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CONTENTS
CONTENTS COLLEGE LIFE
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ACADEMIC LIFE
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CULTURAL & ENVIRONMENTAL LIFE 30 PASTORAL LIFE
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TRANSITION YEAR
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SPORTING LIFE
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CLONGOWES
MESSAGE FROM THE HEADMASTER Across society, individuals, households, schools and organisations have had to show remarkable resilience and resourcefulness in dealing with the imbalances of these Covid years. No community has been immune to the insidious impacts of the pandemic. Parents and educators alike worry about the impact of these times on the health and well-being of young people. However, despite and, in some cases, because of it all, I applaud the adaptability and the resilience of the boys and staff in Clongowes. The past year in school may well have had its challenges but, as you will read in our latest edition of Clongowes Life, it has been another very busy and fruitful, and positive year for boys and staff nonetheless. Living together in our boarding school community gives us the opportunity to develop a strong sense of family. It is no coincidence that we speak about family. We work hard every day to create an ethos of community and family. Boys learn from this an empathy, an understanding of others, that can be life-changing and develop their sense of gratitude for what is good and going well in their lives. When we are grateful, we are optimistic – and an optimistic young person has the capacity to develop into a happy and flourishing adult. Each of us draws from, and contributes to, the community of which we are a valued part. We cherish community and friendship; participation and a sense of belonging; sharing with one another; and service to others - being a man for others. All for the greater glory of God, AMDG. I hope you enjoy reading our 2022 Clongowes Life! Chris Lumb Headmaster
FOUNDATION
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UNION NEWS
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CLASS NOTES
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CONTRIBUTORS The pages of Clongowes Life are filled with images that capture the vibrant life of our school and the achievements of our students. Our thanks to all the teaching and perfecting staff who contributed and in particular: MR CARLOS, ATHLETICS COACH & PREFECT MR GRAY, HEAD OF BOARDING MS KIRWAN, SCIENCE TEACHER MS MACNEANEY, SCIENCE TEACHER MR NELSON, SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHER MS NOLAN, ELEMENTS AYH & SCIENCE TEACHER
June 2022
MR O’DONOGHUE, DIRECTOR OF SPORT MS O’LOUGHLIN, SCHOOL LIBRARIAN MR JIM STITT OC ‘72, UNION DINNER MR WRIGHT, ASSISTANT HEAD OF BOARDING GPFOTO FOR CONFIRMATION, AWARDS, GRADUATION MASS AND UNION DAY
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NEW SCHOOL YEAR MASS On the 8th of September 2021, at the start of the new school year, the whole school community gathered in the beautiful setting of the 1929 quadrangle for the opening Mass of Clongowes’ 208th year. Covid restrictions prompted a change of venue to the ‘29 quadrangle and what a blessing it was as the courtyard setting provided wonderful acoustics for the Schola singers. In his sermon, Fr Rector Michael Sheil SJ, reminded us that we are many parts but one body.
ELEMENTS TREASURE HUNT We welcomed our new Elements on Tuesday 31st August. Their House Leaders were on hand to welcome the boys and help them get settled into life at Clongowes. What better way to get to know the geography of our big school than a treasure hunt?! 04
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JUMP ZONE Elements spent the afternoon in Jump Zone ahead of their January weekend break. Lots of fun!
NEW HOUSE LEADERS FOR 2022 / 23 The new House Leaders for 2022/23 will play an important role in the College, working in service of the school and their fellow students. There are ten Houses at Clongowes, and each House is made up of a cross-section of boys from every Year Group, under the leadership of their House Leaders. We wish them well for the year ahead! CLONGOWES LIFE
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HOUSE
HOUSE LEADERS
SCHOOL CAPTAIN
Arrupe
Alex Hemeryck & Harry Mallon
Joey Kennedy
Claver
Luke Boylan & Ibai Juntilla El Busto
SCHOOL VICE-CAPTAINS
Collins
Dan Daly & Toby Griffin
Patrick Smyth
Gonzaga
Patrick Brophy & Matthew Roche-Nagle
James Wyse
Hopkins
Connor Caso & Henry McCallum
Kenney
Joseph Moynihan & Aran Maloney
Kostka
Karl O’Sullivan & Harry Roche-Nagle
Loyola
Alex Kelly & George Strickland
Sullivan
Max Coveney & James Keenan
Xavier
Ben Smyth & Faouzi Kabalaoui 05
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CARTOONIST KEVIN F SUTHERLAND Elements and Rudiments had a real treat working with cartoonist Kevin F Sutherland for a workshop over Zoom. The boys worked initially on creating a character and then they were encouraged to create a short story about the character using comic style. While students worked on their pieces, Kevin worked on the comic’s front page. He
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also drew an individual portrait of each of the students, a unique keepsake. The James Joyce Library worked brilliantly as the venue with its Wifi and large desks which accommodated laptops/iPads, paper, pencils, rulers and pens with lots of workspace to spare. The boys had a great time being creative with Kev F’s Comic Art Masterclass so thank you Kevin and thanks to Ms O’Loughlin our school librarian for her active involvement in such a fun exercise!
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CHRISTMAS LUNCH On Wednesday 8th of December the school gathered to celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Our Mass was followed by the traditional Christmas Lunch in the Refectory. The Rectory staff prepared a delicious meal, as always, and it was a great opportunity for the boys to celebrate Christmas together.
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A VISIT FROM NASA On the 23rd of March we welcomed Ms Jane Datta and Ms Christine Jenkins from NASA to Clongowes. Jane and Christine spoke to the boys about the innovative projects and missions underway at NASA and some exciting future plans. In the interactive session the boys learned lots about the upcoming Artemis mission to the moon, the future of supersonic air travel and electric plane innovations and importantly, how NASA is helping combat global warming here on earth. Our visitor really brought to life the many career opportunities that STEM education offers!
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RHETORIC 2020 GRADUATION MASS We were so happy to welcome the boys of Rhetoric 2020 and their parents in early November for their long-awaited Graduation Mass that had not gone ahead as planned in 2020 due to Covid restrictions. Special congratulations to John McLoughlin, who was presented with the Aloysius Award.
OFF TO THE AVIVA! The Third Line students had a great evening at the Aviva in May to attend the Heineken Champions Cup Quarter Final clash between Munster and Toulouse. Munster gave it their all but ultimately fell short as Toulouse came away with a quarter-final win. It was a great game and the boys thoroughly enjoyed it.
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RHETORIC 2021 LEAVING CERT RESULTS We were delighted to welcome boys of Rhetoric 2021 back to Clongowes to celebrate their Leaving Cert results. Despite the challenges of Covid, this year group never lost their focus or good humour and have made us all very proud of their achievements.
DUCK PUSH 2021 What an amazing achievement by the boys of Duck Push 2021! A cheque for €40,000 presented to Children’s Health Foundation Crumlin to allow the team there to purchase a Luminex Magpix Respiratory Machine that will enable doctors to more accurately diagnose viral respiratory infections in children. Well done boys and a massive ‘thank you’ to all who supported their fundraising efforts.
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RUDIMENTS GO TO DELPHI Rudiments got to visit the beautiful Delphi Activity Resort, Co Galway in April. An amazing activity based trip that really encouraged the group to work together as a team and to try new activities such as archery, water sports and team building activities and bush craft skills.
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PADDLE BOARDING Sunday outing fun as the boys enjoyed paddle boarding in Dún Laoghaire
ELEMENTS TOUR Elements had a great time on their tour to Belfast where they managed to pack lots of fun into a few days including a trip to the Titanic Museum, Forest Flyover Zipline, ice skating and bowling!
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NEW SCHOOL CAPTAIN AND VICE CAPTAINS Congratulations to our new School Captain Joey Kennedy and his two Vice Captains, James Wyse and Patrick Smyth. Our thanks to our outgoing Captain Andrew Percival and his two Vice Captains Josh Dunne and Fiachra Lambe for their service to the school community. (From L to R: Patrick Smyth, James Wyse, Joey Kennedy, Headmaster Mr Chris Lumb, Andrew Percival, Fiachra Lambe and Josh Dunne)
UNION DAY Sunday June 19th saw the welcome return of Union Day and the traditional celebration of our graduating Rhetoric boys and outdoor picnics and fun for the whole school and their families.
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ELEMENTS AWARDS ACADEMIC AWARDS Brian Connolly Peter Hogan Edward McCarthy Hugo McHugh Raphael Marini Portugal Andy Zheng
DILIGENCE AWARDS Ben Brady Fionn Doyle Cian Duro Pharrell Evenor Vincent Hardiman Daniel Harnett
SPORTS AWARDS ATHLETICS
100m Championship (Cup) Peter Hogan Triangle Race – Best individual Time Cian Duro
TENNIS
TL Singles League Runner Up Bruno Coll
CRICKET
Third Line Player of the Year Nicholas Hunter
RUGBY
Elements P1 Player of the Year Joshua Grant P2 Player of the Year Niall Gordon
BASKETBALL
Elements player of the year Owen Hough
SPIRIT OF THE ELEMENTS AWARD Niall Gordon Pablo Canales Del Moral Sam Plunkett Freddie Farrington Owen Hough
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RUDIMENTS AWARDS ACADEMIC AWARDS Tim Boyle Patrick Jones James Lee James Maguire Alex McKenna Max Sweetman
DILIGENCE AWARDS Peter Gibbons Xavi Cami Casabayo John Leahy Constantine Loos Sean Mangan Bernard Yum
DEBATING Highly Commended in the Medal Debate James Lee
SPORTS AWARDS TENNIS
TL Singles League Winner Peter Gibbons Rudiments player of the year Turlough Devitt
GAA
Third line GAA player of the Year Eddie Jones
SWIMMING
Swimmer of the year Max Sweetman
ATHLETICS
Triangle Race Rudiments individual best time Tom Walsh House 400m Winner Rian Kehoe
CRICKET
Third Line Most improved Player Michael Guiney
GOLF
Third Line Golfer of the year DJ Howley
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GRAMMAR AWARDS ACADEMIC AWARDS Tobi Baruwa Frudi Chan Lukas Felten Ben Flessas Luke O’Leary Kavy Mebuin
DILIGENCE AWARDS James Elliott Dara Fitzpatrick Dylan Hynes Matthew Smyth Harry Williams Rossa Williams
MUSIC AWARD Successfully Auditioned for the Dublin Youth Intermediate Orchestra Luke O’Leary
SPORTS AWARDS RUGBY
JP1 Coaches player of the year Conor Keogh JP2 Player of the Year Eduard Giurca
GAA
Lower Line player of the Year Dara Fitzpatrick
ATHLETICS
House 400m Championship (Cup) Patrick Moloney Lower Line 100m Championship Patrick Moloney Triangle Race Best Grammar Result Philip McCartan Lower Line High Jump (Trophy) Ross Adams South Leinster (Gold) & Leinster (Silver) Patrick Moloney Marcus Sullivan Ollie Browne South Leinster (Hammer) Ben Darcy Max Doyle (Gold) Long Jump (Silver) Patrick Moloney Long Jump (Bronze) Arthur Ashmore 400m South Leinster (Bronze) Luke O’Leary
TENNIS
L.L. Singles League Winner Ross Doyle L.L. Singles League Runner Up Simon Brennan
CRICKET
Junior Player of the year Simon Kelly Junior Most improved player Finn Kehoe
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RHETORIC 2022 GRADUATION MASS
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POETRY AWARDS ACADEMIC AWARDS Dan Daly Colin Simon Fellowes Sean Hallissey James Keenan Ben Smyth James Wyse
DILIGENCE AWARDS Ibai Juntilla El Busto Tiernan O’Doherty Karl O’Sullivan Jack Reed Ferdinand Spaetgens
MATHS MODELLING TIES Mike Chen Patrick Cosgrove Joseph Curley Max Duggan Felix Felten Sean Hallissey Brian McCarthy Finn McGarry Peter McGuinness Joseph Moynihan Tiernan O’Doherty Juan Ramirez Egea Jack Reed Colin Simon Fellowes Ben Smyth Patrick Smyth Padraic Spillane James Wyse Sean Hallisey
SERVICE TO CHOIR Patrick Duffin
POPE ST JOHN II GOLD AWARDS Dane Cormack Patrick Cosgrove Max Coveney Joseph Curley Felix Felten Sean Hallissy James Keenan Joey Kennedy Matteo Mazzoli Gearoid Ryan Oscar Ramsdale Ben Smyth Patrick Smyth Ferdinand Spaetgens
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POETRY AWARDS SPORT AWARDS ATHLETICS
House High Jump Championship ( Shield) Sean Opara House 1500. Championship (Cup) James Keenan Silver South Leinsters – Relay Team Brian McCarthy Dan Bough Ryan Thompson Oscar O’Brien House 100m Champion Sean Opara Triangle Cup James Keenan House 100m Winner Jack Reed
RUGBY
SP1 – Coaches player of the year Alex Kelly SPORTS TIES Selected for Connacht U18 Blayse Molloy Selected for Leinster U18 Max Duggan
TENNIS
HL Singles League Winner Ferdinard Spaetgens
BASKETBALL
Senior Player of the year Sean Chan
GAA
Higherline player of the year Harry Roche-Nagle
GOLF
Senior Golfer of the Year Harry Blake
CRICKET
Senior Player of the Year Harry Thompson Most Improved Senior Player Oscar Ramsdale
DISTINGUISHED SERVICE Distinguished service ties awarded for service to the liturgy in the College to the following students: Felix Felton Matteo Mazolli Joe Curley Benoit Clarke Joey Kennedy
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UNION DAY AWARDS ACADEMIC AWARDS Harry Browne Cian Hickey Harry MacGoey Eoin O’Regan Hugh Reddan Ciaran Ryan
DILIGENCE AWARDS Hugh Harnett Sean Lannen Nicolas Moschenross Senan Noone Magnus Runham Alex Taaffe
EUCHARISTIC Eucharistic Ministers Certificates Eoin Brady, Alex Donnelly, Leo Dowling, Cathal Foley, Brian Gaffney, Hugh Hanley, Charles Kedde, Fiachra Lambe, Frank Madden, William Mooney, Daniel Murphy, Harry McDermott, Michael O’Connor, Toby O’Donnell, Ciaran Ryan.
POPE ST JOHN II PAPAL CROSS AWARDS Eoin Brady, Charles Kedde, Fiachra Lambe, Toby O’Donnell
DISTINGUISHED SERVICE Distinguished Services Tie Moderator of the Eucharistic Ministers Charles Kedde
MUSIC Traditional Music Group: Special award to Brian Gaffney for his contribution to the Trad group over the last six years
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UNION DAY AWARDS SPORTS TIES Captain for Clongowes Senior Cup Team 2022 Leo Dowling Captain for Clongowes Senior Seconds Bobby Behan Captain for Clongowes Senior Thirds and Player of the Year James Mangan Captain for Clongowes Senior Fourths Sean Lannen Senior Soccer Captain 2022 and Elements Rugby Coach Connor McGoey Selected for Leinster U18’s James Ruddy Selected for Leinster U19’s Hugh Wilkinson Selected for Connacht U19’s Hugh Reddan
SENIOR PANEL ONE RUGBY AWARDS Players player of the Year Shane MacNulty Panellist of the Year Tom Cullen
SENIOR PANEL TWO RUGBY AWARDS Player of the year James Mangan
SENIOR SOCCER Senior Soccer Player of the Year Alex Donnelly
CONTRIBUTION AND COMMITMENT TO COACHING SPORTS Rugby Fiachra Lambe Toby O’ Donnell Soccer Frank Madden
KAYAKING Junior Liffey Descent K2 category 2nd place Aran Moloney and James Wyse
TENNIS Higher Line singles winner Ferdinand Spaetgens and runner up Andrew Percival CLONGOWES LIFE
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COLLEGE AWARDS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
O’DALAIGH Cup for Senior Irish conversation Ui Dubhaill Cup for Junior Irish Conversation FR. RECTOR’s Medal for Irish Essay GOLD MEDAL for Chemistry GOLD MEDAL for Biology GOLD MEDAL for Physics GOLD MEDAL for French GOLD MEDAL for Spanish SENIOR AWARD for Economics SENIOR AWARD for Accounting SENIOR AWARD for Business SENIOR AWARD for History SENIOR AWARD for Geography SENIOR AWARD for German SENIOR AWARD for Art Gold Medal for Physical Education LAITHWAITE Medal for Latin LAITHWAITE Medal for Music (Piano) LAITHWAITE Medal for Singing LAITHWAITE Medal for Strings Ethos Award Religion Medal Agricultural Science PALLES Gold Medal for Mathematics Gold Medal for Applied Mathematics McCarthy Medal for Science Computer Science Michael O’Dowd Memorial Cup
UNION AWARDS Eoin O’ Regan Matthew Smyth Hugh Reddan Cian Hickey Eoin O Regan Ciaran Ryan Harry Nash Daniel Navarro Harry MacGoey Ciaran Ryan Tom Hennebry Cathal Foley George McLoughlin Sean Lannen Daniel Murphy Hugh Reddan Eoin O’Regan Rian O’Domhnaill Sean Lannen Josh Dunne Sean Lannen Jonathan Lane Myles Lonergan Eoin O’Regan Harry Browne Jack Shannon Michael Farrington Aodhán McGuinness
1. Gold Medal for ENGLISH Essay James Keenan 2. Silver Medal for ENGLISH Essay Toby Griffin
ALOYSIUS AWARD School Captain, Andrew Percival was the worthy winner of this year’s Aloysius Award on Union Day. The award is given for, ‘courage and determination in personal and communal life – for development of character [and] placing his talents at the service of others’. Congratulations AP!
3. Gold Medal for Intermediate ENGLISH Essay Olin Morrissey 4. Silver Medal for Intermediate ENGLISH Essay Andrew Coveney 5. Medal for Third Line English Essay Joint winners Peter Gibbons & James Maguire 6. Medal for Lower Line Debate Chrisopher Keenan 7. Medal for Third Line Debate. James Maguire
STAFF RETIREMENTS MAG CONNOLLY
As part of the hardworking Housekeeping Team in Clongowes for 20 years, Mag worked tirelessly to keep the College looking exemplary for staff and students alike. We wish Mag all the very best for a long, fruitful and happy retirement and thank her for her long and dedicated service.
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DAVID NELSON
After 31 years of outstanding service to the school as art teacher and school photographer, David Nelson retired in December 2021. Since joining Clongowes in 1991, David’s photography have filled the pages of The Clongownian, Clongowes Life and social media, telling the story of our busy and rich school life. David also played an active role in our drama productions in set building and design. We thank David for his full and generous participation in school life and wish him well in his retirement.
BRENDAN MCLOUGHLIN
After almost two decades of dedicated service to the College as part of the Facilities Team, Brenda decided to hang up his tool belt and retire. Known to all for his kindness, good humour and patience, Brendan will be missed by all colleagues who were lucky enough to work alongside him over the past 20 years.
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CAMPUS NEWS ACADEMIC LIFE
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. 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. Fr Michael Sheil SJ is the Academy’s Moderator and is a former member of the Academy, having delivered a paper on Norman Castles during his Poetry year. Each session is followed by questions, refreshments and the opportunity for lively discussion on the paper just delivered. This year’s Academy presentations were an interesting mix of topics delivered by boys from Poetry and Rhetoric. Well done to all who took part and presented their research so well.
Toby Griffin
The Military/Political Genius of Bonaparte
James Wyse
Robert Mugabe - Freedom’s Dictator in Zimbabwe
Joey Kennedy
Centenary of Irish Independence – 100 years on
Benoit Clarke
The Flame of the French resistance in WW2
Georóid Ryan
Famine:Bengal & Ireland Compared
Henry McCallum
A Northern Identity Crisis – a view from a mixed up Ulsterman
Eoin Brady
Ghosts of Castle Browne – Story of Clongowes
Fiachra Lambe
Irish Place Names – Do you know where you’re from ?
Toby O’Donnell
Making Holy War – a History of the Crusades
Harry McDermott
What makes a Serial Killer ?
Hugh Hanly
Untold Stories of WWII
Andrew Percival
Are Social Media Ruining Society ?
BT YOUNG SCIENTIST Well done to Tom Groome (Grammar) who took part in the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition this year. Tom’s project, Canine Colour Psychology investigated dogs’ colour preference and if it is affected by the time of day. Tom’s project was an entrant in the Intermediate section of the Biological and Ecological Science Section.
CERTIFICATES OF COMMENDATION Congratulations to our Elements boys who were awarded 35 Certificates of Commendation. The boys were commended for nominations to the Year Council and Student Council, for improvement in academics and diligences, teacher nominated commendations in Science, Religion, Maths, Performance, French, History, SPHE and EAL and participation commendations for rugby and athletics and being men for others.
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COMÓRTAS GAEL LINN Congratulations to the team of students from across several Year Groups who took 2nd place in the recent Gael Linn Irish Podcast competition. The team of students comprised Poetry students James Keenan and Peter McGuinness, Rudiments, Tim Boyle, Jack Coghlan, and Peter Gibbons and Rhetoric student George McLoughlin. Working with the support of Miss Hickson, the boys entered their podcast, “Scéalta Mara ó Chorca” (Marine Stories from Chorca Dhuibhe, West Kerry), in the category designated for students who do not attend all-Irish schools (gaelscoileanna).
EUROPEAN OLYMPIAD OF EXPERIMENTAL SCIENCES Well done to Sebastian, Eoin, Philip and Jack who competed in the Irish round of the European Olympiad of Experimental Sciences.
IRISH MATHS TEACHERS ASSOCIATION NATIONAL MATHS COMPETITION Congratulations to Harry Browne, Eoin O’Regan, Ciarán Ryan (Rhetoric) and Colin Simon Fellowes (Poetry) who competed in the Irish Maths Teachers Association National Team Maths Competition where their performance was highly commended.
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SCIFEST@CLONGOWES The SciFest@School programme gives secondary schools the opportunity to host their own in-house SciFest STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) fairs. Our Elements students took part in our Annual SciFest Fair showing their projects to a panel of 12 judges who interviewed each student on their scientific research. The projects included a diverse range of subjects including: Does time really fly when you’re having fun, the effectiveness of dishwasher tablets versus the manufacturer’s claim, does the colour of a drink affect its taste and lots more! Well done to all the boys for their hard work and enthusiasm. Our thanks to the judging panel and Ms Nolan for organising.
Commended Projects Daniel Harnett Joshua Grant Ross Harte Nic Hunter Bruno Coll Fionn Doyle Raphael Marini Portugal Harry Reams Khisor Sivam Robin Ryan
Eirgrid Industry Prize for and Investigation into Renewable Energies Brian Connolly
AbbVie Industry Prizes for Innovation Hugo Blessing Teddy Crowley Martin Naughton
Overall Runner Up Scifest@ Clongowes Fionn Lysaght
Students Choice Award (as selected by the School Captain on behalf of the students) Kye Lacey
Joint Overall Winners (as selected by the Scifest@ Clongowes Judging Panel) Brian Mc Carthy Finnian Browne
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STEAM CERTIFICATION Clongowes has been certified a ‘STEAM school’ by Make Create Innovate. Grammar students undertook a variety of assignments where they explored electronics, coding, physics and their artistic capabilities. Students made robots, LED christmas cards and invented a board game themed around ‘Climate Change’ where a ‘makey makey’ was used in conjunction with Scratch to electronically keep the score of the players. The programme was run as part of our Junior Cycle science course where it links to many of the learning outcomes.
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MATHS MODELLING This year’s Maths Modelling Programme launch was enthusiastically supported by boys from Syntax and Poetry. We once again welcomed Prof. James Gleeson, from the University of Limerick Mathematics Applications Consortium for Science and Industry, who gave the boys an overview of this year’s challenges and insights into his experience as a member of the epidemiological modelling advisory group during the Covid pandemic. Three diverse and interesting modelling challenges were set for the boys this year in the areas of sports analytics,e-commerce and CAO points requirements. The boys travelled to the University of Limerick at the end of the school year to present their projects. Well done to all the boys involved! Our thanks to Prof. Gleeson for his ongoing support of the programme and to our own Mr O’Hara for spearheading maths modelling in the school.
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SCIFEST@DCU Three students qualified to participate at Scifest@DCU in May. Elements students Brian Connolly, Daniel Harnett, Eddie McCarthy and Poetry student Mike Chen. Mike took the Accenture Maths in Science Award while Brian took the Bex Institute Business Excellence Institute Award. A fantastic achievement!
BEBRAS CHALLENGE – FIRST PLACE! The Challenge, organised by the Irish Computer Society and Maynooth University, involves a series of computational thinking problems against the clock. Well done to Sean Hallissey (Poetry) who finished 1st place in the Senior section.
IRISH MATHS OLYMPIAD Well done to Seán Hallissey and Colin Simon Fellowes who placed 15th and 21st in the Irish Maths Olympiad National Final on 7th May!
ECONOMICS OLYMPIAD WINNER! Tiernan O’Doherty rounded off his Poetry year by winning the Irish Economics Olympiad! Tiernan will now represent Ireland at the International Olympiad. Well done also to Finn McGarry, Jack Jankovich Besan, Harry Thompson, Sean O’Chan and Marcus Lyons who reached the final!
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SCIENCE SUCCESS! The Science Department with Mr Lumb acknowledged the achievement of our students in both SciFest 2021 regional finals and the Royal Society of Chemistry Analyst competition. Well done to our prize winners!
OVERALL WINNER ELEMENTS
OVERALL WINNER SYNTAX
TIM BOYLE Do Auditory Illusions Affect Video Perception?
JAMES KEENAN Homosexuality in Animals.
NATIONAL AND REGIONAL SENIOR APPLIED MATHS SUCCESS!
Clongowes students retained the National and Regional Senior Applied Maths Competition titles this year. The boys, led by Mr O’Hara came 1st and 2nd nationally and had the top Fifth Year team in the Regional Final. Some twenty seven students from Higher Line participated with students from all over Ireland - competing in teams of 3 to solve problems against the clock.
NATIONAL FIRST PLACE TEAM Nicholas Moschenross, Cian Hickey and Sean Hallissey
NATIONAL SECOND PLACE TEAM Harry Browne, Ciaran Ryan and Colin Simon Fellowes
TOP FIFTH YEAR TEAM Jack Reed, Patrick Smyth, Tiernan O’Doherty. This is a huge achievement for all the boys and Mr O’Hara - congratulations and well done to all involved! CLONGOWES LIFE
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CAMPUS NEWS CULTURAL & ENVIRONMENTAL LIFE
INSECT HOTEL A new ‘hotel’ was constructed this year at Clongowes to offer a welcoming home to insects and to give students a focus for their investigations into the biodiversity of our woodland. Thanks to our Facilities Team for building this 5-star ‘insect hotel’ in our pollinator zone!
ART INSTALLATION Our Elements Art class created a wonderful art installation amongst the trees using the theme of the Tuatha De Danann (early Irish pagan Gods) and asked the question: Were they fairies or aliens?! The students constructed a woven tapestry ‘portal’ with lights to allow us to step into the world of the De Danann, a fantasy world where anything is possible! The installation used sustainable materials such as fabric recycled from old curtains. Students hung the portal outside in daylight and as the day progressed and the light changed, it became brighter and was visible from the forest during rugby training. Some boys came to investigate and stepped through, some watched it from their dorm windows overlooking the grounds.
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CHINESE NEW YEAR Here at Clongowes we celebrated Chinese New Year with a whole range of activities in school organised by Mr Li and his students. The fun included: tasting Chinese snacks, Chinese chess and Go-Chess, a ping pong tournament, Chinese calligraphy, Lucky Red Packet Draw and a tasty Chinese themed menu in the Refectory that was enjoyed by all!.
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DUBLIN ZOO TRIP Elements had a great time at Dublin Zoo learning about biodiversity, wildlife management and lots more! Thanks to our science teachers for making the trip so interesting and fun!
MR SPICEBAG Elements were fortunate to have been visited by author, Freddie Alexander, who’s book, Mr Spicebag, is a firm favourite in our James Joyce Library. Mr Spicebag tells the story of a town addicted to the tasty, takeaway ‘spicebags’. Mr Spicebag knowingly adds an addictive mix of spices. His customers love the taste, eating them becomes their focus to the detriment of their lives. George, the ten-year-old vegetarian protagonist avoids this nasty food but becomes aware of the magic in the spice mix and the story unfolds. The boys interacted from the outset of the session. Alexander noted that a number of the questions were particularly interesting, such as ‘Were you disappointed that you had to remove some of your original writing? If the book was made into a film, who would you like to play ‘Mr Spicebag?’ Well done to David Lannen and Godswill Ukaga who each won a signed copy of Mr Spicebag. They were the first to answer questions correctly based on the session.
GREEN FLAG We were delighted and proud to receive our first Green Schools Flag this year! Well done to the Green Schools Committee and all involved in supporting this great initiative.
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CLIMATE ACTION WEEK As part of Green-Schools Climate Action Week, five native pollinator trees were planted in The Pleasure Grounds. Each tree represents the key stakeholders in the College: the Jesuit Community, students, staff, parents and Old Clongownians. Ms Elisabeth Clarke, Director of Ethos, emphasised that as we deepen our commitment to care for Creation it is important that we do this together as a whole school community. “As global citizens we all have a responsibility to care for our common home and each of us has an important role to play.” Caring for the Common Home is one of the pillars of our Jesuit Universal Apostolic Preferences so is a crucial part of our mission. Joey Kennedy from our Green Schools Committee was delighted to present our Green Flag to Headmaster, Mr Lumb at the ceremony.
DEBATING Poetry students taking part in a ‘hat’ debate on whether space exploration is worthwhile and whether online schooling is a valid route forward for education.
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NIALL DE BURCA Elements and Rudiments were enthralled and captivated by storyteller Niall de Búrca during his visit to the school. De Búrca’s gift is truly shown in his ability to engross young digital natives. Niall activated their imaginations with his voice and movement alone, teleporting them to ancient times and foreign lands. A guardian of our rich storytelling heritage, his gift of memory and delivery through performance is a unique and enriching experience for the boys.
DROP EVERYTHING AND READ On Wednesday 9th of March our annual D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything And Read) event took place. This event encourages the whole school to deviate from their schedule for half an hour to read a book of their own choosing. The simple idea promotes the importance of literacy and to spread the joy of reading for pleasure by having as many people as possible read at the same time on the same day. (Photo Credit: Ms O’Louglin)
FORDHAM PREP EXCHANGE PROGRAMME A number of Transition Year boys took part in our exchange programme with Fordham Prep SJ, our sister school in New York this year. The first stage of the programme was a visit to Clongowes from Fordham Prep students. The exchange students took part in classes, attended sporting events, visited some famous Dublin landmarks and engaged in other activities such as clay pigeon shooting. Then it was time for the Clongowes exchange partners to travel to New York to visit the homes of their ‘exchange brothers’. The Clongowes boys were offered a very warm welcome by their hosts and got to enjoy school life in Fordham as well as seeing the sights of the Big Apple. The boys tell us that the highlight of their trip was a visit to a basketball game in Madison Square Garden where they got to go out on court “throw some hoops” after the game - definitely a once in a lifetime experience!
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TRAD GROUP The Clongowes Trad Group were back in action this year following a pause due to Covid restrictions. The group made up of boys and teachers once again played a live gig in nearby Connolly’s Pub in May.
PHILADELPHIA HERE I COME! It was a welcome return to the stage this year for the actors in our school community. The production of Brian Friel’s “Philadelphia, Here I Come!” was performed at Clongowes by an ensemble cast of Poetry students and was directed by our own Mr. Carroll.
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RUDIMENTS RETREAT Rudiments really enjoyed their retreat at the beautiful Ovoca Manor, Co. Wicklow, packed full of team building challenges! Their workshop theme was ‘Life in all its fullness’ and included discussions around: What does a ‘full life’ look like? Dealing with obstacles in life. Living life with Christian values. Thank you to the team at Scripture Union Ireland for such a fulfilling retreat experience!
DARKNESS TO LIGHT An early sunrise start on the morning of Saturday May 7th for the 100 or so students and staff who braved the elements to join the Darkness into Light Walk for Pieta House, Preventing Suicide and Self Harm. They were rewarded by a welcome treat of pancakes and hot drinks in the Ref. on their return. Our TY students also took part in the Darkness to Light Walk while on their Ignatian Camino Pilgrimage in Spain showing their support for this great cause that promotes positive mental health.
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TENEBRAE Once again this year, the Clongowes community came together for the annual Lenten Liturgy of Tenebrae. We were delighted to have the internationally acclaimed Irish soprano, Claudia Boyle, who was the principal featured soloist in our liturgy, along with cellist Jane Hughes joining the Clongowes Schola. The event was a semi-dramatised re-telling of the Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus through extensive use of film, music and contemporary reflections which bring the Passion narrative afresh to students and guests in a vivid and multi-sensory presentation.
JESUIT REFUGEE SERVICE We were honoured to have Mr Eugene Quinn, National Director of Jesuit Refugee Service Ireland, lead our morning Prayer in March. Eugene spoke passionately to the boys about the response of Jesuit Refugee Service, Ireland to the Ukrainian refugee crisis as well as their ongoing support of Syrian and Afghan refugees in Ireland. We look forward to continuing to support the JRS in their valuable work.
PEACE CANDLE Superior General, Fr. Sosa SJ, has called on us to join our voices for peace as we pray for justice and truth to shine in our world. A candle for peace remained lit in the Concourse to remind us of the importance of praying and acting for peace.
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WELLNESS WEEK The spotlight was put on FUN and FRIENDSHIP during the Wellness Week. Students took part in a number of different activities and challenges throughout the week including random acts of kindness, creativity challenges and ‘rise and shine yoga’. Each House was awarded points for taking part in the challenges with Kenney House members taking first place, followed by Hopkins and Arrupe.
JOHN PAUL II PAPAL CROSS AWARDS Congratulations to Toby O’Donnell, Fiachra Lambe, Charles Kedde and Eoin Brady who recently received their John Paul II Papal Cross Awards from Bishop Denis Nulty
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CONFIRMATIONS After a hiatus of several years due to Covid restrictions, we were delighted to welcome Bishop Denis Nulty back to Clongowes to confirm 30 students during a beautiful Mass and in the company of their families.
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FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY On January 6th, the school came together to celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany, celebrating the revelation that Jesus was the Son of God. Mass was celebrated by Fr Barney McGukian SJ in the Sports Hall.
SYNTAX RETREAT TY students exploring some of Dublin’s beautiful churches as part of their Year Group Retreat.
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ELEMENTS ON RETREAT IN GLENDALOUGH
Credit: Ms O’Loughlin
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DUCK PUSH Despite being hampered by Covid restrictions for part of the school year, the TY students worked diligently on their goal of raising €30,000 for Crumlin Children’s Hospital. Forced to ‘think outside the box’ and come up with new ideas and initiatives the boys set about collecting at in-house rugby fixtures and at the Punchestown Festival. The Duck Push shop was stocked with Christmas baubles at other merchandise sold online and in person. At Union Day the Duck Push shop was a ‘must visit’ for parents looking to support the boys and pick up clothing, raffle tickets, pack saplings and lots more. The boys even held a silent auction for a signed “Messi” jersey that was kindly donated.
24 HOUR SWIM FOR THE DUCK PUSH One of the highlights of the Duck Push this year was the 24-hour swim that took place in April. Working in teams, the boys undertook the physical and mental challenge of a 24 hour swim in aid of Crumlin Children’s Hospital, the goal was to swim the length of the River Shannon (360km) over a 24 hours period. A team of 50 Syntax students led by Lower Line Prefect, Mr Sweeney, carried out a relay style event where all the boys took turns in the pool to complete the task. In true team spirit the team went above and beyond and completed 406.5km a nd raised over €8,000 via the GoFundMe page. Congratulations to the organising committee Matthew Kelly, James Gilheany, Osian Killeen and Ned Williams who made the event such a success along with Mr. Sweeney and the support of his Prefect colleagues. Thanks to all the parents,staff, OCs and others that kindly supported the event.
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AGE ACTION With the lifting of Covid restrictions we were happy to see our friends from the local Age Action groups back for their Tuesday visits as part of our TY programme. The boys really enjoy spending time with the visitors, playing board games, doing arts and crafts, and sometimes just having a “chat and a cup of tea”. Photos: Ms O’Loughlin
PHOTOGRAPHY CLASS TY students out and about in our beautiful grounds enjoying their photography class.
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PRECIOUS PLASTICS MAURITIUS Well done to our TY student Daniel Schacht who volunteered with Precious Plastic Mauritius partaking in very worthwhile work during his TY social placement.
GUEST SPEAKER We were thrilled to welcome The Press Photographers Association of Ireland Press Photographer of the Year 2021 James Crombie to talk to our TY students.
IGNATIAN CAMINO PILGRIMAGE Following in the footsteps of St Ignatius, TY students and staff set off to the Basque region in May to visit some of the major sites from the life of Ignatius of Loyola. This wonderful pilgrimage, completed on foot, brought them across scenic countryside and into picturesque small towns and villages as they learned more about the man who is responsible for the ethos at the heart of our school. 44
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OUTDOOR EDUCATION TRIP A change of venue this year for the Transition Year Outdoor Education Trip as the boys headed south to Co Kerry and the picturesque Eclipse Ireland Activity & Adventure Centre. The boys spent just shy of a week immersed in a range of fun filled activities!
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TRANSITION YEAR (SYNTAX) AWARDS GAISCE AWARDS Val Dowling Ned Williams Lexi O’Connor Matthew Ruddy Jack Shannon Christopher Keenan Sebastian Romani Maurolagoitia Osian Killeen
ACADEMIC AWARDS Michael O’Dowd Memorial Cup Aodhan McGuinness Lower Line Debate – Speaker of the Night Christopher Keenan McCarthy Medal for Science Jack Shannon Medal for English Essay Olin Morrissey Runner up for English Essay Andrew Coveney Peter’s Problem Prize Olin Morrissey Lower Line Debate Highly Commended Tiernan Crowe Matthew Kelly Outstanding Performance in Independent Learning Award Muhammed Umar Rafique Dublin Youth Orchestra Matt O’Leary Rian O’Kelly Cambridge Exams Levels from C1- B2 Nicolas Alino Orosa, Javier Bartolome Soler, Ignacio De Paz Luengo, Benedikt Drost, Eloi du Bourguet, Asmus Haeseler, Arno Hui, Alfonso Lopez Barajas Gross, Ewan Lui, Moritz Noll, Gonzalo Pinna Camas, Jorge Sevillano Cienfuegos Jovellanos, Weilun Sun, Hay Long Tam, Paul Thomine Desmazures, Moritz Waldeck, Zicheng Zhou
LIFE SAVING Tom Byrne, Dermot Collins, Patrick Connell, Tiarnan Crowe, Eloi Du Bourguet, Michael Hunter, Alfonso Lopez Barajas Gross, Conor Lysaght, JP Murphy, Jack O’Brien, Oliver O’Callaghan, Lexi O’Connor, Hugo O’Leary, Sebastian Romani Maurolagoitia, Matthew Ruddy, Daniel Schacht, Jack Shannon, Liam Simon-Fellowes, Paul Thomine
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FIRST AID Tiernan Crowe, Marcus McElligott, Chris Keenan, Nicolas Alina Orosa, Matthew Kelly, Alfonzo Lopez, Ryan Jeffryes, Diarmuid Fleming, Mark Cox, Matt O’Leary, Breon Molloy, Donagh Callaghan, Umar Rafique, Ned Williams, Andrew Coveney, Arno Hui, Cian O’Brien,Matthew Ruddy, Oliver Connolly, Kai Stark, Dermot Collins, Aodhan McGuinness,Allen Sun, James Boyle, Patrick Connell, Conor Halligan, Zac O’Keeffe, Hector Kuri Hernandez, Eoin Cunningham, James Gilheany, Vlad Spiru, Mike Hunter, Paul Thomine, Sascha Byrne, Rory Harte, Hugo O’Leary, Mark Kelly Ignacio Paz de la Cruz, Lexi O’Connor, Olin Morrissey, Aaron Tam
SPORTING ACHIEVEMENTS Bronze Medal in Eventing Ted O’Leary Leinster U18 Trial Dermot Collins Leitrim Minor James Gilheaney
SPORTS AWARDS House 800m (Cup) Chris Keenan Lower Line Triange Winner Chris Keenan TY Rugby coach’s player of the year Conor Lysaght TY Rugby Most improved Olin Morissey Lower Line Golfer of the Year Hugo Johnston Pierce Cup Hugo Johnston SOUTH LEINSTER TRACK AND FIELD Silver - Hammer Dermot Collins Gold – 150m Christopher Keenan Relay Team Dermot Collins and Kai Stark
GROWTH IN LEADERSHIP AWARD Michael Hunter
TULLABEG AWARD FOR ENTERPRISE AND INITIATIVE Cian O’Brien
TY AWARDS Philip Casey, Dermot Collins, Mark Cox, Eoin Cunningham, Benedikt Drost, Donnacha Foley, James Gilheany, Michael Hunter, Christopher Keenan, Mark Kelly, Marcus McElligott, Aodhan McGuinness, Olin Morrissey, Ted O’Leary, Jack Shannon
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TY GRADUATION
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CIRCUS SKILLS WORKSHOP Physics, kinesthetics and communication combined in a fun opt-in circus skills workshop for TY students! Images credit to Ms O’Louglin
LAUDATO SI MURAL A group of TY art students took on an interesting project in May…to create a mural that represents Laudato Si on a ‘blank canvas’ at the Jesuits International office in Dublin. Our artists, Eoin, Benedikt, Alfonso, Javier, Cyril, Liam, Daniel & Allen worked with Syrian fine artist, Manar Al-Shouha, to come up with a design that spoke to Pope Francis’ desire for us all to care for our common home. The boys worked tirelessly (even during the mixed Irish weather) and their passion, teamwork and dedication shone with each brush stroke! CLONGOWES LIFE
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CROKE PARK EXPERIENCE TY students got a behind the scenes visit to the iconic Croke Park stadium in Dublin.
HELL & BACK TY students took on the ‘Hell & Back”, Ireland’s Toughest Mental & Physical Endurance Challenge!
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A VISIT FROM ‘COACH FITZ’ We were so delighted to welcome North Western University Wildcats coach, Pat Fitzgerald, to Clongowes during the year. The charismatic and inspirational “Coach Fitz” spoke to our Senior and Junior Cup teams about how to maximise their potential and preparation for big games.
ELEMENTS BASKETBALL Our Elements basketball team had a great win in the quarter final of the Midlands League against Ard Scoil na Tríonóide
DIRECTOR OF RUGBY In September we welcomed Tomás O’Leary to Clongowes as our new Director of Rugby. Tomás is a well known former Irish Rugby international who was part of the Irish team that won the 2009 Grand Slam. As part of Munster Rugby, Tomás won Heineken Cups medals in 2006 and 2008. Upon leaving Munster, he joined London Irish in England and finished his playing career with Montpellier in France.
ATHLETIC DEVELOPMENT Rudiments enjoyed starting their new Athletic Development Programme!
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HIGHER LINE 6-A-SIDE SOCCER The VMP was lit up for the Higher Line 6-a-side soccer competition. There were 12 teams competing with over 80 players involved. A great evening of soccer ahead of St Patrick’s daybreak. The winning team was captained by Brian McCarthy (Poetry).
EQUESTRIAN It was a busy and rewarding year for three Lower Line students involved in equestrian sports. Ted O’Leary (Syntax) was part of the Irish Pony Eventing Team who took the Bronze Medal at the FEI European Pony Championships in Strzegom, Poland. Joining Ted in eventing classes throughout the year were Matthew Kelly and Josh Williamson who were all consistently in the ribbons in very competitive classes. Josh finished up the year on a high when he won the CPI2* at Millstreet International Horse Trials.
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IRISH SCHOOLS SENIOR AND JUNIOR GOLF The Junior team were in Greystones Golf Club while the Senior team were in Millicent Golf Club at the Leinster Qualifying section of the Irish Schools Senior and Junior Championship.
SUMMER SPORTS When the curtain came down on the rugby season it was all systems go into a busy summer sports programme. Lots of GAA, soccer, tennis, golf, watersports, athletics, cricket and athletic development so it reads: Lots of GAA, soccer, tennis, golf, watersports, cricket and athletic development to keep everyone busy!
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ATHLETICS LEINSTER SCHOOLS CROSS COUNTRY Philip McCartan and Christopher Keenan braved the bad weather to compete at the Leinster Schools’ Cross Country Championship. LEINSTER SCHOOLS TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIP The Elements boys had a great season competing in the South Leinster Schools Track and Field Championships. Peter Hogan took home bronze in 80m sprint (Juniors) and Owen Hough won silver in the high jump (Juniors). INTER 4 X 100M RELAY TEAM The Inter 4x100m relay team of Kai Stark, Dermot Collins, Marcus Sullivan, Ollie Browne and Patrick Moloney finished 2nd, earning silver and this qualify for the All Ireland Track and Field Championships where they finished 5th overall! SOUTH LEINSTER TRACK & FIELD A strong Clongowes squad went to the South Leinsters in May with a great set of results: HAMMER (INTER) GOLD Ben D’Arcy HAMMER (INTER) SILVER Dermot Collins HAMMER (SENIOR) GOLD Max Doyle LONG JUMP (UNDER 16) BRONZE Arthur Ashmore LONG JUMP (INTER) SILVER Patrick Maloney 400M (INTER) BRONZE Luke O’Leary 1500M (INTER) GOLD Christopher Keenan 100M RELAY (INTER) GOLD Marcus Sullivan, Dermot Collins, Ollie Browne, Patrick Moloney 100M RELAY (SENIOR) SILVER Brian McCarthy, Daniel Bough, Ryan Thompson, Oscar O’Brien SHOT PUT Kosi Ugwueru (4th place) LONG JUMP Eduard Giurca 100M Daniel Bough
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SENIOR BASKETBALL The Senior Basketball team played in the Under 19 C Midlands Plate final in the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght. What a great achievement for the players and their coach Ms Cleary to reach the final and a fantastic opportunity for them to play in the National Basketball Arena, the home of Irish basketball.
BLESSED JOHN SULLIVAN SJ TOURNAMENT The Blessed John Sullivan Rugby Tournament 2022 took place in glorious sunshine bringing together 1st Year teams from 16 schools Thanks to all the players who took part, their coaches and supporters. CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNING TEAMS: CUP TERENURE COLLEGE SHIELD ST MICHAEL’S COLLEGE PLATE BANDON RFC BOWL THE ROYAL BELFAST ACADEMICAL INSTITUTION
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SPORTS DAY
ATHELETES OF THE DAY
Our Annual Sports Day took place on September 9th and was enjoyed by all!
Elements: Hugo McHugh
Boys competed for their House in a range of events such as discus, high jump, shot put, javelin and running events. Arrupe House won the coveted Aloysius Bowl and there were honours for the individual athletes on the day.
Grammar: Philip McCartan
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Rudiments: Rían Kehoe Syntax: Chris Keenan Poetry: Daniel Baugh Rhetoric: Myles Lonergan
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3RD LINE RUGBY The Third Line Rugby League came to a close just before the Easter break. The winning team was captained by Noah Rooney alongside Vice-Captain Joshua Grant. The Wooden Spoon winners were led by Captain, Ollie Worth and Vice-Captain, Charlie Ryan. Well done to all in Elements and Rudiments that took part!
LIFFEY DESCENT CHEERING PRACTICE
Congratulations to Poetry students Aran Maloney & James Wyse who paddled the Junior Liffey Descent in the K2 category. From a very busy start line, they finished in a strong 2nd place.
Tuning up the Clongowes cheers before the start of the Cup season!
IRISH SAILING YOUTH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS Congratulations Max Sweetman (Rudiments) who came second in the Irish Sailing Youth National Championship. Max has qualified to compete on the Irish 420 team heading to the Junior European Championship in Portugal this summer.
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SENIOR CUP CAMPAIGN
CLONGOWES V GONZAGA COLLEGE The first round of this year’s Leinster Schools Senior Cup saw us drawn against our Jesuit counterparts from Senior Rugby. Ross MacGoey getsGonzaga. the ball away Those in green raced out of the blocks and scored three first half tries through Browne, Murphy and McLaughlin with out-half McMahon adding a penalty and two conversions to make it 22-0 after 32 minutes of the first half. It did not look good for Clongowes with half time fast approaching. A Blayze Molloy try began the Clongowes fightback and signified our resistance. The Mayo man blocked an attempted clearance and scored with Shane MacNulty adding the extras leaving us trailing 22-7 at half time. A slow start to the game certainly put Clongowes on the back foot but the character, resilience and skill demonstrated by those in Purple and White was reminiscent of previous Clongowes Cup stories in Donnybrook. Indeed, shortly after half time, Oscar O’Brien finished a lovely pre-rehearsed set play move. Clongowes looked set to maul when Leo Dowling broke away before putting the wing away with a lovely inside pass. Clongowes followed this score with the try of the match. Clongowes received a kick off and began the attack inside their 22. Excellent interplay between Burke, MacGoey, Dowling and Noone resulted with the excellent Shane MacNulty scoring with 39 minutes on the clock. The two quick fire tries were both converted by MacNulty. Clongowes were in the ascendancy and looked to be the better team.
try leaving them two scores ahead. Clongowes again refused to surrender. Another set piece play saw Clongowes score with a maul in the corner with Dan Daly finishing another well worked move. Time was against us as this proved to be the last play of the game with a final score of 34-26 to the Dublin school. SCT 22 was superbly led by captain Leo Dowling and Vice Captain James Ruddy as well as the injured Vice Captain Hugh Wilkinson. They were a credit to Clongowes and to their coaches Mr Wright, Mr O’Donoghue and Mr English. Tomás O’Leary, Director of Rugby
CLONGOWES WOOD COLLEGE
Padraic Spillane; Senan Noone, Shane MacNulty (Harry Mallon 69), Harry Roche-Nagle, Oscar O’Brien; Tom Murtagh, Harry MacGoey (Tom Hennebry 49); Flavio Macari, Leo Dowling (capt), James Wyse, James Ruddy, Alex Kelly, Blayze Molloy (Matthew Roche-Nagle h-t (Harry Coveney 56), Diarmuid O’Brien, Liam Burke (Dan Daly 56).
However, Gonzaga recovered well and a try by Finlay extended the lead back to 6 points. This forced us to chase the game again. Gonzaga picked off an intercept
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JUNIOR CUP CAMPAIGN
ROUND 1: CLONGOWES V TEMPLE CARRIG Clongowes Junior team opened their Leinster schools campaign with a convincing win over Temple Carrig School. Clongowes started the game well and their relentless pressure eventually proved too much for Temple Carrig with hooker Conor Keogh scoring our first try of the game. Ross Doyle added the conversion. Excellent work by the pack led to Captain Max Doyle dotting down after a well set maul. His brother, Ross, once again added the extras to leave Clongowes leading 14-0 after 10 minutes. Excellent play by Arthur Ashmore and Dara Fitzpatrick combined to send Marcus Sullivan over for a well worked try after 20 minutes. Temple Carrig showed some stout resistance until Finn Kehoe showed his lethal finishing skills to score his side’s fourth try of the day. Patrick Moloney ensured that each of the Clongowes Wood back-three got on the scoresheet when he scored in the left corner. This was the final score ensuring CWC would be victorious with a final score of 29-0. Tomás O’Leary, Director of Rugby
CLONGOWES WOOD COLLEGE
Finn Kehoe; Marcus Sullivan, Tomas Strickland (Tom Walsh 39), Artur Ashmore (Dara Fitzpatrick h-t), Patrick Moloney; Ross Doyle, Matthew Mooney (Rossa Williams h-t); Jack O’Connor (Scott Hickey h-t), Conor Keogh (Tom Groome h-t), Luke Murtagh (Oisin Lambe 51), Conor Hogan (Charlie Hussey h-t), Kavy Mebuin, Simon Kelly, Josh Williamson (Matthew Smyth Our Max winners from the day. 51), Doyle (capt).
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QUARTER FINAL: CLONGOWES V CISTERCIAN COLLEGE Clongowes started the game really well. Aggressive defence saw Clongowes awarded a penalty. From the resultant lineout Clongowes fed the ball to their dangerous centre combination. Ashmore fed his playing partner Tomas Strickland who finished well. Ross Doyle made it 7-0 to Clongowes after just 3 minutes. Roscrea responded with an opportunistic intercept try after 9 minutes to bring the
game back to level terms. Roscrea then took the lead after 24 minutes with their wing Higgins scoring in the right hand corner. Simon Kelly showed great determination and strength to respond for Clongowes and once again level proceedings at 15-15. Roscrea kicked a penalty to give themselves a 3 point lead at the half time break. The second half was a tight and tense affair with both sides making mistakes. Defences were on top until a sustained period of pressure led to a wonderful team try culminating in Marcus Sullivan scoring in the corner with time almost up. It looked as though Clongowes had done enough to secure victory. However, Roscrea had one more opportunity and the referee awarded them a penalty at scrum-time. Jack Deegan broke Clongowes hearts with a wonderful strike from 40 metres. Our Junior Cup team can be proud of their efforts during the campaign and demonstrated that Clongowes has a bright future. This team will be back and we look forward to seeing these players represent the college in the years to come. Thanks to the coaching ticket of Mr Anderson, Mr Dawson and Mr Curran. Tomás O’Leary, Director of Rugby
CLONGOWES WOOD COLLEGE
Finn Kehoe (Dara Fitzpatrick 56); Marcus Sullivan, Tomas Strickland, Arthur Ashmore, Patrick Moloney; Ross Doyle, Matthew Mooney (Rossa Williams h-t); Jack O’Connor, Conor Keogh, Luke Murtagh, Simon Kelly, Kavy Mebuin, Charlie Hussey (Conor Hogan h-t), Josh Williamson, Max Doyle (capt).
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SCT RUGBY CAPTAIN AND VICE CAPTAINS SCT Captain Leo Dowling and Vice Captains Hugh Wilkinson and James Ruddy with coaching staff. Mr Tomás O Leary (Director of Rugby), Mr John English (Backs Coach), Mr Matthew Wright (Head Coach), Hugh Wilkinson (Vice Captain), Leo Dowling (Captain), James Ruddy (Vice Captain), Mr Chris Lumb (Headmaster), Mr John O’ Donoghue (Forwards Coach/Director of Sport)
JCT RUGBY CAPTAIN AND VICE CAPTAIN Max Doyle Junior Cup Team Captain, Vice Captain Tomas Strickland and coaching staff. Mr. Tomás O’ Leary (Dir of Rugby), Mr. Alasdair Dawson (Assistant Coach), Mr. Angus Anderson (Head Coach), Max Doyle (JCT 2022 Captain), Tomas Strickland (JCT 2022 Vice Captain), Mr Chris Lumb (Headmaster), Mr Joe Curran (Assistant Coach), Mr John O’Donoghue (Dir of Sport).
FRANCIS CRIBBIN CUP Clongowes GAA players faced Clane GAA once more for the Annual Francis Cribbin Cup. Our congratulations to our neighbouring club who took the honours in a closely fought match, with the full-time score of 2-11 to 1-15
CRICKET FINAL SUCCESS! HURLING Thanks to our Two Mile House hurlers for a great game of hurling!
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An outstanding performance with bat and ball by Clongowes Elements cricketers in the final against Wesley College Dublin. A superb performance from Nick Hunter taking 2 wickets and scoring 64 runs. Excellent contributions also from Eddie McCarthy and Charlie Ryan taking two wickets each.
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ANNUAL TRIANGLE RACE This year’s Annual Triangle Race was a record-breaking evening that saw Christopher Keenan (Syntax) break OC Jack O’Leary’s long held record that was set by Jack in 2013. Christopher shaved 3 seconds off Jack’s record of 6.54 when he sprinted home in a time of 6.51. The Triangle Cup awarded to the fastest Higher Line student went to James Keenan (Poetry) who clocked an impressive time of 7.18.
ATHELETES OF THE DAY Best Time Overall: Christopher Keenan 6.51 Elements: Cian Duro (8.24) Rudiments: Tom Walsh (8.43) Grammar: Philip McCartan (7.25) Syntax: Christopher Keenan (6.51) Higher Line: James Keenan (7.18) Well done to all who took part in this year’s race, full results are shown below.
RESULTS HIGHER LINE (Record Jack O’Leary 2015 – 6.38.40) 1st
James Keenan (Poetry)
7.18
2nd
Tiernan O’Doherty (Poetry)
8.08
3rd
Ben Smyth (Poetry)
8.14
LOWER LINE (Record Jack O’Leary 2013 – 6.54.00) 1st
Christopher Keenan
6.51
2nd
Philip McCartan
7.25
3rd
Luke O’Leary
7.52
THIRD LINE (Record Jack O’Leary 2012 – 7.17.40) 1st
Cian Duro
8.24
2nd
Hugo McHugh
8.35
3rd
Tom Walsh
8.43
PIERCE SCRATCH CUP Well done to the golfers who competed for the Pierce Scratch Cup on the Montgomerie Course at Carton House. Congratulations to Hugo Johnston (Syntax) who was the overall winner.
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CLONGOWES FOUNDATION
FOUNDATION TEAM The Foundation team is immensely grateful for the continued support of all donors whose support ensures the continued enhancement of the College. Antoinette Kelly joined the Foundation team in February as Director of Development taking over the responsibility for the day to day running of the Foundation. Joe Rooney continues as Chair of Fundraising, along with Ms Emma Robinson as Development Officer, working with our donor base with the express desire to maintain the historic success of the Clongowes Foundation so that Clongowes can thrive. The Foundation is supported by Ms Denise Nichol, Director of Finance and Administration and Ms Clare Daly, Finance Department
PHILANTHROPY AT CLONGOWES The Clongowes Foundation works with and supports the College in its mission to provide pupils with the highest standards of Jesuit schooling. The College’s operating surplus does not meet the school’s investment needs to maintain the past and build for the future. Since 2004, the Foundation and the College, together, have overseen a significant enhancement of the school’s infrastructure. The most recent development has been the phased renovation and upgrade of the Infirmary including the installation of a lift. It will connect to each floor of the Infirmary, not least the top floor where boys have their The Clongowes Oval physiotherapy sessions. 62
The generosity of past pupils, parents, grandparents and both the Jesuit Community and Province is evident in the ongoing improvement of the College’s facilities. The Alberto Hurtado Bursary Programme (AHP) which commenced in 2007, has widened the access to a Clongowes education. The Programme’s aim is to provide up to seven bursary places each academic year to children coming from circumstances that otherwise would preclude them from attending Clongowes. Through the intervening years the AHP has become an integral part of the fabric of Clongowes life
with 36 boys currently attending the College and 61 who have graduated as old Clongownians. The Alberto Hurtado Endowment Fund was created in 2020 to secure the Bursary Programme for the future, future contributions and legacies will be crucial and this remains a key focus for the Foundation. If you would like any information about Clongowes Foundation or wish to support Capital developments projects or the Bursary Programme, please contact the Foundation Office +353 (0) 45 902334 or by email antoinettekelly@clongowes.net
CLONGOWES LIFE
SUMMER 2022
CLONGOWES FOUNDATION
FR KENNEY DAY 2022 On June 15th the College played host to more than 100 Old Clongownians and their guests who enjoyed a wonderful visit for Fr Kenney Day. This event which celebrates the founding of the College by Fr Peter Kenney in 1814 returned after a 2-year break and was a wonderful opportunity for the group to reconnect with the College and their fellow students. Fr Sheil said Mass in the Boys Chapel followed by an insightful talk by Dr Noel McGrath on the life and legacy of Old Clongownian, Christopher Palles, the last Lord Chief Baron. A forthcoming publication on the legal legacy of Palles by Oonagh B. Breen & Noel McGrath is due for publication in the coming months. Following lunch, the past pupils, all more than 40 years out of Clongowes, took the opportunity to visit their past haunts in the college and enjoy a stroll in the grounds.
CLONGOWES LIFE
SUMMER 2022
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NEWS OF THE PAST CLONGOWES UNION NEWS
THE CLONGOWES UNION BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION The Clongowes Union Benevolent Association provides assistance to Old Clongownians and/or their relatives and dependents that have fallen on hard times. The assistance can take the form of financial grants or soft loans over an extended period, or it can be in the form of expert advice or moral support at difficult times.
“BEYOND THE PALE” OUR 125TH ANNIVERSARY
Ryan and Jack Kavanagh. The Union Dinner is restored to its traditional date on the Friday before Ireland’s first home Six Nations match (v France) in a special new venue, Dublin’s Mansion House.
It is with great pleasure that I have accepted to be the opportunity to be the President of the Clongowes Union during the year in which we will celebrate our 125th anniversary.
There are also rumblings about potential Clongowes events during the year in USA and Hong Kong/Singapore. We will keep you updated by email and all 2022 events will be priced and available on our website by 30th June. But the Union is not all about these big events. The WhatsApp group for any particular year is the Clongowes Union in action. If you can’t make an event, perhaps you can get along to support a Clongowes team in the Senior or Junior Cup. Or maybe, with the school’s approval, attend a Sunday Mass in Clongowes and witness the incredible work of our fellow Clongownian, Cyril Murphy, and his liturgical team. Clongowes Wood College is a vibrant organisation and we would like that to be reflected in the activities of the Clongowes Union.
When a small group of Clongownians came together in 2020 to plan this special year, we adopted “Beyond the Pale” as our tagline for these twelve months. This recognises the importance of students from Munster, Connacht, Ulster and all of Leinster as part of the fabric that makes Clongowes what it is today and has been for many years. Without excluding Dublin, my own home City, we wanted the Union to have significant events in the four provinces of Ireland and beyond. We hope you will have the opportunity to support some or all of our under 40s event in the West of Ireland, our Internationals Event in Clongowes, the Ulster Branch dinner in Royal County Down or the Munster Dinner in County Limerick. That Munster Dinner is a mixed event as is our UK Dinner in Royal Thames Yacht Club on 29 th October. In Dublin, on 7 th October, we will have the Clongowes Lunch (not restricted to Clongownians) where the guest panel will include both Declan
We will be reaching out to Old Clongownians in the early Autumn. When you hear from us we would appreciate you giving as generously as you can to enable us to continue our important work.
Tom Lane June 2022.
As ever, the Committee and Trustees would like to express their heartfelt thanks to all those who made donations to the Association over the years. We would also like to express thanks to those who have provided employment or employment leads, professional advice and friendship to those in need.
As we continue to grow and strengthen our database we would like to invite OCs to update their email address. This can be simply done by logging on to www.clongowesunion.ie/data Feel free to share the above link with any classmates, brothers or OC colleagues you may be in contact with regularly. We ask that you use your personal email address rather than a work address. If you ever need to update your details in the future we will continue to keep a close eye on submissions to the link above. We hope to be able to share news and updates relevant to as many members of the Union as possible, when it becomes available, a robust and active database will go a long way to achieving this. Thank you for your continued support.
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Unfortunately, along with the significant increase in monies disbursed, there has been a significant fall off in our income due to covid related disruption of our regular fundraising activities in the last two years. At our current rate of expenditure, our funds will run out early next year. So for the first time in ten years we will have to undertake a fresh fundraising drive to replenish our coffers. Doing so will put us on a sounder financial footing and ensure we can continue to meet the needs of necessitous Old Clongownians and their families.
I’m very grateful to those of you who have taken the time to wish me well for the coming year. I hope to meet as many of you as possible at some stage in the next 12 months.
BUILDING THE DATABASE
Barry Bowe, Union Registrar
The past two years have been challenging for many including quite a number within the Old Clongownian community. This is reflected in the increased demand for support from your Benevolent Association. The financial assistance we disbursed in 2021 was nearly €69,000. This is well up on the €43,000 of 2019 and the €53,000 of 2020.
We are always welcoming of fellow OCs or their families who may be in need of assistance. Please inform Michael Moore (086 834 0132; mdmoore@ indigo.ie) if you are in need or know of another old friend in such straits. By passing on the details now the need can be addressed in confidence and, hopefully, eliminated.
CLONGOWES LIFE
SUMMER 2022
NEWS OF THE PAST CLONGOWES UNION NEWS
UNION DINNER The Union Dinner took place on 25th February in Dublin brining together multi generations of Old Clongownians. Congratulations to Simon Coveney, winner of Alumnus of the Year Award. Photos: Jim Stitt
CLONGOWES UNION GOLF SOCIETY The Clongowes Union Golf Society is up and running in 2022. We had a very successful outing in Portmarnock on May 13th with Willie McDonald producing a score for the ages and bringing home the prestigious Sir Abraham Sutton Trophy. We have a full field for the outing in Royal County Down on our traditional date of the last Friday in June. The following outing will be in Baltray on 3rd September.
CLONGOWES LIFE
SUMMER 2022
If there is sufficient interest, we will organise an outing in the West of Ireland to coincide with the Under 40s event towards the end of the Year. The aforementioned Willie McDonald has taken over as Secretary of the Golf Society with effect from 25th June and he will be ably supported by Padraig Whelan as Treasurer of the Society. The Union wants to thank Charles O’Callaghan and Rory McEneaney for all their work in recent years. The Golf Society is open to all Clongownians – if you want to be added to the mailing list, please send your details to Willie McDonald at clongowesgolfsoc@gmail.com
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NEWS OF THE PAST CLASS NOTES
ROWAN OSBORNE
James Lambe with his Aloysius Award
JAMES LAMBE SCHOLARSHIP
Rowan Osborne OC’15 made his Munster Rugby debut in red in their 42–17 win against the Sharks on 25 September 2021. Unfortunately, due to an injury picked up in training, Rowan has been forced to retire from professional rugby.
“Tomorrow is a promise we cannot keep, so today, be bold and brave and live fearlessly. ” Our beloved ‘Lambo’ wrote this just months before he sadly passed away. As the first anniversary of his death approached, his family and friends along with University College Dublin (UCD) launched “The James Lambe Memorial Scholarship” – honouring his memory and legacy.
Rowan Osborne (OC15) in his Munster kit.
FERGUS O’FARRELL – BREAKING OUT ‘Breaking Out: The Remarkable Story of Fergus O’Farrell’ tells the story of OC’86 Fergus O’Farrell, artist, composer and songwriter who sadly passed away 2016. Fergus was the charismatic voice of ‘Interference’, one of the most influential bands on the Irish music scene in the 80s and 90s. Fergus was a deserved winner of the Aloysius Award on Union Day 1986.You can watch the documentary on Fergus’ life at the Irish Film Institute website
Fergus O’Farrell
Dan Sheehan playing for Clongowes
TADHG BEIRNE Tadhg Beirne’s career goes from strength to strength. Having signed an IRFU contract to 2025, he is a pivotal player in the Irish international squad. Tadhg was a valuable member of the 2021 Lions squad, named on the replacements for the 1st and 2nd test. Tadhg teamed up with fellow OC Dan Sheehan this year where both were part of the Triple Crown winning team.
DAN SHEEHAN Dan Sheehan has had a tremendous season making his senior international test debut on 6 November 2021 against Japan at the Aviva Stadium. In the 2022 Six Nations, Sheehan came off the bench in Ireland’s win vs Wales and earned his first start for Ireland in the February 2022 Six Nations match against Italy. In the final match of the 2022 Six Nations, he scored a try and won the Player of the Match Award in Ireland’s 26–5 victory over Scotland, clinching their 12th Triple Crown. Dan was awarded Best New Player of the Year at the Leinster Rugby Awards.
Tadhg Beirne
OC 21 RUGBY OCs (21) playing now on opposing teams for U-20s Wanderers and Trinity College Rugby sides. Pictured: Jack Moroney (W), Rory MacGabhan (T), Rory O’Sullivan Sexton (W), Josh Gavin (T), Matthew Cassidy (W), Daniel Stokes (T) and Harry McGrath (W
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CLONGOWES LIFE
SUMMER 2022
NEWS OF THE PAST CLASS NOTES
TOM AND JORDAN COGHLAN
RORY O’SULLIVAN SEXTON SCHOLARSHIP AWARD
Former SCT players and cousins,Tom and Jordan Coghlan battle it out against each other in the AIL,representing UCD and Terenure College.
Congratulations to Rory O’Sullivan Sexton, OC’21, on receiving the Naughton Foundation Scholarship Award. Rory is one of 38 exceptional students nationally who have been awarded scholarships to support their studies in the areas of engineering, science, maths and technology.
Sam Watson
Tom and Jordan Coughlan
SAM WATSON Eventer Sam Watson, OC’04, represented Ireland at the Tokyo Olympics aboard Tullabeg Flamenco, following in the footsteps of his father John who was an Olympian at Seoul in 1988. Watson and the team secured Olympic qualification when the team won a silver medal at the 2018 World Championships – becoming the first Irish team in any sport to qualify for Tokyo.
Rory O’Sullivan Sexton
GOLLYMOCKY WHALERS This group of OC’s started to meet up during lockdowns for a swim and have and have since recruited a number of fellow OC’s to join into an impressive group of approx 23 members. The group swam the Forty Foot every day in February and raised an incredible €13.500 for Aware.
Rob Kearney Pat Taaffe
ROB KEARNEY
Gollymocker Whalers raising funds for Aware CLONGOWES LIFE
SUMMER 2022
Rob Kearney announced his retirement from rugby after one season with Western Force in Super Rugby AU and Super Rugby Trans-Tasman. Following his retirement, Kearney returned to Louth GAA Club, Cooley Kickhams, where he began training in August 2021 for the first time since 2005. 67
NEWS OF THE PAST CLASS NOTES
WILL CONNORS
OCS AT OLD BELVEDERE
Will Connors signed a new contract with Leinster Rugby in 2022. Backrow Will had won nine Ireland caps and been a regular presence in the Leinster squad prior to his knee injury 12 months ago.
There was strong OC representation on the Old Belvedere side that won the 2022 McCorry Cup in a 26-22 victory over Trinity.. From left: T.Mulcair, R. McMahon, E. O’ Boyle, J. Kearney, L. McDermott, B. Dooley, C. Dowling, D. Wilkinson, H. O’ Neill, M. Behan, P. Maher, C. Grimes
Will Connors playing for Leinster
PAST V PRESENT BASKETBALL
UCD ENTRANCE AWARDS
Old Clongownians came back to the College in 2022 for a Past V Present basketball match, and clenched victory with a full-time score of 59-50.
Congratulations are extended to Jack Moroney, Rory Morrin, Harry O’Neill, Ruben Stark, James Ward (all OC’21) and Alexandros Papadias (OC’20) on gaining UCD Entrance Awards for academic achievement.
From left standing. C.Murphy, P. Dowling, S Lysaght, M Leonard, Front left kneeling O. Fagan, M. O’ Loan, C. Kennelly, R.Daly, A. Papadias
CHARLIE REILLY & MICHAEL SPILLANE
IRISH UNIVERSITIES RUGBY
Charlie Reilly and Michael Spillane, OC’21 and former 20/21 SCT squad members - battled it out representing UCD and Trinity U20s. A tight score line 13-10 to UCD
OC and Rudiments Rugby coach Cathal Duff and former SCT Captain Anthony Ryan were part of the Irish Universities team that took on the French University side to win 53-10 in Jonzac.
Pat Taaffe at Fairyhouse
PAT TAAFFE
Charlie Reilly & Michael Spillane 68
Opportunity knocked for Pat Taaffe who landed his first ride in the Irish Grand National in April aboard Gigginstown House Stud’s Battleofdoyen. The duo travelled well until an unlucky fall late in the race.
Cathal Duff and Anthony Ryan
CLONGOWES LIFE
SUMMER 2021
CLONGOWES WOOD COLLEGE Clane, Co. Kildare, Ireland T: +353 (0)45 868 202 E: reception@clongowes.net @clongowes @clongoweswoodcollegesj @clongowes www.clongowes.net
