Gaisce
At the start of fourth year we were informed about Gaisce. I decided to take part as it was The President’s Award and it would look good on my CV. To complete Gaisce you have to do one hour a week for 13 weeks of a new skill, 13 weeks of physical recreation and 13 weeks of community service.You then have to chose one of those 3 topics and then do another 13 weeks. For my we skill I started pottery after school on a Wednesday I really enjoyed this as I like working with my hands. Also I made some good useful pieces. I picked Rugby as my Physical recreation. This was really enjoyable as we had a relatively good season and our coach was very good but kept it fun at the same time. For my community service I decided to join the 4th Year YSI (Young Social Innovators) this was a different experience for me and I really enjoyed it. The topic we decided to raise awareness for was homelessness. We organised several fundraisers and donated the money to Tiglin. I enjoyed this experience as a whole and hope to get my medal on TY night.
Musical
The musical was presented from the 6th to 8th of February to to the students during the day and whoever wanted to attend at night. It was a great success as the Junior school hall was black with people every night. It may have looked brilliant on the night but what the audience didn't see was the blood, sweat and tears that had gone into the production over the past few months.
We had begun learning our dances around 2 months before the production. Every form was designated 2 dances which Aisling taught brilliantly to everyone who was willing to partake. I was a just one of the dancers so my role wasn't hugely important although I really enjoyed been driven out of my comfort zone to partake in something I hadn't done before. The principals had a lot more work to do so were out of class much more. It started coming together after a few weeks and some dodgy dress rehearsals. The very clever stage was ready a week before the show. After some more dress rehearsals we had the run of things. I enjoyed my small time on the stage in my costume.
This has taught me not to always judge sometimes before I try it as I thought I wouldn't enjoy partaking in the musical but I was proven wrong. I felt the year enjoyed the musical as a whole but you can't please everyone. I thought the year really bonded over the duration of the musical.
We had begun learning our dances around 2 months before the production. Every form was designated 2 dances which Aisling taught brilliantly to everyone who was willing to partake. I was a just one of the dancers so my role wasn't hugely important although I really enjoyed been driven out of my comfort zone to partake in something I hadn't done before. The principals had a lot more work to do so were out of class much more. It started coming together after a few weeks and some dodgy dress rehearsals. The very clever stage was ready a week before the show. After some more dress rehearsals we had the run of things. I enjoyed my small time on the stage in my costume.
This has taught me not to always judge sometimes before I try it as I thought I wouldn't enjoy partaking in the musical but I was proven wrong. I felt the year enjoyed the musical as a whole but you can't please everyone. I thought the year really bonded over the duration of the musical.
Carlingford
The Monday we came back from the mid term we were bussed off to Carlingford. We arrived in Carlingford at around 12 O’Clock. Everyday we had 3 activities one in the morning, one the afternoon and one at night. Our first activity was laser tag which I really enjoyed. It was situated on the side of a mountain overlooking the picturesque town. We were split into two teams and played several games of fight to the death. I really enjoyed this activity. This was my favourite afternoon activity.
Some of my other favourite activities were the canoeing despite the freezing cold water and the zip lining which was a really unique and special experience. I really enjoyed the trip and feel the year really bonded as a group as we were together nearly all day everyday. Personally I got to know people I wouldn't usually talk to better due to the circumstances. I would highly recommend Carlingford and would happily return. We returned to the school on Thursday night. Everyone was shattered as we had been going non stop.
Some of my other favourite activities were the canoeing despite the freezing cold water and the zip lining which was a really unique and special experience. I really enjoyed the trip and feel the year really bonded as a group as we were together nearly all day everyday. Personally I got to know people I wouldn't usually talk to better due to the circumstances. I would highly recommend Carlingford and would happily return. We returned to the school on Thursday night. Everyone was shattered as we had been going non stop.
Photography course
On Monday the 11th of December I took part in the photography course. This was very unexpected as I was offered this opportunity at the last minute. Nuala Healy took this course. For the two hours we practiced taking portrait photos using different lighting and camera techniques. I really enjoyed this course and learnt how to take brilliant portrait photos.
Safeguarding 1 Workshop
On Wednesday the 15th of November I did a Safeguarding 1 workshop in The Royal Irish Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaoire. The course was about two and a half hours. I did this as it is one of the requirements to become a sailing instructor. We covered topics from how to protect Children on the courses and how to deal with situations without violating procedure or breaking the law. This course was very interesting and will help me deal with situations in the future regarding Children and parents and their safety and what to do if a situation like one that we discussed arises in the future.
Instructor Course
Over the October Midterm I did my Sailing instructor course in The National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaoire. A few weeks previous I had done my pre-entry in Wexford Harbour Boat and Tennis Club. The course started on the Monday and ended on the Friday. Each day we covered the curriculum working into the higher levels as the course went on. We were given at least one individual task a day. These were mainly instructing sessions. You were the instructor for the session and had to teach everybody the task. I enjoyed the week despite the long hours, homework and being put to the test. In the end I passed the course and am now qualified to instruct people how to sail dinghies. I will use this skill in the summer hopefully.
DCU Open Day
On Friday the seventeenth of November we went to our first college/university open day of the year. For many, their first time mine included. The purpose of these days is to try and find out what college courses interest you and what you might apply for in two years on the CAO. We were given schedules on the bus there and were told to see what talks we would like to attend and what times they were at.
The first talk I went to was Accounting and Finance, I do accounting in school although after this talk I would probably consider something more general. I then stayed in the same place and attended the Global business talk. This was interesting but I would probably consider Business and a language instead as languages are so important now that Brexit has happened and we will need them in the future as Ireland will be the only English speaking country in the EU. Following this I went to Health and society as this fitted in well with my next talk. To my surprise I found this really interesting and would consider it as maybe a second or third choice. The course seemed to be completely different than I expected this showed me the inequality in Ireland and the effect this has on people's health. The final talk I a attended was Sports Science and Health, Athletic Therapy and Training, Physical Education and Maths and Physical Education and Science. This was a full house and explained why the points are so high for the course as the demand is massive. Out of the four topics covered I would probably consider Athletic Therapy and Training the most as it allowed the most time and interaction directly with sport. After my four talks I decided to grab a bite to eat and take a look around the campus. I was very impressed. Shortly after we were returned to school on the bus. I really enjoyed the day and would definitely look into studying here.
The first talk I went to was Accounting and Finance, I do accounting in school although after this talk I would probably consider something more general. I then stayed in the same place and attended the Global business talk. This was interesting but I would probably consider Business and a language instead as languages are so important now that Brexit has happened and we will need them in the future as Ireland will be the only English speaking country in the EU. Following this I went to Health and society as this fitted in well with my next talk. To my surprise I found this really interesting and would consider it as maybe a second or third choice. The course seemed to be completely different than I expected this showed me the inequality in Ireland and the effect this has on people's health. The final talk I a attended was Sports Science and Health, Athletic Therapy and Training, Physical Education and Maths and Physical Education and Science. This was a full house and explained why the points are so high for the course as the demand is massive. Out of the four topics covered I would probably consider Athletic Therapy and Training the most as it allowed the most time and interaction directly with sport. After my four talks I decided to grab a bite to eat and take a look around the campus. I was very impressed. Shortly after we were returned to school on the bus. I really enjoyed the day and would definitely look into studying here.
Camping Trip
Wednesday 13th
The day had come, three years of hard work for just one day, correct it was results day. I was slightly nervous but mainly excited for our TY camping trip. There were tears of joy and tears of disappointment in St Gerards car park at nine thirty that morning but that's life, you win some you lose some. We were bussed off into the mountains at ten and everyone soon moved on from the results they had received. We arrived to a spotless Lough Dan and everyone ran into the field keen to get the best place in the campsite and set up before it started to rain. There was a really positive atmosphere around the campsite and everyone was helping each other set up. Once we had settled in we set off on a six kilometre walk. I really enjoyed this as it was a nice distance and the views were spectacular. Once we got back to base everyone began one of the biggest challenges which was cooking. For some the difficulty was trying to cook the food and for others it was trying to find food. After that everyone settled down by the bonfire and a sing song began. This was a very interesting time as I began to notice many characters stepping out of their comfort zones which was very interesting. Everyone settled down for bed around eleven and the songs continued even when people were in bed!
Thursday 14th
Many awoke to the freezing cold but I did not have this experience as I was wrapped up in a ridiculous amount of clothes. Many had great difficulty cooking their pork for breakfast as pans were very hard to come by. Once everyone had energised for the long walk we got dressed and set off on our 22km hike. I made sure I had plenty of food to last me the whole walk. Myself and two other students kept physical contact with each other for the whole walk. Our hands were a small but sweaty but we didn't mind. After 3km we believed we had walked 7km so you can imagine how I felt thinking I had 19kms left but once we were above the three line the view became spectacular and I wasn't thinking about the distance ahead it was just about enjoying every step. We stopped for a well deserved lunch on a beautiful beach on the edge of the lake. Everyone was in high spirits and we set off on the second half of the walk. Many people that I wouldn't have thought would be the type to help others shocked me when we came to cross the river. They were being very generous and offering piggy backs across the water. I found the walk a brilliant experience as I started talking to people I wouldn't usually talk to on a daily basis and felt the group was really maturing. On return to the campsite we headed down to the waters edge for a refreshing swim in the lake. It was freezing and you could tell this from the strange sounds coming off everyone in the water. Many raced back for the luxury of a shower and a burger. As the sun set Mr Gerarghty arrived on site to say hello. The bonfire was the location to find most people as many roasted marsh mallows but this was cut short by a heavy shower of rain where everyone ran to the barn for cover. Despite the dreadful weather spirits were still high. Everyone settled down later for another cold night.
Friday 15th
All good things come to an end as they say. The campsite was depressed with the thought of returning to reality. Everyone cooked their last supper and then the clean up began. Bags were packed and tents were put away ‘some easier than others’ eventually everyone was ready to depart. We then throughly cleaned the campsite with a real team spirit. The busses arrived and the several hundred bags were put on the busses with great difficulty. We arrived back in the school about 40 minutes later and that's when the exhaustion hit me. I also realised this was one of the best school trips I've ever been on and I truly enjoyed it. Despite the weather everything else was brilliant and everyone smiled through the bad weather in all fairness. I had never expected the camping trip to be this good and it was a truly memorable experience that I will never forget!
The day had come, three years of hard work for just one day, correct it was results day. I was slightly nervous but mainly excited for our TY camping trip. There were tears of joy and tears of disappointment in St Gerards car park at nine thirty that morning but that's life, you win some you lose some. We were bussed off into the mountains at ten and everyone soon moved on from the results they had received. We arrived to a spotless Lough Dan and everyone ran into the field keen to get the best place in the campsite and set up before it started to rain. There was a really positive atmosphere around the campsite and everyone was helping each other set up. Once we had settled in we set off on a six kilometre walk. I really enjoyed this as it was a nice distance and the views were spectacular. Once we got back to base everyone began one of the biggest challenges which was cooking. For some the difficulty was trying to cook the food and for others it was trying to find food. After that everyone settled down by the bonfire and a sing song began. This was a very interesting time as I began to notice many characters stepping out of their comfort zones which was very interesting. Everyone settled down for bed around eleven and the songs continued even when people were in bed!
Thursday 14th
Many awoke to the freezing cold but I did not have this experience as I was wrapped up in a ridiculous amount of clothes. Many had great difficulty cooking their pork for breakfast as pans were very hard to come by. Once everyone had energised for the long walk we got dressed and set off on our 22km hike. I made sure I had plenty of food to last me the whole walk. Myself and two other students kept physical contact with each other for the whole walk. Our hands were a small but sweaty but we didn't mind. After 3km we believed we had walked 7km so you can imagine how I felt thinking I had 19kms left but once we were above the three line the view became spectacular and I wasn't thinking about the distance ahead it was just about enjoying every step. We stopped for a well deserved lunch on a beautiful beach on the edge of the lake. Everyone was in high spirits and we set off on the second half of the walk. Many people that I wouldn't have thought would be the type to help others shocked me when we came to cross the river. They were being very generous and offering piggy backs across the water. I found the walk a brilliant experience as I started talking to people I wouldn't usually talk to on a daily basis and felt the group was really maturing. On return to the campsite we headed down to the waters edge for a refreshing swim in the lake. It was freezing and you could tell this from the strange sounds coming off everyone in the water. Many raced back for the luxury of a shower and a burger. As the sun set Mr Gerarghty arrived on site to say hello. The bonfire was the location to find most people as many roasted marsh mallows but this was cut short by a heavy shower of rain where everyone ran to the barn for cover. Despite the dreadful weather spirits were still high. Everyone settled down later for another cold night.
Friday 15th
All good things come to an end as they say. The campsite was depressed with the thought of returning to reality. Everyone cooked their last supper and then the clean up began. Bags were packed and tents were put away ‘some easier than others’ eventually everyone was ready to depart. We then throughly cleaned the campsite with a real team spirit. The busses arrived and the several hundred bags were put on the busses with great difficulty. We arrived back in the school about 40 minutes later and that's when the exhaustion hit me. I also realised this was one of the best school trips I've ever been on and I truly enjoyed it. Despite the weather everything else was brilliant and everyone smiled through the bad weather in all fairness. I had never expected the camping trip to be this good and it was a truly memorable experience that I will never forget!
Ploughing Championship 2017
On the 21st of September Jake, John and I got the train to Tullamore where the 2017 Ploughing championship was on. We got a bus from the train station to the event. This was my second time attending the event so I had an idea for how big it would be. However the others were shocked about the size of the event and the number of people attending. We walked through the fields of muck for around half an hour looking at all the stalls. We came to the Aldi stall which I personally thought was the best stall there. They were giving out hundreds of free samples from yogurts to juices to sausages. After visiting here I felt there was no need to buy lunch. We saw hundreds of stalls that day and decided to get the bus back to the train station at 3:30 to get the four o clock train. We got back in to Heuston at 5:15. I really enjoyed the day and thought it was a brilliant experience.