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Irish Independent
16-06-2025
- General
- Irish Independent
Wexford community in mourning at passing of ‘exceptional and inspirational' young teacher
In an ode to her cheerful and happy demeanour, the song One Love by Bob Marley and The Wailers played out over the speakers as the procession into the church began. Originally from Carlow, she married her husband James in 2018 before starting a family in Bree with their two sons Jacob and Adam. A number of symbols representing her life were brought up to the altar, including a family photograph, books, her son's toys, flowers, and a handbag as she had a great love for fashion and style. Her brother Jonathon took to the altar to speak about the huge impact his sister had on their lives and everyone she met. "These words are from my heart, which I have struggled to get out over the last few days. Firstly I would like to thank James, her husband for always taking care of her – not only during her illness but over the years they have spent together. He has been a saint.' "I would like to thank Tanya for being in our life; Tanya was a gift. Anyone who knew her was blessed to know her. She was the kindest most loving person, who always put the needs of other above her own. She was also a very creative person – she was writing a children's book and hoped to get it published and she was a passionate teacher. Her students remember her as a great and fun teacher who have support,' he continued. He highlighted that her husband and her sons were her life and that she loved them beyond what words could express, before advocating for people to hold their loved ones closer while they could. "Tanya was our heart, she was the kindest and most fun sister a brother could have. To be honest, I don't know how to live in a world without her. The only thing I can say is, cherish the special people in your life and tell them you love them every chance you get. Our time is short.' Next up to speak was James' brother, who extended thanks on behalf of the family to the various people who gave their support, including the hospitals, the palliative nurses, the schools, and counsellors from the Hope Cancer Support Centre. To truly show the legacy she left on her students, having taught in Loreto Secondary School in Wexford and CBS Tramore, he read out a letter on behalf of one of her former students. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more "She understood me as I wanted to be understood and believed in me as I wanted to believe in myself. She was always full of compliments and when she passed one onto you, you felt like you were beyond brilliant. She made you feel important. I can't understate how nice she was, such a comforting presence. She listened, and she stood up for us in situations where we were silenced. It meant a lot,' he read out. "Mrs. Whelan could have rivalled life itself with her enthusiasm. She may not be here anymore, but these stories she's shared and her compassion will live on. May the world show her family all the kindness she's shown to my classmates and I.' Loved ones also took to to leave messages of condolences and messages detailed her role in the lives of her students and co-workers. One mourner wrote: 'My heart goes out to the O'Brien and Whelan families, especially Tanya's two little boys. I worked with Tanya in Tramore. She was a lovely girl, full of creativity, ideas and enthusiasm. It is terribly unfair to lose someone so young.' Another wrote: 'I had Ms Whelan a number of times throughout my time in Loreto, she was truly an incredibly bright person not just the way she teaches but in her spirt. She always came across as a genuine, caring and empathetic teacher. I will never forget how much she help me throughout my Junior Cert and the amount of effort she always put into everyone in the class. You will always leave her class feeling seen and respected.' A further tribute read: 'Ms Whelan was a teacher of mine whose warmth, enthusiasm and optimism inspired me throughout my Leaving Cert and moving forward with my life beyond second-level education. Her passion instilled a belief in myself that has irrevocably changed my life.' Another comment read: 'Tanya was an exceptional teacher whose dedication and care touched the lives of so many. She approached every day with kindness, friendliness, and an unwavering commitment to her students and the school community. Her generosity with her time outside the classroom, working tirelessly on initiatives to improve the school and create a better environment for every child, was truly inspiring. Tanya's passion and hard work made a lasting impact that will be remembered and cherished.' Dearly loved wife of James (Jim), loving mother of Jacob and Adam, cherished daughter of John and Tess and much loved sister of Jonathan, she will be sadly missed by her heartbroken family, aunts, uncles, father-in-law John, mother-in-law Sadie, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, relatives and many friends.
Irish Times
05-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- Irish Times
Leaving Cert English paper two: ‘Dense' questions posed a challenge amid relief over appearance of much-predicted poets
Students were relieved that several predicted poets appeared on this year's higher-level English paper, but many of the questions were very specific in scope, teachers have said. Kate Barry, a teacher at Loreto Secondary School in Cork and ASTI subject representative for English, said that both Eavan Boland and Tracy K Smith – a new poet on the course – both featured. 'But the question on Boland, which asked about the complex nature of powerlessness, was quite specific,' Ms Barry said. 'The question on Smith, which focused on the nature of their lives, was perhaps more candidate-friendly.' READ MORE Clodagh Havel, an English teacher at the Institute of Education, said that it was a testing paper. 'It was not necessarily an arduous one but nevertheless students will feel a lot more pushed to react and grapple with the exam than they did yesterday,' she said. 'Between densely phrased questions and some peculiar vocabulary, some students will be worried that they weren't on the right path. 'Each question was precise in its scope – they had a wide selection, but a narrow focus.' Gillian Chute, head of English at , said that students answering a question on the poet Derek Mahon may have been disappointed with the question. 'It was unconventional in nature,' she said. 'It asked them to what extent they think that an audience's appreciation of both Mahon's language and thematic concerns would be enhanced if his poetry was read out loud, and this may have presented considerable difficulty for some candidates.' Ms Havel said that candidates reading the first King Lear question may have paused and caught their breath on the mention of 'duality' – or two-ness – within the text's characters. 'For those who gave themselves a moment to fully read the question they will have found lots of choice in who to discuss: Lear, Gloucester, Edmund are all very comfortable candidates for discussions and only two were required.' Both Ms Barry and Ms Havel said that the second King Lear question were more accessible. 'The second question was gorgeous in its exploration of justice, order, chaos and cruelty but again the way the question was phrased was dense,' said Ms Havel. 'In the cauldron of the exam hall, composure and a level head are easier said than done. Everyone would have material to bring to fulfil these prompts, they just might not glide through it.' In the comparative texts, Ms Havel said that students aiming for the top marks will need to pick up on the nuances of texts in order to truly incorporate the elements of the 'subtle', 'contradictory' or 'paradoxical' elements mentioned. Both Ms Barry and Ms Havel praised the unseen poem. 'It covered familiar ground about a lost relationship, which is a common theme,' said Ms Barry.' At ordinary level, Ms Barry said that there was a lot of reading and wordiness on the paper, which may have thrown some students, although the questions themselves were not too difficult. 'On higher-level English paper one, students were asked to prepare a podcast, and podcasts also appeared on ordinary level paper two,' she said. 'This is probably because podcasts are such a popular medium these days. 'The other questions, including a debate around the ending of the text, were really nice.' Studyclix subject expert Sue O'Sullivan Casey, a teacher at Pobalscoil Inbhear Scèine, Kenmare, Co. Kerry, said that the ordinary level single text questions were accessible and many students would have managed well with the demands put to them. 'Other questions on Arthur Miller's 'The Crucible' and Colson Whitehead's 'The Underground Railroad' were challenging but not unfamiliar,' she said. 'The paper was fair and straightforward. A student who had prepared consistently over two years would have been ready to handle the questions well.'
Irish Examiner
04-06-2025
- General
- Irish Examiner
Could you pass English paper 1? First Leaving Cert exams of 2025 'very balanced'
Podcasting, underdogs, a 'love letter to Ireland', a rally cry to young people from the author of The Handmaid's Tale and an extract from the Booker Prize winner all featured on the higher level 2025 English paper 1. Overall, the first papers to open the 2025 Leaving Cert exams were 'very balanced' and themed around perspectives. Podcasting and poetry made appearances on the Junior Cycle papers, where a question on short stories may have caused some students to stumble. There were lots of opportunities for students when it came to the higher level English paper 1 Leaving Cert questions, according to Kate Barry. The English teacher with Loreto Secondary School, College Road in Fermoy and subject spokesperson for the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) said she believed this year's papers were 'very fair on the whole.' 'I really liked the three texts they gave,' she added. This included an article by science writer David Robson, a speech made by Margaret Atwood, author of The Handmaid's Tale, and an extract from Samantha Harvey's 2024 novel Orbital which won last year's Booker Prize. In her speech, Margaret Atwood gives advice to young people, referring to herself, 'a wise old counsellor'. 'It's good to see someone of her calibre appearing,' Ms Barry said. "There was a good level of challenge in the Section A questions.' 'The three questions were very similar, they were very consistent, and nice and general. They asked students to write about elements of language that are elegant, thought-provoking, or inspiring. Sometimes those questions can be very 'tick the box', whereas I thought this was nice and broad, you can bring in a lot there. However, she was more critical of the paper's Question Bs, which carry 50 marks. In particular, a question that asked students to imagine they are a contributor to a podcast while reflecting on how their perspective on a significant issue changed. 'I don't see why that question needs to be for a podcast,' Ms Barry said. 'It's a lovely invitation to write, it's a very nice topic and encourages them to think and reflect, but I don't see why it needs to be for a podcast.' 'I think they are trying to be current, and they think 'well a lot of people listen to podcasts'.' The other two Question Bs were more creative, asking students to imagine they are either a sports captain or a hotel manager. 'Not everybody is up for that so it was good to have a question where they could write as themselves.' Meanwhile, the higher-level essay topics, which carry 100 marks, were 'really nice'. 'There were some really nice options there, I thought,' Ms Barry said. In particular, she liked the option that asked students to write a speech for or against the motion that: Truth has become a valueless currency in today's world. 'I really like the questions where students can take it personally, and can write about their own lives, but there was plenty of scope there if they do want to engage in current events.' Another of the questions she liked was the option to write a love letter to Ireland. 'Some of these essay questions can be a bit doom and gloom, but this question asked students to view contemporary Ireland from an optimistic lens. It gives them an opportunity to be positive, which actually can be a challenge.' The only essay question she has concerns about was one asking students to reflect on some of the factors that would influence their voting intentions in future elections. 'You'd really expect and hope that all the people correcting that would put their own views to the side. I don't think it would be a popular one anyway." Ordinary level English paper 1 The ordinary level English paper 1 had some 'accessible' texts that included extracts from the writing of Paul Howard and Rosaleen McDonagh as well a visual image question themed around 'Love in Many Guises' which included song lyrics from The Beatles, Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift as well as Mark Twain and Lao Tzu among others. In particular, Ms Barry liked the essay question on this paper that asked students to reflect on the importance of people standing up for their views and beliefs. "Sometimes people have different reasons for taking ordinary level English,' she said. 'Sometimes they haven't been in Ireland very long and wouldn't have enough English to do the higher-level paper but they would be well able to come up with their own thoughts and opinions. "It's not aimed too young, it takes into account that they are emerging adults, grappling with adult themes too.' Junior Cycle Overall, the Junior Cycle papers were 'lovely and clear', Ms Barry said. Similarly, the idea of perspectives came up on the Junior Cycle exam. Podcasting made another appearance on the 2025 Junior Cycle exam, with a question based around 'The Black & Irish Podcast'. However, a question asking students to write about a short story they have covered may have caused some to stumble. 'That technically is on the course, it is a specification but that specification is huge,' Ms Barry explained. 'The amount of material they must cover on it, and that is the first year they have specifically been asked to cover a short story they have studied. It's very, very difficult to teach the whole specification,' she added. 'I would expect they would interpret short stories there liberally when they go to correct it. It's something they might not have done. They would have read them as part of the Junior Cycle, but they mightn't have been expecting them as an exam question.' 'It's come up in the past to write their own short story, rather than analyse one as a text. Some of our students here, they were able to take something they had read and answer that way but I do think out of all the questions, that was so new and that would have been the one that caused some to stumble.' 'That will all be reflected when they come to the marking scheme, I would reassure people about that.' The ordinary level Junior Cycle paper was very 'nice and straightforward', she added. 'I'm not sure about this way they have of testing vocabulary where they ask what this word means, and they mightn't know the word, they just get given a random five words, but overall, I did think it was very candidate friendly.' Read More Record number of students to sit State exams this year
Irish Independent
14-05-2025
- Science
- Irish Independent
Cork secondary students win prestigious prize for creating eco packaging made from seaweed
Clodagh Hayes and Grainne Dineen from Loreto Secondary School in Fermoy were congratulated for their innovative idea at the Raddison Blu Hotel in Little Island on Friday. The competition, now in its 21st year, offers students from seven Cork-based secondary schools an opportunity to shine a light on their STEM expertise and ingenuity in a rewarding, exciting and fun environment. Teams of students from St Mary's High School in Midleton, St. Aloysius' College in Carrigtwohill, Scoil Mhuire Gan Smál in Blarney, Midleton CBS, Coláiste Fionnchua in Mitchelstown, Loreto Secondary School in Fermoy and Midleton College participated in this year's Merck Schools Science Competition. Ms Hayes and Ms Dineen said they were 'honoured' to win the competition. "We are incredibly honoured to be chosen as the winners of this year's Merck Schools Science Competition. 'Taking part in this competition has been really engaging and opened our eyes to the exciting possibilities within the STEM fields. 'I want to thank our school and Merck for providing this amazing opportunity, for guiding us along the way, and allowing us to explore our curiosity,' they said. Merck aims to inspire the next generation of scientists and innovators, cultivate interest in STEM through this competition while continuing to encourage students to explore future careers in these critically important fields. Mark Dunphy, Site Director and Head of Cork Operations at Merck said: 'At Merck, we firmly believe in the power of STEM education to shape the future. 'By offering students the opportunity to practically apply their scientific knowledge, this competition is instrumental in sparking an interest in STEM careers and nurturing those who will spearhead the scientific breakthroughs of the future,' he added.
