Wicklow college students honoured at prize-giving ceremony
Alex O'Dwyer took home the Mercy Award, with Doireann Killoran receiving the Sportswoman of the Year Award, Roisín Vigors picking up the Imelda McDonagh Award for the Arts, and Emma Seckington receiving the Brenda Byrne Award for Visual Arts.
The Form 3 Ceist Award went to Ava Doyle, and Form 6 Student of the Year was awarded to Aisling Flusk to huge applause.
The Sr Maria Goretti Cup for School Spirit and Participation was awarded to the School of Sanctuary Committee and graciously accepted on their behalf by Zara Maguire and Divine Luke Letlhake.
The Form 6 academic awards were announced, and then a recent recipient of a multitude of those awards last year, Lana Billen, was presented with the Sr. M. Regis award for the Best Leaving Cert Results in 2024.
Lana spoke eloquently of her time at St. Mary's and the help and support she received to help her on her way to maximum results in the Leaving Cert and an Entrance Scholarship to Trinity College.
Isla McEvoy was praised for her fantastic performance in the Junior Cert 2024, before receiving the Joan Dowling Award from Mr Hicks and Mr Ward.
Form 6 Liaison students were also acknowledged for their hard work and commitment throughout the year and presented with mementoes and books.
Meanwhile, transition year classes received their certificates and awards at their graduation ceremony, where 47 students were also presented with Bronze Gaisce Awards.
The students also received their AIB Future Sparks 'Exemplary School Award' for their work with Sunbeam Services this year. Ciara Corcoran and Alisa Vuletic Brkic won the E-Portfolio awards, and an impressive six students received Full Attendance Certificates.
Last but not least, the coveted TY Student of the Year award was presented to Aoife O'Neill, who received a standing ovation from her classmates and everyone present.
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Irish Times
18 hours ago
- Irish Times
A daisy with a doctorate? Frank McNally on the enrolment of ragwort in the rewilded lawns of Trinity College
Walking through the front square of Trinity College Dublin the other day, I had to do a double-take at the proliferation on the lawns of ragwort, now an enthusiastic participant in the university's rewilding programme. Time was, Trinity might have risked a fine for breaching the Noxious Weeds Act 1936, or at least earned a visit from a Garda sergeant, giving it a week to destroy the plants, or else. But the mighty ragwort has survived prohibition even in farming communities, where – especially when cut and dried into hay - it can poison livestock. And I suppose the chances of horses or cattle grazing in the fields of Parliament Square (the official name) are minimal. Either way, its presence in Trinity marks another milestone in the rise of the once despised Jacobaea vulgaris. I'm reminded of Mark Twain's description of a cauliflower: 'a cabbage with a college education'. Who knows how the ragwort will evolve with the benefit of a few years in university? It might lose the vulgaris part of its name, for a start. READ MORE Ragwort has come a long way since Maria Edgeworth, visiting her big-house neighbours in Westmeath, the Pakenhams, described the 'vast Serbonian bog between us, with a bad road, an awkward ferry, and a country so frightful and so overrun with yellow weeds that it was aptly called by Mrs Greville 'the yellow dwarf country'. That was a hint of the name the plant went by during its national school days, buachalán buí, and of the supernatural powers it was reputed to have then. Far from just poisoning horses, it could become a horse, and a flying one, when ridden by fairies. Hence Robbie Burns on ragwort's fame as a transport system between the western isles of Scotland: 'Let Warlocks grim, an' wither'd Hags/Tell how wi' you on ragweed nags/They skim the muirs an' dizzy crags./Wi' wicked speed.' Of course, when not using them as horses, leprechauns always buried their gold under a buachalán buí, in a field of many such plants where only they could remember the right one. Growing up on a farm, I used to have the annual job around now of cutting ragwort and thistles on a steep hill behind our house, using an old scythe that raised blisters within minutes on soft hands. It seemed both hard work and also somehow, lazy. If my parents were serious about getting rid of them, I used to think, the proper method was pulling them up by the roots. Then again, I may unknowingly have been engaged in an exercise of mere optics. Years later, reading Green Fields, the classic 1930s memoir of gentleman farmer Stephen Rynne, I found that in his 'slipshod hacking', even he was going through motions, to avoid the attention of inspectors: 'Repeated and annoying visits from the personage known locally as the 'Thistle Man' cannot intimidate me into making more than a single cutting. And even this is… strictly for show purposes: it consists of going over those parts of my farm which lie exposed to the road…' As to why I never uprooted ragwort, perhaps that was the lingering influence of a folk belief whereby, if you did, you had to ask forgiveness from the fairies, on pain of doom. Anyway, having survived the best efforts of the Department of Agriculture over decades, ragwort seems to have entered its glory era in the 21st century. This once-controversial member of the daisy family is now a flawed hero of the natural world, not just tolerated but welcomed as an ally of biodiversity in places it was once despised. Consider, for example, the Royal Canal, a project with which Maria Edgeworth would have been very familiar. It never thrived as a waterway, but it is now enjoying a whole new life as a greenway. And the very neglect in which it wallowed for so long has allowed it develop into a linear wildlife park, central to which at this time of year is ragwort. One of the latter's biggest fans is the red-and-black cinnabar moth, which is so dependent on the plant it's known as Tyria jacobaea in Latin. Absorbing the ragwort's toxins, the moth is itself poisonous: hence the dramatic colours, nature's health and safety warning for birds and other predators. But ragwort also supports some 200 other insects, some very rare, so that it has been called a 'biodiversity super plant'. John Clare (1793–1864), the English peasant poet, was a big admirer even at a time when it was neither profitable nor popular. He once wrote: 'Ragwort, thou humble flower with tattered leaves/I love to see thee come & litter gold,/What time the summer binds her russet sheaves;/Decking rude spots in beauties manifold.' I don't know if Clare would have considered the front square in Trinity a rude spot - it can be during Rag Week (no relation to the plant) sometimes. But the poet would surely wish it well in its studies there. Perhaps, to paraphrase a later writer, the once humble ragwort may in time graduate and become a daisy with a doctorate.
Irish Times
11-08-2025
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Not wild about Trinity College
Sir, – For visitors to Dublin, the Trinity College main entrance is the front door of the city. For years the elegant facade was complemented by a beautifully maintained lawn. Now the space has been given over to wilding in a city centre with more than enough derelict sites. Surely, Trinity could find additional space for wilding elsewhere within its large campus and restore our city-centre oasis of calm. For my part I'm all for wilding, but not in my front yard. – Yours, etc, READ MORE KEVIN DEVINE, Dublin 5.
Irish Independent
16-07-2025
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Tributes paid to Wexford artist who passed away – ‘For him, it was very important that his art would be recognised around Gorey'
Originally born in Dublin in 1950, Michael lived and worked in his studio in Letatlin, Ballycale. Michael's impact on Gorey's cultural landscape helped establish the town as a significant hub for artistic expression and education. He studied at Bath Academy of Art, Trinity College, Dublin and at the Accademia di Brera in Milan. Michael was greatly involved with the establishment of what would become Gorey School of Art. Teaching alongside Eamonn Carter throughout the mid to late 1990s, Michael helped build the institution's reputation through his dedication to nurturing student talent and excellence. As the school's standing grew, it was formally established as Gorey School of Art in 2003, with Michael's foundational contributions remaining central to its identity. The Gorey School of Art community extended its deepest condolences to Michael's family and friends during this difficult time. Paul Carter, current director of Gorey School of Art said he first encountered Michael as a Leaving Certificate student in the 1990s, when his sculptures were featured on the national art syllabus. 'It was remarkable to discover that this internationally respected artist was from our own town of Gorey. I had the privilege of working closely with Michael for over a decade, collaborating on documentation, archival projects, photography, and public art grant submissions.' 'The knowledge and spatial understanding I gained from that experience exceeded anything I learnt during my six years in art college. His influence continues to guide my work today. He will always be remembered as a dear friend, a gentle soul, and a remarkable artist with endless depth and integrity' Paul said. Wicklow Wexford TD Malcolm Byrne spoke about Michael's legacy. 'Michael was an extraordinary artist and sculptor. Even though he was recognised internationally, for him, it was very important that his art would be recognised around Gorey town. 'I extend my sympathy to his wife Maria, his children and extended family' Deputy Malcolm said. Michael was heavily involved in the development of the Tulach a' tSolais memorial on Oulart Hil. They released a tribute to Michael on Facebook: 'It is with deep sadness that all involved in Oulart Hill Walking Hub have learned of the death of Michael Warren. 'It was Michael who shepherded the project through a surprisingly difficult planning process in coordination with Barry Murphy, then Chairman of the Office of Public Works who also felt it was a perfect site for the memorial and who backed it all the way' they said. Members of the community paid tribute to Michael. One person on said: 'Michael left a great legacy of monumental and powerful works for future generations to appreciate and enjoy. As an artist you cannot ask for more. Rest in peace Michael.' Another person said: 'Sincere condolences to Maria, Elaine and all the Warren family on Michael's passing. He played a critical role in the siting of Tulach a' tSolais on Oulart Hill, being involved from the conceptual stage with Ronald Tallon and he was determined it would stand where it is today.' As an artist, Michael achieved international recognition for his sculptural work including being awarded honorary membership of the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland in 2012 and was presented with the Medalla al Mérito Artistico by the Mayor of Madrid, Spain in 1991. In recognition of his profound impact on the institution, Gorey School of Art formally named its new facility the Michael Warren Gallery & Studios in 2018. His funeral Service took place at Christ Church, Gorey, on Saturday, July 12, followed by burial in Tubberneering graveyard.
