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Irish Independent
a day ago
- Sport
- Irish Independent
See pictures from award ceremonies at Wicklow secondary school
Students, parents and staff from Scoil Chonglais in Baltinglass came together recently to celebrate their achievements and the graduating class of 2025 at a series of annual ceremonies. The school's annual awards ceremony honoured a range of achievements, with talented students receiving awards for extracurricular activities, impeccable attendance, kindness, academic excellence, and contribution to sports, with a student from each year also receiving a Student of the Year award. The class of 2025 also celebrated their graduation ceremony with a memorable evening of celebration and reflection with their families and staff. The students were thanked for their contributions to the school and were wished well in their Leaving Certificate examinations. Among those in receipt of awards on the night were Ciara Fleming, who took home the Dave Hallahan Memorial Cup for Student of the Year, while Jaseer Murphy was awarded the Kevin Brown Memorial Cup for Project of the Year, and Ross Nolan received the Parents' Council Sports Person of the Year Award. Adding to the school's end-of-year festivities, students entertained their classmates and parents at the ever-popular transition year showcase, where certificates were handed out to TY pupils for all their activities throughout the year. 'At Scoil Chonglais, we are very passionate about celebrating success – a big congratulations to all our students who strive to do their very best every day,' a school spokesperson said. 'Our school awards ceremony was all about celebrating the students' successes, while the TY showcase was a chance for students and their families to come together and acknowledge the great work they have done this year. 'A big congratulations to our class of 2025 – we are very proud of them all,' they added. 'We had such a lovely night celebrating with the class of 2025. Thank you to Ms Gallagher for helping students with their preparations for this very special night. Well done to all students.'
Irish Independent
a day ago
- General
- Irish Independent
All the photos as creativity, good humour, and excellence is celebrated by CBS New Ross students
Both teachers, Mr John Halligan and Ms Eleanor Tighe, coordinated the awards programme with great care and attention, while the smooth running of the event on the day was ensured by organisational expertise of Ms Amanda Butler, Ms Mag Rowe and Mr Jim Kavanagh. The Principal of the school, Ms Sarah Rice extended 'special congratulations to three major award winners' on the night. Ellie O'Connell was recognised for her 'outstanding sporting talent and commitment', being crowned the Sports Person of the Year; Head Girl, Niamh Doyle Maher, was presented with the Sixth Year Academic Award as her 'exceptional academic performance and leadership were rightly celebrated'; and Aidan Douglas was presented with the Edmund Rice Spirit Award 'for living out the values of compassion, service and integrity at the heart of our Edmund Rice tradition.' Another special mention and presentation was made to Sean Royce on receiving the LCA 1 Student of the Year Award, which recognises a student who has 'demonstrated outstanding commitment, growth and excellence' throughout the Fifth Year Leaving Certificate Applied programme. The Transition Year students were also celebrated on the night, commemorating 'a year of growth, experience and leadership,' according to Ms Rice. 'Our Transition Year students marked the conclusion of a dynamic and memorable year at their Graduation Ceremony. The event reflected the breadth of experiences undertaken by the TYs, and the personal growth they each achieved along the way,' she continued. The programme was led 'with great energy and vision' by Ms Aoife Codd, TY Coordinator, along with Ms Amanda Butler, TY Year Head, whose 'dedication and support ensured a rich and varied TY programme'. The two standout awardees from TY are Hannchen Van Der Merwe, for the Leadership Award as she was recognised for her 'initiative, maturity and positive influence among her peers'; and Logan Venn Keane upon winning the TY Spirit Award, 'whose enthusiasm, creativity and good humour embodied the true spirit of Transition Year.' 'We are proud of all our TY students and look forward to seeing what they go on to achieve in the Senior Cycle and beyond,' concluded Ms Rice.
The Journal
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Journal
The physical and mental wellbeing of therapeutic horticulture
FIANN Ó NUALLÁIN, aka The Holistic Gardener, is a gardener, community activist, project facilitator and author. Fiann will be appearing on the Garden Stage at this week's Bord Bia Bloom as both speaker and MC. Ruth O'Connor speaks to Fiann about his own work and why gardening is so beneficial to our mental and physical wellbeing. Fiann Ó Nualláin, aka The Holistic Gardener. Fiann Ó Nualláin, aka The Holistic Gardener Fiann Ó Nualláin, aka The Holistic Gardener Tell us more about yourself? I'm a bit like Worzel Gummidge – a scarecrow with lots of different heads. On the one hand I write – I spend a lot of time researching about mental health and physical wellbeing and how to use the garden as a resource to support those things. My background is in social and therapeutic horticulture, so I am often working in the field (pardon the pun) working with different groups of people on projects that are not simply about the beautification of a space but about genuine community involvement. Describe a typical working day for you I'm an early riser. I'll usually do four or five hours of research then take a break for breakfast. I could be writing for the rest of the day or doing something where I don't know necessarily what the outcome will be. For example, I could be meeting a group for the first time – they could be into gardening or reticent about gardening. I could be working with TY students and will draw them in through their interest in the environment, beauty, sport or whatever they're into. I've learnt that human nature happens in nature – really we're just people gathered together doing what humans do which is communing with each other and with nature. I could be creating a garden based on story books at a school but really the focus is literary issues or I could be working with a mother and baby group to grow food and then bring in nutritionists to talk about good nutrition for young families. Sometimes the project centres simply around creating spaces where people can find stillness and take a break from their worries… So my role involves doing a lot of research and then putting my learnings into practice. Then there are all the other things that come with that – appearing at Bloom, doing some TV work and writing articles for the media. A previous show garden by Fiann Ó Nualláin at Bord Bia Bloom. Fiann Ó Nualláin Fiann Ó Nualláin How did you get into gardening initially? I've been hooked on gardening since I was a toddler dragging a watering can around the place. My father and grandfather gardened so I always assumed it was what people did. It was only in my teens when I had issues with depression that I found the garden was of solace to me. When I got a bit older I did other jobs but doing indoor jobs, absent from the green environment, I realised that my depression got worse. I realised that the garden was medicating me and I found that something I had discovered could also resonate with other people. When I realised that gardening and being in gardens transformed my life I wanted to be able to help other people realise that too. The wonderful thing that happens at Bloom is that people might want to have a nice outdoor space to have a glass of wine in, or they might want to improve the value of their home, but when they catch the gardening bug they realise that it brings them so much more. How important is collaboration to what you do? Collaboration is really important to what I do. I could go out and install something for somebody and there might be some pick up on it – I could petition for land, measure it up, plant out allotment plots and get five or six people interested. Within a year there might be one person left. However if I divide that same space up between a scouting group, the school and, say, a local community addiction programme and then I bring in additional people – a nutritionist, a flower arranger, a herbalist… it is more likely to be a success. A project like that has to involve people, experts, from within the community as well as outside of the community. Advertisement Fiann Ó Nualláin, aka The Holistic Gardener, on the Talks Stage at Bloom in the Phoenix Park. Fennell Photo. Fennell Photo. How have things changed since you started doing this kind of work? Years ago it was difficult to get things like community gardens and allotments to stick – people might set something up and then land would be rezoned and they'd have to move on. Now people are almost demanding green spaces as a service – people expect that they should have a green space in their area that they can walk their dog in but they are also starting to expect that the should have a space in which they can express themselves as gardeners or look after their own food security or even just unroll a yoga mat – people don't want to live in concrete jungles. On the other hand, to some people, nature can be the alien environment. You can have people living on the outskirts of cities, beside industrial estates where there are no parks, no plants or trees and to them nature is an alien environment. In that case you have to get people used to the fact that, yes, there are birds, there are bees, there are flies and this is magic of the world – this the wonder we live in – we share this world with other creatures and that gives people an appreciation for all aspects of life and for living life. Fiann Ó Nualláin, aka The Holistic Gardener is keen to encourage people to explore the physical and mental benefits of gardening. Fiann Ó Nualláin. Fiann Ó Nualláin. What has been your proudest moment so far? I worked in a place years ago where I got to introduce teenagers, many of whom had lost their place at school or were young parents, into looking at gardening and horticulture and being outdoors. We'd also cover personal effectiveness, communication skills and a bit of maths by stealth – counting out seeds and figuring out how long it would take things to germinate. In the same area recently I was talking to a mother who I had taught and the one thing that gets him into school is doing gardening in the school garden before he goes into class. I'm proud of the fact that there's something of a legacy there. Another favourite of mine was done in conjunction with Dublin City Council and a number of artists. It was a project called Plant the Placename. We went into communities, say Bluebell, and we collected seeds with the youngest members of the community, who then brought the seeds to their grandparents who grew them on, and then the parents and children would plant them back into the environment. There were three generations of families involved and everybody got ownership of the project which is very important. Fiann Ó Nualláin's GIY (Grow it Yourself) garden at Bloom. Fiann Ó Nualláin. Fiann Ó Nualláin. If you weren't doing this what would you be doing? I don't think could do anything else. Sometimes when I'm bogged down for months writing a book or something I cannot wait to get back out into working in gardens again. A lot of people come to gardens later in life, often in retirement, but I don't need to retire – I've found my home and couldn't see myself doing anything else. What can people expect from you at Bloom? You'll get all your design ideas on how to pretty up your space but you'll then wander to the nursery village and talk to people who really know their plants and can advise you. Then you'll come over to the Talks Stage where I'll be introducing experts coming from many different disciplines. We are there so that people can ask questions and pick our brains – we want people to go home with information that they can put into practice. Two of Fiann's previous books. Fiann Ó Nualláin. Fiann Ó Nualláin. What's next for you? I'll be doing plenty of garden projects – after Bloom there's always a flurry of interest. I'm currently working on a book about traditional Irish cures – I've been researching it for five years and am currently putting it together for publication. Fiann Ó'Nualláin will be appearing on the Garden Stage at this year's Bord Bia Bloom which takes place May 29th to June 2nd 2025. Tickets are priced at €30 and up to two children (under 16) go free with every ticket purchased. Visit for further information.
Irish Independent
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Young Wexford trio earn spot on Junk Kouture's world stage ‘It's the most amazing feeling ever!'
Ellen Chapman, Anna Murphy and Kayla Butler creatively designed and hand-crafted their Gear Glamour dress, which was made solely from the parts of two bikes and a bike cover. Not leaving any part unaccounted for, the ambitious designers formed their skirt from bike tyres, the wires were included in the underskirt and the train that trailed the dress was crafted by weaving together the recycled bike cover. The inner rubber tubing of the tyres were plaited and stitched together to form the corset, and a headpiece was created by using the remainder of the tyres as well as spokes, chains and brake cable. The outfit was completed by removing the heels of a second-hand pair of heeled sandals, which were then cleverly replaced by old gear cogs stacked upon each other. 'When we formed our group and began our project, we realised that we all have a different set of skills and focusing on our strengths as a team is what helped us complete our design,' explained Kayla. Kayla also outlined that the inspiration from the design came from their rural community, as their school is located in south county Wexford, and students are heavily reliant on cars and busses to get to school. Inspiring others to reduce their carbon footprint where possible is what led the girls to focus their project around cycling and bikes. When the team reached the national finals, Ellen, who modelled the design for Gear Glamour, described the announcement of the result while she was on stage as 'the most amazing feeling ever'. 'The adrenaline was rushing through me and it's all a bit of a blur because it happened so quickly, but it was really amazing to be up there on stage in front of the crowd,' she added. In addition to being proud of their work and making it to the world stage, Ellen described Junk Kouture as a great initiative to be involved with as 'it has opened so many doors already.' Gear Glamour is one of the top 10 teams in the country that has progressed to the international stage, flying the flag high for Ramsgrange in the World finals which see groups from Abu Dhabi, London, Milan, New York and Paris all compete to be crowned the coveted overall Junk Kouture champion. Anna explained that the Gear Glamour girls are hoping the upcoming announcement for the world event, which is due to be held in 2026, will take them overseas. 'This year's world competition was held in Dublin, and if they decide to host it in a country abroad next year, our accommodation and our flights will be included, which is nice, but that the question we're being asked from all angles – 'where are worlds on?' and we're really looking forward to finding out and taking a trip together, with our designated Educator, Sharon McGee,' said Anna. As the trio will be moving from TY to fifth year in September, Kayla's advice to anyone who may be apprehensive about the programme and getting involved in the programme is to 'honestly, dive in." "Take advantage of every single opportunity. There's so much to do in TY, and if you don't take advantage of those opportunities, then you get nothing out of it. Junk Kouture is just one of the many, many things that we have done and TY has been an amazing experience, it's been unbelievable and I'd recommend it to everybody,' she concluded.
Irish Independent
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
See photos as colour run for Sunbeam House makes splash in Wicklow
The students were thrilled to welcome some of Sunbeam's clients who took part in the warm-up and even helped to motivate the students by throwing water balloons at them! It was an afternoon of fun, which started with some games and finished with a dip in the sea, while the main event saw students take on three laps of the obstacle course on the school pitch. Some of the TY students completed both work experience and an element of their Gaisce award with Sunbeam House Services this year, so they felt it would be the perfect cause for this year's fundraiser. Coláiste Ráithín hopes to nurture and grow their relationship with Sunbeam House Services over the coming years as both sides feel they can learn a lot from each other. The school wishes to thank Ruth and Gary from the Bray Sports Promotion Unit, Rebecca McKenna and the clients from Sunbeam House Services, and all of the students and teachers and parents who made the afternoon such a success.
