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CONTENTS
CONTENTS
MESSAGE FROM THE HEADMASTER At the start of the academic year last August, it was such a relief to have all students and staff back in Clongowes in person. We had shown, and again whilst the school was closed in January and February, that a boarding school ‘in remote’ is possible. Necessity has been the mother of some extraordinary invention at times over the past sixteen months. These have been difficult times, without a doubt. And, in our corner of the world in Ireland, we have had to find solutions to new challenges. The staff have worked wonders and defied words at times. They, and by that I mean all the staff – support, prefects and teachers - and our Jesuit community, have been quite exceptional. And I pay tribute to them all here in our end-of-year Clongowes Life. I am delighted to report that the school has continued to be a hive of activity. A renewed thirst and appreciation for the ‘ordinary’ things has been evident, and a timely reminder that day-to-day school life is so rich in opportunity and friendship. The ‘extraordinary’ things which Covid has presented in our ‘everyday’ life – testing, bubbles, distancing, and masks etc – have remained but we have approached these with a confidence and sense of calm which have kept our living and learning thriving, and boys and staff out of harm’s way.
COLLEGE LIFE
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CULTURAL LIFE
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ACADEMIC LIFE
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PASTORAL LIFE
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TRANSITION YEAR
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SPORTING LIFE
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CLONGOWES FOUNDATION
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CLASS NOTES
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CONTRIBUTORS MR JOE CURRAN MR DECLAN O’KEEFFE MS ANNE MARIE DOLAN MS JANE O’LOUGHLIN MR JOE ROONEY MR STEVEN GRAY MR ALASDAIR DAWSON MR ADAM CONRY MR ADRIAN SWEENEY MR DAVID NELSON (PHOTOGRAPHER)
We knew it before, and we know it even more deeply now through the experience of the Covid-19 pandemic: our culture in Clongowes is rooted in a sense of belonging to a living community in a real place. It is clearer than ever that living and learning in person here together gives the broadest range of opportunities. In person, we are constantly sharing, challenging, enjoying, celebrating with one another, within a real community of real individuals. I hope that you enjoy browsing Clongowes Life 2020 – 21!
Chris Lumb Headmaster June 2021
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INFIRMARY REFURBISHMENT The Infirmary refurbishment could not have been completed at a more significant time in October in the midst of the Covid 19 pandemic. It means we can now offer a better standard of care and comfort to our students with the added benefits of a doctor’s surgery and physiotherapy room.
windows to ensure adequate ventilation and a top storey that could be turned into an isolation ward to contain infectious diseases! The Infirmary is an example of how the foresight of some came to benefit the generations of students who followed. It has served the College well for over the past century and a half and shall continue to serve students for many decades to come.
The Infirmary is one of the oldest buildings in the school and was built in 1872. College records tell us that the Infirmary was purposely designed as a tall freestanding building with large
The upgrade and renovation of the Infirmary were made possible by those who support the Clongowes Foundation and we extend our thanks and appreciation for their generosity and altruism.
The refurbished Infirmary has kept the charm and original features of the old Infirmary with the addition of new space bringing it up to modern standards. The aim was to make the Infirmary as comfortable as possible whilst also being conducive to seamlessly continuing student studies without disruption. We hope that the visitors to the new Infirmary have a comfortable stay and are back on their feet quickly!
“THE UPGRADE AND RENOVATION OF THE INFIRMARY WERE MADE POSSIBLE BY THOSE WHO SUPPORT THE CLONGOWES FOUNDATION AND WE EXTEND OUR THANKS AND APPRECIATION FOR THEIR GENEROSITY AND ALTRUISM”. LEFT: The old Infirmary with the long-serving nurse, Miss Ellison at the turn of the century
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DUCK PUSH 2020 The Duck Push 2020 Committee made up of Jeff Hemeryck, Shane McNulty, Senan Noone, Eoin O’Regan, Magnus Runham expressed their thanks to everyone who supported their fundraising efforts for a Covid testing machine for Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin. They thanked their Prefects and teachers, parents and guardians, students, friends, neighbours and Old Clongownians many of whom have pushed the Duck over the course of the last three decades. While TY 2020 had to put aside many of the plans we had in place including the much anticipated ‘Cake for Crumlin‘ morning, the annual ‘Fun Run‘, the ‘Golf Classic’ and of course ultimately the ‘Duck Push’ itself they still managed to raise a substantial sum of money for Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital. Many mini-companies got off the ground successfully providing Clongowes Christmas cards, Christmas decorations, Clongowes caps and rugby balls. They were able to provide Clongowes wine
HOUSE LEADERS Congratulations to the new House Leaders for the coming Academic Year 2021-22!
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yet again and special thanks go to Mr Hugh Farrington for supporting this mini-company. The students also managed to get in a number of bucket collections at the Aviva Stadium during terms one and two. Working together they raised €12,657.
platform, with the help and expertise of Mr Mike Wilson of Ditto TV. While still in lockdown in May 2020, 62 TY students ran a 6.5km route around our cities, towns and villages to raise awareness of the cause.
In May the students launched ‘Click-4-Crumlin’, using the Gofundme
Our thanks also to the Parents Association of 2020 who made a much-appreciated contribution to the fund.
Arrupe: Shane Mac Nulty, Eoin Brady Collins: Myles Lonergan, Daniel Murphy Claver: Hugh Hanly, George McLoughlin Gonzaga: Eoin O’Regan, Alex Taaffe Hopkins: Jeff Hemeryck, Magnus Runham
Kenney: Harry McDermott, Michael O’Connor Kostka: Alex Donnelly, Toby O’Donnell Loyola: Harry Browne, Johnny Kiely Sullivan: Sean Lannen, Senan Noone Xavier: Tom Kelly, Hugh Reddan
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CLIMATE ACTION WEEK The 4th annual Climate Action Week took place from October 12th to 18th and activities in Clongowes were led by our Green Schools Committee. The annual awareness campaign on climate action highlights how climate change is impacting Ireland. The week-long initiative encourages students, teachers, and the wider community to talk about climate change and get involved in local climate action. Schools on the Green-Schools program will be actively reducing their carbon footprint through improved transport, energy, waste, water choices, or planting for biodiversity. By participating in the week their collective climate actions will resonate with the wider community, raising awareness of climate change. The Green-School’s programme was set up by Joey Kennedy (Syntax) in January 2019. The programme has grown to now have 10 dedicated students who meet monthly to discuss climate change and how the College can continually improve its carbon footprint. As of last year, the College has also added a Green-Schools module for Transition Year students which is headed by Mr Burke. As part of this year’s Climate Action Week, the school ran multiple initiatives and activities, these included art competitions, science experiments, evening showings of climate change documentaries, and the unveiling of this year’s Green Schools slogan. A huge thank you to the Green-Schools Committee and all the teachers and students who took part in this week’s initiative. Climate change is an ever-present issue in all of our lives and it is amazing to see our boys taking such a keen interest at such a young age. 06
GREEN FLAG & CLIMATE AMBASSADOR PROGRAMME In January, Joey Kennedy (Syntax), Chair of our Green Schools Committee was selected to join An Taisce’s Climate Ambassador Programme. The Climate Ambassador programme is Ireland’s first-ever initiative to train and support individuals taking action on climate change. In addition to this, Clongowes was awarded our first-ever Green Flag in June!
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CHRISTMAS LUNCH On Tuesday 8th December the school gathered in prayer to celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Fr Shane Daly SJ celebrated Mass at 10.45 a.m. from the Sports Hall where Syntax students were present. Other year groups gathered in five other locations throughout the school to take part in the liturgy as it was streamed live. Parents and OCs also joined the school community via the live streaming service. The wonderful voices of the Schola Cantorum filled the Sports Hall under the direction of Mr Cyril Murphy, Director of Liturgy. In his sermon, Fr Daly spoke of how, on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, we recognise that God chose to save us by sending his son to live amongst us. Fr Daly reminded us that we honour Our Lady on this special day because in many ways she is a model for all of us. Our Lady was invited to participate in God’s plan for salvation – she had a role to play and freely chose to become part of God’s plan. We all have different roles to play and God is inviting us to play our role. It is a question of listening to discern what God might be calling us to do and to trust God’s plan for each of us and, in the words of the Gospel, nothing is impossible to God (Luke 1:37) Our Mass was followed by the traditional Christmas lunch in the Refectory. This year’s event was different from the previous due to Covid protocols however the levels of excitement and anticipation were not diminished! The Refectory staff prepared, as always, a delicious meal – three courses, with a starter of leek and potato soup, followed by a traditional turkey and ham dinner with all the trimmings. The final course was a dessert of profiteroles and locally produced ice cream. The boys very kindly placed a gift for every staff member under the big Christmas tree in the Refectory as a token of their appreciation for the support of all of the staff in the school this year.
SCHOOL CAPTAIN Congratulations to our new School Captain, Andrew Percival and his two Vice Captains, Josh Dunne & Fiachra Lambe. And, thank you to our outgoing Captain, Rory Morrin and his two Vice Captains, Jack Moroney & Matthew Cassidy. From L to R: Josh Dunne (Incoming Vice Captain), Fiachra Lambe (Incoming Vice Captain), Andrew Percival (Incoming School Captain), Mr Lumb, Rory Morrin (Outgoing School Captain), Jack Moroney (Outgoing Vice Captain), Matthew Cassidy (Outgoing Vice Captain)
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RHETORIC GRADUATION The Rhetoric 2021 graduation took place on Saturday, May 29th and was the first to be streamed live in the 207 years of graduation ceremonies at Clongowes. Due to Covid restrictions, parents and family members were unable to attend in person but we hope they still felt very much part of this great day of celebration. Niall McGeady was presented with the Aloysius Award from Mr Lumb and Jake King was awarded the Ethos Medal from Rector, Fr Michael Sheil SJ congratulations to you both! From L to R: Richard White, Jay O’Leary, Oisin Devitt, Harry McGrath and Charlie Reilly
Wishing Rhetoric 2021 all the very best for the future!
Headmaster Mr Lumb with Niall McGeady and Fr Michael Shiel SJ
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ELEMENTS BBQ Elements boys enjoying a BBQ after evening study at the beginning of May. House Leaders stepped up to the plate and volunteered to man the grill!
ABOVE: Rhetoric man the grill BELOW: Mr Anderson and Mr Grey
FINE ART EXHIBITION HEADMASTER’S BIRTHDAY At the end of February, the school came together to celebrate with our Headmaster, Mr Lumb, as he celebrated a significant birthday!
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The Ladies Association Annual Fine Art exhibition took place online this year - with proceeds going towards the AHP Bursary Programme. Over the years the Association has exhibited the work of students, OCs, their parents and relations. This is an eclectic exhibition that featured the works of professional and amateur artists alike, all of whom have a connection to the College. As always there was a vibrant mix of subject matter and muses, be it paintings of the school, landscapes, still life or botanical paintings, the exhibition catered for all tastes.
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ELEMENTS CAMP OUT Our Elements boys were treated to a camp out during the weekend of May 8th on the College grounds! Tents, campfires, stories and games were the order of the evening. Thank you to our Facilities Team and Prefects who set up everything and to the staff who camped out with the boys.
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CAPTAIN’S HALF DAY The Captain’s Half Day is a tradition in the College where the School Captain requests a half day during term in which the boys can have a well deserved half day from school.
FUN AT ABBEYFIELD FARM Great fun at the beginning of term with our neighbours at Abbeyfield Farm where the boys got to try their hand at some clay pigeon shooting!
HIKING IN GLENDALOUGH A spectacular day in September for the boys to go hiking at Glendalough with Mr Dawson in late September!
MASS FOR THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR To celebrate the start of the new school year, we gather together as a community and this year was no different (apart from the location!). We were blessed with good weather and to have Fr Sheil SJ and Fr McGuckian SJ celebrate mass for staff and students.
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CLONGOWES THROUGH THE SEASONS A beautiful selection of photos from this academic year, as nature transitioned through the seasons.
A cold start to a winter’s morning
Autumnal Morning
The 1929 building under the cover of snow
Early Spring
Elements rugby field frosted over
The white Avenue
First bloom of Spring
The Winter Castle
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The Foggy Dew
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Gravel Football Match 19th Century
GRAVEL FOOTBALL Declan O’Keeffe, College Historian, was asked to contribute a chapter on behalf of Clongowes to a book entitled Puddings Bullies and Squashes, Early Public School Football Codes. Below is an excerpt from the book that deals with the uniquely Clongowes game: gravel football:
“The game was played on a gravel surface (to save the cricket grounds in the winter) with tall pine goalposts (without crossbars) facing one another diagonally across the ground. The balls, made in advance of each game by the college shoemaker, were small, weighed about twenty-five ounces, quickly became misshapen and had to be replaced several times in a match. One Old Clongownian described his first view ‘of boys kicking very pebbly looking footballs’ and explained that ‘the flabby football…when… wet…became paved all over with little particles of gravel’. In this condition, it was ‘truly horrible, a terror to many and a prolific source of fights’. Play was advanced mainly through the primary skill of ‘forcing’ – that is dribbling the ball towards the opponents’ goal and one point was awarded for every score. The game was played from
the start of September until St. Patrick’s Day, when the season concluded with the Colours Matches. These gala occasions, which foreshadowed the schools’ rugby finals of today, were a high point in the college calendar and were preceded by preliminary rounds to decide which team sported red and which green. Following a ceremonial march to the ground ‘with colours flying’ the rector gave ‘the initial kick-off’ before retiring ‘amid cheers’. Christopher Palles, Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer, first president of the Clongowes [past pupils] Union, and arguably ‘the most distinguished Old Clongownian of [his] day’ recalled that for every goal scored on St Patrick’s Day ‘there was an extra pancake at dinner for the scorer, with the thoughtful proviso that a boy could transfer his extra pancakes to his friends!’ Gravel football was extraordinarily popular in both Clongowes and Tullabeg as described in James Joyce’s Portrait of the Artist as well as in the writings of other Old Clongownians. This chapter tells the story of ‘gravel’, which had its own detailed set of laws, (including the peculiar provision that the first score was reckoned as only a half, to make draws impossible) and its place in the Ratio Studiorum that formally established the system of Jesuit education.”
TREE PLANTING To mark World Earth Day as part of our Green Schools Programme, Mr Conry’s Young Social Innovators class planted trees around the campus to commemorate the day.
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NIALL DE BURCA RETURNS Niall de Burca, Ireland’s foremost traditional storyteller returned to Clongowes once again in November. The students spread out on the benches in the People’s Church backs straight, somewhat unsure about what to expect from this statuesque man, dressed in black with a somewhat odd choice of career. Within minutes his voice lured them forward as its array of tones and voices had them teleported to a Donegal of ancient Ireland for a story about the Prince of Donegal. The story delivered humour, utterances of Gaeilge, action, romance, tension and trickery. It captivated his audience of digital natives for nearly 25 minutes. A more light-hearted interactive tale followed and the first group of students left in no doubt as to the skills of captivation and delivery this man from Galway possesses. During his second story the boys were enticed by his multiple voices into a different set of stories, equally, if not more compelling for the fearsome hag appeared, fascinating and chilling the boys in equal measure. Again they were transported by another story of days long passed, a young priest travelling home from Maynooth to Mayo is tricked by a hag, his future apparently destroyed until a cunning Corkonian priest friend intervenes and the hag is outwitted. De Burca ended this session too with an interactive story as he highlighted how the English language had gained words from countries the world over. The session culminated in how it came to be that the Irish are the freckled people. Students unsure of this storyteller initially, left knowing they’d witnessed a master at his craft and were gifted ancient stories to share with family and friends, in keeping with this great tradition. Ms Jane O’Loughlin – School Librarian
5K PHOTOGRAPHY CHALLENGE Ms O’Loughlin challenged students and staff to submit photographs during lockdown as part of a great initiative. Each week a new theme was announced and boys and staff got to work to produce some beautiful images.
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GOLDEN by M McElligott
LITTLE BLEATING LAMBS by T. Carrol
NATURE’S BEAUTY by J O’Loughlin
HIKING by D O’Keeffe
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SCIFEST SciFest promotes Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education through the provision of a forum for students at the local, regional and national level to present and display their scientific investigations. SciFest@Clongowes (an online event this year!) featured entries from both Elements and Syntax students. Well done to all of the students who participated, who really shone, demonstrating their capacity to research, collate and communicate science.
2021 SciFest Winners and Commended Students Elements Highly Commended:
AbbVie Young Innovators Awards:
Syntax Highly Commended:
Peter Gibbons
Caolan Lannon
Colin Simon Fellowes
Arthur Jaggs
Tom Walsh
Ibai Juntilla El Busto
Luke Duggan McGettigan
Connor Caso
James Maguire
Captain’s Prize Students’ Choice Award Winner:
Richie Hyland
Max Sweetman
Maxim Staysukaytis Noah Dunne
Elements Overall Runner Up SciFest 2021:
Jack Reams
Patrick Jones
Bristol Myers Squibb Passion for STEM Award:
Elements Overall Winner SciFest 2021:
James Lee
Tim Boyle
ELEMENTS ART COMPETITION Elements boys took part in an Art Competition this year with the boys asked to choose a tree on the grounds of the College to study and draw. Mrs Brennan, their teacher noted that ‘they paid particular attention to line and texture in the creation of these stunning CLONGOWES LIFE
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Lino prints’. The choosing and cataloguing of the trees would not have been possible without the help of College Librarian Ms O’Loughlin and Fr Rector Michael Shiel SJ. Ms O’Loughlin helped the boys obtain information on the trees in Clongowes whilst Fr. Michael Shiel obtained maps and documents pertaining to the trees on the grounds of the College.
Syntax Overall Runner Up SciFest 2021: Mike Chen
Syntax Overall Winner SciFest 2021: James Keenan
A wonderful ‘virtual gallery’ was launched where the boys could showcase their work. Touchingly, Mrs Brennan had a message for her students that I’m sure will resonate with all those who have attended the school – ‘Clongowes Wood College is a very special place. We hope this exhibition reminds you in some way of what a beautiful place it is, and the beautiful people, and indeed trees that inhabit it’.
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CLASSICS NOW COMPETITION Matthew O’Donohoe (Rudiments) took the honours at the Digital Myth competition run by Classics Now this year. The brief to students was to “reimagine ancient myths of the Greek and Roman world using digital technology.” Students were encouraged to recreate and adapt one of the myths which they have studied as part of their Junior Cycle Classics course, using a digital platform such as Minecraft, Scratch or Fortnite. The competition was organised as a collaboration between TCD, UCD, NUIM and the Classical Association of Ireland Teachers. Matthew chose to do his competition entry on the tragic myth of Orpheus’ trip to the underworld following the death of his wife, Eurydice. In the story, Eurydice is bitten by a snake on her wedding day and perishes. Orpheus, her bereft husband, decides to venture into the underworld and strike a deal with Hades (the king of the dead) to win back his wife. Matthew’s video, which was produced in Minecraft, is shot from the first-person perspective of Orpheus as he makes this journey. As a renowned musician and storyteller himself, Orpheus would no doubt have approved of the twenty-first-century equivalents of his craft. While Minecraft may be a far cry from Orpheus’ tortoise-shell lyre, Matthew’s retelling of the myth, like Virgil before him, can still sing night and day of poor Eurydice: “te veniente die, te decedente die canebat”
CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD Five students were recognised for their participation in the Irish Chemistry Olympiad. Certificates were awarded to Tong Wu, Jack Darcy, Daniel Stokes, Kieran Barrett Gomez and Taehyeon Lee. A special congratulations must go to Tong Wu who was awarded the Gold medal at the Olympiad. Tong has now been selected for the national team that will represent Ireland at the International Chemistry Olympiad hosted in summer 2021 by Japan.
BREBAS CHALLENGE Some 14 students from Clongowes made it through to the 2021 Bebras Challenge National Finals which took place online in April as part of TechWeek Ireland. TechWeek Ireland is a festival of technology aimed at students, parents and the public which took place from 17th - 23rd April 2021! Well done to Patrick Jones (Elements) came second in the 12-14 age category and Seán Hallissey (Syntax) came first in the 14-16 age category.
Matthew O’Donoghoe 16
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MATHS MODELLING The annual Maths Modelling project for Syntax and Poetry groups commenced on May 18th. The Maths Modelling Project aims to solve ‘real-world problems’ with mathematics. The students work to build mathematical models in a bid to address the problems they’re presented with. This year unfortunately due to Covid restrictions the event had to be held virtually. Over 25 young modellers took part in the project which takes place over six months and is led by Clongowes physics teacher, Mr Stephen O’Hara and Professor James Gleeson from the University of Limerick (UL). This year the boys were faced with three different problems:
Problem A: Can solar power have an impact in Ireland? Solar power offers a pollution-free source of energy and heating, but the Irish climate is not very well-suited to taking advantage of this opportunity. However, the efficiency of solar power devices continues to improve, and they may become more competitive in the near future. How could you model the uptake and usage of solar panels and other solar power-conversion technology? What costs are involved, and what are the benefits? Should the government consider incentivising the usage of such devices, and if so, how could it be done?
Problem B: When to buy a new car? Buying a new car is a major decision for most of us, and we face it every few years. A new car is costly, but may be cheaper to run than older models. When a new car is first driven, it loses some of its value immediately, and then there is a slower depreciation of value year-on-year. Assuming that my current car is running well, when should I choose to invest in a new car? The trade-in value of my current car decreases over time, but I defer the up-front cost of the new car until I buy it. Develop an algorithm (a set of rules) to help a car-owner decide what is the optimal time to buy a new car and how long to keep it before trading it in for the next car.
Problem C: Carbon savings from Covid-19 flight restrictions The airline industry has been heavily affected by Covid-19 restrictions, CLONGOWES LIFE
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with a huge reduction in the number of flights worldwide. While this has many negative impacts, one positive aspect is the reduced level of emissions and the possible slowdown of climate change. Consider how the restrictions have reduced numbers of flights worldwide and estimate how much carbon has been saved. This is a complex question, with
many different assumptions needing to be assessed. Having arrived at a figure from your model, can you go further and think how this change might impact climate modelling? Well done to all of the boys who took part and a special congratulations to Mr O’ Hara who has been elected a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, fantastic achievement! 17
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OUTDOOR CLASSES It was great to see our Elements art class outside enjoying the nice spring weather when the boys returned from their Easter break!
ELEMENTS ACTIVE LEARNING Elements exploring viscosity of liquids in the lab. Finding out why different liquids flow at different rates.
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THE ACADEMY The Clongowes Academy was set up by Fr Hilary Lawton, Prefect of Studies, back in the 1950s as a modern-day version of Plato’s Academy from Ancient Greece. Assembling on Tuesday evenings in the Bellarmine Centre, it follows a strictly academic model where each member must present a scholarly paper of some 40 minutes to his peers, who then pose questions about his research. Each paper is a culmination of the members’ exhaustive research into, and analysis of, their chosen topic. The Academy gives its members a chance to become experienced in the research process, public speaking and fielding questions from their audience.
This year we had a broad and interesting range of topics delivered by the members of the Academy: Jack Moroney: History of the NFL Alex Wylde: Identity Politics Daniel Groome: How Donald Trump used memes to become President Alex Wylde: Abstract Art Jack Moroney: The Jonestown Massacre Richard White: Climate Change Rory Morrin: Unsung Anti-Nazi Heroes
Jack Moroney
AWARDS Congratulations to our students who have been awarded Academic & Diligence awards for the academic year. Well done boys!
Grammar Academic & Diligence Awards: Bottom L to R - Tom Byrne, Aodhan McGuinness, Dermot Collins, Mr ODomhnaill, Jack Shannon, Rian O’Kelly, Chris Keenan, Cian O’Brien, Ned Williams, Marcus McElligott, Phil Casey, Daniel Schacht, Mark Kelly.
Syntax Transition Year Awards: Bottom L to R Juan Medina Mengotti, Patrick Brophy, James Mulkerns, James Wyse, Luke Boylan, George Strickland, Ben Smyth, Phillip Weig, Max Coveney, Joey Kennedy, James Keenan.
Rudiments Academic & Diligence Awards: Bottom L to R - Luke O_Leary, Lukas Felten, Matthew Smyth, Tobi Baruwa, Philip McCartan, Frudi Chan, Harry Ward, Dara Fitzpatrick, James Elliott, Max Doyle, Ben D’arcy, Absent Ben Keenan.
Rhetoric Academic & Diligence Awards: Bottom L to R - Liam Duro, Jack D’Arcy, Rory O’Sullivan Sexton, Tong Wu, Kieran Barrett Gomez, Dan Stokes, Mr McCormack Matthew Sheedy, Luc Curley, Matthew Cassidy, Taehyeon Lee, James Ward, Rory Morrin, Mr O’Hara CLONGOWES LIFE
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Syntax Gaisce Awards: Bottom L to R - Juan Medina Mengotti, Ben O’Neill, Harry Mallon, Max Duggan, Patrick Brophy, Harry Martin, Adrian Von Kempis, Joseph Moynihan, Tom Murtagh, James Wyse, Ben Smyth, Phillip Weig, Alex Hemeryck, Joey Kennedy, Connor Caso, Harry Blake, Matteo Mazzoli, James Keenan, Padraic Spillane, Brian McCarthy
Elements Academic & Diligence Awards: Bottom L to R - Tim Boyle, Max Sweetman, James Maguire, Ms Nolan, Peter Gibbons, Patrick Jones, James Lee, John Leahy, Caolann Lannon, Tom Walsh, Brian A McCulloch.
Poetry Academic & Diligence Awards: Bottom L to R - Daniel Murphy, Harry Browne, Ciaran Ryan, Harry Mac Goey, Eoin O’Regan, Alex Taaffe, Mr Condron, James Mangan, Leonardo Tresso, Brian Gaffney, Magnus Runham, Senan Noone, Tom O’Sullivan, Mr McCormack. 19
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WELLNESS DAY The annual Clongowes Wellness Day took place on Wednesday 25th November. The Amber Flag Committee made up of staff and students worked very hard behind the scenes to make this an enjoyable event for all the Clongowes community.
The Committee opted for our own ‘Darkness into Light’ 5K walk without rising in the early hours (the boys were happy to know!) and a video presentation from Pieta House. In keeping with the Amber Flag principles, we must achieve two goals each year to retain our ‘Amber Flag’ status.
The Pieta Amber Flag Initiative recognises the individual efforts of primary and secondary schools, youth reach, third level institutions, community groups, clubs and companies to create healthy, inclusive environments that support mental well-being.
(1) Whole school wellness event: 5k walk and Pieta House Mental Health Awareness talks.
It was a different type of ‘Wellness Day’ in comparison to previous years due to Covid restrictions.
The day was a big success and as a result, we have maintained our Amber Flag for another year.
(2) Raising money for Pieta House through donations and the sale of Darkness into Light snoods.
A special thanks go to all who helped make the day possible but especially: The Amber Flag Committee & Mrs Dolan, Mr McGovern & Syntax Students (in particular James Mulkerns alongside Mr Dawson) for taking the lead on organising the routes for the walk. Teachers and staff who participated in the walk and led the ‘wellness’ lessons. The Facilities Team for preparing and having the walking route safe for us all. Ms Cooke & her team for being so accommodating with the menus for the day. And finally, Mr Nelson for capturing wonderful pictures of the day.
WAY OF THE CROSS Good Friday this year we hosted a virtual Way of the Cross online at clongowes.net. The aim of this was to enable us to all ‘gather’ in The Boys’ Chapel and celebrate this important liturgical date together. The soundtrack for this year’s event featured renowned Irish soprano Celine Byrne and cellist Jane Hughes, along with our “chamber” Schola of senior members.
AMBER FLAG We are delighted to announce that Clongowes has been awarded the Pieta Amber Flag award for 2021. Well done to the Amber flag committee, students and staff who made it possible!
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KAIROS In the lead-in to our annual mid-term break, Clongowes hosted our two annual Kairos Retreats simultaneously. It was not possible to hold our Kairos retreats offsite due to the Covid restrictions but fortunately for us, we were able to utilize the wonderful surroundings of our own home territory. Some sixty-plus Poetry students partook in the Kairos experience with Rhetoric students and staff members facilitating and partaking. Our main gathering points for both groups on the two Kairos Retreats were the College Chapel and People’s Churchtwo beautiful iconic places of worship for everyone here at Clongowes and afar.
The Kairos Retreat has always been suggested as the ‘jewel’ of the Jesuit schools right across the globe and the journey of the most recent retreatants was found to be no different. Students and parents have recently cited it as being “the best experience of their schooling to date”, “profound”, “moving’’, “awakening”, “deeply affected” and many more beautiful attributes. Many thanks
to all who worked together to make the retreat possible in these unforeseen times, where it is difficult for many annual activities to run as normal. Our prayer and hope for the newly refreshed retreatants is to continue to live in the spirit of Christ’s love experienced on the retreat so that they can begin to make it a daily reality for themselves and everyone that they meet.
The opening line to the retreat was:
“God is still writing your story. Stop trying to steal the pen. Trust the author!”
ONLINE MASSES Throughout the year we have broadcast our Sunday masses and special liturgical occasions live from the Sports Hall. The images show the preparation and rehearsals in the Sports Hall ahead of the first live broadcast of Sunday Mass from Clongowes in September. Thank you to all the boys and staff who made praying together a reality during this challenging year.
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CAMPUS NEWS PASTORAL LIFE
DARKNESS INTO LIGHT A very early pre-dawn call for the 100 or so students and staff who braved the elements to join the Darkness into Light walk for Pieta House on May 8th. After their trek around the grounds and local roads, it was straight back to the Ref. for some well earned hot drinks, sausage rolls, doughnuts and delicious pancakes from Ms Thomas! The Procession
An early pre dawn start
Well deserved pancakes after in the Ref
Mr McIllmurray and Mr Sweeney enjoying the walk
REMEMBRANCE TREE Our annual November Remembrance Tree stood in the concourse where students and staff took time to remember their loved ones that have passed on. The names were remembered during daily prayers and at the special mass for Deceased OCs on Remembrance Sunday. “In November We Remember”
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CAMPUS NEWS TRANSITION YEAR
TY SPORTS WEEK The inaugural Clongowes TY Sports Week took place before the midterm with a jam-packed itinerary of exciting and challenging sport-related activities. The boys were met with generally good weather which will have made the week even more enjoyable. Sports Week is a new important date in the Transition Year calendar – offering the boys a great opportunity to sample different sports and activities while being tutored by professionals in their respective fields. Sport plays an important part in the boys’ life at Clongowes and several of our OCs are currently pursuing successful sporting careers at the international level. Participation in sport helps build friendships, teamwork and a sense of camaraderie. We were delighted to announce that this year our students partook in eight separate activities: GOLF: Kenny Fahy PGA Professional, Carton House GAA: Johnny Doyle, Kildare GAA Development Officer SOCCER: Rory Feely, League of Ireland Professional Player TENNIS: Paraic Kilcoyne, Clongowes Wood College Tennis Coach SELF DEFENCE: Guru Liam ORIENTEERING: Mr McIlmurray SWIMMING: Niamh Moran, Clongowes Wood College Swim Coach BASKETBALL: Hillary Nets, Irish Super League Player
A PORTRAIT OF A TY BARISTA During the first half of the year, a group of Transition Year (TY) students were brought to a local coffee roaster for an introduction to coffee roasting and barista techniques. Our TY programme is rich and varied with time set aside for fun learning activities such as the barista course. We would like to say a big thank you to PS Coffee Roasters for giving the boys a fantastic day and to Mr McGovern for organising yet another enjoyable TY activity.
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DUCK PUSH Clongowes Duck Push 2021 is the continuation of a 27-year long tradition of fundraising by the Transition Year students at Clongowes. The boys aim to raise funds for Crumlin Children’s Hospital in the spirit of ‘Kids Helping Kids’. The Duck Push set a target of €40,000 to purchase a Luminex Magpix machine to test for respiratory viruses. During the year, despite Covid restrictions, the TY students managed to run some fantastic mini-companies and events for the Duck Push with all donations via the Gofundme page.
5KM/10KM FUN RUN The annual Clongowes 5km / 10km Fun Run in aid of Duck Push 2021 took place on Saturday, April 24th. Each year group took to the route around the College in groups with Elements off first! The 5km run took runners in familiar paths like the main avenue and the rugby fields but also less trodden roads up to the farm and round the old walled garden. Each Year Group was well represented with just over 200 students taking part and nearly 140 signing up with locally-based Pop-Up-Races to support the Duck Push. In all, over €3,000 was raised for the Transition Year fundraiser. We want to thank ‘Medals and Pedals’ Clane for sponsoring the medals and trophies. Thank you to everyone who supported the run including students, teachers, parents and OCs who took part in the run ‘virtually’ from all over Ireland and overseas. Congratulations to all of you who took part and our winners who are listed below.
5KM AWARD WINNERS MEN’S 1. ERIC BOLAND 2. KEVIN DONAGHER 3. JAMES KEENAN WOMEN’S 1. EMMA BOLAND 2. ALISON DUFF 3. KERRY POLLOCK
10KM AWARD WINNERS MEN’S 1. DAVID SCOTT 2. DAVID SLAUGHTER 3. ADRIAN GAHAN WOMEN’S 1. LAURA DUFFY 2. KAREN COLE 3. GERALDINE HEALY
U-16 BOYS WINNER BEN SMYTH
U-16 GIRLS WINNER SAOIRSE VILLING 24
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CAMPUS NEWS TRANSITION YEAR
DUCK PUSH 24HR RUN On Tuesday morning May 25th our Syntax students embarked on a 24hr run with the goal of running the length of Ireland. They ran in groups around the athletics track over the course of 24hrs, including through the night. This event was a first for the Duck Push and was the brainchild of Paddy Cosgrove who was assisted by his fellow classmates in putting the event together. The goal was to run 486km which is the length of Ireland but after the first four hours, the boys hit 200km and it became apparent that the goal would be exceeded! Some of the runners really excelled: Toby Griffin ran steady for three hours solid covering 30km, Finn McGarry ran a marathon, Harry Martin ran 63km, Oscar Ramsdale and Paddy McMahon each ran 50km and many others ran half marathons. The tallymen were Felix Felton & Paddy Cosgrove At the end of the 24 hours, we reached a total distance of 1411.4km and raised €3,585 for Children’s Health Ireland Crumlin through our GoFundMe page.
COLOUR RUN Coming towards the end of our school year, and to mark one of the Duck Push 2021 final fundraising activities - the boys decided to host a colour run! The boys ran a set route, where along the way there would be five ‘colour stations’ where they could throw environmentally friendly dye powder at each other! The inspiration for the event comes from the annual Hindu festival of Holi. Congratulation to our Syntax students who hit their fundraising target for the day, they were blessed with good weather and the event was a real hit with the student body.
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COOKING AT HOME
TOBY & PETER GRIFFIN
Impressive work from our TY students who put together a delicious-looking Mexican Leek and Black Bean Chili for their Health Education Class on Zoom.
Well done to Toby Griffin (Syntax) and his Dad, Peter OC’87, who ran 10km on Easter Monday for Duck Push 2021.
A thank you to Ms Dooley who organised the event and helped the boys create their tasty dishes.
Toby & Peter secured over €600 in donations for their endeavours. Well done to you both!
We may have a few Michelin Star chefs on our hands in a couple of years!
SUBSTANCE ABUSE Our thanks to Garda Shane Smyth from Clane Gardaí who joined us in December for a discussion on substance abuse. We hope that the boys came away with a better understanding of the dangers surrounding illegal drugs.
ERIC DONOVAN VISIT Our Transition Year students donned their virtual gloves on September 25th as they welcomed the arrival of professional boxer Eric Donovan for a socially distanced sparring session. Eric, a native of Athy in our home county of Kildare is a former five-time Irish Amateur Champion and twice European Championship bronze medalist. While in the professional ranks, Eric this past summer challenged for the vacant IBF Inter-Continental junior-lightweight title. 26
The boys were put through their paces as Eric showed them a multitude of shots, feints, and fitness drills that he and other professionals are put through in the top ranks. Boxing has been long-heralded as a sport where respect for your opponent, self-courage, and mental fortitude are key tenets and we hope that our boys have taken away some of these life lessons from their morning with Eric. Who knows, we may have a future world champion in our ranks! CLONGOWES LIFE
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MINI-COMPANIES As part of the Duck Push this year our Syntax students were tasked with tapping into their entrepreneurial spirit and coming up with mini-companies that would help raise funds to help them reach their goal of €40,000. We were lucky enough to have some fantastic ideas this year and everything proverbially flew off the shelves. At Christmas, we had beautifully handcrafted Christmas tree baubles. The white bauble, featuring a drawing of the Castle, hand-applied gold glitter and finished with a gold ribbon.
my nose. With help from Gee’s Jams, we decided to make a great marmalade for Clongowes ‘kids helping kids’ or even Old Clongownians helping kids!” Paddy McMahon teamed up with his Dad Aran (OC’88) from Rua Café and Delicatessen in Mayo, to bake a delicious basket of goods for ‘Cake for Crumlin’. The boxes were available for order online and were delivered to customers all around Ireland. Such was the appeal of Cake for Crumlin, they sold out in a matter of hours! Finally, the boys turned their hands to selling phone cases.
Mr Conry then helped the boys in selling oak saplings to parents, these proved to be a big hit!
The boys designed and sourced limited edition, Eco-Friendly Clongowes-branded phone cases. The product is bamboo-based, and therefore recyclable and overall easy to handle.
We then had George Strickland (Syntax) selling Clongowes Marmalade, produced by his father’s company Gees Jams in Malta.
Well done to all the boys who took part in the mini-companies and to OCs, parents and everyone who supported their efforts.
“While in lockdown in Malta I was thinking about how we might raise funds for this year’s Duck Push Project. My Dad enjoys producing award-winning artisanal jams and marmalades, using only the freshest, local produce so you might say that the answer was under
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The home stretch
TRIANGLE RACE
HIGHER LINE
It was an enjoyable, albeit wet and windy, autumnal afternoon for our Annual Triangle Race which took place on Sunday, October 15th. While none of the remarkable Jack O’Leary’s (OC’16) records were threatened, Senior Rugby. Ross MacGoey gets the ball away there were some commendable times from the boys. The 7.26 minutes posted by overall winner Richard White (Rhetoric) was enough to see him pip the 7.30 of Dermot Collins (Grammar) – Dermot three years his junior will surely be a hot favourite for next year’s race!
Record Jack O’Leary 2015 – 06.38.40
The origin story surrounding the ‘Triangle Race’, whilst not lost to the annals of time, does have an air of uncertainty surrounding it. We can surmise that as long as boys have been running around Clongowes they have probably run and raced the route.
THIRD LINE
1st
Richard White
7.26
2nd
Cian Hickey
7.28
3rd
Nikolai Rager
7.50
LOWER LINE Record Jack O’Leary 2013 – 6.54.00 1st
Dermot Collins
7.30
2nd
Ned Williams
7.32
3rd
James Keenan
7.35
Record Jack O’Leary 2012 – 7.17.40 1st
Luke O’Leary
7.55
2nd
Martin Rouilleault
8.10
3rd
Josh Williamson
8.11
BEST TIME OVERALL: Richard White (7.26) A big Congratulations goes to Richard White (Rhetoric) who takes home the Triangle Cup and to the winners of each year group, who received individual awards. Thomas Walsh (Elements), Luke O’ Leary (Rudiments), Dermot Collins (Grammar), James Keenan (Syntax) and Cian Hickey (Poetry) Thank you to our Prefects for coordinating the event and to Mr Nelson who captured some great photos on the day.
The boys take off!
The finish line!
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Our winners from the day.
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CAMPUS NEWS SPORTING LIFE
INTER HOUSE SPORTS DAY Our annual sports day took place on September 21st much to the excitement of the students. The boys were blessed with good weather and offered some welcome reprieve from the classroom!
ATHELETES OF THE DAY
Shot Putt
Elements: Brian A McCulloch Rudiments: Martin Rouilleault Grammar: Kai Stark Syntax: Daniel Baugh Poetry: Patrick Sholarin Rhetoric: Aaron Mannion
Sports Day is an important date on the school calendar and is one that the students always look forward to – the boys compete together in Houses in the hope of taking home the Aloysius Bowl, the overall prize for the winning House. The boys compete across a multitude of track and field events including; High Jump, Shot Putt, Javelin, Discus, and running events.
Syntax on the straight
While all the boys who partook must be commended for their endeavours we offer special praise for the winning House, Hopkins, rallied by their House leaders Oisin Devitt and Aran Mannion. Leap of faith!
Harry Blake gets some air.
Our winners from the day.
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PRIZE WINNERS: SUNDAY 16TH MAY 2021
CLONGOWES OPEN GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP HANDICAP SECTION OVERALL CHAMPION: Marcus Sullivan (Rudiments) 34 Gross
THIRD LINE
GOLF OPEN Sunday 16th May, the Clongowes Golf Course was a hub of activity as the 2021 Clongowes Golf Open Championship took place. There were an impressive 97 entries, and despite some inclement weather in the second half of the afternoon; it was a fantastic afternoon on the busy fairways. The competition was for Handicap and Novice golfers, with prizes for the overall best in school as well as section prizes for the three lines. Congratulations to Marcus Sullivan
in Rudiments who won the handicap championship with a superb level par gross round! A remarkable card included two birdies. There was also some superb golf in the novice section for golfers without club handicaps. Congratulations to Oliver O’Callaghan in Grammar who shot a fine seven over par round to take the school prize in this category. This was the highlight of the golfing year, which unlike other sports was able to see a lot of action despite the pandemic with a record number of boys receiving lessons and getting out onto the course!
1st. Antonio Munoz (Rudiments) 30 Nett c/b 2nd Luke O’Leary (Rudiments) 30 Nett 3rd Max Doyle (Rudiments) 33 Nett
LOWER LINE 1st Hugo Johnstone (Grammar) 29 Nett c/b 2nd Matt O’Leary (Grammar) 29 Nett 3rd Joseph Moynihan (Syntax) 32 Nett
HIGHER LINE 1st Harry MacGoey (Poetry) 32 Nett 2nd Brian Gaffney (Poetry) 33 Nett 3rd James Ruddy (Poetry) 35 Nett
NOVICE SECTION OVERALL CHAMPION: Oliver O’Callaghan (Grammar) 41 Gross c/b
THIRD LINE 1st Peter Gibbons (Elements) 54 Gross 2nd Noah Dunne (Elements) 55 Gross 3rd James Maguire (Elements) 59 Gross
LOWER LINE 1st Ted O’Leary (Grammar) 42 Gross c/b 2nd Hugo O’Leary (Grammar) 42 Gross 3rd Tiernan Crowe (Grammar) 44 Gross
HIGHER LINE 1st Harry McGrath (Rhetoric) 41 Gross 2nd Daniel Stokes (Rhetoric) 44 Gross c/b 3rd Harry Nash (Poetry) 44 Gross 30
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CAMPUS NEWS SPORTING LIFE
STAFF VS STUDENTS SOCCER MATCH On Monday, May 24th we saw the return of the much-anticipated Staff vs Students soccer match with the coveted Brendan Cullen Perpetual Trophy up for grabs.
Rhetoric XIs
Luckily the participants were greeted with the fine weather which drew a considerable crowd of students to the sidelines at the senior soccer pitch. Glasgow on an Old Firm day or Buenos Aires before the Superclásico spring to mind when a comparison is drawn! From the get-go, the Staff XI were faced with a daunting task - the game was to be split into four 15 minute quarters, each comprising a new Rhetoric XI. The first quarter saw two cultured finishes, firstly a long-range effort from Prefect, Mr Fitzpatrick and an equally impressive thunderbolt from Rory Morrin at a very acute angle, leaving the staff’s Peter Shilton (Mr Dawson) grasping at thin air.
Mr McGovern on the run.
Daniel Magennis looking for a runner
No quarter was given from either side, tackles of the Souness and Keane variety were the order of the day. Referee Mr Wright was liberal with the whistle which added to the fast-paced tempo of the game. The preceding quarters were tense affairs with Sam Reilly (OC’20) and Mr McGovern working well in the final third for the staff, whilst the energy, enthusiasm and fitness of the cubs was always a threat to the silver foxes! In the final quarter, the students managed to pull it back to 4-3 which left staff with a grandstand finish - in the end, there was to be no Michael Thomas moment as the staff just about managed to hold out. CLONGOWES LIFE
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Staff XI
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WEIGHTS ROOM ON THE MOVE During the year the ever-popular weights gym moved to the mezzanine above the swimming pool with lovely views out onto the VMP. The move meant that we can now accommodate 30 students at a time who can all socially distance.
THIRD LINE SOCCER The 3rd Line soccer league came to a conclusion on the penultimate Wednesday evening in May with the final played in front of classmates from Elements and Rudiments! The winning team in Blue, captained by Ross Doyle (Rudiments) and the Runners up in Red, captained by Tomos Strickland. Lots of fun had by all, well done to all the boys who took part!
BROTHERS UNITE TO WIN! Congratulations to brothers, James (Rudiments) and Eddie (Elements) Jones who had a great win in September for Carrick Emmets and won the U13 Div 1 Shield.
RUGBY BRICKS During lockdown, some 70 Clongowes rugby players were treated to a webinar from Peter Breen of Rugby Bricks for his webinar with 70. It was a great opportunity for the boys to learn a few tips from the Southern Hemisphere!
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LOWER LINE CRICKET On Saturday, May 8th the Lower Line (3rd & 4th year) cricket match took place. This much-anticipated clash had the Kildare Strikers facing the Thunder. Read on for the match report …. Another cracking match this afternoon, the rain passed us by and we were left with perfect conditions for a great spectacle, and what a thrilling match we were treated to! Kildare Strikers, led by Captain Lexi O’Connor and VC Dan Daly, snatched their first victory of the season over the Thunder! Strikers openers Conor Caso and Dan Daly got their team off to an excellent start looking solid with the bat. Unfortunately, Caso was caught out just as he was starting to eye up the boundary, seeing Matthew Kelly take his 4th wicket of the season and shoot to the top of the Lower Line wicket-takers leaderboard for 2021. Daly was given LBW shortly after to a great delivery from Luke Boylan and there were significant concerns following what seemed to be a strong start. Further frustration came as Captain O’Connor looked comfortable at the crease but was bowled early in his innings, by a debutant for the Thunder, Harry Roache-Nagle. The Star of the batting lineup this week was Joey Moynihan who top-scored with 16 as the Strikers posted a total score of 94 for 8 before the players hit the pavilion for tea. Thunder captain Alex Kelly was confident that they could chase down 94 with ease as his side took to the field with the bat. Confidence was soon knocked after opener James Wyse, Karl O’Sullivan and 2021 top runs scorer, Daniel Baugh all
fell for 0 in the first two overs. Lysaght sent Wyse’s stumps tumbling before one of the Strikers debutant’s snatched the other 2 wickets in quick succession. Luke Boylan looked strong with the bat for the Thunder and Captain Alex Kelly, batting at number 5, attempted to steady the ship. Thunder got themselves into a winnable position but unfortunately, as the required run rate began to climb, Kelly was caught and bowled for 19 trying to chase the game. A reasonable attempt from Oscar Ramsdale, Marcus Lyons and Nelson Short to meet the task at hand was underway, but in the end, it was all too little too late as the Thunder finished on 69 for 6 losing by 25 runs.
Max Duggan (Syntax) celebrates his half century
A special thanks to Mr Niall Black (parent of Stephen in Rhetoric) who has been a great supporter of cricket as a coach and supported the weekly net sessions and games in the summer term. Mr Dawson (Prefect)
ELEMENTS RUGBY Elements enjoying one of their first Wednesday afternoon rugby sessions in September. Mr McGovern definitely put them through their paces!
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Syntax enjoying some Gaelic Football Luke Boylan and Dan Daly (Syntax) go up for the high ball
SUMMER SPORTS Our ever-popular summer sports programme was in full flow during the term just passed. The boys had a great range of sporting disciplines to choose from, GAA, soccer, golf, canoe polo, cricket, tennis and athletics - just to name a few!
Alex Kelly (Syntax) Teeing off
REPRESENTATIVE HONOURS We extend our congratulations and best wishes to the following boys who have made the Leinster / Connacht interprovincial Summer training squads. Once again, Mr. Stephen O’Hara will take up the role of Manager for the Leinster U18 Schools side.
The Clongowes Oval
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Leinster U20 Oisin Devitt (Rhetoric) Leinster U19 Hugh Wilkinson (Poetry) Connacht U19 Hugh Reddan (Poetry) Leinster Schools U18 James Ruddy (Poetry), Kosi Ugwueru (Syntax) & Max Duggan (Syntax) CLONGOWES LIFE
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CLONGOWES FOUNDATION
ALBERTO HURTADO ENDOWMENT FUND UPDATE
FOUNDATION 15 YEAR ANNIVERSARY The end of 2019 marked the 15 year anniversary of the creation of the Clongowes Wood College Foundation. Those fifteen years have been an extraordinarily active period for the Foundation as it worked together with the management and the board of the School to renew and expand the campus and to extend access, through the Alberto Hurtado bursary programme, to the unique educational experience that a seven-day boarding school can offer. So as a way of showing our gratitude to our donors and to those that have worked in the Foundation before us, we have produced the brochure below that sets out what you have helped accomplish. These past fifteen years, from a time perspective, are a short chapter in the long history of philanthropy in Clongowes. The decision to create the Foundation as a separate charity to the School was seen as a way of strengthening the governance over fundraising for Clongowes. Irrespective of the structure, the fact remains that the operational surplus generated by the College is insufficient to meet its investment needs and so the role of the Foundation is to raise funds to bridge the gap.
Thankfully the eighteen months have been kind to the Endowment Fund since its inception. Our initial capital was not committed to the market until the late Spring and the capital was committed in two tranches; this meant that the Fund avoided the significant downturn in European equity prices that took place through March and into April. The upshot is that the Fund has enjoyed a healthy positive return rather than a potential small decline. With some €1.6m in near term pledges the assets in the Fund, under the management of Goldman Sachs, should soon be close on €6.5m. While this is a welcome outturn, the fact remains that our goal is to accumulate assets of €20m, in today’s money. The ultimate objective of the Fund is to be in a position to fully fund some forty bursary places each year while maintaining its real value. It is an ambitious goal; but it is one that will be aided by a five-year holiday, during which no income or gains will be taken from the fund, and from some existing legacies. So clearly the Clongowes Foundation has much work to do going forward.
“THE ULTIMATE OBJECTIVE OF THE FUND IS TO BE IN A POSITION TO FULLY FUND SOME FORTY BURSARY PLACES EACH YEAR WHILE MAINTAINING ITS REAL VALUE.”
The Clongowes that we enjoy today is, in a significant way, a product of the vision and generosity of past generations. Going forward, the Foundation will continue to work to support Clongowes as it strives to school its pupils according to the best traditions and highest standards of Jesuit education with its focus on personal character and the contribution that each individual can make to society: the creation of what Fr. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach S.J., the Society’s twenty-ninth Superior General, called ‘men of competence, conscience and compassionate commitment.’ Joe Rooney OC ’79 Chair of the Clongowes Foundation
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NEWS OF THE PAST CLASS NOTES
GOLLYMOCKY WHALERS
FILTRACYCLE
Out of the adversity that Covid-19 caused when we were first presented with the illness rose a band of Old Clongownian amateur swimmers, the aptly named ‘Gollymocky Whalers’.
Four OCs who graduated from Clongowes in 2017, Liam Lysaght, Marc Bollée, Harry Jankola & Rory McMahon, are behind a new and novel company called FiltraCycle.
The group, which has now expanded to 23 members, began in May 2020 with a much humbler enrollment. The group’s founding fathers Adam Mac Nulty (OC’88) & Jonathan White (OC’86) explain that it was happenstance that originally got the idea off the ground.
FiltraCycle is an Irish startup that recycles cigarette butts into plastic pellets for use in manufacturing sustainable consumer products. Cigarette butts are the most common item of litter on the planet, and one of the most toxic forms of ocean plastic. FiltraCycle displaces virgin plastics in existing supply chains while recycling toxic waste and keeping it out of the ocean.
Jonathan explained: “Adam and I live around the corner from each other. We were both out exercising one evening during the lockdown and we bumped each other. I mentioned I had been swimming every day to keep sane and break the monotony of the lockdown.” Adam added: “That encounter got me thinking. At the end of May, I sent a WhatsApp to several OCs of our vintage who live in the area to see if they were interested in going for an early morning weekday swim.” The initial response was slow but soon they found their super-recruiter, Maeliosa “Wewa” Power (OC’89):
“The “Early Morning Dippers”, as we were first known, took our first swim on June 1st. Adam and I were joined by Maeliosa “Wewa” Power (OC89). Wewa took some persuading as the water is still pretty cold in June! He was an outstanding recruit as he went on a mission to build up the group. We take a photo every morning (pre-Level 3) as a log – and to confirm attendance. Peer group pressure means you’re afraid to miss a morning or else there will be an inquisition! Within two weeks our crew had grown to 10. We now have 23 participants ranging from the elder lemon, Ambrose O’Sullivan (OC’78), to James Keane and Hugo Mac Nulty of the Class of ’99.”
In the next 5 years, they aim to establish a network of small recycling facilities in urban centres across Europe to process the thousands of tonnes of cigarette waste produced every year. It was their ambition that these facilities will recycle at least 10% of Europe’s cigarette waste by 2025.
Those of you who have attended the school will know that the Gollymocky River holds a special place in the hearts of all students, present and past.
RHETORIC 2020 Former School Captain, Mikey Mina Roynane (OC’20) and Vice Captains, Barry Dooley (OC’20) and Ruairi O’Regan (OC’20) gathered with staff in the 1929 quadrangle in September to present staff with very thoughtful cards and gifts on behalf of Rhetoric 2020. Mr Wallace received a beautiful painting of the College (Mikey’s very talented grandmother being the artist) to mark his retirement. In his speech, Mr Wallace commended the boys of Rhetoric 2020 on being an exceptional group, one that we were all blessed to have with us in Clongowes and a group of fine young men that we will miss.
Mikey Mina Roynane and Mr Wallace
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NEWS OF THE PAST CLASS NOTES
ROB KEARNEY & FERGUS MCFADDEN
DAN SHEEHAN & MICHAEL SILVESTER
When Rob (OC’04) and Fergus (OC’05) left Clongowes, nobody could have predicted that both would play such instrumental roles in the most successful period in Irish Rugby history. We have always been proud of their contributions both on and off the field for Leinster Rugby and Irish Rugby.
Dan Sheehan (OC17) and Michael Silvester (OC16) both made their debuts for Leinster in October against Zebre in the Pro 14. Our congratulations to them both!
With Rob moving to Australia to play for the Western Force and Fergus retiring we wish them well as they prepare for the next stage of their respective careers! Fergus McFadden making a tackle for Clongowes
Dan Sheehan receiving his Man of The Match Award
Rob Kearney playing for Clongowes
Fergus McFadden and Rob Kearney
WILL CONNORS, ED BYRNE & TADGH BEIRNE Will Connors (OC’15), Ed Byrne (OC’12) and Tadgh Beirne (OC’10) were selected for this year’s Six Nations - Will earned his first cap whilst Tadgh was named in the team of the tournament. On top of this Tadgh has been selected on the Lions squad for this summer’s tour of South Africa, a truly momentous achievement!
Michael Silvester on the run for Leinster
Tadgh Beirne
Pat Taaffe
PAT TAAFFE
Ed Byrne, Tadgh Beirne and Will Connors CLONGOWES LIFE
SUMMER 2021
Pat Taaffe (OC’20) recorded a win on his first ride over fences on St Patrick’s Day at Down Royal Racecourse aboard Goose Man. This was Pat’s first ride over fences and the win was a real family affair as the horse is trained by his father Tom. 37
NEWS OF THE PAST CLASS NOTES
JACK O’LEARY
James Lambe with his Aloysius Award
JAMES LAMBE RIP
Jack O’Leary (OC’16) earned his second All-American title at the NCAA 10k Championship for Iona College Athletics this June.
Sadly James Lambe (OC’17) bade us farewell Monday, May 17th.
Jack is now 17th on the all-time Irish record list for 10K and the second-fastest 10K runner ever in the Iona College Athletic programme.
As we come to terms with this painful reality – let us share our thanks for the gift that he was to us in so many ways – grateful also that he is free now from the suffering which he so heroically bore during his too-short life. James told his Mum that he would like it if his Farewell Mass could be celebrated in Clongowes. This is a great sign of his love of our School and all the memories he had of our Family. It is also a wonderful tribute to you, his Classmates, with whom he shared his time here. RIP, Lambo
Jack O’Leary (OC16) in his Iona singlet
JACK GILHEANY
BIDEMI AFOLABI
Congratulations Jack Gilheany (OC’17) who was involved in the Senior Football Championship for Leitrim during the Autumn.
Bidemi Afolabi (OC’13) was named in The Irish Times 50 people to watch in 2021: The best young talent in Ireland. Bidemi along with his work partner Lauren O’Reilly have created ‘ProMotion’.
Summer term football with Mr Maloney & Mr O’Hara standing to him!
ProMotion offers bike owners and brands a platform to connect - For the brand owners, they get access to advertising space on private bikes; for bike owners, they get paid the more miles they cover.
Conor Gilsenan playing for London Irish
CONOR GILSENAN Commiserations to Conor “Gilly” Gilsenan (OC’11) who hung up his boots early due to medical reasons at the end of last summer. Conor has thrived on and off the pitch for Leinster and London Irish since leading Clongowes to cup glory in 2010 and 2011. Jack Gilheany lining out for Leitrim 38
Thank you for everything Conor!
Bidemi Afolabi
CLONGOWES LIFE
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CLONGOWES WOOD COLLEGE Clane, Co. Kildare, Ireland T: +353 (0)45 868 202 E: reception@clongowes.net @clongowes @clongoweswoodcollegesj @clongowes www.clongowes.net
