SciFest exhibition for Coláiste Fionnchua students
Coláiste Fionnchua Mitchelstown’s 2nd year and TY students travelled to MTU in Cork last week to take part in the Regional finals of SciFest.
2nd year students Colm King, Zac Darcy and Eoghan O’Donnell submitted a project on sustainability and agriculture while TY students Aoife Roche, Emma Lyons Dunne, and Olivia Cahill’s project was on how technology and social media impact your wellbeing, with a special focus on mental health.
SciFest provides a forum for students at local, regional, and national lever to present and display scientific investigations. The aim of SciFest is to encourage an interest in, and love of, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths) subjects and it is designed to be as inclusive and accessible as possible.
Congratulations to all our students who submitted projects, and a special congratulations to Zac Darcy who won a set of Beats headphones!
3RD YEAR HISTORY TOUR
3rd year History students travelled to Dublin to visit some of the historical sites in the capital. We started in Kilmainham Gaol, where we were initially led to an interactive presentation on what life was like for prisoners in Ireland prior to the building on Kilmainham. We learned that men, women, and children were housed together in very overcrowded cells and corridors. We also learned the story of Joseph Mary Plunkett who married Grace Gifford just seven hours before his execution.
We were then taken through the cells which housed some of Ireland’s most famous political and military prisoners in Irish history. Students saw the cells of those such as Eamonn DeValera, Padraic Pearse, Constance Markiewicz. We also saw the cells prisoners of ‘special note’ such as Robert Emmet and C.S. Parnell were kept. Students were then given
time to explore the East Wing and spend some time in the cells!
From there, we were taken to the Stonebreaker’s Yard and shown where 14 leaders of the 1916 Rising were executed. We paid our respects here before we spent some time in museum before we headed off on the second leg of our trip; Collins Barracks.
As always, Collins Barracks had a huge amount to offer, as students were walked through Irish involvement in conflicts, at home and abroad, from 1550 to the present day. There was also an exhibit on ‘ An Gorta Mór’ and Ireland’s journey to becoming a republic. Students also got the chance to see The Asgard, which was used in the 1914 Howth gun-running.
This was a hugely enjoyable tour for our students, who will surely find it beneficial in the final run in to their Junior Cert exams.
SPECIAL OLYMPICS IRELAND
Transition Year stu
dents were delighted to get the opportunity to help to raise funds for Special Olympics Ireland on their National Collection Day. Students spent the day collecting in Mitchelstown and, once again, the support from the community in Mitchelstown was fantastic. Students also held a ‘Lá Dearg ‘non-uniform day to support the Irish Special Olympics team. Huge thank to past pupil Zoe Hassall who coordinated the collection with TY co-ordinator, Ms O’Callaghan.