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Árd Scoil Leaving Cert girls celebrate WHEN you see students in fancy dress cruising the streets of Dungarvan on a fine morning in May, you can be sure they are the Leaving Certs having one last fling before the final act of their five or six years in secondary school, the Leaving Cert exam, is played out in the exam hall of the school. So, it was something of a bittersweet moment last week when the Leaving Cert Class of Ard Scoil na nDeise spent their last day in the school in their customary fancy dress, where most of them have studied and prepared for the outside world for the last five or six years. As has been the tradition for some years, the girls use the moment to relax and let down their hair and come to school in colourful, crazy costumes with faces made up appropriately for the carefree day. However, there wasn’t an egg or an ounce of flour in sight, another fine tradition which successive classes diligently observe. This was their last such moment of carefree madness for several weeks as heads go down to books and study is approached with even greater intensity. Even more disciplined lifestyles are adopted and an even greater emphasis placed on using study time wisely.
The girls know that in two or three weeks when the last exam paper is complete, it may well be months or years before some meet up again. School Principal, Mrs. Dorothy Hughes in her final address to her students whom she has ushered safely through their five or six years, wished them success in the upcoming examination and also in their future careers. She wished them good health, both mentally and physically as they make their way through life and exhorted them to have confidence in their relationships. Fulfilling another tradition, a team from the departing class played a team from the teaching staff in a friendly football match, which – regrettably say the teachers – the students won. The students also attended the closing Mass of their secondary level studies and celebrated with refreshments afterwards, cutting the enormous Graduation Cake as a final ritual. It was a warm, friendly carefree day with good feeling abounding and a fitting finale to the students’ days in Ard Scoil. They will take those memories with them for life and in some cases, half-way around the world.
Lively TradFest despite the rain THE Irish weather can be a real spoilsport and last weekend it laughed in the faces of those who had planned outdoor events. Among the biggest event in the locality was the Dungarvan Tradfest, but true to our Irish doggedness and persistence, the programme was completed, albeit in a number of different venues. When the weather was favourable, the music flowed from the gig-rig and the tap and patter of the hard shoe resounded around Grattan Square. It is a sound to gladden the heart and lift the spirits, but of course it was not the only source of ‘the best of Irish’. Music, music and more music came from every corner of the Square and Dungarvan was alive with music through Saturday.
Due to the rain and a slippery stage, the gig rig entertainment was moved to the Tudor house where the full programme was completed. The Borumha trio started the seisiún and then Sean Ryan, Jackie Daly and Matt Cranitch took over. Next up came Nuadán (definitely a local talent to watch) then Rattle the Boards with the amazing sean nós dancer Suzanne Leahy who shook the floor boards in the Tudor House. Finally, Cuan finished the gig rig timetable and the commitment was complete. Saturday night saw Danu in full swing at their 20th Anniversary celebration concert in the Park Hotel entertaining an enthusiastic and excited audience. The young group, Cuan, made up of members of the Comeraghs Comhaltas Branch
Pictured at the launch of Dungarvan Tradfest in The Park Hotel last Thursday night were: Clodagh Kelly, Hannah Power and Caoimhe Timmins.
put on a magnificent performance before the star act, Danú tore the house down. It was a full house with a dedicated attendance out for enjoyment and getting more than their money’s worth from Danu’s lead singer Muireann, Donnachadh on bodhran with Benny McCarthy on accordion, together with a string of talent, the best that trad music has to offer in this country. The Dancers of Booley House added their own magic and the members of Cór Fear na nDéise presented Danú with a celebratory cake for their 20th anniversary. It was a gala night marked by cheering and thunderous applause. Meanwhile, on Sunday afternoon, there was a major assembly of vintage and veteran cars in Walton Park with a good attendance to admire the polished panels and impeccably turned out motors from the past. A shower of hailstones turned the temperature to November levels, but after only a few minutes, the buzz and the business resumed as the dark clouds pushed away. As well as the many individual cars and drivers, there were club groups from Clonmel, Kilkenny and, of course, Dungarvan. It was a magnificent display of cars which have served their owners well and which are now in gently retirement cared for lovingly by their new owners.
Some Leaving Cert students from Ard Scoil na nDeise celebrate their last day in school.
Half a Century of St. Brigid’s School IT is amazing what history and stories can be built up over just fifty years. Last weekend, the people of Kilrossanty Parish had the pleasure of delving into their own history since their new primary school was opened in 1965 and the old building converted to a parish hall to extend its useful life. Last year, a very active and committed group led by school principal, Mrs. Catherine Dunwoody decided to commemorate their school’s history over fifty years and started 2015 with a school calendar which recorded pupils past and present. It was so popular, a second print run had to be ordered. They then started work on recording the history of the school and collecting artefacts and photographs from times past Amongst the were projects which undertaken to remember a half a century of the new school is a time capsule into which they are placing symbols of everyday life in Kilrossanty N.S., this year. These include children’s writing samples and photographs, pens, pencils, art materials sports items and this year’s school calendar. This is intended to give future generations an idea of what life was like at this stage in the school development. It is hoped that all the
present pupils will be around in fifty years time when it will be opened and, as the oldest will be aged about sixty-two at the time, this is very probable. The weekend celebrations commenced with a walk along the Famine Road from Boolattin to Cutteen which attracted over a hundred people and was followed by Ceol agus Craic in Michilín’s Pub. It was a wonderful start to a magic weekend, despite the rain which often threatened and occasionally came. There was a special Mass of Thanksgiving on Sunday morning in a packed Church of St. Brigid in Kilrossanty, celebrated by Fr. Delaney for all past and present pupils and all associated with the school. There was a beautiful poem composed by Mrs. Judith Flynn and an address by former Principal, Mrs. Sheila Murphy. In the afternoon there was a sports with many outdoor activities, a young local band, bouncy castles and a barbecue. All this as well as the extensive exhibition of photos and memorabilia in the classrooms kindly donated by many parishioners. There were the old desks, the inkwells and ink bottles; pictures and projects on Holy Wells and the names of fields; First Communion and Confirmation photos, sports
teams and a history of Ireland and Kilrossanty through the five decades. It was most interesting and kept many people absorbed during a busy afternoon. As the last of the people retreated out the gate before the rain arrived, Mrs. Dunwoody, her staff and all who assisted breathed a sigh of relief and took justifiable pride in what they had
achieved over the past five or six months. Interest in local history has been generated, the children have become interested and there is a fund of material which will be passed on to the next generation. This was a very worthwhile and rewarding exercise which could be replicated elsewhere. Take a bow Kilrossanty.
Pictured at the 50th Anniversary celebrations of St. Brigid’s Kilrossanty ‘new’ school last weekend were Marie Cusack (left) who travelled specially from England for the event and Principal of the school, Mrs. Catherine Dunwoody. They are pictured with the ‘High Nelly’ bicycle on which Miss Murphy came to Kilrossanty School from Cork in the late Sixties and which she used for many years. She married local man, Bill Walsh.