Silver Gaisce Challenge
Wednesday, 02 May 2012 19:42
Donna Fitzgerald
Silver Gaisce Challenge
Hike over the Macgillycuddy Reeks
On the 29th of March, seven of our 4th year students set off to Kerry in an effort to achieve their Silver Gaisce Medal. The adventure challenge was the final part of the Silver Award that needed to be completed. All seven students have spent the year working on other aspects of the award including physical, personal and community challenges. To achieve a Silver Gaisce Medal it is compulsory to partake in a 3 day, 2 night challenge covering 200km on a bike or 50-79km walking. This year the Silver Challenge involved a hike over the Macgillycuddy Reeks.
The group met at 8am at the school. Our group consisted of Mary-Kate Moloney, Joseph Vaughan, Alison Hurley, Eoin Conheady, Sheilagh Larkin, Brian Lennon, John Donlon, Ms Fitzgerald and Ms Whyms. Spirits were high on the bus to Killarney, mainly due to the fact we were in the middle of the hottest few days we’d seen in March for a long time.
DAY 1 Mangerton Mountain Height 893m
 Mangerton was our 1st peak to attempt. Although the sight of the mountain was daunting, the clear blue skies and the sun shine made it all the more enticing. With our boots on, hiking poles ready and lunches packed we were all set. The hike took in some spectacular views of the Lakes of Killarney, the Devils Punchbowl and the Blackwater Valley. Despite the heat our group moved on at a very steady pace and confidence was high at the end of the 1st day. We packed up our gear quickly and headed on to Ballydavid, taking in the beautiful sights along the Dingle Peninsula. After well needed showers, our chefs got to work (Alison, Sheilagh and Mary-Kate) cooking up a culinary delight-Spag Bol. With our bellies stuffed, our clean up team went to work (Joe, Brian, John and Eoin). After chilling out on the beach we retired early to our beds. Once Joseph stopped walking around (wild horses would have been quieter!) we were all able to sleep.
DAY 2 Mount Brandon height-952m
 Day 2 began with a farewell to Ms Whyms who had to return to Tulla. After breakfast we packed our bags, picked up our guide, Conor, in Dingle and headed over the Connor Pass. The day started out with a heavy fog and dark clouds. On approaching the 1st ridge, on Mount Brandon, the mist began to clear and blue skies were visible to the West. The fitness of this group soon became apparent. With Mary-Kate and Alison leading the troop we were moving along at a very fast pace. After a brief water stop at the Ribbon Lake Valley we began our steep ascent to the head of the valley. The cloud cover had dropped and soon looking into the valley, we could see we were way above the clouds much to our delight, as this meant we were walking towards the blue skies and sun. With the sun lifting our spirits, it wasn’t long before we reached the summit. After a bite to eat and a few snaps, the group were anxious to get going (much to Ms Fitz’s disappointment!). Eoin and Brian got the gang moving and we soon began our decent down the Pilgrimage side of the Mountain towards Ballydavid. Despite tired limbs, there was no shortage of talk especially with Joe Vaughan around! If there was an All Ireland Medal for talking, it would be difficult to beat Joesph, with talk of cows and farms. Back to the lodge, climbing gear off, we hit the beach. The glorious weather had deceived us a little but as soon as we entered the Baltic cold Irish Waters our senses came back to us. With a few of us only brave enough to only dip our toes in, John Donlon rose from the trenches and dived right it. It might have taken him 4 hours to warm up after it but hey, we were impressed! After dinner we chilled out and hit the hay early with thoughts of Ireland’s highest mountain running through our minds.
DAY 3 Carrauntoohil Height 1050m
 Day 3 began with a 7am start. Spirits were high as we packed our gear, tidied up the lodge and headed for Killarney, saying goodbye to John in Castlemaine. Following a safety brief, we began our climb. It wasn’t as warm as the two previous days but at least it wasn’t raining. Despite the hours put in walking, the group were not slowed down and with the girls leading the pack again, we reached the Devils ladder in record time. After a quick water stop we started our ascent of Ireland’s highest peak. After 3 km from the starting point the path almost disappeared to leave what looked like a steer cliff. A stream continuously poured down the passage and with the combination of humidity and loose rock it gave our climb a sense of wild adventure. This is where the experience of Eoin and John, our scout’s previous ventures really shone through. When we reached the top of the ladder the views were breath taking. With views of Cork at one side and the Blackvalley at the other we were stunned. The final part of the ascent was foggy, making visibility difficult. At last we reached the top. We took some photos at the cross, had our lunch and prepared for our decent before it got too cold. Going down the devils ladder was much easier than going up so we moved along at a great pace. Everyone was in good spirits as we made our way back through the Hagsglen. It wasn’t long until we were on the bus and homeward bound. Overall we had a great 3 days. We were blessed with the weather which made the views around Dingle and Killarney even more breath-taking. We had a very fit and motivated group which made the challenge most enjoyable. Congratulations to our seven students who will receive their Silver Gaisce Medal at nexts years awards night
Last Updated on Wednesday, 02 May 2012 19:50
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St Joseph's Chess Club
Sunday, 29 April 2012 12:04
Donna Fitzgerald
St. Joseph’s chess 2012
 Every Monday since late September the chess players of St. Josephs have met at lunchtime to play, practice and learn more about chess. In mid-March we attended the Munster finals and eventually came out on top to win a coveted place in the All Ireland Finals.
Ms O’Sullivan selected the five best players based on wins at the Munster final to go forward to the All-Ireland Final. On Tuesday the 17th of April the team travelled to the Carlton Hotel Limerick and waited anxiously to begin the Competition. The other participating schools were Drogheda, Limerick, Cork, Cavan, Killaloe and Waterford. Halfway through the tournament Tulla were ranked second but with two more rounds to go we were beaten by the better team. The final score was Árd Scoil Ris 15 points and Tulla had 10 leaving us in 5th place. It was an intense affair with clocks putting us under pressure and accounting for some of our losses. But this we intend remedying in 2013 with a guarantee of a set of chess clocks for next September!
We enjoyed the day immensely and hope to progress to this level again next year. Thank you to Ms O’Sullivan for organising the chess and being so supportive, also thank you to all who 25 students who participated in the chess club throughout the year. Thank you to the Players in the final, Jordan Cassells, Luke Mulhall, Cian and Martin O’Mara and Thor Lighvoet our sub.
TY and Fourth Year trip to Manchester
Wednesday, 18 April 2012 09:01
Donna Fitzgerald
TY and Fourth Year trip to Manchester; 1st April – 4th April
 On the 1st of April, Transition Year and a number of fourth year students travelled to Manchester. It was an early start, as we all met at the school at 3.20a.m. Despite the tiredness we were all excited, but still slept for most of the journey to Dublin Port. When we arrived we boarded the four hour ferry to Holyhead.
When we arrived in Holyhead we made the journey to “Go Ballistic” paintballing centre in Wales. Once we arrived everyone changed into clothes they didn’t mind getting covered in paint. The instructor briefed us on the rules, we got our guns and paint and left to enjoy ourselves. Apart from a lot of nasty bruises, including a few to Mr. Ryan’s head, everyone had a great time. We left at about 5 o’clock and made our way to the hotel where we had dinner soon after we arrived.
 Day two was all about Old Trafford but before we got there we went to a Science and Industry museum, after we ended up walking in a circle in the town to kill time because the museum wasn’t open when we got there. But when it did open we were left to our own devices to explore the expeditions for an hour. Then we made our way to Old Trafford for our tour of the stadium. We were told the history of the stadium and shown around the grounds, then had a trip to the Old Trafford Megastore, before going to the Trafford shopping centre to shop till we dropped.
 It was another early start on day three as we had an hour and a half journey to Alton Towers Theme Park. Everyone agreed that it was a great day, even the teachers; however some weren’t as daring as others when it came to going on the rides. That evening we went bowling, where there was a lot of competitiveness among everyone, with some students not expecting the winners and then rudely making it known…. Later that night, as three of the students were celebrating their birthday’s, we all got together to wish them happy birthday and give them a card.
The last day of the tour was spent travelling, a lot of which was unexpectedly spent stuck in traffic for hours and not going anywhere. We were their so long that we ended up watching a D.V.D, and even that didn’t take up a lot of the time. But luckily we weren’t the only ones stuck in traffic, so the boat was delayed and we just about made it. If we didn’t we would have been in Manchester for another day. But the crossing wasn’t plain sailing as the sea was really rough and quite a few people were very sea sick. Once in Ireland the students decided it was the right time to present the teachers and bus driver with gifts to say thank you, and these were greatly appreciated. Then it was time to make the long trek home, and it was clear that the tiredness was getting to a few people as they were even confused about where we were, so a lot of people decided to sleep for a while. However as we neared home it was time to break out the song book, but that didn’t last very long as one song in particular that was completely made up seemed to dominate, and slowly evolved into many different versions but was great all the same.
Soon we were back at the school and it was time to go home but not without another thank you to Ms. Lonergan for organizing the trip, Ms. Liddy, Ms. Mulhern, Mr Ryan and Bernie for giving up some of the holidays for us, and Pat the bus driver for driving us everywhere. We had a great time and would definitely go again if given the opportunity.
Article written by Emma Hehir (TY)
Last Updated on Wednesday, 18 April 2012 20:58
Sr. Angela's Visit
Tuesday, 17 April 2012 20:05
Donna Fitzgerald
Our Tuesday was brightened up with a visit from Sr. Angela Hartigan, who visited us all the way from Kenya. Sr. Angela is a former principal of St Joseph’s and has remained in contact with Tulla through our fundraising efforts over the years. This year’s Leaving Certs raised over €5,000 in their Christmas Fast and our Two Presidents Ciara Minogue and Diarmuid O'Connor, presented the cheque to Sr. Angela. She informed us that the money from the fast would go towards providing food for the children in her school, housing some of the abandoned children of the slums surrounding her and buying new tables and chairs for the classrooms at her school. During her visit, Angela also met up with our 4th year students to tell them about life in Kenya.
Last Updated on Tuesday, 17 April 2012 20:07
Student Enterprise Awards
Monday, 02 April 2012 14:16
Donna Fitzgerald
Student Enterprise Awards
This March students from 4th year LCVP class and TY attended the County finals of the Student Enterprise Awards. 62 groups with different business ideas entered from schools around Clare. Students in groups of up to 5 must set up a company and come up with a business plan. They must decide on a product, develop it, market it, sell it and make a profit. At the County Final all the schools in the County that have students entering, set up a display stands to show the judges their products.
Four groups entered from St Joseph’s, three from TY and one from 4th year LCVP. All groups had unique ideas. Their projects included Craft Hurleys, Price Tag Jewellery, T-5ive t-shirts and Fusion Candles.
This year extra awards were added, such as awards for best stand, best business plan, best innovative idea. Every group involved had to display their product and this was one area St Joseph’s had an advantages in over other schools. All the stands put together by St Joseph’s were very well designed and this effort paid off. “Fusion” the group from 4th year LCVP class won the prize for best stand display. Fusion which was an abbreviation for Fabulous, Unique, Individual, Optimistic, New was created by Ellen Culloo (Managing Director), James Flynn (Production Manager), Clare Flynn (Financial Manager) and Kate Daffy (Marketing Manager).
Well done to all students involved. Special thanks to Ms Michele O’Sullivan for her hard work and dedication throughout the year. This did not go unnoticed as she picked up the “Teacher Enterprise Award”.
Article written by Ellen Culloo and James Flynn 4th year.
St Joseph's Spring Fashion Show 2012
Sunday, 11 March 2012 23:55
Donna Fitzgerald
St Joseph's Spring Fashion Show 2012
 On Thursday 8th March St. Joseph’s held a Spring Fashion Show Fundraiser in the West County Hotel, Ennis. All of the money raised is to help acquire a site for the building of a new Secondary School in Tulla.
The Fashion Show in association with the Celia Holman Lee Modelling Agency was a huge success. MC. Mr. Roddy O’Loughlin helped to create a great atmosphere on the night.Our school presidents Diarmuid O’Connor and Ciara Minogue did a great job as presenters on the night. Many boutiques from Tulla and Ennis participated in the show on the night. They included County Boutique, Freya, Annettes (Clarecastle), Chez Marie, Breda’s, Lily’s, Pamela Scott and Willow. The men were also well represented by Michael Corbett of Tulla and Manix Fashions (Ennis).
 As well as the stunning professional models, teachers and students also took to the runway to strut their stuff, all looking amazing. The female teachers modelling for the boutiques included Orla Barry, Olivia O’Connor, Aileen Whyms, Siobhan O’Sullivan, Mary Hayes and Siobhan Mc Grath. Senior students from St. Joseph’s Katie McInerney, Vera Loughnane and Sonia Hanrahan looked amazing as they showed off graduation dresses from Breda’s Boutique in Ennis. All hair and makeup on the night was done by Reflections Hair Salon and Pamper Parlour, both from Tulla.
 The male staff and TY students were kept very busy all night modelling all of the mens fashions throughout the entire show. Stephen Ryan, Frank Monaghan. John Murphy and Tomas Kelly (teachers) David Kearney and John O’Brien (students) did us all proud. They looked very handsome and received a great reaction from the audience as they took to the cat walk.
A special segment of the show was given to six students of St. Joseph’s who put together their own outfits for Spring/Summer and had an opportunity to show their clothes on the catwalk. These included, Laura Ryan and Marie Vaughan (1st year) Lauren Bourke (2nd year), Shauna Fleming and Catriona Mc Namara (4th year) and Collette Donnellan (Leaving cert).
 The students also had an opportunity to show their talents throughout the night. Teachers Mary Liddy and Aisling Mulhern accompanied 20 students who played traditional music in the hotel as guests arrived and broused at the exhibition stands that were there on the night. Cathal Lenihan and Diarmuid Moloney opened the show as they did Irish Danicing on the stage. Opening the second half with a performance of ‘Dancing in the Moonlight’, a band made up of past and present students, Stephen Slattery, Gene Moynihan and Conor Mc Grath. There was also a performance by ‘Kickstart’ from Sparks Dance School which consisted of 16 students.
Special thanks to all of the teachers and students involved in the success of the night. Thank you to the parents association for their help and to all the parents for their continued support.
Particluar thanks and congratualtions to Ms Michele O’Sullivan who spearhead the project. Without her hard work this night would not have been the success it was. Well done Michele
Last Updated on Monday, 12 March 2012 00:01
U16½ Munster C Tournament
Sunday, 11 March 2012 23:32
Donna Fitzgerald
U16½ Munster C Tournament
Congratulations to our Junior Camogie team who won the U16½ Munster C Tournament in Mallow GAA grounds on Wednesday last. Over 20 schools from all over Munster entered the competition. St Joseph’s were in a position to enter two teams due to high commitment levels at training each week. Both teams put in very strong performances on the day with one of our teams emerging as overall winners, beating off tough opposition in the group stage from Hospital, Limerick, Desmond College Limerick, and Mallow, Co Cork. Following on from the group stage they were victorious over Fermoy, Co Cork in the Quarter final, Youghal Co Cork in the semi-final and Causeway of Kerry in the Final.
All players showed huge committed and a great work rate on the day. However some of our players showed outstanding performances which led to the success of their teams Mary Kate Moloney(Midfield), Kate O’Gorman(Full Forward), Aoife Dillion (Midfield) and Deirdre Cotter (Goalie) in Team one. Edel Mc Namara(Full Back), Samantha O’Connor (Midfield) and Laura McGrath (Half Forward) team two. .
Thanks to Ciara Minogue, Pauline McNamara and Rebecca Kennedy who assisted Ms Fitzgerald and Ms Neylon on the day. Congratulations to all players involved.
Féile na hÍnse 2012
Sunday, 11 March 2012 22:48
Donna Fitzgerald
Féile na hÍnse 2012
Congratulations to the school Céilí Band and Grupa Cheoil who recently competed in Féile na hÍnse in the Auburn Lodge Hotel. The Grupa Cheoil put in a great performance and were awarded 2nd place, while the Céilí Band won their competition, and retained the Mháirtín Uí Dhúbháin Trophy for the 2nd year. Maith sibh go léir!
Well done and thanks to Ms Mulhern for all her hard work.
Last Updated on Monday, 12 March 2012 22:25
The Green Dragon Competition
Sunday, 26 February 2012 14:57
Donna Fitzgerald
The Green Dragon Competition
 On Wednesday last 22nd Feb, one of our first year students, Niamh Mulqueen travelled to the Radisson Hotel, Athlone to represent our school in the Green Dragon Competition. Once again this year Agri Aware have teamed up with Bord Bia, AIB Bank, FBD and Teagasc and are in search of Ireland’s brightest young innovators!
Students are asked to identify a gap in one of four categories, Environment, Agriculture, Food and Health & Safety and are provided with an opportunity to transform their ideas into functional, marketable, and ideally profitable, products or services.
Niamh's brilliant yet simple idea was the concept of a "Glo-fone"; a simple and inexpensive attachment to a mobile phone which enable it to be visible in the dark. It involved attaching a flourescent cover to the phone of teenagers; or a flashing lighted up alternative; in order to make teenagers visible to on-coming traffic in badly lit rural areas. This product is both original and innovative as it targets the teenage rural market and satisfies the health and safety requirement of this competition. It is envisaged that Niamh's product be patented and marketed on Facebook. Judges were very impressed with Niamh's idea and her articulate presentation on the day.
Niamh’s idea, together with her clear and confident presentation impressed the Dragons so much they want to see her compete at the National Final which will be held in Dublin on 28th March.
Guided by her teachers Rita Forrestal and Mairead O’Sullivan, Niamh has moved through the various rounds of the competition and has successfully reached the final. Well done Niamh with your idea, work and effort, we are very proud of your achievement so far and we wish you the very best in the Final.
Last Updated on Sunday, 26 February 2012 15:20
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