Pres gazette summer 2015

Pres are Munster Senior Schools Cup Soccer Champions 2015!

Report by Principal Ken Whyte

As this academic year slowly draws to a close, we say goodbye to the Leaving Certificate Class of 2015.

At their Graduation Mass they will each receive a Past Pupil tie from Dan Kelleher, President of the PPU, to signify that they will be known for the rest of their lives as ‘Old Boys’, and are now part of the wider ‘Pres’ family.

We are always delighted to see so many parents, grandparents and other family members present in the Sacred Heart Church to share in this special celebration.

We wish them a very happy and successful life, confident that the values of hard work, personal and social responsibility that they bring with them from Pres will always stand to them.

The preparation of the Pres Gazette requires much work.

I would like to thank editor Don Buckley for putting together all the various articles and getting the Gazette designed and printed, and Nora Walsh for the many photographs she has taken throughout the year.

Finally, I wish all our students, staff and their families a happy and relaxed summer and look forward to everyone’s return in the autumn.

Ken Whyte Ken Whyte Principal

This end-of-year edition of the Pres Gazette covers the whole spectrum of activities undertaken by our students; academic, sporting, social responsibility and many other extra-curricular interests. We thank all the students, staff and coaches for their efforts throughout the academic years and rejoice in the great credit they consistently bring to Pres.

In particular, I wish to acknowledge national successes in Applied Maths, Sailing and Rowing, as well as the capture of the Munster Schools Senior Soccer Cup. Magnificent achievements all!

Cover photo shows (l-r) PBC soccer coaches Aiden Twomey and John Mullarkey with team captain Diarmuid Creedon.

6th Year students Tim Clifford and Max Skuse win prestigious scholarships

6th Year students Tim Clifford and Max Skuse, have won prestigious SAP scholarships to study Business and Information Systems at DHBW University, located in Mannheim, Germany. Their course will begin in late August, and will involve three month rotations between their university studies and work placement in SAP over a three year period. All at Pres are proud of the boys’ achievements and we wish them well in their future studies!

Applied Maths All-Ireland Senior Champions 2015

The PBC team that were proclaimed Irish Applied Maths Senior Team Quiz Champions in Dublin recently, and who were also placed second in the Cork regional section of the same competition (L-R) Luke Gayer, John Ryan-Purcell, Michael Shinkwin and Ms Janet Cotter.

Head Boy and Deputy Head Boys 2015

Photo shows (L-R) Deputy Head Boy Sam Hudson, Head Boy Caolan O’Flynn and Deputy Head Boy Gearóid O’Mahony.

PBC Prefects 2015

Back Row (L-R) Gearóid O’Mahony (Deputy Head Boy), Séafra Guilfoyle, Tim Clifford, Areeb Mian, Peter Philpott, Sam Hudson (Deputy Head Boy) and Cathal Murphy.

Front Row (L-R) Graham Smith, Michael McGrath, Cian Davis, Ms Deirdre O’Keeffe (6th Year Head), Caolan O’Flynn (Head Boy) and Michael Grufferty.

Transition Year trip to Shanghai, China, Easter 2015

Six PBC TY students travelled to China recently as part of a cultural exchange. Photo shows (L-R) Thomas O’Connor, Reggie Kavanagh, Pierre Mathieu, Ms Marion Carey (Transition Year Coordinator, PBC), Jack Madden, Cian O’Connor and Niall McCarthy.

At Easter, six PBC 4th Year students along with 90 other Irish students embarked on the trip of a lifetime to China.

Even the long trek there was an experience, especially for some who had never left Ireland prior to this. After flying to Amsterdam, we had a long wait for our connecting twelve hour flight to Shanghai. We were staying in the International Students’ Dormitory on the Shanghai University Campus. As soon as we got off the plane, it was clear to all of us that it was a different world. Over the two weeks, we saw some incredible contemporary Chinese culture. We attended a traditional Chinese tea ceremony where we learnt about China’s iconic Green Tea. We also went to an unbelievable acrobatics show where we observed some mind blowing spectacles.

Each morning we had classes on the Chinese language, calligraphy or lectures about China’s history. It was great to be able to put the phrases we had learnt in the morning classes to practical use in the afternoons, when bargaining, in a buzzing, hot and busy market or when ordering food in a restaurant in Shanghai city centre.

The architecture in Shanghai was amazing. You couldn’t see the top of Shanghai Tower (the city’s tallest building at 650m tall!) from ground level because it stretched up and through the clouds. There are over a thousand buildings at least 30 floors high in the sprawling city; whereas in Ireland, there is yet to be a single building of that size. Even with all of these skyscrapers we still got to witness some breath-taking views. We visited The East Pearl TV Tower. The Observation Deck is 265m high, and it provided us with quite the view! That night we went on a river cruise through the Bund, Shanghai’s business district, another unforgettable experience.

It would be ignorant to have the best food you will ever taste outside your door and not at least give it a try. It was not only delicious but cheap at the equivalent of e7 for a full meal. With different food stalls on every corner it meant that there was a different aroma for each side-street!

We spent a lot of time in the countryside, a place that was steeped in tradition. We visited the city of Hangzhou and its famous attraction, the scenic and beautiful West Lake. This vast lake is surrounded by thick forestry and rolling hills. Hangzhou is nicknamed ‘Heaven on Earth’ because of its unspoilt natural beauty. We took a short boat trip across the lake and visited an ancient ‘Pagoda’, a historical Chinese temple. We visited the ancient town of Zhuijiajiao, China’s version of Venice, with its clear canals and traditional gondolas. It emphasised the contrast between the built-up modern city of Shanghai, compared to the quaint traditional beauty of the rural villages.

After two weeks, everyone was quite sad to be leaving this amazing place. As we packed our bags onto the coach waiting for us outside the gates of the University Campus, we braced ourselves for the daunting 12 hour flight back to Amsterdam, where we had to wait a further 16 hours for the short flight back to Cork. Despite this arduous journey, it truly was the trip of a lifetime. In fact, all of us would like to return to China at some point in the future.

Thomas O’Connor, Pierre Mathieu, Niall McCarthy, Reggie Kavanagh and Cian O’Connor (4th Year)

Senior Debating

Back Row (L-R) John Ryan-Purcell, Areeb Mian, Ger O’Connell, Andrew Daly and Shane Daly.

Middle Row (L-R) Dan O’Mahony, Jack Madden, Tony Cusack, Michael Grufferty, Max Skuse, Eddie Marks, Colm McBride and Mr Ronan O’Mahony.

Front Row (L-R) Fiachra Kelleher, Cathal Walsh, Michael Whooley, Daire O’Herlihy, Brian Walsh, Rayan Suhail, Rory Holohan and Tom Monahan.

Junior Debating

Back Row (L-R) Hugh Fitzgerald, Michael Duffy, Tadhg Cowhig, Joe Costigan, Liam Rooke (holding the Davis Shield), David O’Halloran, Chris Morris, Cian Harley, Adam Hallissey and Ms Annette Barry.

Front Row (L-R) Séamus Ó Riain, Michael Hayes, Conor Dorgan, Peter Higgins, Jack Kennedy, Ntkozo Mkwananzi, Masroor Salam and John Whyte.

Students fly Pres flag at the European Youth Parliament.

Photo shows (L-R) Niall Casey, Daire O'Gorman, Ms Annette Barry, Fiachra Kelleher and Colin Eustace.

The Erasmian European Youth Parliament is an international Youth Parliament that takes place in a different European city every year. Students from various European countries, aged from sixteen to eighteen years old, meet to form a united European voice for young people. They present their ideas for solutions to ‘city problems’ to local and national politicians and other municipal professionals. The aim of EEYP is to encourage young people from across Europe to collaborate in order to solve important issues from an EU perspective, thus encouraging them to take greater interest in both domestic and international political affairs and in the process, foster progressive, enthusiastic young professionals.

We were lucky enough to get the opportunity to go to Davos, Switzerland in February in order to take part in an EEYP forum. The delegation, along with teacher Annette Barry, was accommodated in the boarding school SAMD (Schweizerische Alpine Mittelschule Davos), which also served as the venue for committee work. Each of the six of us was on a different committee, dealing with topics ranging from economic stability and regulation, to healthcare and urban development. All of the topics discussed at EEYP this year were related in a particular way to the issue of health, which was the key academic concept of this forum. Throughout the week, we spent many hours working in our committees, which comprised of students of varying nationalities, all between the ages of sixteen and eighteen.

There was also time given to fun activities and cultural exercises, one of which was an Inter-City Expo, in which we got to taste food from other countries and show off some of our own Cork cuisine. On the final day, each committee had to present its resolution at General Assembly. It was the task of each delegate to debate the resolutions presented in an adapted model of how the European Parliament discusses actual bills and legislation. Our own Colin Eustace was awarded the prize of Second Best Delegate at the closing ceremony, which was a tremendous achievement on his part. Well done Colin! This was an incredibly enjoyable and educational experience and one which we are all delighted to have been part of.

Fiachra Kelleher and Thomas Stanley (5th Year)

Liam Rooke wins the Davis Shield

Photo shows (L-R) 2015 Davis Shield winner Liam Rooke, with last year's winner Adam Hallissey.

An Dara Bliain: Com贸rtas Na bPosteir铆

(L-R) Eoin Quilter agus Sam Gallagher.

Tobar na Gaeilge Bliain eile ag teacht chun deiridh agus bliain rathúil eile curtha dínn sa Ghaeilge. Ghlac na daltaí páirt i mórán comórtaisí éagsúla agus d’éirigh go geal leo. Is léir dúinn go bhfuil labhairt na Gaeilge ag éirí níos láidre sa scoil, rud a chuireann gliondar chroí orainn i Roinn na Gaeilge. Mar fhocal scoir guím gach rath ar na daltaí a bheidh ag fágaint na scoile i Mí an Mheithimh …..beir bua sna scrúduithe go háirithe sa Ghaeilge! le Micheál Mac Eoin

Tráth na gCeist - An Cúigiú Bliain

(L-R) Antóin Ó Donnchú, Dónal Ó Duibhir, Conchúr O'Floinn agus Simón Loicid.

Tráth na gCeist - An Idirbhliain

(L-R) Briain Mac Coitir, Roshan Baig agus Daniel Seoige.

Pres win First Prize at the IMTA Maths Quiz

Photo shows (L-R) Luke Gayer, John Ryan-Purcell, Barry Ryan, Mr John Scannell and Cian Carey.

Bharati Krishna, an Indian philosopher and mathematician, once famously said that something was ‘magic until you understand it, and mathematics thereafter.’ In which case there was maths and magic in equal parts in the air in the SMA Hall, Wilton last January, where two Pres teams competed in the Irish Maths Teachers’ Association’s Annual Maths Quiz.

The quiz consisted of Leaving Cert style problems, and both teams did exceptionally well, with the team of Cian Carey, Luke Gayer, John Ryan-Purcell and Barry Ryan taking the First Prize on the night, with the team of Matthew Peters, Jamie Mulcahy, Rob Coffey and Areeb Mian also ranking very highly.

As well as claiming the regional trophy, the team also qualified for the National Final in NUI Galway in March. The standard of teams in Galway was extremely high, with the winning team only getting one question wrong out of twenty. In spite of this, we were very happy with the teams’ performances at both the regional and national level.

A special thanks to all the Maths teachers in Pres, especially Mr Scannell who worked tirelessly in helping both teams train for the competition.

John Ryan-Purcell (6th Year)

The π Junior Maths Competition for 3rd Years

The Pres team was (L-R) Patrick Henry, Conor O’Donovan, Mark Ryan-Purcell and Dave Scott

1st Year students reach Junior Maths Final

The 1st Year students who were finalists in the Irish Junior Maths Competition for 1st Years.

Photo shows (L-R) Micheal Giltinan, Jeff Holden, Óisín Schumn, James Kelly and Joe Costigan.

Pres team win Applied Maths Regional Final

The PBC team won the Cork Regional Round of the Irish Applied Maths Senior Team Quiz, and were placed second in the National Final.

Photo shows (L-R) Timothy Peters, Ms Janet Cotter, Cian Carey and Barry Ryan.

Last March, four teams from Pres took part in the Cork regional round of the Irish Applied Mathematics Senior Team Quiz in Christ the King Secondary School. All teams consisted of two 6th Year students and one 5th Year student.

The quiz was made up of eight rounds of three questions, covering a range of different topics from the Leaving Cert course. The teams representing Pres were: ● Cian Carey, Barry Ryan and Timothy Peters ● Luke Gayer, John Ryan-Purcell and Michael Shinkwin ● Patrick Hogan, Matthew Peters and Alex O’Carroll ● Rob Coffey, Patrick Geary and Harry Shanahan All teams performed excellently, and amazingly, Pres teams finished in both 1st place (Barry Ryan, Cian Carey and Timothy Peters) and in 2nd place (Luke Gayer, John Ryan-Purcell and Michael Shinkwin) out of 21 very competitive teams! These two teams then travelled to Portlaoise the following Saturday in an attempt to go where no previous Pres team had gone before, to be crowned National Champions. Remarkably, Pres took the top two spots again!

This time, the order was reversed, with Luke, John and Michael edging out the Cork regional winners to be crowned National Champions. This ensured winners’ medals for both teams across the two rounds, and two attractive trophies to adorn Miss Cotter’s desk for the next twelve months.

Continuing a great year for Applied Maths in Pres, our Transition Year teams also took home 1st and 2nd places in the regional round of the Irish Applied Maths Junior Problem Solving Quiz in January. One of these teams also achieved the fantastic result of 4th place in the National Final in Portlaoise. These teams consisted of: ● Tony Cusack, Donal Gallagher, Reggie Kavanagh and Eoin Winters – - Brian Hallissey substituted for Reggie in the National Final (1st place in Cork; 4th place in National) ● Tom Gleeson, James MacSweeney, Sam McNulty and Jack O’Donovan (2nd place in Cork) A superb achievement for all and the future is certainly bright for Applied Maths in Pres!

Finally, we all owe Miss Cotter a massive thanks for all her hard work in preparing us for the quizzes and certainly none of this would have been possible without her hugely valued help!

Cian Carey (6th Year)

4th Year students excel in Applied Maths Regional Final

4th Year students who won first place in the Cork Regional Round of the Irish Applied Maths Junior Problem Solving Quiz and were placed fourth in the National Final.

Photo shows (L-R) Eoin Winters, Reggie Kavanagh, Ms Janet Cotter, Daniel Gallagher, Brian Hallissey and Tony Cusack.

Pres Chemistry team pipped at the post in Pfizer Chemistry Quiz!

Photo shows (L-R) Adam Cohalan, John Ryan–Purcell, Areeb Mian, Barry Ryan.

Congratulations to our Senior Chemistry Quiz team, who were gallant runners-up in the annual Pfizer Chemistry Quiz, held recently for secondary schools across Cork city and county.

PresLink

Monies raised by PresLink through various events have helped pay for vaccinations in Presentation schools in Ghana.

Since the start of 2015, PresLink has organised a range of fundraising events. The first was the Quiz for all year groups in February, for the last three classes of the day. The questions were read out over the intercom, with the winners being a 5th Year group. The boys all brought in generous donations, making it a very successful event.

The next fundraiser was the Easter Egg Raffle, in the week before the Easter holidays. Tickets were available for sale to all classes and on the Friday of the holidays dozens of Easter eggs were won. Finally we also sold #TTID bands and this year again they were hugely popular.

In April, for the first time ever PresLink made a presentation to the Board of Management about what we do and what had been achieved during its ten year existence. This was a great opportunity for PresLink in that it gave us a chance to showcase all the hard work that has been done by this year’s PresLink committee as well as the previous committees. It also recognised the contribution of the many teachers who have been involved over the years.

Another first for us took place in May as seven students on the committee went to the City Hall with Ms Sharon Gillane to meet pupils from other Presentation Brothers Schools as well as Christian Brothers Schools. We were put into mixed groups and discussed the effect and impact of Edmund Rice and the values he promoted, as well as assessing what being part of a Presentation school has on our lives today. We found that this was a hugely beneficial experience as it helped us forge connections with all the other Edmund Rice schools.

This year we have had a committee comprised of seventeen 4th Year students. It has been a very busy but enjoyable year, one that has given us an opportunity to give back to the people who need it most. We, as committee members, are taking away a lot from this experience, and in closing we would like to thank everyone who has supported PresLink this year!

Ben Carroll (4th Year)

Photo shows a classroom in a Presentation school in Ghana, equipped with computers courtesy of PresLink

Pres is blooming!

(photo courtesy of Br Bede Minehane)

The plants and flowers pictured above are purchased at Griffin’s Garden Centre, Dripsey, Co Cork. Over the past 15 years, Pres has purchased literally thousands of plants and flowers from Griffins and not one has failed over that period. Our sincere thanks to Margaret Griffin and her highly professional staff.

Griffin’s Garden Centre is well worth a visit where you can enjoy a coffee in their restaurant in stunning surroundings on the banks of the River Dripsey.

Br Tim Ó Floinn

6th Year Peer Mentoring Group

Back Row (L-R) Jerry Clifford, Sam Hudson, Peter Philpott, Ger O’Connell and Billy Pope.

Middle Row (L-R) Shane Daly, Eddie Marks, Tom Monahan, Michael McGrath, Ian Coleman and Rory Holohan.

Front Row (L-R) Adam Cohalan, John Poland, Areeb Mian, Ms Clare Lynch, Caolan O’Flynn and Michael Grufferty.

Peer Mentoring during my time in 6th Year was both a rewarding and exciting experience. The Peer Mentoring programme set up and run by Claire Lynch, serves to ease 1st Year students transition to secondary school. The first year at a new school can be daunting and Peer Mentors act as a ‘middle-man’ between teachers and school friends. We are less formal to talk to than teachers, but have more experience and ‘pearls-of-wisdom’ to offer than their fellow 1st Years. Funnily enough, it seemed not so long ago that I myself was listening to my Peer Mentor and thinking how mature they were and how much they knew about Pres. I have to say they made it look a lot easier than it actually is!

From my own experience, I know how helpful Peer Mentoring can be and I was glad to try and do the same for this year’s 1st Year group. I thoroughly enjoyed the Peer Mentoring Sessions and found them as much of a learning experience for myself as I hope it was for them!

Sam Hudson (6th Year)

5th Year Peer Mentoring Group

Back Row (L-R) Brian O’Mahony, Eoin O’Shea, James O’Connor, Conor O’Flynn, Evan O’Brien, Paul Crowley and Bryan Foley.

Front Row (L-R) Ms Clare Lynch, Jack O’Shea, Ronan Dennehy, Andrew McCarthy, Tony O’Donoghue, Martin Keohane, Mark Merriman, Niall O’Brien and Fiachra Kelleher.

This past year, we attended a leadership programme for young people run by Common Purpose, an Irish Not-ForProfit, involved in leadership training. ‘Your Turn’ challenges young people to think in new ways about the place in which they live and the world around them, to examine how decisions are made and learn how they themselves can effect change. Participants are asked to consider current affairs and community issues. They go into professional environments to gain an insight into the business world and to ask questions of community leaders. It is a unique and fast-paced course which challenges us to reconsider our personal aspirations, as well as increasing the confidence of students and broadening the world view of both the young people and the adults involved. The transferable nature of the skills ‘Your Turn’ develops allows young people to act as leaders in school, in the community, and in sport and other extra-curricular activities. In essence, it aims to produce positive, well-informed and well-intentioned youths.

‘Your Turn’ is a three day course which provides young people with a great opportunity to meet new people, share views and learn how to make a difference to our community. The programme aims to enable people to develop as youth leaders, give students a deeper understanding of how our community works, allowing them to appreciate our diverse city. Throughout the course, we were asked to debate topics such as power, law-making and change. We got the chance to work alongside senior decision-makers and entrepreneurs from a variety of sectors, including the business community and youth outreach programmes. In teams, we were made to tackle complex yet engaging tasks aimed at fostering cooperation and innovative thinking. We also got the wonderful opportunity to sit down and talk with members of Cork Fire Brigade, the Gardaí and members of staff at Foróige about the work they do and the issues posed by youth crime in Cork from their perspective.

Ronan Dennehy, Fiachra Kelleher and Niall O’Brien (5th Year)

Art appreciation on the rise in Pres

Pictured on a 4th Year photography field trip to The Lee Fields are back row (L-R) Jack Wrixon, Patrick Fennell, Donal Sheehan, Kevin Quirke, Roshan Baig, Oscar Dennehy and Leo Cheung.

Front row: Cormac O'Connell.

5th Year Trip to the Crawford Art Gallery

Photo shows (L-R) Colin Maguire and Matthew Forrest

Shems Riza

Martin Keohane

Mark Merriman

Michael Sheehan

John Maxwell

Louis Roberts

John Maxwell

Brian Keohane

Graduate News

Frank O’Dwyer (Class of 1977)

Cian Hill (Class of 2006)

Frank is Chief Executive of the Irish Assoc of Investment Managers, whose members manage assets of over e260 billion on behalf of Irish and international clients.

After Pres, Frank graduated from UCC with a commerce degree in 1982. He qualified as an accountant with Arthur Andersen. After leaving Andersen in 1988, he spent two years with Allied Investment Bank as a senior manager, specialising in venture capital. He then spent four years as finance director of Tony Kilduff's Reflex Group, which was in the process of transforming itself from a computer leasing to an investment company. In 1994 the incoming Taoiseach John Bruton appointed Frank, a life-long Fine Gael supporter, as Fine Gael’s economic adviser at the Department of Finance.

After leaving government in 1997, he spent five years as finance director of IT investment group Expert Technology. After Expert was sold in 2002, he spent a number of years as a freelance corporate finance consultant before joining the IAIM in 2006.

Frank is currently a member of the Asset Management Task Force and the Investment Funds Committee which operate under the aegis of the Department of an Taoiseach. He is also a member of the Industry Reference Group which supports the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs. A Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland, he has also worked in merchant banking and has been Finance Director of a number of companies.

Frank lives in Rathmines in Dublin with his family, and much of his spare time is spent in his passionate support of Munster rugby.

Cian recently captained the winning UCC Collingwood Cup team, the Senior Inter-Varsity soccer tournament.

Allied to his sterling defensive displays in the Munster Senior League Premier Division, he was awarded the Southside Sportstar of the Month for March.

Cian played all his schoolboy football with College Corinthians, and also played for Pres during his time in the school. After leaving PBC, he went to UCC to study genetics and graduated with an Honours BSc Degree.

He is currently finishing his PhD in Biochemistry in UCC and will begin work with Johnson & Johnson shortly.

UCC AFC have had an unbelievably successful last two seasons. Last season (2013-14), Cian was part of a squad that went through the entire season unbeaten, capturing the club’s first Munster Senior League Premier Division title in the process.

This season has also gone well, with UCC challenging for League honours, as well as advancing to the quarter finals of the FAI Intermediate Cup, losing only after a replay and penalty shoot-out, to defending Leinster Senior League champions, St Mochtas from Dublin.

Meanwhile, UCC also beat two League of Ireland sides, Wexford Youths and Cobh Ramblers, in a run to the EA Sports Cup Quarter Finals. There, they will have the daunting task of taking on current League of Ireland champions, Dundalk at the Mardyke, in an occasion to savour for all concerned. Cian has led from the front in all this, captaining the side, while also contributing an incredible 12 goals from centre back this season.

All at Pres wish Cian every success in his future endeavours on the soccer field!

Craig O’Driscoll (Class of 2011)

Rory Scannell (Class of 2012)

Ballincollig native, Craig, is a member of the Class of 2011, and was recently awarded the prestigious Dermot Keogh Prize for Irish History in UCC for his undergraduate project on ‘The 1980-81 Conflict between the IRFU and the Irish Government over the proposed Ireland Rugby Tour to South Africa’.

After Pres, Craig went to UCC to study for a BA Degree, graduating with First Class honours last summer. As well as having academic interests, Craig carried his love for rugby nurtured in Pres, into UCC where he has served in a variety of roles, from player to administrator, for UCC RFC. Craig is currently completing his first year of his Higher Diploma in Education in Pres, teaching History and Latin.

He will leave Pres in the summer with our best wishes, moving on to Regina Mundi Secondary School, Douglas to complete the final year of his teaching qualification.

Rory is currently a member of the Munster Rugby Academy, and was recently named the Ulster Bank League Rising Star for the month of January, as a result of his performances for his club, Dolphin.

Whilst in Pres, Rory won Junior Cup (2009) and Bowen Shield (2010) winners medals, and was a member of the Senior Cup winning squad of 2010, a group that was co-captained by his elder brother, Niall. He went on to play two more seasons at senior level and toured Argentina with PBC in 2011. Rory played for both Munster and Ireland U18 Schools in 2011, and together with fellow Pres players, Ryan Murphy and Seamus Glynn, played on the Ireland U18 Schools team that won the FIRA-AER European U18 Rugby Championship, beating a hotly fancied England team in the final.

After school, Rory joined Dolphin RFC, playing for the Munster U20s for two seasons and going on to represent Ireland at that level. Rory started in all of the 2013 Irish U20s 6 Nation games, playing across the backline. He played an instrumental role in the U20s Junior World Championship in France in June 2013, featuring in every game, starting at fullback in the opening game against Australia. He also added 2 conversions and 8 penalties during the campaign.

The 21-year-old centre/out-half has now made three senior appearances for the province, those appearances coming against Cardiff (twice) and Treviso in Pro12 fixtures this year. All at Pres hope that Rory can kick on and cement a place in the Munster midfield next season.

May Keegan: Survivor of the Lusitania

May Keegan

May Keegan’s grandson Declan, with his son Jack

This article is an abridged version of an extensive body of research undertaken by May Keegan’s (neé Barrett) grandson Declan Keegan. Declan is a past pupil of Pres, graduating in 1981, and the Pres family tradition is maintained by his son, Jack, who is presently in 4th Year.

Mary Josephine ‘May’ Barrett was born on Tuesday, 11th March 1890, one of ten children born to David and Mary (neé Connell) Barrett. The family lived off Barrack Street, in Cork City.

According to Ellisisland.org, Mary Barrett, aged 23, boarded the SS Cymric at Queenstown (Cobh) on 23rd January 1914, arriving in New York on 1st February, listing her home address as 120 Barrack Street, Cork (the family home), and a forwarding ‘home’ address of 47 West 91st Street. The same record shows that Kitty McDonnell, her life-long friend from Cork, was on the same passage.

As told by her son, Fr Pat, May emigrated to the USA as she wanted to get away and be her own person. She spent one year there working as a dental assistant. She was not too happy, a simple young woman lost in the American society of her time.

Lusitania In 1915, both May and Kitty decided to return home. May was probably returning upon hearing the news of the death of her goddaughter, Annie. They booked passage on the Lusitania, sailing on Saturday, 1st May 1915. They probably chose the Lusitania as it was the quickest means of returning home as there were several other options. There is no evidence to suggest that they knew anything about the Imperial German Embassy’s warning posted on the daily newspapers that morning. May remembers the trip as being largely uneventful.

Her recollection that the only thing that was different, because of the war, was the effort made to blacken the lights of the ship. ‘The liner wasn’t lit up in its usual manner and necessary lights were covered by canvas to reduce the possibility of them being seen from the sea.‘ On the afternoon of 7th May, May and Kitty were having lunch in the second saloon. One of their table companions, Joe by name, said, ‘You can almost see the smoke from your chimneys from here.’

An advertisement with a warning to intending passengers from the German Government

Compensation request

Compensation reply from The Cunard Company

From the New York Times

Fr Pat believes that Joe was from Belfast. ‘They never got his surname. All they knew was Joe. He was working in some bank and that he was a Protestant.’

In May’s words, ‘A terrible explosion shook the ship’. She remembered an immediate rush from the dining room, resulting in a stampede. She recalled people being trampled upon. There was confusion everywhere but Joe got them both on deck. He told them not to move from where they were and ran off and got them two life-belts. He told them that the ship was sinking and asked if they would jump overboard. In their haste, Joe made an error in putting May's life jacket on her back to front. Kitty said that she would jump but May, who was unable to swim and had a terrible fear of the water, said, ‘I will stay on the ship’. Kitty then jumped. Joe turned to May who still refused to jump. He said, ‘Say goodbye to me’. May offered him her hand. ‘Ah’, he said, ‘give me your two hands and say goodbye properly!’ She did and, in the embrace, he lifted her and threw her overboard.

When she hit the water, her watch stopped at 2.20pm. She was only half conscious. She was floating around in the water for between three and five hours - the lifebelt which was unwittingly positioned back to front kept her mouth above the water - until she was picked up, it is believed by a lifeboat.

They were eventually brought to Queenstown on a fishing trawler, which had taken them from the lifeboat. Fr Pat relates: ‘She did not remember much else except that she was safe. She can remember arriving in Queenstown and being put to bed in a hotel or hospital – she cannot remember which.’ In another version, she recalled people on the quayside clambering for souvenirs and that her lifebelt was snatched from her.

May's family had no idea that she was on board the Lusitania until they received a telegram stating that she was safe in Queenstown. When they got the news, her brother-in-law, Jack, went to Queenstown and began his search for her and for Kitty. He found them both, safe and unharmed physically.

May and Kitty did all they could to trace Joe. They put notices in the newspapers but there was never a reply.

Aftermath On 23rd May 1915, May wrote a letter to the Cunard Company enquiring about compensation for the loss of her possessions. She was claiming a total of £220, which included clothing, jewellery and $900 (£180) in cash which she claimed was in her pocket book which was lost. Cunard replied to her on the 26th May 1915, in which they first congratulated her on surviving, and then suggested she contact government officials in London to seek compensation from Germany after the War. Fr Pat recalls his mother telling him that, in the weeks after the sinking, May suffered from post traumatic stress.

‘She would not leave the house. She found it hard to face people. One of the priests of the Holy Trinity Church, Fr Malachy OFM Cap, came to visit her. She had been staying in bed. He helped her to face the people who thronged the street. He persuaded her to get on to a side-car and took her for a drive. She never looked back after that.’

Family On 3rd June 1925, May married her widowed brother-in-law, Jack Keegan and they resided over her family's grocery shop at 120 Barrack Street, Cork. They had three sons, Patrick Joseph ‘Pat’ (born 16th March 1926), David John ‘Doc’ (born 10th August 1928) and John Finbarr ‘Seán’ (born 21st May 1933).

All three boys later chose a vocational future, to become priests. Although Seán studied in St John’s College in Waterford in preparation for priesthood, he eventually decided that it wasn’t for him and he returned home. He met Helen Christine ‘Chriss’ O’Shea in the early 1950s and they married on 7th September 1957. They moved into the family home with May and Jack. They had five children, four of whom were born at 120 Barrack Street, including Declan, who put this research together.

In 1953, May went to a viewing of the film ‘Titanic’, in the Savoy with her friend Esther Coughlan. During the viewing, she became distressed. She fainted and had to be taken outside to be revived.

Jack passed away on 21st February 1961. May continued to live in Barrack Street with Sean’s family. The family moved to 46 Sandymount Avenue, Glasheen in October 1969. May moved with them and lived there for four years.

She was moved to St Patrick's Hospital, Wellington Road just before Christmas 1973 for temporary respite, initially planned to be two weeks. However, she spent her remaining days there until her death on 26th January 1976, just over a month short of her 86th birthday.

All her life, May refused to give interviews or make public appearances in connection with anything concerning the Lusitania, but discussed it at length with family and friends. Ironically, she had relented to speak to the Cork Examiner in 1976, but died on the day that she was to be interviewed. Maybe her full story was never to be told.

A mass grave at Old Cemetry, Cobh, 10th May 1915

Lusitania survivors in Cobh

Lusitania lifeboats in Cobh

Mass funeral of over 145 victims of the Lusitania in Cobh, 10th May 1915

Max Skuse is the 2015 Senior Gold Medal Essay Winner

Photo shows (L-R) 6th Year student Max Skuse, winner of the Senior Gold Medal Essay Competition, receiving his prize from his English teacher Mr Damien Philpott.

David Sahm wins the 2015 Junior Gold Medal Essay Competition This year I was honoured to win the annual Junior Gold Medal Essay. The competition is in its sixth year and is expertly organised and co-ordinated by Mr Jones. The title of the essay this year was ‘A Teenager’s Guide To Life’. When Mr Jones first told our class the title I was a little disappointed because I thought this was a very limited title, leaving little room for creativity. However after five minutes of thinking about potential ideas I had not only decided to enter but I was also shocked by the endless possibilities this title brought. I wrote the first draft as soon as I got home, and two days (and two drafts) later I had my essay typed up.

I received a very generous prize for my efforts; a gold medal and a voucher for e50. Once again, I must thank all those who organised and entered the junior gold medal essay, particularly Mr Jones who has spent the last few nights correcting the entries!

David Sahm

Photo shows Mr Micheál Jones and David Sahm

Class 6.1 of 2015

Back Row (L-R) Ronan Fenn, Michael McGrath, Andrew O’Halloran, William Buckley, Conor Murphy, Sam Hudson, John Maxwell and Fiachra Harrington.

Middle Row (L-R) Mr Liam Lynch (Class Teacher), Areeb Mian, Eddie Marks, Ger O’Connell, Ian Coleman, Robin Reidy, Cian Carey, Rob Coffey, Rayan Suhail and Mr Kieran Ahern (English Teacher).

Front Row (L-R) David Curtin, Conor Kiernan, Justin Ahern, Diarmuid Creedon, John Poland, Patrick Geary, Jamie McDermott-Daly and Brian Walsh.

Class 6.2 of 2015

Back Row (L-R) Éanna O’Leary-Hegarty, Max Skuse, Peter Philpott, Dave O’Brien, Shane Daly, Conor Duggan, Gearóid O’Mahony, John Ryan-Purcell and Matthew Peters.

Middle Row (L-R) Barry Ryan, David Holland, Graham Smith, Colm McBride, Dan O’Mahony, David O’Sullivan, Adam Cohalan, Cathal Murphy, Daragh Dennehy, Caolan O’Flynn and Mr Don Buckley (Class Teacher).

Front Row (L-R) Rory Holohan, Daire O’Herlihy, Cathal Walsh, James Roche, Billy Pope, Tom Monahan, Jack O’Driscoll, Cian Davis and Tom Bond.

A very fond farewell to our 6th Years of 2015!

We would like to wish all Leaving Certificate students the very best of luck in their Leaving Certificate and every success throughout their future careers. We are really proud of them all!

Copies of the Leaving Cert Class of 2015 photograph are available to purchase. Please visit www.adrianoherlihy.com for more details.

Class 6.3 of 2015

Back Row (L-R) Tim Clifford, Michael Sheehan, Joe Ring, Colm Griffin, Kyle Harte, Patrick Hogan, Kevin O’Leary, Martin O’Farrell and Brian Keohane.

Middle Row (L-R) Jonathan Russell-Hull, Michael Grufferty, Robert Looney, Tighernán Cremin, James Mulcahy, Adam Curtin, Daniel Brohan, Luke Gayer, Emmet McCarthy and Mr Enda Ronan (Class Teacher).

Front Row (L-R) Stephen O’Callaghan, Eddie Ryan, Ben Nunan, Rob Shanahan, Jack Austin, Michael Whooley, Eoin Underwood, Ciarán Cremin and Stephen O’Shea.

Class 6.4 of 2015

Back Row (L-R) David Keohane, Ken O’Brien, Mark Buttimore, Daire O’Sullivan, Niall Horgan, Patrick Fitzgerald, Sam Kendellen and Séafra Guilfoyle.

Middle Row (L-R) Jerry Clifford, Mark Sheehan, Jamie Mulcahy, Andrew Daly, Timmy O’Donoghue, Jacob McKeon, Michael Cronin, Andrew Ring and Robert Dowling.

Front Row (L-R) Dylan Dineen, Brian Clifford, Séamus Nolan, Jonathan Russell-Hull, Ben MacCarthy, Conor Barrett, Colin O’Neill and Jack Linehan.

Glasnevin Cemetery Museum All-Ireland History Competition

Jack Madden delivers his oration on Daniel O’Connell

Jack Madden and Jack O’Donovan

Jack Madden and Jack O’Donovan represented Pres in the Glasnevin Cemetery Museum’s TY Tour Guiding Programme All-Ireland Competition. Both history students were chosen to represent the school after a very successful trip undertaken by all PBC Transition Year History students in November. All pupils represented Pres very well and were commended for their excellent efforts and behaviour by the Programme Organisers. We congratulate both Jack Madden and Jack O’Donovan on their presentations given in Dublin recently.

When we arrived in Glasnevin last April, we were warmly welcomed and the schedule for the day was explained. We had been re-called to give a presentation at the graveside of a nominated historical figure buried there. Elizabeth O’Farrell, a woman almost removed from Irish history and Daniel O’Connell, the Liberator, were our nominated personalities. We then began our tour of the iconic cemetery, listening to pupils from schools all over the country give intriguing and entertaining talks about many key historical people or events surrounding our history.

Presentations were given on Roger Casement, Daniel O’Connell, World War I, The Cholera Pits, Eamon De Valera and even the grave robbing that had occurred in the cemetery! The speeches were excellently presented and very enjoyable to listen to. Over an hour and a half later, the fourteen participants went to hear a talk on Glasnevin and the event we were taking part in by the Curator of the Glasnevin Museum. Afterwards we had a well deserved tea / coffee break and viewed the World War I exhibition on show. It was a great honour to represent both our school and our classmates. An excellent way to end an amazing experience!

Jack O’Donovan and Jack Madden (4th Year)

Jack O’Donovan speaks at the grave of Elizabeth O’Farrell

5th Year Biology Field Trip to Killarney National Park

Photo shows (L-R) Ken Greally, Rory Copplestone, Aidan Kelleher, Ryan Butt and Ryan O’Connell

Our annual Biology Field Trip organised by Clare Lynch was held in Killarney National Park this year. Under the supervision of the park’s education staff and our teacher Ms Lynch, we carried out the Leaving Cert biology experiments. When the investigations were completed almost five hours later, we descended on the scenic Muckross Lake for lunch. An hour later, we returned to the experiment site in the woodland. Whilst there, our guide produced two Longworth small mammal traps that had been set the night before. Only the centre’s staffs are licensed to trap in the park. The trap’s contents contained a wood mouse and a bank vole. After the guide gave us a background on the two animals, we packed up and headed home. A great day was had by all!

(Conor Clarke, 5th Year)

Photo shows (L-R) Alex O’Carroll, Ronan Dennehy, Louis Hand and David Geaney-O’Brien

Kevin Jansson wins the Young Musicians Award

(Photo courtesy of Tom Jansson)

2nd Year student, Kevin Jansson, continued on his stunning run of musical success recently, when he was successful in the National Concert Hall Young Musician Award for Strings Competition, held in Dublin a few weeks ago.

The National Concert Hall has just announced the two winners of the Young Musicians Award which supports the development of talented young string musicians in Ireland. Violinist Kevin Jansson (14, Cork), and cellist Killian White (15, Dublin) will share the e10,000 bursary which may be used toward tuition, instrument upgrade, travel or other costs faced by student musicians as they develop their potential.

Judges Chi-chi Nwanoku, MBE (double bass) and Darragh Morgan (violin) made glowing comments about both players, noting that Kevin’s violin recital ‘demonstrated a wonderfully natural feel and understanding’ while Killian’s cello performance showed ‘extremely accomplished playing’.

Kevin is the youngest ever member of the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland. Not only is he an exceptional violin player, but in 2014 Kevin was one of 12 pianists worldwide selected to participate in the 2014 Lang Lang International Music Foundation Junior Camp in Barcelona. He will put his e6,000 bursary toward purchasing a new violin and attending masterclasses in Austria and Romania.

Killian is also the winner of the Terry O’Connor trophy for Junior Concerto at Electric Ireland Feis Ceoil and was invited to play in Farmleigh House at the Department of Justice & Equality Missing Person’s Day 2014. He will put his e4,000 bursary towards the purchase of a new cello and to attending masterclasses.

‘Supporting the next generation of musical talent is vitally important,’ commented Simon Taylor, CEO of the National Concert Hall, ‘we hope the awards will help these gifted young string players fulfil their potential and that they will perform with distinction on our stage in years to come’.

The National Concert Hall Young Musician Award for Strings is made biennially in support of the development of talented young musicians in Ireland. The award was instigated following a benefit concert in 2007 by Anne-Sophie Mutter and the Trondheim Soloists Chamber Orchestra, who generously donated their fees in support of the Education, Community and Outreach Programme of the National Concert Hall.

5 1 0 2 S N O I P M A CH

Pres are Munster Senior Schools Cup Champions!

Back Row (L-R) Evan Sugrue-McQuillan, David Barry, David O’Donovan, James O’Connor, Ken O’Brien, Bryan Cotter and Brian Mulcahy.

Middle Row (L-R) Mr John Mullarkey (coach), David Hogan, Eoghan O’Leary, Mark O’Leary, Jonathan Russell-Hull, Caoimhín Kelleher, Ger O’Connell, Colin Maguire, Shane O’Brien, Alan Walsh and Mr Aiden Twomey (coach).

Front Row (L-R) David Grant-O’Sullivan, David Dalton, Conor MacCurtain, Brian Clifford, Diarmuid Creedon (captain), Cian Davis, Adam Cohalan and Leo Cheung.

Last 16 v Crescent College Comprehensive (1-0) This was without a doubt our toughest test en route to the final. Crescent were a very good footballing side and we were fortunate to reach half-time still on level terms, thanks to some superb goalkeeping from Caoimhín Kelleher.

In the second half, both David Grant O’Sullivan and Bryan Cotter missed chances to grab the winning goal.

However, in the end it didn’t matter, with Dave Barry popping up in the dying moments to steal the match from Crescent.

Quarter-Final v Clonakilty Community School (3-2, AET) This was a reversal of roles from our previous match against Crescent. We were up against a resilient Clonakilty team and although we dominated proceedings, completely outplaying Clonakilty, we still found ourselves tied at 22 entering the final moments of extra-time. With seconds to go, Ken O’Brien managed to find himself a yard of space inside the Clonakilty penalty area and fired the ball into the back of the net to send us through to the next round.

Semi Final v Douglas Community School (2-1) This was a much fancied Douglas Com team we were up against, who had knocked us out at the same stage of the Cork Cup the previous year. We took the game to Douglas from the off and we were rewarded with two well taken goals from Dave Barry and Brian Mulcahy. With chances gone a begging for both teams at either end, we were relieved to hear the final whistle.

Final v Carrigaline Community School (1-0) With both teams knowing each other very well at this stage having played against one another three times in the last two seasons and twice already in the current campaign, it was always going to make for a close encounter.

Being spurred on by great support from the Pres faithful, we took an early lead, yet again from David Dalton.

Caoimhín Kelleher once more pulled off some magnificent saves and with another brilliant defensive display from the back four, from Cian Davis right across to Colin Maguire we hung on for a famous victory.

Back Row (L-R) Colin Maguire, Mark O'Leary, Bryan Cotter, Caoimhín Kelleher, Brian Mulcahy, David Dalton and Shane O'Brien.

Front row (l-r) Cian Davis, Diarmuid Creedon (captain), David Grant O'Sullivan and Dave Barry.

Denis lends his support to the lads!

The bench looks confident!

Finally, I would like to thank coaches Aiden Twomey and John Mullarkey in particular for the last three years.

They have been a massive influence on us achieving what we have in that space of time. I’ve enjoyed every minute of playing soccer for Pres and have some great memories over the last six years. It was great to finish off on a winning note and with eight of the starting team available next year, I’m sure it won’t be long before another Munster Senior Cup arrives back on the Mardyke!

Diarmuid Creedon (Captain) It has been a pleasure working with this very talented group of players in the last few years. We started the current campaign with a very young team and they showed tremendous spirit and bravery to achieve this coveted Munster Cup success. They are an outstanding group of young men whom I am very proud of, and I wish them every success in the future. Well done lads!

John Mullarkey (Asst Coach)

Doubtcha Diarmuid boy!

‘We’re ‘Tation ‘til we die, we’re ‘Tation ‘til we die!’ Huge support for the lads on the night.

The ‘Man-with-the-Plan speaks!

To the victors - the spoils!

PBC U17 Soccer: Season Review After wins away to Bantry Community School and Douglas Community School in the early rounds of the Munster Cup, we advanced into the quarter-finals, winning 2-1 at home to Borrisokane. We played superbly on the day, but struggled to score when chances presented themselves. However, Bryan Cotter and Eoin Davis hit home to send us through to the next round.

The semi-final v Coláiste an Spioraid Naoimh was a really tense affair. We started poorly and CSN went ahead after 10 minutes. After going behind however, we grew into the game more and more. David Dalton produced a piece of magic, rifling the ball into the net from 25 yards. The game went to extra-time, and eventually culminated in a penalty shoot out. Liverpool FC bound Caoimhín Kelleher hadn’t much to do between the posts, as the opposition hit their first two penalties straight over the bar, giving us the win.

The Munster final was held in Blarney’s O’Shea Park against Coláiste Choilm. We started strongly in this encounter, with the deadlock being broken after 15 minutes. To the surprise of no one present, it was David Dalton who came up with the goods, rising highest to bury his headed effort. We were neck and neck for the entire game, but conceded halfway through the second half. The game went to extra-time. Five minutes from the end, just as James O’Donovan nearly won it for us, the Ballincollig school scored on the counter-attack. There was little or no time to salvage an equalizer. To say we were all gutted would be an understatement!

We entered the Cork Cup down on confidence after the defeat in the Munster Final. We played Kinsale away in the first round. We totally dominated throughout the game, but just couldn’t seem to find the back of the net. On the stroke of half-time though, David Hogan got on the end of a quality cross into the box, and volleyed home from 12 yards out, sealing a 1-0 victory. Next came Blarney, which turned out to be a bit of a goal-fest. We won comprehensively 6-3. We conceded 2 late goals, and Blarney thought a comeback was on! Two super goals from debutant Brian Lynch, a free kick from Bryan Cotter, and a powerful strike from Leo Cheung helped to seal the win.

The quarter final was played against CBC in Lansdowne, resulting in a comfortable 3-0 win, and was followed by a fine 2-0 win over Ashton in the Semi-Final. We now look forward to the Cork Cup Final against the winners of Carrigaline CS and Colaiste Choilm, Ballincollig.

Finally, all members of this year’s U17 panel would like to wish our team-mate and friend Caoimhín Kelleher, all the best in his future career for Liverpool FC. We hope he has a trophy laden career!

Brian Mulcahy (Captain)

Back Row (L-R) Jack Blake, Douwe Van Sinderen, David Hogan, Mark Cunningham, James O’Donovan and David Dalton.

Middle Row (L-R) Mr Seán O’Brien (Coach), Sam Egan, Cillian Hanley, Eoin O’Sullivan, Caoimhín Kelleher, Tom Fitzgerald, Fergal O’Brien and Mr David O’Riordan (Coach).

Front Row (L-R) Brian Lynch, Mark O’Leary, Bryan Cotter, Brian Mulcahy (captain), Leo Cheung and Eoin Davis.

Caoimhín Kelleher heads off to Premiership giants Liverpool!

3rd Year Caoimhín has had a stellar season in goal for PBC, his club Ringmahon Rangers and playing internationally for the Ireland U17 team. He has just signed for Premiership giants Liverpool on a four year contract. As we speak, Caoimhín is representing Ireland at the European U17 Championships in Bulgaria. All at Pres wish him every success!

Photo shows Caoimhín with PBC coaches (l-r) Sean O’Brien, John Mullarkey, David O’Riordan and Aiden Twomey.

PBC graduates backbone of UCC Soccer’s unprecedented run of success!

Pres graduates helped UCC AFC to an unprecedented inter-varsity clean sweep this season!

Cian Hill (Class of 2006) captained the Collingwood Cup team and was also hugely influential in UCC’s maiden Munster Senior League Premier Division win last May. Charlie Bornemann and Darragh Kiely (both Class of 2014) were part of a unique double for UCC, winning both the Harding (Freshers) and the Collingwood Cups last February.

The Harding Cup squad had three other Pres boys from 2014, John Cotter, Rob Lynch and Dave Walsh.

There is a very strong connection between Pres and UCC AFC, with students playing across all levels for the College and current staff members, Don Buckley, Willie O’Keeffe, Caleb Sheehan and David O’Riordan all having tasted Collingwood Cup success with UCC over the years. All at Pres wish UCC AFC continued success!

Photo shows (L-R) Rob Lynch, Darragh Kiely, Charlie Bornemann (holding the Harding Cup), Dave Walsh (holding the Crowley Cup), Cian Hill (Captain Collingwood Cup) and Mr Aiden Twomey (PBC Deputy Principal).

The Corkonians

Back Row (L-R) Brian Walsh, Robert Dowling, Cian Carey, Luke Gayer, Robert Looney and Cathal Walsh.

Front Row (L-R) Ben Nunan, Rory Holohan, Ian Coleman, Barry Ryan, Mark Buttimore and Matthew Peters.

This journey began three years ago when a number of us decided to enter the Cork Astro 6-A-Side Soccer League, with the team name of, ‘The Corkonians‘ (which everyone made sure we didn’t forget)! We played once a week, against much more experienced adult teams. It wasn’t easy, and at the start we definitely lost a lot more than we won. But it was great fun, we were a social team and proud of it! However, there were definitely a couple of grudge matches, such as taking on Ashton, but more significantly to us, playing and beating the ex-Pres boys we encountered.

We have many great memories from the years playing in the Astro League, but perhaps the most enjoyable moment had to be Ben Nunan’s half way line volley to seal a 10-9 victory over ‘The Bad Apples’! This was complemented

by Mark Buttimore’s last minute shot coming back off the post against Route One FC and as he stuck home the rebound the referee blew the final whistle, denying us victory and recording a rare draw; 8-8.

Mr Twomey was kind enough to donate some Pres jerseys to the team, and it really was ‘Reeling-in-the-Years’ with all the retro gear we had. We wore those jerseys with pride and came to be known to all and sundry as ‘The Pres Team.’ This ended up being rather helpful at times, given the fact that some of the referees were also ex-Pres students and gave us due encouragement!

Special mention must go to Rory Holohan who won the ‘Goalkeeper of the League Award’ last season.

The Squad throughout the years: Luke Gayer, Rory Holohan, Ben Nunan, Cathal Walsh, Brian Walsh, Robert Looney, Ciarán Cremin, Dan O’Mahony, Areeb Mian, Ian Coleman, Cian Carey, Robert Dowling, Mark Buttimore, Barry Ryan, Matthew Peters, John Maxwell, Rob Shanahan and Graham Smith.

Maybe some Pres boys will continue the tradition next year?

Luke Gayer (6th Year)

Sports Day 2015

Presentation College just shade it in thrilling season-opener at the Mardyke

PBC spinner, Cian Carey, bowling to CBC No 3 batsman, Cormac McCarthy-Hann.

The 2015 competitive cricket season in Munster got off to a cracking start with the first match in the inaugural Munster Schools T20 Cup proving to be a memorable close-fought encounter between arch-rivals Presentation Brothers College and Christian Brothers College.

On a morning more like high Summer than late Spring, Pres batted first and their 1st wicket pair of Aidan Kelleher and Diarmuid Carey were going at 7 runs an over before CBC fought back taking 3 wickets in quick succession to reduce Pres to 38-3 in the 8th over. Ryan O’Connell and Martin Keohane then came together to put on 43 for the 4th wicket before Keohane fell in the 15th over to one of six excellent catches taken by Christians during the Pres innings. Wickets then fell in quick succession before Pres were finally dismissed for 95 with three balls remaining. Pick of the CBC bowlers was Khan with figures of 4-0-12-4.

96 to win was a more than reachable target and though opener James Hackett departed cheaply in the 2nd over Christians made steady progress and had reached 33-2 after 8 overs. 2 balls later Baig had departed but then Cormac McCarthy took the fight to Pres with a superb knock of 41 off 40 balls and within 4 overs Christians had raced to 65-3 needing just 31 more off 48 balls. However, the match turned on the 4th ball of the 12th over when McCarthy-Hann was stumped off a wide and despite some resistance from a couple of the lower order batsmen aided by some indisciplined bowling, Christians fell agonisingly short of their target.

As has become the tradition of late, the winners of the first match each season between Pres and Christians win the Galty Cup, a trophy donated by long time Pres cricket coach Dermot Giltenan. Pres now look forward to the Munster T20 Final, to be played on Wednesday 20th May at Cork County CC on The Mardyke.

Match summary: PBC, 95 all out in 19.3 overs (R. O’Connell 19, M. Keohane 16, A. Khan 4-12, J. Hourihane 213), beat CBC 89 all out in 18.2 overs (C. McCarthy-Hann 41, R. O’Connell 3-13, D. Carey 2-8), by 6 runs.

Back Row (L-R) Mr Don Buckley (Cricket Coordinator, PBC), Gunjeet Ahluwalia, Aidan Kelleher (captain), Cian Carey, Ryan Butt, Rory Copplestone and Kevin Bray (Coach).

Front Row (L-R): Masroor Salam, Farzaan Zulquernain, Max Egan, Martin Keohane, Diarmuid Carey and Ryan O'Connell.

Photo shows the presentation of the Galty Cup to PBC captain, Aidan Kelleher by CBC coach Kevin O'Sullivan.

Also included is Don Buckley (Cricket Coordinator, PBC). The Galty Cup is a trophy to honour Dermot Giltenan, PBC past pupil, Cork County CC stalwart and PBC Cricket coach over many years, and is played for on a yearly basis by PBC and CBC.

PBC Sailing 2015 is in clear blue waters!

This year’s Pres Sailing season began in March with the 2015 Munster Schools Team Racing Championships, held in Schull on two consecutive Thursdays. We were successful at the Munster Championships finishing with PBC 2 in 2nd place overall and PBC 1 In 3rd place. This great result was enough to qualify both teams for the All Ireland Schools Championships which were held on the weekend of 18th-19th April last.

This year’s Irish Schools Sailing Team Racing National Championships were held in Schull in west Cork, with the best 8 teams in Ireland competing. All 12 Pres sailors accompanied by retired teacher Denis Hegarty arrived in Schull on Saturday morning, to be greeted by sunny skies but also very high winds. The start of racing was delayed to 11:30am to see if the wind would drop down. Eventually at 12.00 noon the organisers decided that it was far too windy to sail and racing was abandoned for the day to the disappointment of all the competitors.

In complete contrast, Sunday was a perfect sailing day, with easterly winds of 10 –15 knots and not a cloud in the sky. After two Round Robins were sailed, consisting of 44 races, and all teams racing each other twice, PBC 2 had finished in the Bronze Medal position, with PBC 1 in joint 1st position with Schull Sharks, each having 11 wins from 12 races.

It was decided to run a final best of three to decide the National Champions. The first race was decided on the finish line when Peter McCann /Aaron Walsh gave a Schull boat a penalty to allow the Durcan twins, Harry and Johnny, to overtake and give PBC 1 the race win. The second race was just as intense and to the dismay of PBC 1, this time it was Schull who snatched the race from PBC1 at the final mark just before the finish. This made it 1-1 going into the decider race.

The last race of the best of 3 Race Final was to decide the Schools National Champion. The race involved shouting, nerves, tension and the inevitable race penalties from the umpires, and two teams that desperately wanted to win.

It was not over until PBC Captain Séafra Guilfoyle held his nerve and the other 2 PBC boats crossed the line in a better combination than the Schull team, to take the deciding race and give PBC1 the Gold medal and the title of Irish Schools Team National Champions 2015 to the delight of all involved in Pres sailing.

Final Score: PBC 2-1 Schull Sharks This year’s final was said to be the closest contest in many years in Schools Sailing, with Pres being the first team in over four years to beat Schull Community College. This year was also the first time that Pres have won the All Ireland Schools Championships. Not only that, but to have another PBC team secure 3rd place marks it as one of the greatest achievements in Irish Schools sailing history, and very clearly shows that Pres are at the very pinnacle of Irish Schools Sailing. The future for PBC Sailing is certainly very bright, with 11 out of the 12 competing sailors eligible for next year.

It is now hoped that we, as the newly crowned Irish Schools Team Racing Champions will represent Irish Schools at the British Schools Finals in July, with the champions of the USA and France also due to attend.

We would like to thanks the teachers and the school for their support throughout the year.

Finally, to acknowledge that Pres sailing would be nothing without the considerable and unwavering support of Denis Hegarty, who made everything happen off the water.

Harry Durcan

Séafra Guilfoyle and

Michael Carroll finishing

PBC are Irish Schools Team Sailing Racing Champions 2015

PBC 1 are Irish Schools Team Racing Champions 2015 (L-R) Harry Durcan, Peter McCann, Johnny Durcan, Mr Denis Hegarty, Séafra Guilfoyle, Michael Carroll and Arran Walsh.

PBC Sailing Teams to the fore at the Ireland Schools Championships in Schull

Back Row (L-R) Charlie Moloney, Peter McCann, Harry Durcan, Johnny Durcan, Séafra Guilfoyle (captain), Arran Walsh, Seán Collins and Ronan Walsh.

Front Row (l-r): James McCann, Michael Carroll, Ronan Cournane and Billy Duane.

Pres enjoying another sucessful rowing season!

The Denis MacSweeny Trophy is in safe hands with (L-R) David Keohane, Shaun O'Connell, Cormac O'Connell, Brian Keohane and Alan O'Keeffe.

National Schools Regatta 2015 – Senior Schools Champions!

It proved to be another successful National Schools Regatta in late April for the school’s rowing squads. The Senior Schools (U23) crew of Stroke: Shaun O’Connell, 3. David Keohane, 2. Brian Keohane, Bow Alan O’Keeffe and cox Cormac O’Connell picked up the school’s tenth National Schools’ title by winning the coveted Coxed Fours title for the third time.

After finishing second to St Joseph’s, Galway in the heat (with Portora, Enniskillen and Ard Scoil Rís, Limerick, in third and fourth) to qualify for the final, the crew put in a fantastic performance to go out and win the final by one and a half lengths over Bish, with CBC Cork and Coleraine AI further back the field.

Other results of note were our Senior Eight crew qualifying for the final by beating Blackrock College and finishing very well to take third place overall. Our Junior 16 Eight and Junior 15 Four also recorded impressive third place finishes in their respective events. These crews showed that they have the potential to go on to greater success in the years ahead.

Our young Junior 15 Eight also showed their potential for future success by putting in a great display to take second place behind Bish from Galway and ahead of Portora Royal School from Enniskillen.

Well done to all on a great day for the school’s rowing crews!

Training Camp Aix Les Bains, France – Easter 2015 The school travelled to Aix Les Bains, France to take part in an Easter training camp on Lac du Bourget, France’s largest inland lake. The crews had three training sessions per day, (two for exam classes who had a structured and supervised study session as part of their day), which included water sessions, land based sessions in the gym, sessions on the ergs (rowing machines) and finally in the French club’s indoor rowing tank, which allowed them to practice the more technical aspects of their sport indoors!

Galway Head-of-the-River – J18 Quad wins on The Corrib The school travelled to Galway on St Patrick’s weekend for one of the biggest winter competitions of the season.

It proved another successful weekend as the J18 Quad of Shaun O’Connell, Alan O’Keeffe, Patrick Kennelly and Luke Guerin won the prestigious J18 Quad event with over six seconds to spare on the next nearest crew! Our J15 Eight and Quads put in some very promising performances at J16 level as they continue their development, with our J16 Quad finishing second in what was a very strong field.

PBC rowers and coaches at the Aix Les Bains training camp in France, Easter 2015

St Michael’s Head-of-the-River - Success for Pres in Limerick The second head race of the year, held last February, proved very successful indeed. The school won the Junior 18 Quad, the Junior 18 Four, the Junior 16 Four and the Intermediate Double Scull. There were also two very close second place finishes with the Intermediate Pair only missing out by 3 seconds and the Junior 16 quad 7 seconds off first place but a very convincing second out of 17 crews.

Cork Head-of-the-River – Senior Eight Winners The first major event of the 2015 head season got under way on the Marina with Cork Head of the River in early February. The schools crews used the event to get some early season preparation done and look at some potential crews for later in the year.

The highlight of the Day was winning the Denis MacSweeny Trophy as the fastest overall crew on the day. Pres joined Shandon Boat Club to form a composite Senior Eight, that with five junior 18’s in the boat proved to be the strongest crew on the day, coming away with the coveted trophy and beating a number of senior and university crews in the process.

1st Year Rowing This year’s 1st Years have got off to a great start in their first season of rowing. They have shown the promise and potential that will stand to them over the coming years, representing their school in various competitions up and down the country.

Finally, as ever, a sincere word of thanks to the school, the parents, the athletes themselves and, in particular, the great team of coaches constantly involved in Pres rowing, who all contribute massively to the success of the sport within the school.

Fran Keane (Head Coach)

The lads moving nicely through the gears at the training camp in Aix Les Bains

Second place for the J15 squad at the National Schools’ Regatta

The J18 quad winning the Galway Head-of-the-River

The Senior Schools Coxed Fours winners (L-R) Shaun O’Connell, David Keohane, Cormac O’Connell, Alan O’Keeffe and Brian Keohane

AJ Whelan wins bronze at the Dublin International Taekwondo Competition

Last March, I took part in the Dublin International Taekwondo Open Competition, with competitors present from all over Europe. In the patterns, I was unsuccessful being narrowly beaten by the eventual winner and missing out on the medals by one round. However, I went on to win bronze in the sparring, winning three tough fights. I lost by only a single point in the semi-final to the overall winner sending me to the 3rd place playoff, where I took all the points against my opponent and won the Bronze Medal. The overall standard of the competition was very high, presenting me with a big challenge, but one that I very much enjoyed. My club also finished second overall in the competition which was a fantastic achievement.

AJ Whelan (1st Year)

Seán Jenkins and David Murray win international basketball caps for Ireland 3rd Year students, Seán Jenkins and David Murray have been selected on the Ireland U16 Boys Basketball squad.

They will have a very busy summer preparing for the 22 team U16 European Basketball Championships, to be held in Sofia, Bulgaria, from 5th-17th August.

Their preparation includes warm-up tournaments this July, in both Luxembourg and Portugal, while also hosting Scotland in a test series in Cork at the end of that month.

We wish the boys the very best of luck in their European pool matches vs the Czech Republic, Austria, the Netherlands and Slovenia, and we look forward to their helping Ireland to their best ever finish at the Europeans!

Photo shows the boys with their coach in Pres, the legendary Séanie Murphy.

Photo shows (L-R) Seán Jenkins, Séanie Murphy and David Murray

Rugby News

The 2015 PBC Senior Rugby Squad U14 The U14 season isn’t over yet, with touch rugby continuing every Wednesday until late May. This summer we are running a one week rugby camp in June for all 1st Years who wish to participate. Details will be emailed to parents.

1st Years can also sign up for our skills mornings in the Mardyke Arena which will run on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays throughout the summer. Again details to follow soon.

This year the U14s have played some excellent rugby with some notable performances by all teams. Next year the boys enter into competitive league rugby in the McCarthy Cup. The completion runs on three levels with competitive games for all who wish to play. PBC are the current holders of the title and we expect to be in the mix at the end of next year’s competition as well. A big thank you, as always, to everyone involved in 1st Year rugby your dedication, time and effort are greatly appreciated.

U15 As McCarthy Cup winners in the A Section for the first time in eight years, a lot is expected of this group going into the future. In the B Section we lost out to Crescent Comprehensive in the final on the first try rule, while in the C Section our team lost to St Clements in their semi- final. The most pleasing aspect however, is the number of boys who are playing and enjoying their rugby.

Last year we ran skills mornings in the Mardyke Arena during the summer for this age-group and we will be doing so again this summer. Details will be given to the boys in the coming days.

Touch rugby is on-going in Wilton every Wednesday until the exams for all those who wish to avail of it. Again none of this would be possible without the coaches who gave so much to the boys in 2014/15. Thank you!

Junior We have a very good Junior squad. The players applied themselves really well throughout the season but just fell short in the Junior Cup. A rugby ball can bounce for you or against you in any match and this time unfortunately it bounced kindly for CBC. Next season will see PBC enter two teams in the restructured Bowen Shield competition with both league and knock out phases being played. A rugby tour is also in the pipeline for the squad, details of which will be announced in September.

To the Junior coaches Brian MacMahon, Steve Ford, Niall Murray and Ian Lehane, I say congratulations on a good season and best of luck next year.

The 2015 PBC Junior Rugby Squad Bowen Shield Winning the final against CBC in Lansdowne was very special and it reflected excellently on the spirit of this group and their never say die attitude. The squad are training for a summer tour to Spain and France where they’ll play three games. One will be played at the Stade Aime Giral, Perpignan, the home of USA Perpignan. We wish them every success on their trip. Again a huge ‘Thank You’ to all the coaches involved at U17 level this year, Enda Ronan, Ger Burke, Fergus Burke and Michael Bradley.

Senior To lose a senior cup match is hard at the best of times, but to lose it in the manner we did against Ard Scoil Rís in the Senior Cup semi final was almost unbearable. A seemingly impossible kick in the sixteenth minute of injury time ended our hopes of a final appearance in Thomond Park. Over the last six years however, the boys have proven themselves to be outstanding young men both on and off the field, and I wish them every success in their exams in June and into the future. I would also like to thank the coaches who put in so many hours with the Senior squad over the course of the season.

I would like to thank our sponsors Bank of Ireland for their fantastic support of PBC Rugby. Finally I would like to thank the staff of PBC for their valued support of rugby in Pres, thus ensuring that it remains a vital school activity.

To Val, Marie, Barry, Edwin and Michael - ‘Thanks, we couldn’t do it without ye!’ Caleb Sheehan (Games Master)

PBC Ireland Internationals 2015 Jack O'Sullivan played for Ireland in the FIRA AER European U18 Rugby Championships in France. Pres were represented at Ireland U19 level by John Poland and past pupil, Paul Kiernan, who had the honour of captaining the side. We wish the lads every success in their future rugby careers!

Photo shows (L-R) Jack O’Sullivan, John Poland and Paul Kiernan

Bowen Shield Champions 2015

The 2015 PBC Bowen Shield Champions with their coaches

McCarthy Cup Champions 2015

The 2015 PBC McCarthy Cup Champions with their coaches

King Henry X visits Pres

Back Row (L-R) Paul Kennedy, Conor Walsh, Henry Shefflin, Conor MacCurtain, Tadhg Deasy and Colin Maguire.

Front row (l-r) Luke Corbett and William O’Brien

Kilkenny hurling legend, Henry Shefflin, made a surprise visit to Pres recently and spoke to Senior students on the importance of sport in young people’s lives. Henry, who is the most decorated hurler of all time, spoke to the crowded theatre about his love of sport; in particular, his love of hurling; his passion for his club, Ballyhale Shamrocks, and his county, Kilkenny. I had the honour of welcoming Henry to Pres. He has won 10 All-Ireland senior medals,11 All Star Awards, 13 Leinster titles and 3 Hurler-of-the-Year awards and that’s not even including his club achievements! Yet he did not focus on these achievements. Instead, he spoke passionately of his early days in St Kieran’s College, when he was struggling to get on underage teams. He spoke of dreams and hard work, the importance of the team and being a team player in every aspect of life. What struck me about him was that he made everybody feel special in his presence. His humility and patience in the question and answer session was equally impressive. Questions from the floor varied from his routines before big games to his most memorable victory and possible regrets about not being able to pull on the blood and bandage jersey of the Rebel County!

After the Q&A session, he took time to meet the students and talk about sport in general. His visit to Pres and the manner in which he spoke left a lasting impression on us all. My thanks to Bank of Ireland who arranged the visit.

An invitation is there Henry for a return visit. We await ‘The Return of the King.’

Colm McCarthy (5th Year)

Emmet McCarthy gets to know King Henry

Mick Jordan wears his colours with pride as Henry looks on!

Ex Pres boy Michael O’Connell wishes to clear his conscience - 62 years later!!!

PBC Rugby team 1953 I am standing third from the left in the back row and to my left is Con O’Sullivan.

Barry O’Shea, holding the ball, has sadly passed away.

I have to confess to a misdemeanor that I committed in the hallowed halls of Pres light years ago. In 1953, Pres had a match against Pres Bray on the morning of an International between Ireland and England at Lansdowne Road. Word spread that there would be a school quiz for two tickets for the game, as the Pres team’s ticket allocation had a surplus. We all wondered what the quiz would entail. I was one of the few ‘Culchies’ in school at the time as I lived in Passage West and still do. The Culchies took lunch in the lunchroom while the majority of students went home. Dan Donovan came into the lunchroom and asked me to nip across to the Teachers’ Room to get his Cork Examiner. As I went into the Teachers’ room there was a teacher there and I explained my presence. He pointed to where the Examiner was without looking up, and lo and behold, there was the script for the Quiz, (the pupil that knows the Irish team selected to play England and, in the unlikely event of a tie, he who knows the most players in the English team gets the tickets). At that time, teams were announced two weeks before a game.

The week before the match the teachers told their respective classes that the school quiz would be held within the hour and if any pupil knew the Irish team to assemble in the Hall. I was one of a few in my class that assembled.

At the end of the quiz there was only one winner. To this day I can run off the both teams in seconds: Ireland: Boldy O’Neill, Robin Roe, Fuzzy Anderson, Tom Reid, Jim Brady, Ewart Bell, Jim McCarthy, Ronnie Kavanagh, John O’Meara, Jack Kyle, Maurice Mortell, Kevin Quinn, Noel Henderson, Mick Lane and Robin Gregg.

England: Stirling, Evans, Holmes, Adkins, Wilkens, Lewis, White, Kendal-Carpentar, Sykes, Regan, Bazley, Cannell, Agar, Woodward and Hall.

After being awarded the two tickets my conscience eventually took over and I claimed that I would not be allowed to travel and to award the tickets to the runner-up. The school would not hear of it and said they would contact my parents. News spread about my incredible knowledge of rugby and for the first time I knew that I had not given the matter enough consideration beforehand. I felt so bad that I called into the legendary Fr O’Flynn of Loft fame and confessed my sin of theft. That was the turning point, as he convinced me that it was merely opportunity and not pre-meditated.

So before I reach the Pearly Gates I owe two Pres Pupils a ticket each. I worked with Adidas for over four decades and had international 10-year tickets for 40 years. However, when Ronan O’Gara was disappointingly dropped from the team I did not renew my tickets. That said I am still a fanatical Ireland supporter.

Michael O’Connell

Down Memory Lane

PBC RUGBY TEAM 1957 Back Row (L-R) Tom Kiernan, Finbarr O’Donovan, Arthur Coughlan, Pat Carroll, Desmond Heffernan and Edmund McAleer.

Middle Row (L-R) Michael Lorigan, Donal O’Sullivan, Con O’Sullivan, Michael O’Connell and Richard Dineen.

Front Row (L-R) Gerry Murphy, Michael Ahern, Harry Matson and Donal Athins.

S e v e n L o v e ly L og i cs 1 Make Peace with your Past so it doesn’t spoil your Present.

2 What others Think of You is None of Your Business.

3 Time Heals Almost Everything, Give the Time, Some Time.

4 No one is the Reason of your Happiness, Except You yourself.

5 Don’t compare your Life with others, You have No Idea what their journey is all about.

6 Stop Thinking too much, It’s Alright not to know all the Answers.

Ecclesiastes 3

design: Charlie Neville, Cork

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; A time to mourn, and a time to dance; For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.

www.charlieneville.com

7 Smile, you don’t own all the Problems in the World.