children contracting COVID-19, or the thought of them being at home all day, every day for seventeen days? Was everyone meant to run home or bulk buy their groceries, hug their loved ones and prepare for an apocalypse? To be quite honest, nobody still really knows. We’re all trying to determine what the right level of panic is.

In all this uncertainty, there is one thing for sure, the outcome of COVID-19 here in Ireland and worldwide is determined by the actions we take now, both as individuals and as a wider society. This virus is spread by us – by coughing, by sneezing, by touching our faces. It is ineffective unless we somehow allow it into our bodies. Therefore, we have the power to stop it. We have the power to protect both ourselves and those around us who are most vulnerable. We have the power to prevent what happened and the likes of China and Italy from occurring on our Emerald Isle.

However, we also have the power to let it take over. Anxiety is spreading more rapidly than the virus itself and the panic is causing people to forget all the things we can do to help ourselves. There is no denying that COVID-19 is here, and without a known vaccine or cure, the resulting number of infections may quickly overwhelm hospitals and healthcare systems. But by ‘flattening the curve’ and preventing an exponential growth in cases, we can prevent this and cause the current death rate of 7% to drop. We must listen to the experts and heed their advice in order to slow down the infection. Forget hugs and handshakes, a simple salute is the way to go. Work from home and continue your learning online. Wash your hands in hot soapy water for a least 20 seconds (the ‘Happy Birthday’ is optional). Avoid social gatherings and limit contact with others. And most importantly, stay calm and don’t panic. These measures have proven to be effective; social distancing has caused cases to decline substantially in China and can help us to reduce cases here and spread them out over a longer period of time so that our healthcare system can cope. As our Tanáiste put it, ‘in order to pull together as a country, we are asking Irish people to stay apart’.

Nobody really knows what the next move is. Is the closure of schools, colleges and childcare facilities enough? Will it be longer than two weeks? Will the whole country go into lockdown? As a Leaving Cert student I know and feel the panic that people are experiencing. I know the stress and uncertainty surrounding orals, projects and even the exams themselves. I know the pressure we are feeling without our teachers’ presence, only communicating with them through a computer screen. But I also know that everyone is in the same boat. We can continue working just as hard at home, now more than ever with all the online resources and communication tools that we have at our disposal. We can protect ourselves and those around us from this virus while also remaining focussed on our studies, work or any other priorities that we have. We can act against this virus, but we must act now.

19/03/2020

 

LC1 English Class

We find ourselves in a unique time as we isolate ourselves from as much social interaction as possible in order to stop the spread of the deadly Covid-19 virus. This has brought on fears, worries and anxieties we never knew we had but it has also highlighted the heart, kindness, compassion and resourcefulness we knew we had but had kind of forgotten about! Some of our LC1s have been reflecting on all this. 

 

 

 

Amelia sums up our initial reaction: 

As we all know, on early Thursday Leo Varadkar announced that all schools in the Republic of Ireland will be closing due to the Coronavirus. I've never seen the people in my school so happy in my whole entire life, all you could hear is people screaming out of excitement and plastic bags all over the school corridors for the books to bring home, that day really felt like the last day of school. 

Although we do have school off, I don't think I like the whole idea of the lockdown. Our town doesn't feel the same since. I think you could now describe it as a ‘ghost town’. Nearly everything but the shops is closed, and you can't even hang out with your friends and the worst thing is that nobody knows for how long all of this will last.  

 

Cliona points out that even the luck of the Irish couldn’t stop this: 

Living in Ireland we have always been quite secluded from the horrors of the world around us. Close enough that we here about them, but lucky that they never involve us. We get sight of bad weather and the country goes mental, schools shut, bread goes missing, Lidl stores get mowed down by a tractor! But for the last twenty or so years we have lived in peace, a shaded generation from suffering.   

 

I think that’s why when I heard about the corona virus it didn’t really faze me. “Sure, it could never reach Ireland!” Messing about buying hand sanitizers and the jokes when someone coughed in class. “It's only a joke, I do feel bad for China though” When Italy begin to shut down their borders with thousands of cases and kids returned home from their ski trips. “Hardly? Wouldn’t be possible, we couldn’t have this virus here”! 

 

But nevertheless, here we are, exactly three weeks later, as I write this article for you, the other students and teachers who are at home on our computers. I defiantly didn't think it would come to this. To be honest last week I was still in denial, why should we shut down the country even though we have less than 50 cases? What I've come to realize though this lockdown isn't about stopping the virus it's about slowing it down, minimalizing the affected.    

 

Krzysztof is learning about himself and the opportunities this is bringing: 

 

The one thing that I noticed as time went on, I have become more conscience of the food I eat and what I drink. I try to eat all my food and not waste anything. I also try regulating how much I drink from the stored drinks.  

 

I really find the aspect of internet classes interesting because this is completely new for me, probably for everyone. I like the aspect how I can lay out my day and divide up the workload. It made me feel a lot more responsible for completing my homework and more satisfied. I get a feeling like I am in college because I am completely in control of my learning.  

 

But is is still scary, as Lauren points out: 

 

Over the past few days the virus has escalated quickly, and it is beginning to become quite worrying now. Each day we have teachers sending us more and more work, which I find daunting, personally It would be easier to be present in a classroom to learn. It was announced that all bars, pubs and restaurants are to close immediately. I find it quite scary but to be honest I’m surprised that it’s taken the government so long to act. I feel like the next beneficial step in containing this virus would be to lock down the airports. If anything, this has made me realise that here in Ireland we are quite lucky if you compare us to any of the other countries such as Italy and Spain.  

 

Ciara points out some of the unique highs and lows of this lockdown: 

 

As an overthinker I am well prepared, I went to the shops and stocked up on pasta and rice and of course sweets to keep me going during lockdown. Although I haven't been on lock down for long, I'm already bored out of my mind, so bored that I played monopoly for 6 hours yesterday I also picked up a new hobby which is origami, it's a great stress reliever and also passes the time. 

  

What's affecting me the most is not being able to see my friends or play sports all my trainings and matches have been cancelled which makes me angry because my Gaelic football season has just started and I had a really important match coming up which I can't play, it's all just really annoying. 

 

Sarah places the whole thing into a wider context: 

 

As a sixteen-year-old I had never experienced a pandemic in my life. Ebola never felt real as it never got close enough to home, as selfish as it sounds. In fact, the closest I felt to Ebola was while singing along to Bandaid’s “Do they know it’s Christmas”? Which of course didn’t show me any kind of reality into the disease itself. I was too young to remember SARS or anything that came before that.   

 

Due to this the novel coronavirus began to scare me, the jokes started to make me cringe and the news began to feel like something out of a movie, “Forty new cases! 2 new deaths”. It all is starting to feel like the end of the world.  

 

As for isolation? As an extrovert the thought of not being able to see my friends for the next few weeks or go to school is extremely painful. I like to keep myself busy and I’m beginning to think the three books I’ve already read and sixteen hours I’ve put into my ukulele won’t be enough to keep me occupied.   

 

To look on the brightside: thankfully I’m born in a generation where social media is at my fingertips so as I write this essay, I’m listening to 6 of my friends chat about everything and everything while we tip away at our work. So, it’s almost as if we never left school at all, except this time there’s no teacher to tell us to be quiet.  

 

Jack talks about his worries for the future and the response of our government: 

 

Is it just me or does all this feel fake, like we are in a zombie apocalypse movie of some sort? Not allowed to leave the house. Food shortage. I don't know it all just seems fake. Something like this will probably never happen again. People are losing jobs. The thing I’m most scared about is that there is going to be a global recession after this pandemic disappears. Huge amounts of people are going to lose their jobs. It is going to take years to repair the damage caused by the covid-19 virus both health wise and financial wise.  

  

Being totally honest though it is very angering being stuck inside the house all the time. One thing I have noticed is that the streets are empty the roads are empty. Everything is empty. If were all being honest it has surprised me how well the Irish government has handled this situation. They have been very professional, and I think if this pandemic happened before the general election, I do think Fine Gael would win by a land slide. Through this whole process Fine Gael have kept the Irish population calm by telling them exactly what's going on. I know it has kept my family and I calm.  

 

Liam points out that isolation is not a new burden:  

 

So many of our great heroes have faced isolation for reasons other than a simple virus. It has only been three days and I already know the meaning of life and unlocked inner peace and clarity, so what else is there to do? Take another nap, take another Buzzfeed quiz to see “What my taste in pasta says about me?”. I have researched a lot about how to stop myself from going insane from my mind-numbing boredom and honestly, I haven't seen anything that has been very helpful. Nelson Mandela said when he was in isolation for twenty-seven years that he stayed sane was the community that was formed in the prison itself and the sense of unity that the prisoners formed, but alas I only have my family to talk to and I have already grown tired of talking to them, so that didn’t work. I then remembered the story of how Jesus stayed in the desert for forty days and stayed sane through prayer, but unfortunately, I am an atheist, so I don’t have any motivation to do that. When Elaphaba had Dorothy trapped in ‘The Wizard of Oz”, she dreamt of her family and in the end, I believe there is a message to be taken from Dorothy, she was able to get rid of her problem simply with just water. So why can't we do the same but just add some soap to the mix. I fear that I may have resigned to my fate of being trapped in my house for another two weeks, held captive by a microorganism that can be killed with hand sanitizer.   

23/01/2020

Viktorija Belasika (Student Council)

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On the 22nd of January 2020, Leaving Certificate students from St. Caimin’s Community School attended the ‘It’s you Choice’ presentation part of the Soteria Operation in Glór. This was presented by members of An Garda Síochána as well as Patrick O’Connor and Brian Hogan, who shared their stories and experiences.

 

Session 1- It’s Your Choice!

The first presentation was on the topic of drugs and addiction and how it affects your mental health and your whole life. It started with Garda Margaret Leahy talking to us about a day in the life of a guard and how you can never predict what will happen to you on that day. One day you might be put on paperwork duty and the next you are investigating a fatal accident. She told us a story of a young man who she encountered on a call who was trying to commit suicide and was very adamant about it - but they managed to get him help. We were very happy to hear that the young man was alive and that he was in fact the next speaker, Patrick O’Connor. He told us about his battle with a gambling addiction, drug addiction and struggle with mental health. These things led him to try and commit suicide, but fortunately he has turned his life around.

 

Session 2 – Say NO!

This talk was led by Detective Inspector Kieran Ruane, who spoke and showed us a video on internet safety and internet extortion. This is part of a campaign against sexual coercion and extortion of children. Their plan is to help educate people on the dangers of the internet and that you are always in charge of your own information and privacy so say NO!

 

Session 3 - Use your brain not your fist

Sergeant Kelvin Courtney talked to us about assaults and the consequences they cause for you and other people. He told us the story about a young man who was part of an unprovoked assault which led to him dying because he hit his head on a curb during a night out. The young men that assaulted him did not go out to kill someone, but because of this random fatal assault they are now charged with manslaughter which has affected their whole lives, from jobs to travel to family.

 

Session 4 - Reaction is always your choice!

The final take was given by Brian Hogan, who told us his story about how an unprovoked assault led to him needing to be resuscitated, have part of his skull taken out and be put into a come because of a brain hematoma. This was acquired from one punch from a stranger. Three months later, when he woke up, he found out that he had lost his vision and mobility as well.

 

Useful Numbers:

Ennis Garda Station = 065 – 6848100

Pieta House = 1800 247 247

Samaritans 24-hour helpline = 116 123

 

This experience was very enlightening and interesting as it talked about topics not regularly talked about or brought up. I would definitely recommend students and teachers to attend talks like this because they are very informative and much more effective than just a PowerPoint presentation. You get to listen to people who have actually gone through these struggles and experiences. Through their stories we learn, listen and feel more. An Garda Síochána are organising a project that would bring these topics and talks to schools and I believe as a senior student who has been to this presentation, that this project should be brought in – not only to our school but also every school. I believe many students would benefit from this experience. 

22/01/2020

Kyle Walker

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Since the start of the 2019/20 school year, so far, our U19 season has been filled with positives. We have played 5 matches, remaining undefeated, drawing only once and winning the other four. This is mainly due to our change in attitude and comradery on, and off the field in comparison to previous years. 

Before we played any matches, our coaches Mr O’Halloran and Mr Nolan brought in a past pupil Andy Russell, who has experience coaching women at League of Ireland level. He sat down with us before a ball was kicked to discuss our aims and goals, but more importantly the strengths and weaknesses of the team and showed us how to improve them. This included slideshows and handouts of how to play as a team and what it means to play for one. We as players also input our ideas during these sessions, and it was great to see coaches and teammates coming together to try and make improvements to our team. 

On previous occasions, we struggled to see games out to the end, and this showed at the start of the season following a shaky 3-2 victory over Newport after going up 3-0, and a 3-3 draw with Newcastle West after being the better of the two sides for the majority of the game. 

We have since had a 5-0 win against Pallaskenry and 7-1 win over Intermediate college Killorglin, but the one that stood out most to us was our 4-2 win over competition contenders, St. Clements College. We got a red card in that match, and to see out the game away from home, against such strong opposition shows how far we have come as a team, not only with our skillset, but also with our mindset, and how far we can go before the end of the year. 

11/03/2020

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Thosaigh Seachtain na Gaeilge ar an gcéad lá de Mhárta agus i bPobalscoil an Chaimín Naofa bhí neart imeachtaí ann. Cuireadh fógra trí mhéan na Gaeilge suas ar fud na scoile. Bhí seisiún ceoil ag an ngrúpa traidisiúnta ag am sosa. Bhaineamar go léir taitneamh agus sult as. Ghlac mé féin agus roinnt de na múinteoirí páirt ann freisin. Ocáid an-spraíúil ab ea í.  

 

Tá tréan-iarrachtaí ar bun chun an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn ar fud na scoile. Mar gheall air sin beidh roinnt scoláireachtaí don Ghaeltacht ar fáil. Is smaoineamh iontach é mar cuidíonn sé le dalta snas a chur ar a gcuid Gaeilge.Ina theannta sin, tugtar seans don dalta freastal ar an nGaeltacht agus cúrsa Gaeilge a dhéanamh. Caithfidh an dalta agallamh a dhéanamh. Rinne mé an agallamh an bhliain seo caite agus bhuaigh mé an scoláireacht. B’fhiú go mór é, dar liom. D’fhoglaim mé alán Gaeilge agus bhí an-chraic againn ag an ám céanna. “Cleachtadh a dhéanann máistreacht” mar a deir an seanfhocal, agus tá súil agam go n-eireoidh go breá leis na daltaí sin.  

 

Tá Seachtain eile fágtha agus beidh níos mó imeachtaí eagraithe. Ar ndóigh, bíonn tráth na gceist ann gach lá. Tá go leor duaiseanna ar fáil. Tá fáilte roimh gach duine páirt a ghlacadh iontu. Beidh ceolchoirm ar siúl ar an Luan 16 Márta – Bígí linn! 

 

Bígí ag faire amach!  

Slán libh, Méabh  

27/01/2020

Rebecca Quinn (Leaving Cert English)

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On the 13th of January 2020, Leaving Cert students went to see the production of Hamlet in the Lime Tree Theatre performed by “Cyclone Rep”. It was a great production and we found it very helpful for revising the play. I had forgotten about a few things that happened in the play so I found this very good to recap it all.

 

During the production the actors frequently stopped in between scenes and asked questions to get the audience thinking about certain aspects of the play, such as whether Hamlet was actually mad or if it was all just an ‘antic disposition’. I found this really useful. I also liked how they stopped in between and engaged with the audience, allowing us to ask them questions and get their opinions on the various aspects of the play. By doing this we got to hear a few different perspectives which I can now include when writing about Hamlet. 

 

Overall I enjoyed the play and I think it was worth going to see as I had forgotten a lot of the play and it went back over it all. I would definitely recommend going to see a “Cyclone Rep” production to all Leaving Cert students as I think it would be very beneficial and useful for the exam.

25/11/2019

Aryan Dhiman

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On the 19th of November 2019 our S.V.P group went to Mary Immaculate Church, near the airport, and we served all of the elderly tea, coffee, buns, biscuits, brownies and apple tart.  

I was the 1 out of 4 first years that went to the coffee morning. It was my first time and I really enjoyed it because it’s good to serve the community and it’s also a very generous deed.  

So at nine o' clock we went to the church in Shannon. It was during mass time, so we spent nearly all of mass preparing the church entrance for the elderly people to come in. This took us about 30 minutes, but we were very pleased with our display in the end.  

When the mass was over, nearly everyone came to our stands where we served hot drinks, buns, brownies, apple tart and biscuits. The elderly people really liked what we did, and they thanked us at the end. They were delighted with all the goodies but also the chats they had with all of us. This made me feel extra happy for serving all these people and I hope I can do it again.  

After the coffee morning was over, we cleaned up the church and we went back to school and back to class. I felt very happy and proud of myself that I got to help the community through helping old people and it’s very kind to help the elderly, I hope I can do it again in the future.  

21/11/52019

Viktorija Belasika  and Aoife Deegan (Student Council)

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Members of the student council attended a workshop facilitated by GOSHH on the 15th of November 2019.

GOSHH stands for Gender, Orientation, Sexual Health and HIV. They are based in Limerick city and work in Limerick, Clare and North Tipperary. They focus on the promotion of equality and wellbeing for all, with a positive and respectful approach to sexual orientation and gender diversity.

The workshop explored orientation and meanings e.g. gay, lesbian, bi, etc. Participants took part in walking debates to delve into beliefs and attitudes e.g. if they agree or disagree that two boys holding hands in Shannon feel safe and you can always tell who is gay.

The workshop also involved watching a video on Drag Queen, Panti Bliss (a gay rights activist) which explored oppression, being embarrassed about ‘gayness’, being beaten and imprisoned in different counties and Homophobia.

The workshop was very informative and has given a lot of food for thought for the student council in supporting members of the LGBTQ+ community in St. Caimin’s Community School.

20/11/2019

Fiachra McInerney (Student Council)

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Our school’s Student Council received an invitation from Lorna Walsh, on behalf of Le Chéile, a voluntary organisation focused with implementing Restorative Justice in schools. But what exactly is Restorative Justice?

Le Chéile is focused with mentoring young children and teenagers to use their words respectfully to solve conflict that may occur between peers and even adults to build a positive relationship and resolve any difficulties should they arrive.

We did some ice-breaker activities, circle time and learned a step by step programme to deal with conflict effectively while remaining empathetic and respectful. 

The talk was attended by Fiachra McInerney (LC2), Viktorija Belasika (LC2), Jakub Markievickz (LC2) Rob Hanton (TY) and accompanied by Mr. O’Beirne. Those of us in attendance were also given booklets and information packs to share with all members of the student council as being respectful to other’s opinions and being able to voice your opinion in a safe environment is a vital part of being involved in the Student Council. 

18/11/2019

By Maddy Horan (1st year)

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On our first day of school everyone arrived feeling both nervous and excited. We were all eager to make new friends and meet people from different places. We were split into classes of thirty, each class had a few of the transition year students (TYs) amongst them, acting as mentors. It was a great relief to have students attending the school to whom we could ask all our questions.  We were taken on a tour of the school by the TYs and some of us began to figure out where everything is.  

To help us make friends and to help with the transition into secondary school, we all went surfing in Lahinch. This was organised for the third week of September. No one was disappointed when we got to miss out on a full day of school, and we were allowed wear our own clothes which everyone was very happy about. We were divided into two groups so when the one group was surfing, the other could play hurling, soccer, rugby, and hang out on the beach. It was a great way to relax and spend time with my new friends and I would highly recommend the trip to any first years coming in next year.  

   Overall, Caimin’s has been great so far and we have been given many opportunities to do great things. Personally, I think the teachers and older students have been very nice and very patient considering how annoying we can be. The only thing I can suggest for first years next year is don’t be nervous just relax and you should get on well. 

13/11/2019

By Oisin Breen (LC1)

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The Junior Cert for me was a great experience, in all aspects. Throughout the three years, I learned a lot about all the subjects I did and a bit of common sense and more manners! All the teachers are very nice to everyone, as long as you give them the respect they deserve for having to put up with us. They gave us all the help we needed to prepare for our exams and some even stayed back after school to help students. This was above and beyond the call of duty. 

In Caimin’s there are a lot of activities to get a break from the constant work and to have a bit of fun. Some of those activities are the drama club, sport and all the trips we go on. There are also days where first years can go into the sports hall at lunch to play soccer or badminton. There is so much to get involved in and one of the most beneficial things to get involved in is the SVP. All involved help organise collections to give support to those in need. Sport is good in Caimin’s especially in soccer for girls and boys. 

The Junior Cert has prepared me for the Leaving Cert by giving me some experience in exams and studying. I am in TY so I can't yet fully see the difference between junior cert and leaving cert, but I have heard from a few of my friends that it is a change but not in too much of a bad way. This is down to the good foundation we have from our first three year!  

So I think that the junior cert has been very good and a bit of craic! If I was to give any advice to someone it would be: the exams seem a lot scarier before you do them but they are actually grand, as long as you do a bit of work for them.