to view College Newsletter Spring 2014
Transcription
to view College Newsletter Spring 2014
Pres boys Peter O’Mahony and Simon Zebo star for Munster, Ireland and The Lions Report by Principal Ken Whyte This issue of the Pres Gazette is overshadowed by the untimely passing of Daniel Crowley, one of our 2nd Year students last November. Our deepest sympathies go to Daniel’s family- his parents Majella and Donal, and his siblings, Seán (Class of 2013), Katie and Alannah. I would really like to commend and thank our students, both past and present, and our staff for the dignified way they responded to this most tragic event, and in particular, the way they shared Daniel’s final journey. Daniel brought joy to all who knew him, may he now rest in peace. This Gazette is a record of the many aspects of ‘Pres’ life; academic, sporting and cultural that have occurred since the last edition. In essence, it celebrates the learning experience in its totality. In particular, we celebrate the exceptional results of our students in the 2013 Leaving Certificate and Junior Certificate examinations. This year’s Leaving Cert highlights include an average CAO points achieved by all students of 472. Within this average, 67% of our students achieved over 450 points, with 39% of students achieving over 500 points and three students achieving a maximum points total. In the Junior Certificate, results were excellent yet again this year. National averages were significantly beaten by our students with two students achieving the maximum of 12 A grades and two others getting 11 A grades. In the sporting world, as we enter the initial rounds of the Junior and Senior Munster Schools’ Rugby cups, we wish our teams and their coaches much success. The Pres Gazette requires quite a lot of preparation. I would like to thank our editor Don Buckley, for putting together the various articles and co-ordinating its design and printing. Finally, I would like to thank all those staff, students, parents and past pupils who help to maintain the traditions of ‘Pres’ and wish them all well for 2014. Ken Whyte Ken Whyte Principal Leaving Certificate 2013: Six PBC students score over 600pts! Photo shows (l-r) Eoin McSwiney (Law, UCC), David O’Halloran (Medicine, UCC), Conor Casey (Math Science, UCC), Oisín Kidney (Medicine, Magdalen College, Oxford), Seán Crowley (Medicine, UCC), Jack Owens (Veterinary, UCD) and 6th Year Head, Deirdre O’Keeffe. We wish them the very best of luck in their future careers! Junior Certificate 2013: PBC students achieve maximum grades! Photo shows (l-r) 4th Year students, Fiachra Kelleher and Shane McCarthy, pictured after receiving awards for attaining the maximum 12 A Grades in the 2013 Junior Certificate Examination. SHARE Fast and Collection Christmas 2013 During the Christmas of 1970, SHARE was born. Founded by the late Brother Jerome Kelly and a group of 12 students from Pres, it has changed the lives of so many of Cork’s senior citizens for the better. SHARE has grown bit by bit each year and now provides over 200 homes across the city. This Christmas (2013), the new SHARE executive continued this uniquely Cork tradition when we ran the annual Christmas Fast and Collection in the city. I’m sure you saw us in our bright yellow jackets, with the familiar crib in Daunt Square. It is SHARE’s only collection of the year and all money raised goes straight into providing services for SHARE residents. We braved the weather and spent ten hours on the streets of the city every day for nine days. It was a huge challenge for us, but an experience that we will always take pride in. This year’s Executive, the 43rd version of same, consists of 56 students from 20 schools right across the city. We meet every Thursday in one of the SHARE complexes and together we plan our projects. We met for the first time in late September, which is hard to believe as we have grown so close over the past few months, especially on the lead up to Christmas when we attended several Christmas parties and dinners for the residents. This was a great chance for us to bridge the growing gap between our generations and make friends we wouldn’t normally be given the chance to make. Our work continues for the entire year as we organise various events and visit the residents each week at their homes. Now for the rest of the school year it is our chance to think of new ways to contribute to the ever evolving entity that SHARE has become, and shape it in a way that we believe will further benefit the residents and the executives that will follow us into the future. Our theme for this particular year is ‘Passion, Dignity and Respect’ and as an Executive, we hope we have promoted these ideals and striven to live by them during our work. As Chairman, I would like to thank everyone who supported us during the Christmas Fast and Collection. Your generosity is greatly appreciated and you can be assured that it makes a big difference to the lives of many senior citizens in Cork. Michael McGrath, Chairman, SHARE Executive Br Martin Kenneally (Congregation Leader, Presentation Brothers) with Michael McGrath (Chairman, SHARE) at the launch of the 2013 SHARE Christmas Fast and Collection. SHARE Chairman Michael McGrath, launches the 2013 SHARE Fast and Collection at Daunt Square. Also included is Co-Deputy Chairman Caolan O’Flynn. Pictured outside the Br Jerome Kelly Day Centre (l-r), Co-Deputy Chairmen SHARE, Martin O’Farrell and Caolan O’Flynn with Br Martin Kenneally and SHARE Chairman Michael McGrath. A group of SHARE collectors pictured in the city centre during the SHARE Christmas Collection 2013 (l-r) Michael Whooley (PBC), Michael Sheehan (PBC), Neil O’Brien (CBC) and Rory McCarthy (CBC). A large group of SHARE collectors pictured in Daunt Square, December 2013 with, from left: Michael McGrath (Chairman, SHARE), Bishop of Cork and Ross, John Buckley, Lady Mayoress Cllr Catherine Clancy, CoI Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross Rev Paul Colton and Co-Deputy Chairmen, SHARE, Caolan O’Flynn and Martin O’Farrell. PresLink Committee 2014 Back Row (l-r): Ronan Dennehy, Dean Callanan, Tom Murphy, Shane O’Brien, Andrew O’Riordan, Ken Greally, David Geaney-O’Brien, Ben Murphy and Dylan Dineen. Middle Row (l-r): William O’Brien, Evan O’Brien, Shane McCarthy, Shane Donegan, Jack O’Sullivan, Eoin O’Shea, Conor Ormond, Brian O’Mahony, Jimmy Costello, Michael Shinkwin, Fiachra Kelleher and Darragh Holmes. Front Row (l-r): Alex O’Carroll, Daniel Griffin, Martin Keohane, Ryan O’Connell, Kane Collins, Luke Holmes, James O’Connor and Jack O’Mahony. Ruairí McIntyre and Cian Morgan accompanied by the 1st Year bodhrán players open the Christmas Carol Concert with the ‘Little Drummer Boy’. PresLink Goldrush and Bag Packing raises almost e8,500! We started the year with our Goldrush event with 1st, 2nd and 3rd Years collecting all their spare coins over the summer months. Once again, we were thrilled with the response to this very exciting event, with a grand total of e3,171 raised. Class 2/1, the eventual winners thoroughly enjoyed their prize! As in previous years, the Annual Bag Packing was a resounding success this year. They took place on Friday, December 20th and Saturday December 21st in Dunnes Stores, Bishopstown Court. We would like to sincerely thank Dunne Stores, for facilitating this event during their busiest time of the year. 2nd and 3rd Year students participated, raising over e5,171 for a great cause - Presentation Brothers’ projects abroad. We really appreciate the effort made by the students who took part, and particularly all of their parents for making the event possible. A big ‘Thank You’ also to members of Pres staff and the PresLink Committee who gave up huge amounts of their spare time over that weekend to supervise our bag packers. We are really grateful for your continued support of our efforts. Dylan Dinneen and Jack O'Sullivan, 4th Year PresLink Committee PresLink - exciting forthcoming events! We have a number of exciting fundraisers planned for the 2nd term. Guesstimation Elevation will be run for all year groups. The aim of the game is to guess how many rugby balls can fit in the school lift. This will show how much we really know about rugby!! We are also looking for ideas on a variation of a non uniform day, maybe funny hats? The odd shoe? An alternative tie? Please let us know! The biggest of this year’s events, however, was certainly the 4th Year Ball, held recently in The Montenotte Hotel. We are hoping that this might become an annual event, because of the huge success of the night! Once again, the entire PresLink Committee would like to thank you all for your continuing support and we hope that you are enjoying the various fundraising events. Next year, be ready for the Christmas Jumper Day!!! Daragh Holmes, 4th Year PresLink Committee Photo shows 4th Year PresLink Committee counting the proceeds of bag packing. PBC Graduate News Peter O’Mahony A member of the Class of 2008 and Senior Rugby captain that year, Peter is now established as one of Munster and Ireland’s best and most influential players. Having cemented his place in the Munster team, Peter was first capped at senior level against Italy in 2012. In 2013, he succeeded Doug Howlett as Munster captain and was Ireland’s captain for last year’s tour of North America. He was part of the Ireland team that lost so narrowly to New Zealand in November 2013, and has since returned to the Munster set up, leading them to the knockout stages of this season’s Heineken Cup and scoring the bonus point try versus Edinburgh. He’s now preparing for the Six Nations Championship and will have been buoyed by the recent news that he has been nominated for this season’s ERC European Player-of-the-Year. Well done Peter! Simon Zebo Simon, also a member of the class of 2008, has enjoyed a meteoric rise to rugby fame in the last two years. Two Heineken Cup hat-tricks against Northampton and Racing Metro in recent seasons placed him firmly in the media spotlight and he was first capped by Ireland against New Zealand in June 2012. His 2013 rugby year is best remembered for his outrageous ‘heel –flick’ that set up a try and a victory against Wales in the 2013 Six Nations, and undoubtedly led to his selection by the Lions, playing a part in their winning series in Australia this summer. Simon was also nominated Cork Personof-the Month for February. After a recent injury, Simon returned to the Munster squad in last month’s Heineken Cup games against Gloucester and Edinburgh, scoring a late try against the Scottish team. Go for it Simon! Conail Murphy Conail, Head Boy 2009, recently graduated from UCC with an Honours degree in Process and Chemical Engineering. He has received a prestigious Petronas Scholarship to study for a Masters Degree in Petroleum Engineering, and will travel to Malaysia next May to begin that exciting course. We are delighted to hear about his academic achievements to date and all at PBC wish Conail every success in the future! Conail Murphy UCC Medicine Graduates 2013 Seven past pupils from Presentation Brothers College graduated in Medicine at the 2013 University College Cork Summer Conferrings. Photo shows (l-r): Philip Bredin, Aiden Twomey (Deputy Principal, PBC) Charlie Sullivan, Deirdre O'Keeffe (6th Year Head PBC), Peter Moriarty, Joe Clair, Tim Keady, Colum Dennehy, Sam Marks and Kevin Murphy. All at Pres are very proud of the new doctors and wish them every success in their careers! NUI Galway Sports Scholarships 2013 / 2014 Photo shows (l-r): Kevin Neville (Rowing), Ronan O’Sullivan (Basketball) and Paddy Higgins (Rowing) who received Sports Scholarships from NUI Galway. We congratulate the lads and look forward to reading more about them on the sports pages in the years ahead! PBC Dramat Every year, Presentation Brothers College run a production of a play chosen by our director Kieran Ahern. The play chosen this year is ‘All My Sons’ by Arthur Miller. The play selected this year will present yet another brilliant and dramatic story: ‘All My Sons’ exposes the desolation of the American dream through a story of love, loss and hope. In Joe and Kate Keller's family garden, an apple tree - a memorial to their son Larry, lost in the Second World War - has been torn down by a storm. But his loss is not the only part of the family's past that they can't put behind them. ‘All My Sons’ is a moving, powerful drama and the first great play from one of the finest playwrights of the twentieth century. This year’s production will showcase a remarkable collection of young talent as we have the return of 5th Year's Tom Monahan and Rory Holohan taking the roles of Joe Keller and Jim Bayliss respectively, and a return of Mount Mercy's Ailsa Coughlan in the role of Kate Keller. Our newcomers from 4th Year are Matthew Palliser-Kehoe, Fiachra Kelleher and Ronan Dennehy, who will be taking up the roles of the son Chris, friend George and neighbour Frank, respectively. We have been fortunate enough to recruit marvellous new talent for our female roles, as Mount Mercy's Eva Doyle and Cathy Brown and St Aloysius' Jodie Herrity will tackle the roles of the torn Annie, the troublesome neighbour Sue and the bubbly neighbour Lydia, respectively. Last but not least, our very own 1st Year student, Cian Morgan will be playing the kid Bert, from across the street. Our production this year is yet another display of this College’s remarkable creative talent which is, of course, only possible under the accomplished direction of Kieran Ahern. Photo shows back row (l-r): Rory Holohan, Ronan Dennehy, Tom Monahan, Cian Morgan, Matthew Palliser-Kehoe and Fiachra Kelleher. front row (l-r): Cathy Brown, Ailsa Coughlan, Eva Doyle and Jodie Herrity. A well deserved standing ovation for the cast. Cast and Crew of ‘All My Sons’: Back row (l-r): Andrew Daly, Eanna O’Leary-Hegarty, Rory Holohan, Kieran Ahern (Director), Ronan Dennehy, Tom Monahan, Cian Morgan, Matthew Palliser-Kehoe, Fiachra Kelleher, Kate McCarthy, Aoife Coffey and Julie McStay. Front row (l-r): Justin Aherne, Daniel Griffin, James Scanlan, Cathy Brown, Ailsa Coughlan, Eva Doyle, Jodie Herrity, Rebekah O’Doherty. Louise Dinan and Shauna Williams. Foreground (l-r): Colin Maguire and Tony O’Donoghue. Pres Debating Society Photo shows top row (l-r) Mel Holohan, David Higgins and Mark O’Connor. Middle row (l-r) Oisín Kirby-McNamara, Tony Cusack, Tadhg Cowhig, Hugh Fitzgerald, Mark O’Gorman, Jack Madden and teacher Annette Barry. Front row (l-r) Cian Harley, John Whyte, Misha O’Flynn, Joshua Greene, Cian O’Shea and Adam Hallissey. Junior Debating 1st Year Debating - There were two major competitions for 1st Years in the period up to Christmas. The November League was run over three weeks with local schools, Mount Mercy, St Aloysius and ourselves taking part in a high quality and fun-filled event. The Matheson Mace Debate (Munster Section) was held in November in Pres, consisting of five debates held over a single day . Ruairí McIntyre and I subsequently won through to the National finals . The weekly inhouse debates were very enjoyable, but also topical in the motions chosen. For instance, we had a debate about the relevance of Seanad Éireann and its potential abolition shortly before the actual Seanad Referendum was held in October. These debates certainly help us to prepare for more competitive debates outside of the College. The Senior debaters have also been very helpful by adjudicating and giving us honest and relevant feedback after each in-house debate. Overall, my involvement with the Debating Society to date has been a most positive and educational experience, and has certainly motivated me to continue debating into the future. Tadhg Cowhig, 1st Year 2nd Year Debating - It has been an eventful and most enjoyable year yet again for the Junior members of the Pres Debating Society. Our regular Friday afternoon meetings (where new members are always welcome!) kept us busy from the beginning of September. We have also been busy at county, provincial and even national debates! Pres students did outstandingly well in the Matheson All-Ireland Mace Debate, Munster Round, held in the Dan Donovan Theatre, where four of our students qualified out of a total entry of 72! These included two 1st Years, for whom this is an achievement not to be forgotten. The traditional competition, the Cork City Schools’ Shield is also well underway with the upcoming final taking place late in January. John Whyte (1st Year) and I have qualified for the final as a team and Hugh Fitzgerald (2nd Year) has gone all the way to the final as an individual speaker! 2nd Year Debating (continued) The debating year is far from over though, and I would urge any Junior students with even a passing interest in public speaking to come along to our meetings and join in the fun. I would like to thank Ms Annette Barry for the tremendous effort she has put into the development of the Society. I would also like to thank the very hardworking and enthusiastic Senior members of the Debating Society, who come along to adjudicate and provide excellent advice to us on our speaking. So as you can see the Debating Society has come on in leaps and bounds, and we don't plan on stopping yet! A bright future most certainly lies ahead! Adam Hallissey, 2nd Year Senior Debating Back (l-r): Colm McBride, Shane McCarthy, Ian Coleman, Dan O’Mahony, Timmy Peters, Sam Browne and teacher Ronan O’Mahony. Front row (l-r): Rory Holohan, Fiachra Kelleher, Brian Walsh, Areeb Mian, Cathal Walsh and Daire O’Herlihy. Senior Debating 2013 / 2014 - So far this year, Senior Debating in the school has grown quite considerably. This is great for the Society and indeed the school, as more and more Pres students are now learning the art of rhetoric and acquiring skills that will stand to many of them in the years to come! We in the Society have also enjoyed a good start to our competitive year with two teams and an individual getting through to the semi-finals of the UCC Philosophy Debate, which will take place later on this month. Back in September, Daire O’Herlihy and Dan O’Mahony reached the Semi-Final of the UCD L and H Mace. Congratulations must also go out to Cathal and Brian Walsh, who reached the quarter finals of this competition. Our teams have also done very well in the many Youth Parliaments that have taken place in Cork and Rotterdam this year. In particular, special congratulations must go out to Brian Walsh, who received an Honourable Mention for his outstanding work within his committee at NatMUN in UCC back in October. For the next few months, we hope to continue the development of the Society, as well as continuing with the important coaching and organisation for Junior Debating, that many of our Senior members are only too happy to help with. Finally, we would also like to thank our fantastic Debating Teacher and mentor Ronan O’Mahony for the tremendous commitment and expertise he gives the Society on an ongoing basis. Dan O’Mahony, 5th Year SCIENCE MATTERS PBC Lego Robotics Team 2014 Photo shows (l-r): Sean O'Reilly, Cian Harley, Hugh Fitzgerald and Luke Schumm. Students from the PBC Lego robotics team who participated in the inter-schools competition on the 6th of February in CIT. The students prepared for the competition by attending classes in UCC and CIT and collaborated with their mentor Dr Khosrov Sadeghipour from the Tyndall National Institute. The students then programmed their robot to complete a number of tasks at the competition. Lynda Meiklejohn CanSat Competitors 2014 Photo shows (l-r): Brian Casey, Eoin Treacy and Martin Keohane. BT Young Young Scientist 2013/2014 The BT Young Scientist Exhibition is the largest youth science competition in Ireland. It was set up in 1963. Since then, it has grown to become one of the most prestigious and highly renowned competitions in Europe. The total entries were over 2,000, of which 550 exhibited in the RDS. Only one group from PBC was selected to enter and present for exhibition. This 5th Year group of John Ryan-Purcell, Areeb Mian and Colm McBride decided to do a continuation of our previous year’s project entitled ‘The Best Way to Write’, with the main goal of the project being to find the best handwriting posture. Poor handwriting has existed since the invention of the writing instrument. No doubt that Romans carving into wax tablets with their styli suffered from the same pains and aches that we do today after long periods of writing. Good handwriting practices can lead to faster, neater and more efficient handwriting. We endeavoured to work out the various ways to improve your handwriting, while still maintaining legibility and control. Last year, we used simple pressure sensors on pens to determine roughly which style was the most efficient, particularly with regard to the force exerted on the pen. This year, we expanded on that concept, building a pressure sensor glove which was capable of determining the pressure exerted on specific points on the hand (primarily the fingers) which are associated with holding the pen. This enabled us to vastly improve our results and obtain a far larger data set, which in turn improved the accuracy and conclusions of our project. We also developed an iOS Application that is currently available on the Apple App Store. The exhibition itself was hugely rewarding. We received a ‘Highly Commended’ award in the Senior Category of the Chemical, Physical & Mathematical section of the competition. To any students thinking of participating next year, we would definitely recommend it, as it truly was a worthwhile and brilliant experience! Areeb Mian, 5th Year Photo shows (l-r) Micheál Martin TD, Areeb Mian, John Ryan-Purcell, Colm McBride and Gill Madden, BT PR at the BT Young Scientist Exhibition where the Pres lads won a 'Highly Commended' award for their project. 1st Year students enjoying the exhibits during Science Week Photo shows (l-r) James Ginnely, Mark Fitzgibbon, James McCann, Fergal Hayes, David Hyde, Mark McLoughlin, Peter Hyde, Max Kelleher, Peter Dunne, Harry Fitzgerald and Abdullah Khan. The Gaisce Awards Last year, during our Transition Year, Luke Gayer and I completed The Gaisce President’s Award. The main objective of these awards is to develop young people through the achievement of personal challenges. We both completed the Bronze Award, in which we had to complete four different types of activities. These were community involvement, personal skills, a recreational activity, and an adventure journey, all of which had to be completed over 26 weeks. We needed to do one hour of each activity for thirteen weeks and an additional thirteen weeks for one of the activities. For my community involvement, I did tennis coaching in Ballinlough Tennis Club. Every Wednesday afternoon, for a 2½ hour period, I coached a group of primary school children, aged 6-9 (with a little bit of assistance of course!). This was by far the most fulfilling of the activities, because it actually forces you to do something that you wouldn’t ordinarily be used to or comfortable with. The recreational activity was by far the easiest. In this all you have to do is play a sport once a week, now how hard is that??? As it happened, for my personal skill, I chose to do the ECDL, and as this was a module already in place in the TY programme in Pres, I was able to incorporate it into the Gaisce. This was absolutely ideal for me as it freed up additional time for the outside school activities. Strictly speaking, everyone in Transition Year completes the adventure journey. When we complete our Outdoor Pursuits Module in the first week of the school year, that is the obligation fulfilled. Once you commit to your activities at the start of the year you can’t change them, and every few weeks your log has to be signed off by your Gaisce PAL (your mentor). So it’s crucial to keep your log up to date. Overall, I found the Gaisce to be a thoroughly enjoyable and worthwhile experience. Although it does involve a commitment once you sign up, I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending the Gaisce Awards to anyone. Ian Coleman 5th Year Photo shows (l-r): 5th Year students Ian Coleman and Luke Gayer who both received Bronze Gaisce Awards during their Transition Year. Class 1/1 2013 Class 1/1 with Class Teacher Ronan O’Mahony Class 1/2 2013 Class 1/2 with 1st Year Head Mary O’Connor First Year students of 2013 We warmly welcome all our new First Years and hope they enjoy their years in Pres. Copies of the 1st Year class photographs are available to purchase. Please visit www.adrianoherlihy.com for details. Class 1/3 2013 Class 1/3 with 1st Year Head Mary O’Connor Class 1/4 2013 Class 1/4 with 1st Year Head Mary O’Connor Tobar na Gaeilge - An Foireann Soisireach An Foireann Soisireach (l-r): Reggie Kavanagh, Bean Uí Mhurchú agus Seán MacCraith. Arís i mbliana bhí dhá fhoireann díospóireachta againn a ghlac páirt i gComórtas díospóireachta an Phiarsaigh. Rinne an dá fhoireann dul chun cinn an-mhaith ach tháinig deireadh lena réimeas i gCathair Phort Láirge ar an 14 Eanáir 2014. Thug an dá fhoireann taispeántas den scoth an oíche sin ach ní bhfuair siad an lámh in uachtar... Beidh lá eile ag an bPaorach! Tobar na Gaeilge - An Foireann Sinsireach An Foireann Sinsireach (l-r): Micheal MacCraith, An tUsal Mhic Eoin, Fiachra Ó Ceallachair agus Dara Holmes. Pres unlucky not to retain their title in Cork Schools French Quiz 6th Year Team (l-r): Neil Collins, Conor O'Donovan, Patrick Lee and Aaron Daly. Our 6th and 5th Year teams took part in the annual Cork Schools’ French Quiz in Bishopstown Community School last November. We won this quiz in 2012 and were unlucky to retain the title this year, when, after a lot of hard work, we came second. Congratulations to all the lads on both teams on their heroic efforts. Mrs O’Connor Movember: Staff and students unite in fight against male cancers Back row (l-r) PBC staff members Eoin Hennessy, Sean O’Brien, Colmán Ó Tuama, Carl Sweeney, John Mullarkey, Fran Keane, Kieran Ahern and Deputy Principal Aiden Twomey. Middle row (l-r): Ciarán Cremin, Cathal Murphy, Sam Browne, Eoin Molloy, David St Leger, Brian O’Mahony, Conor Murphy, Patrick Fitzgerald, Jerry Clifford, Dave O’Brien, Dylan Desmond and Shane Guerin Front row (l-r): Cian O’Brien, Cormac Mulcahy, Ultan Hill, Rory O’Sullivan, Stephen Punch, Richard Burke, Denis Desmond, David O’Sullivan, Michael Grufferty, Robin Reidy and Brian McCarthy. Class 3/3 triumphant in College Maths Quiz! The team from 3/3 who won this year’s Maths Quiz (l-r): Gunjeet Ahawalia, Jack Blake, Cillian Barry and Ruairí Collier. Maths Poster Competition Winners 2013 Maths Poster Competition Winners (l-r): Alex Guerin (1/1), Daniel Ghori (1/2), Rory Ip (1/4) and Scott Keating (1/3). Maths Week was held nationwide in October. Students participated in various Maths events throughout the week. 1st Years drew some fabulous posters with a Math’s Theme which were displayed around the College. Congratulations to the winners of the 1st Year Math’s Poster Competition Alex Guerin 1/1, Daniel Ghori 1/2, Scott Keating 1/3 and Rory Ip 1/4. Thank you to the Art Department, Nora Walsh and Brian Casey for their assistance. 3rd Years participated in a Maths Table Quiz over six rounds. The result was close and a tie-break was avoided! The eventual winners were a team from Class 3/3 with Cillian Barry, Ruairí Collier, Jack Blake and Gunjeet Ahluwalia. The collaboration between Pres and UCC Maths Department continues with students invited to participate in Maths enrichment class in UCC. In addition, the Maths Circle is run in school for 1st Years one evening per week. They are encouraged and helped in dealing with Maths problems in a fun atmosphere. This year, a past pupil, Brian Treacy, returns under the direction of the UCC Maths Department Enrichment Programme as a tutor. Thanks Brian! The Irish Beaver Computing Contest (IBCC) took place recently. Students who had participated in the Irish European Science Olympiad were invited to take part. The challenge focused on encouraging and engaging students in computational and logical thinking. The students involved thoroughly enjoyed the experience. A huge thank you to Willie O’Keeffe for facilitating the contest in the Computer Room. 4th Year History visit to Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin When we first heard the news that both 4th Year history classes would be visiting Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin, we were very excited and we’re sure the rest of the classes felt the same way! We made our initial journey to Glasnevin on January 10th, accompanied by Ms Walsh, Mr O'Riordan and Mr Gleeson. On our arrival, we were immediately blown away by the sheer size of the cemetery itself, and we later learned that over 1.5 million people are buried there. We were brought into the museum, which houses many interesting artefacts from different periods of history, and were given an informative lecture from our tour guide. We later visited the cemetery itself. We were told that if you walked all the way around the cemetery, it would take you over two and a half hours, and after only experiencing just a fraction of what it had to offer, we can confirm that that is no lie! We visited the graves of many great Irish historical figures including Daniel O'Connell, Eamon De Valera and Michael Collins. Interestingly, there is actually a grave that you can purchase which is located only a few metres away from Michael Collins, but it would cost you e70,000! We really enjoyed the tour and only wish we had more time to walk around and experience it fully. Afterwards, we returned to the museum and were each given a historical character or event to study, the objective being to come up with a presentation to share with our classmates when we returned two weeks later. On January 23rd, we returned, accompanied this time by Mr Sheehan and Mr Gleeson. After a week of painstaking research and learning, we were confident and excited about presenting our work, as well as a little nervous! We really enjoyed giving our presentations and were very taken by our classmate’s research. The trip was certainly one of the highlights of 4th Year thus far and we must thank the College and all the teachers involved for making this possible. We felt truly privileged to have visited such a renowned historical landmark, and we would encourage every student who has a passion for history to strive to be involved in such a worthwhile experience. Dean Callanan, David O’Donovan, 4th Year The 4th Year students who visited Glasnevin Cemetery with teachers Eleanor Walsh, David O’Riordan and John Gleeson The grave of Charles Stewart Parnell in Glasnevin Cemetery Senior Ski Tour 2013/14 to Sansicario, Italy This year, during the Christmas holiday period, a combined group of 5th and 6th Years, together with a number of teachers, set out for a week’s skiing in Sansicario, located in the northwest of Italy, right on the border with France. The first leg of the journey involved a bus trip to Dublin, and once we got there we were delayed for two and a half hours, grounded because of storm force winds. Nevertheless, we eventually made it to Milan, with the dubious prospect of another three hour bus journey ahead of us! Once we got to the hotel and collected our ski gear, we did exactly what was expected of a group of lads who rarely see snow, we had a massive snowball fight! Despite the early wake up call, our first morning immediately got off to a good start when Mr O’Regan turned up to breakfast wearing vibrant yellow salopettes! After our first morning on the slopes, it was easy to see that all the talent was on display in the advanced group, yet beginners clearly won out in the entertainment stakes! After lunch, in our eagerness to get going again, all fourteen of the rookies took off down the slope out of the hotel. The combination of the first man falling trying to avoid a family out walking, lead to a hilarious fourteen-man pile up. From then on, anything involving beginners was recorded for posterity! The days consisted of four hours of lessons and two hours of free skiing, with lunch and dinner being used as a facility to catch up on all the latest videos and deciding who had the best fall of the day. The evening entertainment varied from a table quiz to a poker night. We rang in the New Year in a very loud manner, and Sansicario may well have gained a new tradition: forming a circle around a man who was screaming ‘Twist ‘n Shout’ at the top of his lungs! As the week went on, Antonio’s (the much put upon ski instructor!) patience with us beginners eventually wore thin! There was only so much of Crazy Horse’s antics and Sully’s refusal to turn going down the slope that Antonio could take, and this coupled with our inability to control our speed brought about some spectacular crashes! On our final day of skiing, Eugenio and Emmanuel (God help him!), took their groups across the border and cries of ‘My Group’ rang out in France for the day. It was a fantastic achievement to be able to say we skied from Italy to France and back. Once we alighted from the final cable car we were greeted by a sign which informed us that, on a scale of 1-5, the likelihood of an avalanche was a four and we were in the middle of a blizzard. Still, we carried on and had an outstanding day of skiing. Our return to the hotel sadly meant it was time for packing and that our trip was almost at an end. That said, in arriving back in Cork with no injuries to speak of, we had created a new ski-tour record for a PBC group!!! Denis Desmond Pres students on a rare moment of relaxation during the Ski Tour to Sansicario, Italy, Christmas 2013 (l-r) Paul Collins, Bryan O’Sullivan, Jack Murphy, Jamie Diggin, John Barry, Richard Burke, Niall Horgan, Don O’Mahony, Jack Carrigy and Donagh McCarthy. Munster Schools Swimming Championships 2013-14. The Gala was held in UL on Sunday December 15th 2013, and we left Pres at 6.00am with the warm-up beginning at 8.00am. Four students competed, travelling to the event with Denis Hegarty and Swim Coaches Diarmuid McAuliffe and Brian Clifford. Unfortunately, a lot of our older swimmers have now left school and are studying in UCC, where I am glad to say they are still involved in swimming. Therefore, although we were depleted in numbers this year, the good news is that we have a significant number of competitive swimmers entering Pres next year. Our team - although narrowly missing out on winning medals - did very well. You must consider that of our squad of four, only two are current competitive swimmers, Cian Harley (Dolphin Swim Club) and Ross McAuliffe ( Sundays Well Swim Club). Ross is also a member of the Cork High Performance Squad, a group selected from the top swimmers in Cork City and County. Squad Results: Daithí Kent David Higgins Cian Harley Ross McAuliffe 21st out of 29 18th out of 22 9th out of 25 20th out of 41 10th out of 16 4th out of 31 5th out of 16 Junior 100m Breaststroke Junior 100m Frontcrawl Intermediate 100m Breaststroke Junior 100m Frontcrawl Junior 200m Individual Medley Intermediate 100m Backcrawl Intermediate 200m Individual Medley The Squad also competed in both the Intermediate Medley and Freestyle Relays finishing 5th and 6th respectively. Brian Clifford, Coach Pres Swim Team pictured at the Munster Schools Swimming Gala held at the University of Limerick, December 2013. (l-r): Cian Harley, Daithí Kent, David Higgins, Denis Hegarty, Ross McAuliffe and Brian Clifford. Cricket in Pres is thriving! Good weather over the summer months proved to be the inspiration for some superb performances from young cricketers within the College. Chief amongst them was 17 year old Ian Coleman, who represented his school, Cork County CC, and his province throughout the season. The young opening batsman and wicket keeper helped Cork County win Division 3 of the Leinster League, securing promotion to Division 2 and he topped the wicket keeping averages by taking 21 catches and 3 stumpings throughout the course of the season! An unbelievable feat for someone so young, who without a doubt is destined for international honours in the near future. Well done, Ian! At underage level Aidan and Brian Kelleher, Martin Keohane, Cian and Diarmuid Carey and Harry Scannell were all capped for Munster, taking on a Leinster U15 side at the Mardyke. The Munster side, captained by our very own Aidan Kelleher, enjoyed a superb win over their provincial rivals. Aidan took matters into his own hands by scoring a match winning 43, which helped secure Munster’s first win against Leinster for many years. Aidan proved to be a great leader and an inspirational captain. Well done again Aidan! The summer also saw the founding of a new inter-schools competition, ‘The Galty Cup’ between Pres and Christians. The inaugural game of this new cup was won by Pres, thanks to some outstanding batting performances from Ian Coleman and Martin Keohane, allied to some hostile bowling from Hugh O’Brien who has now left the school and moved on to UCC. We wish him well. This was yet another great achievement for Pres Cricket, and we hope that ‘The Galty Cup’ will now become an annual tradition. It should also be noted that Diarmuid Carey, currently in 1st Year, was selected for the Ireland U13 squad during the summer. This is an another outstanding achievement considering his age, and very well deserved. In other news, Cork County CC won the treble this year for the first time in their history, consisting of the Leinster Division 3 title, the Munster Division 1 title, and the Munster Senior Cup. Their Senior team included plenty of Pres pupils, both past and present. As their main feeder school, Pres can lay claim to many Cork County players at all levels. This coming summer promises to be a very busy one for the school side. With games organised against local rivals, Christians and St Mary’s College in Dublin, there will be no lack of match practice for the side. Also, later on in the school year an indoor blitz will be organised for all 2nd Year students, with each class having their own team. There will be some excellent prizes so all 2nd Years are advised to get practising. Finally, much credit must go to past pupils, Ross Durrity and Kevin Bray, for their huge commitment to coaching in Pres. It is hoped that many new players will emerge this coming winter, with training in the school gym taking place every Friday after school from 3.15pm to 4.30pm, and every Saturday morning from 10.30am to 12.30pm All are very welcome to come along! Dermot Giltinan, Pres Cricket Coach PBC Cricket Team 2013 Back row (l-r): Ryan O’Connell, Areeb Mian, Cian Carey, Aidan Kelleher, Mike Varnum and Harry Scannell. Front row (l-r): Diarmuid Carey, Brian Kelleher, Ian Coleman, Cian O’Mahony and Martin Keohane. Exciting times for PBC Rowing! National Schools Champions 2013 The National Schools’ Regatta which took place in Farran Woods at the end of June last, proved to be a very successful day for the school, with Pres picking up two titles on the day. Twin brothers, David Keohane and Brian Keohane, took gold in the Open Pair’s event with Andrew McCarthy and Michael McGrath picking up an impressive win in the Open Double Sculls. Well done to both crews on a fantastic achievement! Belfast University Boat Race The college was invited to compete in the inaugural Schools Boat Race which was held as part of the annual Queens University-Trinity College Dublin Boat Race. We were also invited alongside four northern schools; Portora, MCB, RBAI and CAI along with Blackrock College Dublin to participate in a six school race held on the River Lagan in Belfast. After a great days’ racing, Pres was narrowly beaten into second place by Portora Royal School from Enniskillen. Internationals Four Pres RC athletes were selected to represent their country this summer and took part in the European Championships of Junior Rowing at the Coupe de la Jeunesse in Lucerne, Switzerland in August. This is the highest number of athletes selected in one year from the college’s rowing team and the first time that there have been athletes selected at European level, so a number of records have been set this past season. Brian Keohane and David Keohane were selected to represent Ireland in the J18 Coxless Four and Eight, and David Twomey achieved the great honour of being selected as cox to both the men’s and women’s Eights at the Coupe. Kevin Keohane had the distinction of being selected to represent Ireland at the Home International Regatta in Nottingham in July, and then being drafted into the Coupe squad as a very late injury replacement for one of the original crew members. This resulted in three Pres brothers rowing for Ireland in the Fours event in Lucerne. A very proud day for themselves, the Keohane family and the college. Heartiest congratulations on a magnificent achievement! Cork Sculling Ladder (September 2012 – March 2013) The annual Cork Sculling Ladder which starts in September finished up at the end of March with the college picking up an impressive hat-trick of wins. The competition, which saw over 120 single ‘scullers’ from all over Munster take part in the event over the winter months, finished up with wins in the Junior 16 (Brian Keohane), Junior 15 (Martin O’Farrell) and Junior 14 (Tom Cregan) categories. Well done to the three winners who recently received their awards at a presentation held in Cork Constitution RFC. Pirates and Piracy Thanks to everyone who attended our recent fundraiser where Stephen Hyde gave an excellent talk on his three year adventure sailing around the world. Thanks to all those who helped out on the night and it was great to see so many past pupils turn up to show their support. Past pupils continued rowing success Well done to past pupil John Griffin who won the Intermediate Four and Pair events at the National Championships in July representing UCC, and to Kevin Neville and Patrick Higgins who were members of the NUIG Eight that won the Intermediate Eights event. Well done also to all three of them as they each picked up a rowing scholarship from their respective universities in recognition of their achievements. Mens Pairs Winners at the Schools Regatta (l-r) David and Brian Keohane Pres International Rowers Mens Double Sculls Winners at the Schools Regatta at the Coupe De La Jeunesse, Lucerne, Switzerland, August 2013 (l-r) Brian Keohane, Kevin Keohane, David Twomey (Cox) and David Keohane. (l-r) Andrew McCarthy and Michael McGrath As always a sincere thanks to all the coaches, athletes, parents and supporters for all the commitment and dedication shown over the past year. It is greatly appreciated and valued. Fran Keane, Senior Rowing Coach Pres Rowers at the University Boat Race, Belfast 2013 (l-r) Michael McGrath, Martin O’Farrell, Brian Keohane, Jamie Mulcahy, Daniel Brohan, Tom Bond, Michael Grufferty, David Keohane and Kevin Keohane. Front: David Twomey (Cox) PBC Rugby 2013/14 Mid-Season Review 1st Years It's hard to believe that it's January already! Settling in and getting to know their new classmates in September is soon replaced by new bonds forged not only within the school, but also on the rugby pitch in Wilton. Rugby is the ultimate team sport, where each player must constantly rely on his friends and team mates for support. Indeed, anyone who has watched our 1st Year teams play this year would recognise that team spirit is particularly high in this group. They have huge regard for each other and play for the team, rather than for themselves. I firmly believe that our 1st Year group has both the talent and determination to develop into a very successful panel of players over the next few years. On the pitch there have been many highs, with recent victories over CBC, Rockwell and Clongowes just to mention a few. Off the field, our trip to the Aviva Stadium to see Ireland play Samoa was a great success as the boys got to see past pupil, Peter O’Mahony, play outstandingly well in a 40-9 victory. The season is far from over with games coming up against our great rivals, CBC as well as Terenure College and St Mary's College from Dublin, to name but a few. Rugby will continue into the third term and from then into the summer, with a huge focus on skill development. 2nd Years This year for the first time, following a proposal made by PBC, the McCarthy Cup was extended to two teams per school. Both PBC teams qualified for their respective semi-finals on the competition, only to lose out to Crescent in two very hard fought games. The teams continue to train and play with quality games coming up against Clongowes, Terenure, CBC, Bandon, Castleknock and St Mary's. A trip to the Aviva Stadium to watch Ireland play Italy is also being planned for the Six Nations game on March 8th next. This group will also play rugby in the third term, and a supervised strength and conditioning programme is also scheduled to take place in Wilton over the summer months. Junior Rugby This year has been a very positive year so far for all boys involved at Junior Cup level, with over 50 boys training and playing every week since last August. Competition for places in the Junior Cup squad has been intense and the coaches have had the welcome headache of having to choose from such a large and talented group. PBC Junior Cup players pictured in their 2014 Junior Cup kit, jointly sponsored by Tom Murphy Menswear, Patrick Street and Newmarket Motors Volkswagen (l-r): Jack B O’Sullivan, Jack O’Sullivan, Dean Callanan and Conor O’Flynn. Very best of luck lads! The Kidney Cup team lost their semi-final to the eventual winners of the competition, Castletroy College, going down to a penalty awarded in the last minute of the game. They have continued to play games and at the moment are on a very good run, having beaten both Midleton College and St Mary's College in recent weeks. Next year, like the McCarthy Cup, the Bowen Shield will be extended to two teams per school, so our Kidney Cup team will have a lot to play for next season! The Junior 1st XV also won in Dublin recently, beating St Mary's by 14-9. In the last few months, the boys have clocked up a lot of miles, playing in Dublin on five occasions and also in Belfast against RBAI. In Belfast, to cap off a good weekend, the boys visited the exciting Titanic Experience. The business end of the season is at hand and on February 5th next, JCT captain Jack O’Shea will lead his charges out at Musgrave Park to face CBC. Christians are many people’s favourites for the Junior Cup this year, but nothing brings out the best in a Pres team more than the sight of that red, yellow and black jersey of our greatest rivals! PBC Abu! Bowen Shield This year, for the first time, the Bowen Shield squad was fully integrated into the Senior Rugby set up. The boys also benefitted from a new arrangement with UCC and the Mardyke Arena, whereby they were facilitated over the summer months with supervised conditioning sessions. As a result, many of the boys returned to school in excellent physical condition for the season ahead. We see this group as a work in progress, and as such the focus in training has lately been largely concentrated on skill development and tactical awareness. That does not mean that all their games are over. A new initiative this season will see this squad take on the four regional Munster Club Development Squads as well as playing CBC and Rockwell College in the coming weeks. This group also has the small matter of a development tour to Italy to look forward to in June! After that tour, the Mardyke Arena will then be available for supervised gym sessions in preparation for the 2014/15 season. Photo shows (l-r): Former CBC, Munster and Ireland scrum half Tomás O’Leary, presenting a London Irish jersey to PBC Senior player Caolan O’Flynn, on the occasion of the visit of London Irish RFC to the College in August 2013. Senior Rugby The Senior Cup Preliminary Round was a very tense affair. We expected a tough game and got it in spades. Bandon Grammar are a good side, widely acknowledged as their best team in years. We did what we had to do to get into the next round and it is a credit to the lads that we came back from 9-0 half-time deficit to win 15-9. It was a hard battle, but one that can only benefit us in the games that lie ahead. Pres took on St Munchins in the 1st Round proper of the Senior Cup on January 29th in Musgrave Park. The game itself was a hard fought contest, ending in an 8-8 draw, the Pres scores coming from a Conor Flanagan penalty and a brilliant Cian Collins try. Unfortunately, as St Munchins scored the first try of the game, they were deemed winners and were rewarded with a home quarter final. Pres must now travel to Limerick to take on the Cup holders and favourites Crescent Comprehensive, in a game that will take place on Wednesday February 12th. I would also like to take this opportunity to invite all parents of Pres students to attend the Cup games at both Senior and Junior levels. Pres is a community in which the parents play a vital role. It would be great to see the whole Pres community in Musgrave Park supporting the ‘Black and Whites’ in the coming weeks. Coaches PBC Rugby could not function without the dedication of the teachers involved and all of the parents who give up their free time to help with each age grade. On behalf of the College, I would like to thank the teachers and these parent/coaches for the gift of their free time and energy. It is hugely appreciated! I would also like to thank Principal Ken Whyte and all the staff for their continued support of rugby in PBC. Finally, in closing, I would like to thank Val, Marie, Edwin and Barry for all the unseen work that they do behind the scenes for PBC Rugby. Without their contribution, we would all be lost! Caleb Sheehan, Games Master Munster Schools U18 Representatives 2013-14 Photo shows (l-r): Paul Kiernan (Munster Captain), John Poland, Joe Ring and Caolan O’Flynn. We congratulate the lads on their selection for Munster and look forward to seeing them in the senior red jersey in the near future. PBC Rugby: A big ‘Thank You’ to all our sponsors As rugby continues to evolve and develop, some believe it will shortly become a completely elitist sport, and deny some boys the chance of fulfilling their dreams by putting on the Pres jersey and playing for the school. However, the PBC philosophy with regard to schools’ rugby remains steadfast: ‘There is a place in Wilton for all boys to play rugby at a level which they can enjoy, and where they can learn the skills of the game.’ We would like to sincerely thank all our partners and sponsors who help us to maintain the PBC ethos on an ongoing basis to fund a rugby programme for all levels, that is run throughout the entire school year. Tom Murphy Menswear, Patrick Street and Newmarket Motors together with Volkswagen are the sponsors of PBC’s Senior and Junior Cup teams for 2014. Their financial support helps run five U14 teams and four U15 teams, as they travel to Dublin and Limerick for fixtures. Over 200 boys now play regular rugby throughout the year, and in so doing learn the basics of the game. A huge ‘Thank You’ must also go to the PBC Board of Management; all the teachers, ancillary staff, volunteer coaches, cheer leaders, parents and past pupils. Without them and their valuable contributions, nothing would happen on or off the field and boys would become disillusioned. But, as the old Irish seanfhocal says, ‘Mol an óige agus tiocfaidh sí.’ Céad míle buíochas to all the partners and sponsors of PBC Rugby from the extended rugby community of the College! You are very much appreciated! Damien Philpott Photo shows (l-r): Senior Rugby players Conor Murphy and Rob Reardon pictured in their 2014 Senior Cup kit. Photo shows (l-r): PBC Senior Rugby players, Paul Kiernan (Senior Captain), Conor Murphy, Rob Reardon and Cormac Dineen pictured in their 2014 Senior Cup jerseys, jointly sponsored by Tom Murphy Menswear and Newmarket Motors Volkswagen. Also shown are (l-r) Margaret Barrett (Newmarket Motors), Paul Barr (PBC Senior Rugby Coach), DJ Browne (Commercial Specialist, Newmarket Motors), Damien Philpott (Asst Games Master, PBC), Annette Browne (Newmarket Motors), Michael Fitzgibbon (PBC Senior Rugby) and Caleb Sheehan (Games Master, PBC). Window to the Past: Notable Past Students Dick Fitzgerald, Sportsman Richard Fitzgerald (1882-1936), was born in College Street, Killarney on 2nd October 1882. His father was a merchant with a successful business, which specialised in the export of eggs, poultry and butter. Dick, as he was popularly known, was educated at the Monastery School, Killarney, after which he attended the St Brendan’s College, the Kerry Diocesan Junior seminary. Though he blossomed as a gifted footballer at St Brendan’s, the strong emphasis on Latin and Greek did not appeal to him, so he transferred to Mungret College, a Jesuit-run boarding school in Limerick. He stayed one year in Mungret, before transferring to the commercial class at Presentation College Cork, in 1902. While a student in Pres, Dick played Gaelic football for the GAA team, ‘Nils’, even though he was still only sixteen years of age. Dick Fitzgerald On his return to Killarney, Dick joined his local GAA club Dr Crokes, and for several years was the club’s outstanding player. He was duly chosen to represent Kerry and went on to be a member of Kerry All-Ireland teams between 1905 and 1914. Dick married Catherine Dillon from Killarney in 1925. Sadly she died eighteen months later. Dick himself died when he fell from the roof of the courthouse in Killarney in 1930. His funeral was held in Killarney the day after Kerry played in the 1930 All-Ireland Football Final. He was author of one of the first books on Gaelic football ‘How to Play Gaelic Football’ (1914). (Looney, King in a Kingdom of Kings. Dublin: Curragh Press: 2008) Frank Gallagher, Writer Frank Gallagher (1898-1962), was born in Cork in 1898. He attended Presentation College, Cork, together with his two brothers, starting in the Junior School and continuing through Secondary School to First University Examination in Arts. It will be recalled that, up to 1909, Pres prepared students for the Arts examinations of the Royal University of Ireland. Gallagher later related how Brother Ignatius Connolly found him his first job as a reporter on The Cork Free Press, thereby launching him on a distinguished journalistic career: ‘The Man came one day, an essay of mine in his hand, and asked me if I would like to work in a newspaper office. I grasped his free hand in reply. Thus was I launched on a career which led me into wars and insurrections, into jails and prison camps, into strategies and hunger strikes for many a glorious year’. (Gallagher, F, ‘Memories’, Ext Souvenir, 1954, 49-53). Frank Gallagher Gallagher joined the Irish Volunteers and, from 1919 to 1921, he worked with Erskine Childers on the underground Irish Bulletin. It never missed an issue. He sided with the Republicans after the Treaty and was imprisoned. He went on hunger strike and survived. In 1931, when Eamonn De Valera founded The Irish Press, he made Gallagher its first editor. In 1936, Gallagher became deputy editor of Radio Éireann. From 1939 to 1948, and from 1951 to 1954, he was Director of the Government Information Bureau. From 1954 until his death, he worked at the National Library preparing a Dictionary of National Biography, which, unfortunately was never completed. His publications include ‘Days of Fear’ (1928) and ‘Four Glorious Years’ (1953). Always grateful for his early educational formation in Pres, he died in Dublin in July 1962. Down Memory Lane Presentation Brothers College Cork The unbeaten rowing crew of 1939 Standing (l-r) A Hoare (No 2) and K Murphy (Bow) Sitting (l-r) E O’Mullane (Stroke), D Hurley (Cox) and DA Ahern No.3. Daniel Crowley RIP Dear Mr Whyte and all at PBC, Majella and I would like to sincerely thank you and all at Presentation Brothers College for all your prayers and support during Daniel’s illness and funeral. There are a number of teachers we would particularly like to mention: Aelín O’Donoghue, who kept in regular contact on Daniel’s welfare and provided great support in assuring us that the school would facilitate us in any way we required. Claire Lynch, his class teacher both during 1st and 2nd Year, the light you sent to bring him home was a lovely gift and one he really liked. We appreciate the many times he was prayed for at various masses and during daily school prayers. Thank you to School Chaplain Liam Lynch. We would also like to thank Claire Lynch and Enda Ronan who organised all the letters he received from his class mates in October. When Daniel read these he visualised being back in Pres with his many friends, and it gave him a really great lift. Although he only attended PBC from September to November 2012, he really enjoyed it and fitted in straight away. He was really excited about his basketball and had huge regard for his coach Seán Murphy and his pals on the team. We greatly appreciated the mark of respect that you all gave Daniel during his funeral, with the closure of the College, the huge attendance by both Pres teachers and students and the various Guards-ofHonour, both at the church and the graveyard. Daniel was an extraordinarily brave boy during his illness and we will be forever proud of him! Many thanks again for your hugely valued support. Donal and Majella Crowley Pres Gazette design: Charlie Neville t 431 4244 We’d also like to thank you for the many gifts that Aelín O’Donoghue and Claire Lynch organised, the signed rugby ball, signed Munster jersey, the class Get Well Card etc.
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