THE ABBEYSlí na Mainistreach Volume 16 Issue 2. June 2013

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Review of the Year 12/13

Page 1 Abbey Way June 2013

August The New Academic Year Begins with Outstanding Exam Success

pPupils who achieved at least three ‘A’ gradesin their A-Level examinations at the AbbeyChristian Brothers’ Grammar School, Newry,are congratulated by Mr Dermot McGovern,Headmaster. Included are: Sean Rooney,Terry Guo, Stephen Grant, Oskar Mamrzynski, Shane McCartan, Peter Delahunt, NiallMcArdle, Gareth Rooney, BenjaminSutherland, Michael McKay, Jake Magill,Connor Hogan, Paul McAleenan, NiallMcShane, Turlough Madden, RaymondBurns, Ciaran Davies, David Ward, MichaelHaddad, Colm Fegan, Aaron Maguire, NeilMcDonald, Caolan Magee, Neil McConville, Declan Doyle and Sean Fearon.

Also included are Mrs Catriona McGrath,Seventh Form Year Tutor, and Mr PaulO’Shea, Vice Principal.

pTwenty two students from the AbbeyChristian Brothers’ Grammar School achievedat least eight or more A*/A grades in theirGCSE examinations. Included are: LeoGorman, Cormac Begley, Peter Reel, JamesHaughey, James McNulty, Diarmuid Murray,Andrew Hughes, Stephen McKay, ConlaodhQuinn, Rory Watterman, Micheal Moore,James O’Hare, Luke Bradley, Ben Hughes,Niall Jennings, Darragh McClean and DanielMurdock, Tiernan Byrne, Matthew Freeman,Conor McAteer and Lorcan Moley.

Mr Dermot McGovern, Headmaster, gives thisgroup of high achievers advice on whichsubjects to choose for A Level. Also includedare Mr. Seán Gallagher, Fifth Form Year 12and Mr Paul O’Shea, Vice Principal. Missingfrom photograph is Padraig Murphy.

pMr Dermot McGovern, Headmaster of theAbbey Christian Brothers’ Grammar School,Newry, congratulates the twelve pupils whoachieved at least 10 or more A*/A grades intheir GCSE examinations. Included are: LeoGorman, Cormac Begley, Peter Reel, JamesHaughey, James McNulty, Diarmuid Murray,Andrew Hughes, Stephen McKay, ConlaodhQuinn, Rory Watterman, Micheal Moore,James O’Hare.

Also included are Mr. Seán Gallagher, FifthForm Year Tutor, and Mr Paul O’Shea, VicePrincipal.

uMr Dermot McGovern, Headmaster, congratulatespupils who achieved at least four ‘A’ grades intheir A-Level examinations at the Abbey ChristianBrothers’ Grammar School, Newry. Included are:Sean Rooney, Terry Guo, Stephen Grant, OskarMamrzynski, Shane McCartan, Peter Delahunt,Niall McArdle, Gareth Rooney, BenjaminSutherland and Michael McKay.

Also included are Mrs Catriona McGrath, Seventh Form Year Tutor, and Mr Paul O’Shea,Vice Principal.

Abbey Way June 2013 Page 2

Quizzes September

Brother Beausang Shield Presentation

In recognition of their respect and affection for the late Brother Beausang,the local branch of Conradh na Gaeilge (Craobh an Iúir) presented a perpetualtrophy to the Irish Department in the Abbey Grammar School which is awardedannually to the best speaker of Irish in sixth form.

This is the tenth and final year for the trophy to be presented and this year'srecipient was James Meehan. The trophy was presented together with a chequefor £200 by Margaret Comer on behalf of Conradh na Gaeilge, to go towards a threeweek course in the Donegal Gaeltacht. James attended Gael-Linn’s College inMachaire Rabhartaigh. The first winner of Sciath an Br. Beausang was Antaine ÓCuaig (RIP), followed by Seán Ó Cearbhaill in 2002, Diarmaid Ó Diolúin in 2003Macdara Ó Graham in 2004, Seán Mac Labhraí in 2005, Pádraig Ó Tiarnaigh 2006,Pilib MacLabhraí 2007, Deaglán Mag Aoidh 2008 and Seán MacCathmhaoil, 2009,Cian Gallagher 2010. Connor Hogan, who sat his A level examinations in thesummer, received this prestigious award last year.

pFirst Year pupils having fun at theirInduction day. Back Row, from left to right:Caolan O Hare, Tyler Keenan, MuireaganSerridge and Niall Mullholland. Front row,from left to right: Joseph Grimley, CallamLoughlin and Shea Murphy.

As the First Years Settle in, it is Public Speaking Season

Debating Matters!Of course, we knew that already.

In September two teams took part in this aptly namedcompetition from the Institute of Ideas. It is completely differentfrom anything else that we do and at times, is more akin to theSpanish Inquisition than the parliamentary debating style we usuallyemploy! The speakers present their arguments on a given topic onlyto be grilled by a panel of three adjudicators, before acceptingquestions from the opposing team and the House. Any weakness inresearch is uncovered; any flaw in reasoning is exposed.

Why do we do it? Because debating matters … the preparationfor this event as well as the evening’s debates provide a soundplatform for the development of key debating skills. It begins ourdebating calendar with focus and determination. In addition, wealways learn something new.

Conor McCartney, Terry Dinsmore, Leo McSweeney and CormacBegley made up the teams, with Leo and Cormac winning their round;a great start to the debating season.

Ms A ReynoldsTeacher in charge of debating

Abbey Debaters EnterNI Schools DebateThis academic year has been one of tremendous development forAbbey debaters in middle and senior school. For the first time, weentered the Northern Ireland Schools Debating Competition andstarted debating in November. Despite adjusting to a different format,both teams went through to the second round with a healthy dose ofsupport from Abbey students and staff.

In the second round in December we hosted Belfast RoyalAcademy, Leo McSweeney and Cormac Begley successfully seeing offtheir competition and progressing to round three. Unfortunately, theymet a well-versed team from Belfast High in round three that put anend to quarter-final hopes for this year. Conn O’Neill and CathalMurphy made the trip to Belfast to take on Our Lady’s and St. Pat.’s intheir second round, narrowly losing 79-80 in an encounter theadjudicator avouched difficult to call.

The four debaters can be proud of their achievement, theirteamwork and support for each other throughout the competition. Welook forward to next year’s campaign.

pMrs Annette Elmore, First Form Year Head, is pictured with Oisín Magee, Donall Rafferty,Oisín Magee, Jacob Reegan, Aodhan Evans, Ultan Ó Cuaig, Tom Magill, Mathew O Brien andCormac Rice.

Page 3 June January 2013

So Near Yet So Far for the Rannafast and Corn Na Nóg Squads

October

Twice in the space of four weeks, AbbeyCBS had one in foot in a colleges’ final onlyto miss out in the cruellest of fashion to thesame opponent, Omagh CBS.

The Rannafast Cup semi final was playedon the 9th of November in a rain-soakedAbbey Park, Armagh. The competition wasbeing played for the first time under its newname, the Edmund Rice Rannafast Cup, andwas guaranteed to have a Christian Brothers’school contest the final when Abbey werepaired with Omagh CBS.

The Abbey started their campaign with aone-point victory over Carrickmacross. It wasa game that the Abbey dominated throughoutbut slack defending allowed Carrickmacrossto stay in touch by scoring three second halfgoals. Vice captain, Sheagh Dobbin, ensuredthat the Newry boys overcame the scare whenhe landed an excellent point with one minuteof the game left to ensure victory.

The next game was a comfortable victoryover St.Pius X, Magherafelt, and other resultsin the group meant that that victory wasenough to ensure qualification for thequarter final. The final group game againstSt Pat’s, Cavan, gave the Abbey managementpair of Seán Gallagher and John Rath, anopportunity to look at other squad members.The game ended in a twelve point defeat forthe Abbey but both teams had alreadyqualified for the knock out stages.

The quarter final paired Abbey with theirtraditional rivals, St.Pat’s, Maghera. Thegame was played on the 6th November andproved to be a highly competitive affair withthe Abbey needing a late goal from top-scorer, Ryan Trainor, to kill off the Magherachallenge. The semi final against Omagh hadto be played three days later, due to thescheduling of the final the following week,and thus the Abbey boys had just two days toprepare for the game. What a game it turnedout to be!

The game was evenly poised with RyanTreanor, Killian Mc Evoy and Niall Rafferty allmaking large contributions to the Abbeycause. Luke Byrne, making his return frominjury, was excellent throughout in the Abbeydefence as was Killeavey man, CathirMcKinney. The teams were level shortly afterthe break, and the game seemed to haveswung in favour of the Newry boys whenOmagh were reduced to 14 men, ten minutes

into the second half.Conor Mc Coy and Ryan Trainor both

kicked scores towards the end of the secondhalf and the Abbey seemed to be home anddry, until disaster struck. An excellentflowing move, the length of the field, foundan Omagh forward, one on one with Abbeygoalkeeper, Aaron Campbell, and hedispatched the ball to the Abbey net to giveOmagh a one point lead.

The Abbey battled gamely to find a replybut it wasn’t to be. Omagh took their placein the Rannafast Final, a game they lost toCavan, in similar circumstances to their semifinal win over the Abbey.

Remarkably history repeated itself a fewweeks later when the Corn na nÓg squadsuffered the same fate as their Rannafastcounterparts. Having reached the quarter-final by way of a play- off, the Abbey foundthemselves paired with Armagh, one of thepre-tournament favourites. That game wouldprove to be one of the sporting highlights of2012 in the Abbey. Played as a home fixtureat the Abbey, the Corn na nÓg boys turned ina performance that will long be rememberedfor its commitment, work ethic anddetermination. Michael Cromie, Jason Sloanand Blain Mc Grath shone for the Abbey boysbut in truth this was an excellent teamperformance. Of particular note was theAbbey’s blocking and tackling, and the smileson the faces of the coaches Dan Gordon andPaul Mc Parland, told the tale of howimpressive this victory was. That set up asemi final against Omagh, who hadpreviously beaten the Abbey by twelve pointsin the group stages. Again the Abbeyproduced an excellent performance, and theirdetermination, and work rate put them in awinning position going in to the last minuteof the game. A mistake in the middle of theAbbey defence gifted Omagh an equalisingpoint and when the resulting kick-out wasreturned over the bar by an Omaghmidfielder, the thirty-second turnaround wascomplete. It was a crushing defeat for ateam that had looked to have booked anunlikely place in the Corn na nÓg final.

Both squads now face the challenge ofbuilding on their excellent progress and whenthey consider how close they came to glory,it shouldn’t be too hard to keep up thehard work.

OMAGH END ABBEY’S RANNAFASTAND CORN NA NÓG DREAMS AT

THE SEMI-FINAL STAGE

Just when the boys were worried thatrugby might have to take a back seat thisseason, Newry Rugby Football Club, inconjunction with Peace III, invited us to joinin a cross community project. This involvedsix professional training sessions, led byJonny Graham, former Ulster and Irelandrepresentative. Also included were twoRespect and Prejudice Awareness Sessions,involving all pupils from four local schools andled by the Peace Initiative Team. The climaxof the project was the blitz competition heldat Telford Park, home of Newry Rugby Club.Played under a crisp blue winter sky, theGenoa chips and sausage lunch helped warmthe boys’ hands and stomachs!

The afternoon of rugby involved two Abbeyteams, A and A1. Both Abbey teams won theirfirst three games beating St Paul’s,Bessbrook, Kilkeel High School and NewryHigh School. They then played each other.The ‘A’ team took a two-try-lead but to theirsurprise, the A1 team fought hard and scoredtwo tries of their own in quick succession.The final minutes saw some solid defendingfrom the A1 team but eventually the strengthof the A team came through with a closing tryto win 3-2. This day was not so much aboutwinning but the development of rugby skillsand cross community involvement.

Many thanks to Newry Rugby Football Clubfor their initiative, support, genuine welcomeand hospitality. If any of the Abbey boys wantto play more rugby, that welcome is alwaysextended to you at the club. Training is onWednesday evenings and matches or trainingon Saturdays, alternatively speak to MrWadsworth or one of the boys who play at clubfor more information.

BUSY SEASON FORTHE ABBEY’S

RUGBY PLAYERS

James Price evades a tackle during the U13 Rugby Blitz.

Abbey Way June 2013 Page 4

NovemberCareers Take a Front Seat as Hard Hitting Road Show Comes to the Abbey

The week commencing Monday 12th November was an extremelybusy week for middle and senior students in the Abbey. A series ofprogrammes was delivered in conjunction with both Young EnterpriseNI, and Sentinus NI engaging students in a variety of interactiveprogrammes that allowed them opportunities to work on their careerplanning and management processes.

Year 14 students carried out intensive Mock University Interviewsfacilitated by a small number of local employers/business associatesfocusing on their specific career decisions.

Year 11 and Year 13 students engaged in a motivationalprogramme aimed at helping students to identify their emotionalintelligences and personal learning styles whilst applyingmodern techniques and strategies to maximise the impact of theirplanned study.

Year 12 students successfully completed a popular YENI programme‘Learn to Earn’. Through this hands-on, interactive programme –students throughout are encouraged to identify longer term goals andaspirations and understand how the choices they make at school andtheir level of achievement affects the attainment of these goals. Thestudents were introduced to the economic realities of working lifethrough budgeting activities, exploring their potential salary levels,as well as exploring self-employment as a career option.

Mrs C McGrath, Head of CEIAG at the Abbey CBS, said: “the focusof Work Related Learning Week is to encourage students to thinkabout their career plans beyond the confines of the classroom. Itaims to offer opportunities to engage with local industry andexternal agencies to help create a culture of ‘informed career choices’in our young people and to impress upon them the importance oftaking control of their learning and managing their decisions .”

WORK RELATED LEARNING WEEK AT THE ABBEY

Sixth and Seventh Year pupils from both the Abbey and the SacredHeart Grammar School, took part in a road accident demonstration aspart of Northern Ireland Road Safety week. Members of the NorthernIreland Fire and Rescue Service, the Police Service of Northern Irelandand the Ambulance Service came to the school on Thursday 22ndNovember 2012, to target young drivers with their hard hittingcampaign.

The afternoon long session got underway with a demonstration inthe school yard of how the Emergency Services respond to a roadaccident. Seventh Year pupils, Oisín Mc Evoy and Jonathan O Hare,agreed to sit in the vehicle as the members of the Fire Service cut themout of a car. The demonstration was thought-provoking for theincreasing number of young drivers attending both schools as they gotto see and hear, at first hand, the sights and sounds of a road accident.

Following the demonstration, pupils were given the opportunity toquiz the experts, as well as watch a power point presentation, thathighlighted to them the dangers of motoring at such as young age.

It was clear that the pupils were given food for thought, during theafternoon and it is hoped that they will have taken serious heed of thewarnings issued by the experts during this worthwhile event.

HARD HITTING ROAD CAMPAIGN COMES TO THE ABBEY

Year 13 and 14 students from the Art &Design Department at the Abbey attended aprint making workshop by Bill Penney - anAssociate Lecturer in Printmaking and Headof Admissions Tutor for the FoundationCourse in Art & Design at the University ofUlster in Belfast. The boys visited Newry HighSchool on Friday 23rd November where theycarried out a series of prints based on theirown individual themes, under the guidanceof Mr Penney. Mr Penney has a valuableinsight into the requirements for entry ontoArt & Design courses and spoke to the boysabout interview skills and what to include ina successful portfolio. The students allthoroughly enjoyed this experience ofworking with a practising artist. u Jack Maguire, Year 14, gets some advice from

Bill Penney.

p All the participants at Bill Penney’s workshop.

PRINT MAKING WORKSHOP WITH BILL PENNEY

December

Page 5 June January 2013

STAFF CHOIR DEBUT AT ABBEY CHRISTMAS CONCERT

Spirit of Christmas Celebrated at our Christmas Concert

On Wednesday 19th December, the Music Department hostedfriends and family in the Assembly Hall for a night of ChristmasCarols, readings and music. The large audience was entertained andput into the festive spirit by various groups, involving Abbey pupils,teachers and support staff. There were some new ensembles such as“The Rolling Tones” directed by Mr John Cosgrove (past pupil, parentand Jazz Band saxophonist) and Mrs Lorna Palmer’s groups, “TheString Band” , “Senior Boys Choir” and the “Abbey Staff Choir”, intheir debut performance. The Carol singing proved to be the highlightof the night and developed into an impromptu sing-a-long.

The evening, attended by pupils, parents and staff, with their ownyoung children, was a great success and Slí na Mainistreachcongratulates everyone involved on the night. In his remarks, MrDominic Wadsworth thanked the boys for their talent, enthusiasm,loyalty and commitment. He paid tribute to his departmentalcolleague, Mrs Lorna Palmer, for her dedication, experience andability to produce such musical excellence in all of her ensembles.In a particular way, he went on to praise Conor McCormick for beingsuch a multi-talented music technician and a constant cool head evenwhen under great demand. Finally, Mr Wadsworth acknowledged thecontribution of Mr. John Cosgrove for volunteering to help run ajunior jazz band with such energy and skill. The entertainmentcertainly got everyone in the Christmas spirit and had everyonelooking forward to the Spring Concert.

Members of the Abbey Junior Choir pictured at the Christmas Concert.

The Abbey is Full of Christmas Spirit While Aaron Celebrates his Colleges’ All-Star

AARON RECEIVES AN ULSTER COLLEGES’ ALL-STARPictured is Aaron Beattie (7th

year) being presented with hisDanske Bank Ulster Colleges AllStar award by Chairman of theUlster Colleges, Seamus Meehan,and Danske Bank representative,Danny Stinton.

Congratulations to Year 14student, Aaron Beattie, whoplays at corner back for ourMacRory Cup team, and who waspresented with a Danske BankUlster Colleges All Star at aspecial awards ceremony that washeld at the Merchant Hotel inBelfast on Monday 17thDecember, 2012. Aaron followsin the footsteps of his club mate,at Naomh Eoin Bosco, EthanToner, who was awarded an Allstar in the same position in2010.

January

Abbey Way June 2013 Page 6

Oran Mc Nally presents a profile ofpast pupil, Donal Mc Mahon, as partof the English Department’s Careers’week.

Donal McMahon is a past pupil of theAbbey and he is also the brother of our veryown Geography teacher, Mr. McMahon. Heattended the Abbey from 1990-1997 and hestudied A levels in English Literature, Historyand Politics. He likes music, current affairsand writing. When he was in Queen’sUniversity he studied History and Politics aspart of a three year degree. He then studiedGrey’s shorthand production writing style inCork. He has travelled all around the world tomany different places such as America,Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Hecame back to Ireland for a Post GraduateHigher Diploma in Journalism. He has workedwith newspapers such as the Down Democratand the Roscommon Herald but now worksfull-time for the Newry Reporter.

To be a good journalist you need to getalong well with the person that you arereporting whether you like them or notbecause if you needed to do an interviewwith someone, you could get the press officerto ask the questions but if you seem to bequite a difficult person they might not do itfor you. You need to think about the photoyou are going to use for your article.Remember that the most unusual photosoften get the most attention. If it is a photothat everyone has seen it won’t be valuable.If it is a photo that no one has seen likeDonal’s example of ‘the Queen picking hernose’ then it will be valuable. You can onlytake a photo in a public place. If the Queenwere in her living room then you can’t walkin and take a photo.

If another newspaper likes your storythen they can try and buy it from you; this isthe same for a photographer’s photos. Thereare different issues that you can report onsuch as: court, crime, music etc. To get aHigher Level in Journalism you must be ableto use shorthand. There are different stylesof shorthand such as the one Donal uses,‘Grey’s Shorthand’. It is useful in places suchas court because you need to take down everyword that people say.

It has been a very successful year for the Creative Writing Club!

Students were entered for local and national writing competitions throughout the year.Many students had their work selected to be published in anthologies including ‘The PoetryGames’ and ‘Poetry Games: Teenage Dreams’

All of these anthologies are kept at The British Library.Below is a selection of poems that were chosen for publication in the various anthologies.

Included are poems that the boys wrote in January about Zambia. Talks from senior studentsinvolved in the Zambia Immersion Project and discussions in poetry club, about those lessfortunate than ourselves, inspired the boys to write really emotive and thought-provokingpoems. Five poems about Zambia were chosen for publication.

Careers in English Week

From Tuesday 22nd to Friday 25th January the Abbey English Department ran a week of visitspromoting careers in which the subject of English plays a vital role. Eight visitors (seven ofwhom were Abbey past pupils) spoke to a range of classes from Key Stage Three up to ALevel. Each speaker entertained pupils with personal anecdotes and emphasised theimportance of good written and communication skills in the work place.

English Department Careers Week Focuses on Journalism But Poetry is the Order of the Day for the Creative Writers’ Club

The Youth of Today

The youth of today are quite a jumble, With Facebook and games causing all sorts of trouble,Cyber bullies run rampant with glee,As they have new victims on Facebook, all for free.

Now, here’s a whole different story,Addicted to winning and getting all the glory,Children are just sitting around,While outside you can’t hear a sound.

These addicts will ruin this generation,With teens being brought in for interrogation,About how and why they ruined this age,How and why they made life so plain and beige.So listen up to all boys and girls,Because this really is an addicted world.By Michéal Linden 9D

I have no loving father,I have no caring motherAs both of them have perished. We loved one another.

What are Ipads?What are Tablets? The only thing I have,Is some rice and a blanket.

My home is a shedWith no other rooms,No bedroom or bathroomBut that’s alright if I have school.

Smiles in Zambia

Smiles in Zambia?

Look at them run,How can it be done?On gravel without shoesAnd barely any food.

Three meals a week,That is not right,So different to our diet,Food, food, foodMorning, day and night.

They stick together,through it all,Stick their chests out,Stand so tall.

It really makes your heart ache,To see their mothers cry.But turns a frown, upside down,To see the children smileBy Daniel Flynn 9D

At school we have a blackboardWith little chalk to use,There are over 50 hungry pupilsWho don’t have a life to choose.Everyone is famishedToo hungry to go on,But as long as our friends are with usWe’re happy all along.

We don’t need those gadgets,We don’t take things for granted.Our friends are the fuels to keep treading on,Through the hard Zambian life.We’re happy from now on.By Arthur Cespon IV9

I am Lonely.

Page 7 Abbey Way June 2013

January Jiggin’ and Reelin’ for Zambia

Jigs and Reels was a spectacle, of both comedy and talent, withan even balance of esteemed professional Irish dancers with equallyenthusiastic students and teachers being taught from scratch and putinto their places by the mother of Ryan Hughes, Helena. Rigoroustraining and preparation went into the routines in the weeks beforethe big night. We all got put through our paces rightly.

Helena had kindly given us the time and the patience to helpspearhead this event with a real emphasis on drilling us with thebasic steps and teaching us routines and dances in line for theevent, with Pete O’Hagan’s two left feet and Stephen Jenningsgalloping through routines- a far cry from the skip two threes beingexecuted to perfection by the likes of Peter Reel. Pat O’Neill added aFrench flavour to the dancing despite not knowing his right foot fromhis left.

Paul McKeever had tried dancing before and now feels that he wasindeed, born to dance. The man can’t be stopped. Annette Elmore,Orla Hughes and Catriona McGrath, despite being the chatters of thegroup, were always ready to perform flawlessly. Ryan Hughes and histroop of lads who have, “done it all before”, eased back into theswing of things and have obviously put long hours into the art ofdance. Brendan Bell was our resident pro along with Helena; he ledthe group routine and gratefully gave us his time.

I had heard from past students about how saddening theexperience of Zambia can be and the poverty within it. The work wedo here, no matter how small or even fun it may seem in this case,always has the driving motive for making a difference and providinghope in Zambia and all the money raised will go directly to fundingthe project.”

The night went off like a house on fire with a sell out show! Theaudience was ‘sardined’ into the tight space of Bellini’s. Just under£6000 pounds was raised for the project and this will directly makean impact in Zambia. As a team, we thank the audience for arriving,all the parents who gave their sons/daughters lifts to the practice,Helena and Brendan for giving up their time for us and anyone elsewho did their bit for the project. The three judges gave this event a“strictly come dancing” flavour with their score cards and thesurprise jig from Mr McGovern crowned off what musy be, one of themost successful fundraisers the Abbey has ever had for the ZambiaImmersion Project.

Jigs and Reels participant and member ofthe 2013 Zambian Immersion Team, AndrewMc Givern, reviews one of the mostmemorable nights in a generation of theAbbey…

Abbey Way June 2013 Page 8

JanuaryA Night to Remember

The ‘ABBa’y Girls.

Mrs Elmore and past pupil, BrendanBell are ’Smooth Criminals’.

Mrs McGrath, Mrs Hughes and Mrs C McEvoy go back to school.

Mr Mc Governsteals the show.

Fear an Tí, Oisín Mc Evoy, with his ‘leggy’assistant, Johnny O Hare.

Sacrebleu M.O Neill!

Mrs Mc Govern, Mrs Rafferty, Mrs Mc Kernan and Mrs Rooney

wow the packed crowd.

Page 9 Abbey Way June 2013

February Abbey Exit the Mac Rory Cup but there is Joy for the Cross Country Runners

Abbey CBS 0-7 St Paul’s Bessbrook 1-9

However, a couple of long terminjuries and the absence of key playerson the big night, left the Abbey facingthe excellent South Armagh side againstthe background of less than perfectpreparation. That said, on the night, StPaul’s were full value for their five pointwin and the fact that they went on toreach the Mac Rory Final, showed theirquality and left the Abbey thinkingabout what might have been.

A huge crowd, estimated to be closeto four thousand, packed into the standin Páirc Esler, to watch this uniquequarter final pairing, and it was theBessbrook supporters who will haveenjoyed the first half more than theAbbey.

Despite shooting a toal of eightwides, St.Paul’s went into the breakleading by 1-3 to 0-3. Abbey’s threescores came in the first twelve minutesand they led by two points, mainlybecause of the wayward shooting of theBessbrook forwards.St Paul’s only gotback on course when they managed tofind the back of Tiarnan O Brien’s net fora somewhat fortuitous goal; Armaghsenior panelist, Ciaran O’Hanlon,managing to toe-poke to the netfollowing a goalmouth scramble.O’Hanlon scored all 1-3 for St Paul’s inthe opening half, but both Eoghan Burnsand Gregory Mc Cabe were proving to bea handful for the Abbey. Abbeydominated the opening fourteenminutes of the second half and narrowedthe gap to a single point, 1-4 to 0-6,with scores from Conal Gallagher, ConorMartin and free-taker Callum Comiskey.

However, when two teams are soevenly matched, in such a significantgame, the game is won or lost on theslimmest of margins. That was to provethe case in the Marshes, after thedismissal of Oisin McEvoy for a secondyellow. St Paul’s again took control andfinished strongly with McCabe and Burnsagain dominant. The award of thesecond yellow card bewildered the Abbeyplayers, and management and in truth,most of the occupants of the SouthStand, as it seemed to be awarded for anincident that the referee had waved onseveral seconds earlier and only cameabout after some protests from theBessbrook line towards a linesman.

St Paul’s scored five excellent pointsfrom distance in the final quarter as theAbbey lost an uphill battle. It was adevastating end for a group of playerswho had marked themselves out as a

particularly hard working group and hadshown fantastic commitment to theschool over a period of three years. Theynow leave the Abbey looking back ontheir Rannafast Final appearance in2010 as the highlight. Slí naMainistreach wishes them all the bestfor the future.

Abbey CBS: Tiarnán O’Brien, OisinMcEvoy, Conor Hoey, Aaron Beattie, RyanMagee, Cathair McKinney, Patrick Reel,Niall McKevitt, Daniel McCarthy, TerryMorgan, Tadgh Murdock, DonaghMcAleenan 0-1, Conor Martin 0-2, CallumCumiskey 0-2, 0-1 free, Conal Gallagher0-1.Subs: Conor Doyle for C McKinney,Patrick McEntaggart for P Reel, EoinMcParland 0-1 for T Morgan, Sean Cooperfor D McAleenan.Referee: Cathal O’Hagan (Tyrone)

Abbey crashed out of the 2013 Danske Bank MacRory Cup at the Quarter finalstage against competition new boys, St.Paul’s, Bessbrook. At the beginning of theyear the Abbey was tipped to do very well in this year’s competition along withSt. Patrick’s, Maghera and their eventual conquerors, St. Paul’s.

In early February, in a wind swept and very wet DelamontPark, the second year cross country team of Ardan McAvoy,Oisin McKinley, Billy Campbell, Lewis Cowan, Brendan O’Shea,Luke Forster, Micheal Curtis, Aaron Laverty and DanielCampbell; stormed to victory in the team event. With more

than 15 local schools taking part this was a great achievement,made all the sweeter by the fact that they improved on lastyear’s performance. That victory earned the Abbey boys a placeat the Ulster finals in Mallusk, county Antrim, where the teamgave an excellent account of themselves.

Cross Country

Abbey Captain, Callum Comiskey, picture with the St.Paul’s, Bessbrook, captain, Ciaron O Hanlon and referee, Cathal O Hagan before the ‘Battle of the Marshes’.

Abbey Way June 2013 Page 10

March Sees Zain Shahid Crowned Senior Debating Champion whilst the Senior and the Quiz Team Travel to England

as Northern Ireland Champions

March

I and my team-mates Eoin,James and Kevin were all veryeager to get quizzing again. Wehad had lots of success, and aftera long wait it was time to getback to business. All of us hadbeen to England before forquizzes. Mr Gamble told us aboutthe upcoming Northern Irelandround, and our faces lit up. Wewere confident – The Abbey isthe only school ever to win it!

Our journey to England beganjust down the road, in Lurgan.The Northern Ireland round wasbeing held there. Strangely, onlytwo other teams took part, oneof which had never quizzedbefore. Still, we were lookingforward to all the drama andexcitement of who could get tothe buzzer first.

We were all veterans, so wehad the experience in our favour.

After Sacred Heart GrammarSchool and St. Louis’ Ballymenaput up a brave fight, we managedto win both matches and take thetrophy home once more. Thetrophy was great, but for us thereal prize was the trip toEngland. Mr Gamble and MrGrogan went with us.

We left Belfast City Airportfor Birmingham (not before Eoinsmashed his phone), and thencaught the train to Coventrywhere we stayed in the PremierInn. It was very nice, and just asluxurious as any 5-star hotel.After hunting for somewhere toeat, we found a great Italianrestaurant and it was good craicall round. I think my team-mateswill agree that “The Godfather”was the best dessert any of usever had! With full stomachs, itwas time for a good night’s sleep

before the morning train toLeamington-Spa.

We were met at the stationby a teacher from the hostschool, Warwick School, which isjust outside Leamington-Spa.After the usual briefing and chit-chat, we began our first matchagainst Monmouth School. Theyput in a great effort and I had alot of respect for them, but wemanaged to clinch the win. Therewere some very tense moments,but we all put in a great effort.That got us a place in the semi-final.

The semi-final was somewhatless rewarding. We fancied our

chances, and even consideredrepeating The Abbey’s victoryfrom 2002. Sadly, it wasn’t to be,as a school named HaberdasherAske’s got the better of us andmade it to the final. We werehappy when we heard the news oftheir defeat in the final toLancaster, a team with whosecaptain we had become friends.

We were all a bitdisheartened on the train back toBirmingham, but we still had afantastic time and lots of fun.There was time to enjoy all theairport’s shops before we had togo, and we made sure we stockedup on all the chocolate and crispswe’d need for the arduous 45minute flight.

Kevin and I may have seenour last quizzing trip to England,but I have no doubt that Jamesand Eoin will be able to bringhome the victory to where itbelongs next year.

Michael Jordan 11MC

In April, Zain Shahid became the thirdfifth year student to win the senior debatingcompetition after a stellar performanceopposing the motion “This House believesthe internet encourages democracy” despitestrong proposition arguments from GarethDeane, Matthew Freeman, Eoin Monaghan andJames Meehan.

Gareth Deane opened for the propositionby succinctly defining the motion which wassubsequently challenged by the opposition’sZain Shahid, Kilian Thornton, Thomas Carvilland Cormac Begley. These debaters hadalready argued their way successfully throughthe preliminary and semi-final rounds tomake the final. In fact, all eight speakerswere competing in their first final, yet thestandard of debating belied their relativeinexperience in competition. Even the quirkyex tempore motions were executed withhumour and imagination. Eoin pointed outthe merits of ‘what doesn’t kill you makesyou stronger’ referencing Kanye and KellyClarkson. Cormac convinced us ‘the only wayis Abbey’ while Matthew calmly explained‘Bond had no choice but to let the sky fall’.Gareth showed unequivocal ‘support for theDark Knight.’ Thomas presented the case forthe Harlem Shake over Gangnam Style andKilian told us why dating techniques shouldbe taught in schools, referring to the Spanishdepartment as potential curriculum leaders.

James left us in nodoubt that ‘TomJones is The Voice’with Zain’s flourishbeing hisrecognition of theJaffa cake’s specialstatus in the biscuitaisle, indeed in itsquestionable statusas a biscuit.

In both aspectsof the competition,the finalistsdemonstrated theirskill and poise,highlighting onceagain the strengthof Abbey debatingand its continueddevelopment acrossall year groups. Guest adjudicator andspeaker, Ms Margaret Ritchie (MP), andsponsor, Mr Rory McShane (McShane & Co.)commended the finalists. The researchundertaken, the robust arguments, thewillingness to challenge each otherthroughout the debate, all the while seekingto engage the audience of parents, friends,pupils and staff, ensure that this eventremains one of the most prestigious in theschool calendar.

The Year 9 and Year 11 students must alsobe commended for their participation in theevent. Collecting awards for their classdebates, they were exemplary floor membersand questioned both teams on theirarguments. In so doing, they became thepotential finalists for the future.Contributions from the House were deftlymanaged on the night by outgoing Br.McFarland champion, Ryan Morgan, who wasa most welcome returnee to Abbey Debating.

Quiz Team Travel to England

Zain Shahid wins 2013 Br. McFarland Senior Debating Trophy

Ten Years on From our First Visit, The New Zambia Immersion Team See at First Hand the Progress of the Last Ten Years

March

On the 12th March, we departed from DublinAirport and after an 11 hour flight, we finallylanded in Lusaka. The first thing that struck mewas the heat, apparently mild by Zambianstandards, at 30+c. The flight was followed by an8 hour bus journey, in a full coach, with the radioblasting in the background, making it impossibleto sleep. As we drove through towns, we saw youngchildren running on the roads with no supervisionwhatsoever, and women carrying children on theirbacks and large vessels of water and food on theirheads, something that had us all in awe. By thetime we reached Livingstone, we

were exhausted. Wewere met by Brother Mick and Sister Mary, whoboth do a lot of great work in and aroundLivingstone. We were staying in Fawlty Towers, ahostel in the middle of Livingstone.

After a few days settling in, we were assigneda school in which to teach. I was chosen to teachin Linda, and when we got there, we wereimmediately surrounded by smiling children, allwanting to see the mazungus (white people) whohad come to their school. Although they hadalmost no facilities, little stationary and very littlefood, they were the happiest school children I everencountered. The children in the other schools,Libuyu and Ngwenya, were the same, and allwanted to get their photos taken. Teaching wasenjoyable, but challenging. The children hadexcellent maths skills but when it came to English,the children struggled slightly- after all, English isnot their native language. Some of the children hadno shoes, and used razor blades to

sharpen their pencils, and when we pointed thisout the teachers seemed indifferent to ourcomments. Although there were improvementsto be made, overall, it was great to see that themoney raised was going to good use in theschools we fund. This funding is essential to keepthese schools running until the government takesthem over. The children are always willing to learnand when I left colouring pencils for them to use,it was like Christmas for them, after all, they werelucky if they had a book or two and a pencil.

On one of the first day days, we met withSister Mary in St Francis Day Care Centre, where sheshowed us the work she does- giving outmedication to the sick, providing counselling andalso organising a children’s club, for children withHIV/AIDS. She showed us statistics of the numberof patients with different diseases and viruses,especially HIV, and through her educationprogramme on HIV/AIDS, the numbers wereobviously decreasing, although there is still a hugeproblem with the disease. Livingstone has thehighest rate of HIV in Zambia, at around 30%.From that day to the end of the project, four of uswent on a day care visit each day with Margaret,one of the workers at St Francis’. We arrived to seea group outside dancing, which forms part of thecare provided, to help the patients with respiratorydiseases such as TB. Some of the patients hadopen wounds, while others were amputees.Although these people were evidently sick and inpain, they seemed in good spirits, and shared alaugh or two, but there was an overwhelming sensethat these people knew they did not have a lot oftime left. Some were constantly coughing, but Iwas most worried for those who kept quiet thewhole time. While the helpers gave outmedication, Margaret asked the group questionsabout HIV and AIDS, which they answered verycompetently. This was only a small part of thepopulation of Livingstone, and there are still hugeproblems with myths on how HIV is contracted andhow it can ‘cured’.

We then went on a home visit, to those whowere too ill to go to the group sessions. This wasprobably the most poignant memory I have of theproject, mostly for the wrong reasons. We visiteda girl called Avaris, who was 28 and had contractedHIV. When we arrived, I saw her

sittingin a doorway, cutting vegetables with asharp knife, and the first thing that struck me washow frail she looked, almost like a girl half her age.Avaris was blind. She went to a doctor when shecontracted HIV, he gave her medicine, but itaffected her eyesight, eventually making hercompletely blind. She had a daughter who she hadto take care of, and told us about how she cooksand cleans for her family. Her husband left her foranother woman on the other side of Livingstonewhen he learned she was blind, leaving her to fendfor herself and her daughter. Her parents had died,but amazingly, she still smiled and said a prayerfor us. When I asked her, she told us that her onlywish in life was that her daughter got a goodeducation, to get out of the compound in whichthey lived. As we drove back to the day care centre,we saw men and women walking around, all with

no employment or possibility of getting ajob.

Without anybenefits whatsoever, having no job in Livingstonemeans having no money at all.

Every day, after teaching and day activities, wewould go to Lubasi orphanage to meet he children.This was the most special part of the day for us, aswe got to talk and play with the children, and MsHughes also provided arts and crafts for them,which they loved. The children were really excitedto see us arrive, and after a long day, it was a greatway to relax and enjoy ourselves, especially whenI we had seen something disturbing that day. ByZambian standards, the children had good enoughfacilities, but funding is needed continuously. Thechildren were always happy, smiling, dancing andplaying. The younger ones only wanted to play,while the older children liked to talk about theirlives. These children were very inspirational, andthe last day at the orphanage was one of thehardest parts of the project. We also met Anxiousat the orphanage, a young man who told us abouthow he had stayed in Lubasi, and was now excellingat school, as well as helping other children to learnmaths at the orphanage. After the orphanage, we

Coming home from school to open a letter saying I had been selected to go toZambia is a memory I will cherish. After collecting money that summer, andattending the various meetings, I was about to take part in the Zambia ImmersionProject, something that was an ambition of mine since first year. The weeks thatfollowed involved meetings to plan fundraising events, discuss our progress,complete journal work and practise cooking and teaching. This helped the groupto bond and we really got to know each other well before leaving.

Page 11 Abbey Way June 2013

March

had a meeting were we answered questions-prepared by Mr Brady about the day’s events, andMr Evans would give us information on what wewould do the next day. These meetings werehelpful to get anything we wanted to say off ourchests.

We visited a hospice that the Abbey hadhelped to fund on one of the days. Expecting to seepatients on their death beds, we arrived wonderingif we would be able to handle such emotions, butwhat we were met with was much worse. Thehospice was open, but completely empty ofpatients, as they couldn’t afford to admit patients.Great facilities lay there going to waste, while sickpeople lay in mud huts in a close proximity to thehospice, dying. This was an opportunity to easesome of the suffering of the patients, but it wascompletely wasted. There was a children’s ward,with paintings on the wall, and the empty bedsmade me more emotional than if I had seenpatients in the beds.

On another day, we visited the quarry. This wasthe hardest part of the project for some of thegroup, and this was understandable. Men, womenand children worked from 7amuntil dark, for very littlepay. Every day, they sit,smashing stones withhammers for theequivalent of a dollar aday, and most of them satin the hot sun, withdisfigured hands and dustcovering their faces. Wetalked with two youngboys, aged 13 and 17, whowould sit from 7ambreaking rocks, leave forschool without breakfast,

and return after school to break rocks again, dayin, day out. However, this is the only way thesepeople can survive, and although these people maywork there for the rest of their lives, if they don’t,they will die- it’s as simple as that. Young childrenwith blank stares on their faces run and playwithin feet of the edge of the quarry. However,these children are different from those at theschools. There is no hope for these children andeven the youngest of them seemed to realise this.

We visited the hospital in Zambia also. Thechildren’s ward there was almost empty, except forone child receiving care for malnourishment. Thereseemed to be good care at the hospice, but themedication is limited and facilities are far frommodern. We were directed around the hospital byFather John, a really inspirational man, who wasextremely friendly and interesting to listen to. Hetook us to the female ward, where women laysuffering, some with HIV/AIDS, and others withbreathing problems, malaria and high bloodpressure. We talked to some of the women and theywere grateful that we had visited them; weprovided a distraction for them from theirconditions. Some of the women had been there anumber of months. We then visited the male ward,but this was too much for some of the lads, whostood outside while some of us talked to the men

there, including one man withtubing coming out of his chest, andothers who were lying on the floordue to a lack of beds.

The Christian Brothers’ Schoolin Livingstone is called StRaphael’s, and we were taken therewith Brother Mick, who teaches atthe school and was a principal.This was an important part of theproject, as we had an automaticconnection with the lads there.The facilities there were not bad,much better than any of theother schools we visited, andsome of the students were

studyingfor A Levels. It was greatto see such facilities, and the lads andteachers there formed a football team which beatus 3-0.

Overall, the experience was one of a kind- wesaw the best and the worst of life in Zambia, andmet some incredible people. I would highlyrecommend that if you get the chance to be a partof the project, go for it. It will be a life changingexperience and you will get a chance to help thoseless fortunate and experience what life is likewhen you have to live with next to nothing. We willcherish these memories forever and hope to returnto Zambia soon.

THE TEAM: Mr Evans, Ms Hughes, Mr McGovern, Mr Brady,Ryan Hughes, Paul McKeever, Pete O’Hagan,

Martin Mathers, Cathal McKeown, Jonathon O’Hare, Steven Jennings, Andrew McGivern, Aaron Beattie

and James O’Hare.

Paul McKeever

Abbey Way June 2013 Page 12

Page 13 Abbey Way June 2013

April The Abbey Host the Edmund Rice Awards asDr Aidan Lennon Addresses the Fifth Year Pupils

On Friday 22nd April 2013 The Abbey hosted The Edmund RiceAwards Ceremony. This is an annual ceremony which is held torecognise the projects of Social Outreach engaged in by all of TheChristian Brothers’ schools across The North.

Present at The Abbey Ceremony were students and teachers fromSt. Mary’s CBS, Belfast, Glenn Road CBS, Christian Brothers’ GrammarSchool, Omagh, Edmund Rice College, Belfast, and our own Sixth FormAbbey Students.

The different groups of students each made a presentation,reflecting the content and ethos of their particular Social OutreachProject. Projects included: visits to the elderly, working with StVincent de Paul Society, working with students from local SpecialNeeds’ Schools and Organisation of Summer Camps for young people.

The students were addressed by the visiting speaker for theoccasion, Ms Gemma McCourt, an outreach worker with Trocaire. Ms

McCourt spoke of what had motivated her to become involved inprojects of Social Outreach and Solidarity with marginalised groups.She also urged the students to become involved in similar projectseither when at school or at university.

The event was attended by members of The Edmund Rice Schools’Trust, who are charged with ensuring the continuance of the EdmundRice Ethos in The Christian Brothers’ Schools in Ireland.

The students were entertained by pupils from The MusicDepartment at The Abbey Grammar School and by students from TheMusic Department of Omagh CBS.

All those who attended thoroughly enjoyed the celebration.Senior Students from The Abbey will again take part in “The EdmundRice Awards” next year through their programme of Social Outreachwith the students of Rathore School, Newry.

Edmund Rice Awards Ceremonyhosted by Abbey Christian Brothers’ Grammar School, Newry

On Thursday 18th April Dr Aidan Lennon, SELB Literacy Advisor and Principal Examinerfor GCSE English Language with CEA, visited the Abbey to speak to GCSE pupils about theirforthcoming summer exams. As well as providing excellent revision booklets he spoke topupils about the importance of exam technique and time management.

Doctor on Call

Dr Aidan Lennon addressinga group of GCSE pupils.

Dr Aidan Lennon with a group of Year 12 pupils.

Dr Aidan Lennon with Countdownchampion, Eoin Monaghan.

May

Abbey Way June 2013 Page 14

The New Student Council is Elected and Cormac Begley Comes Second in a National Essay Writing Competition

As a student myself I have a fair insightinto the educational process which hasplayed an integral role in shaping theseseventeen years of my life. I value education,I realise that it offers the key of potential tounlock the doors of opportunity. However, isthis key handed to me from a cold, clammyhand or do I grasp it willingly with zeal? Ilike to think it is the latter. I cannot pretendacademia alone is my vocation, but it iscertainly a fire inside me that Yeats sopoetically described. I am dismayed at timeswith the process by which we, the youthburdened with the responsibility of ‘theFuture’, are educated. It feels to me we areforce-fed the tasteless gruel of informationand expected to digest before regurgitatingit all succinctly for intimidating exams.Worse still, only to be forgotten swiftlyafterwards, never to be drawn upon again,once we have received the paper and ink thatdeigns our future.

It would be foolish to assume we live ina world where everyone willingly learns forpersonal growth, development and enjoymentand without any other incentive (though onecan dream). This does not mean tonecessarily implement grand and elaborateschemes and policies to reward and punish,encourage and deter behaviour orientatedaround education. I believe the answer ismuch simpler than that. To light the fire

instead of filling the pail, one depends onthe attitudes and methods of the educator.You might assume immediately I refer to aclassroom teacher, and you’d be right, butthat is not all I refer to. There are theparents, the friends and the consciousness ofthe individual, each capable of lighting thatfire that inspires us to learn. Learning is aninnate human tendency and is necessary forsurvival, but that is not enough.

Strictly in a school setting, we areexpected to abide by school rules and anacademic culture. While this perfectlyunderstandable, for it keeps order andmaintains consistency, it can also sterilisethe environment in which pupils, such asmyself, learn. I am fortunate in that from anearly age I was socialised with similar valuesto an educational ethos, but to those whoaren’t I fear they are disregarded and leftbehind – the so called ‘hopeless cases’ whonot only lack the fire, but have holes in theirrusty pails. We must start at the bottombefore we can reach the top.

Those words from the mind of WilliamButler Yeats expand far and wide; I wouldn’tdo them justice if I restrained them purelyto the confines of schooling. Education is notsolely what you learn in a classroom, it comeswith living. Merely by existing, by drawingbreath and looking around, you are beingeducated. Every conversation, every dream,

every feeling you consider is educational.When you learn, you live – and vice versa.

Finally, you cannot light a fire usingdamp wood. Ultimately it comes down to you.Willingness to learn is just as, if not more,important in education than ability to learn.This is central to all I have discussed here.Every one of us has that voice inside ourhead; our consciousness, our ego, our soul ifyou like, driving us forward, questioningthings and asserting others. This too iscapable of lighting the fire. It’s only whenyour start arguing with this voice that youshould be worried!

Education is not the filling of a pail, butthe lighting of a fire. What W.B Yeats meansby this will always be open to interpretation,but I believe his meaning to be crystal clear;education is not the bland absorption ofinformation from an equally bland source,but inspiration that knowledge is somethingto be appreciated and helps us learn aboutand understand the world, others andourselves. It becomes something we do, notbecause we have to, but because we want to.But be warned, fires are dangerous, and so isknowledge; only when we control this do wereap its endless benefits. Education is notsimply something for the young either, weare always learning; the greater the fire thelonger that passion lasts, no matter whetheryou’re eight or eighty. I hope I’ve educatedyou in some way today, perhaps lighting afire. But don’t simply take my word for it,come to your own conclusion for (and I feelit is apt to end with another quote from theIrish poet himself) “man can embody thetruth, but he cannot know it.”

“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”

W. B. Yeats

Below is an extract form Cormac Begley’s National Essay Writing Competition entry.

The newly elected Senior Councilfor the year 2012-2014 ispictured with the Headmaster, MrDermot Mc Govern, and the YearHead, Mr Seán Gallagher. The newCouncil began their work in Mayand have already been heavilyinvolved in welcoming next year’sfirst years to the school andbidding farewell to the seventhyear graduates.

Back RowL- R: Mr Dermot Mc Govern,Headmaster, James Meehan,Killian Thornton, DarraghMcClean and Seán Gallagher, Year Tutor.

Front Row: Ryan Hughes (Head Boy), Conn O’Neilland Ethan Wroe.

June

Page 15 Abbey Way June 2013

First Year Footballers ShowSigns of Hope for the FutureJune saw the annual Ulster First Year Football Blitz in Belfast, and as ever the

Abbey was there to take part. The competition provides the first real insight intowhere our boys rank with their contemporaries and is often a good guide to thequality of the school team in that year group. This year’s crop of playersemphatically showed that there are good days ahead for Abbey football as theywon through their group, taking the scalps of some of the traditionally strongschools and made it all the way to the A final. The highlight of the day was theirsemi final victory over St.Patrick’s, Dungannon, when despite playing their fifthgame of the day, the Newry boys powered past their Tyrone rivals for a comfortablevictory. As has been the case in recent years (all too often), St. Patrick’s College,Maghera, proved just too strong in the final but that defeat does nothing to dampenthe optimism that now exists for this group of players. A special mention and wordof thanks goes to the new first year management team of Mr R Hannon and Mr JDowning, for their commitment and enthusiasm in working with this squad. Thepanel was made up of: Sean Gollogly, Mark McCann, Pearse McPolin, Callum O’Hare,Pearse Woods, Shealan Fegan, Tiernan Saul, Ross Garvey, Paddy O’Connor, DaraGough, Aidan McGovern, Dylan O’Hare, Sean Magone, Eoin Murdock, Jamie Martin,Fearghal Vallely, Darragh Kelly, Donal Clarke, Michael O’Shea, Sean Rafferty, PaulMartin, Brendan McLoughlin, Sean Watters, Stephen Doyle, Jamie Lynch, DennisLynch, Jonah Osborne, Pearse Loughran, Jamie McAleenan, Isaac Farrugia, KohreeHourican, Michael Kelly, Eoin Carr, Rory Byrne and Jack Grant.Maith sibh lads!

The Year Ends with the Edmund Rice Fun Day, Hope for the SportingYear Ahead and the News that Miss Saigon is Coming to the Abbey

Coming next year…Miss Saigon to premiereat the Abbey Producer, Cameron Mackintosh, says that heintends to restage the mega-hit Vietnam warmusical 'as soon as I can find a theatre.' It hasbeen 25 years since www.musicalworld-boublil-schonberg.com/shows/miss-saigon"Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil sawtheir Vietnam war musical Miss Saigon staged forthe first time. Now you can see the West End hitmusical here at The Abbey next October. One ofour finest casts has been assembled andrehearsals began in early May for what couldprove to be one of our greatest shows ever. MissSaigon continues to tour Japan and America butlocal audiences will have this unique opportunityto experience one of the most stunning modernmusicals. The original West End production,which was directed by Nicholas Hytner, ran for 10years, racking up 4,264 performances, the mostof any production at the Theatre Royal, DruryLane. A subsequent Broadway transfer picked upten Tony awards.