The Submarine VOL 9 NO 1
June 2014
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EDITORIAL The proposed new Junior Cycle is causing consternation among teachers. Primarily they feel that abolishing the Junior Certificate exam and replacing it with a certificate awarded by the pupils’ own school, based on grades given by their own teachers, has the potential to undermine education standards. They feel the Minister ignored the advice of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) in this regard—it recommended an externally set and externally marked exam. And finally, that to implement such reforms in the time-scale provided, against a background of education cuts, growing class sizes and increasing bureaucracy will put enormous pressure on schools. In the School Library Association of Ireland (SLARI) November 2013 conference, Annette Honan of the NCCA gave a presentation on the new Junior Cycle proposals, and in particular the NCCA document Key Skills of Junior Cycle. It was an upbeat and positive presentation, Caravaggio by Hakon Schug and her audience listened intently. There was a lot to like, particularly the implicit reduction in rote learning and memory work, and the greater emphasis on self-development and self-directed learning. Concern grew, however, as we proceeded through the document. Nowhere was there mention of school libraries or school librarians, even as we addressed the section in which librarians have a great deal of expertise, Managing Information and Thinking. The second of five ‘elements’ in this Key Skill is “Gathering, recording, organising and evaluating information and data,” and the learning outcomes described include: using a range of strategies to find information and data; analysing information and data presented in a variety of forms; evaluating the quality of that information and data and their sources; making judgements about how valid and reliable that information is; preparing and organising information and data so that it makes sense. This, by any other name, is Information Literacy, taught in Britain and Scotland by professional school librarians in library classes, often co-taught with teachers, and in the United States by Library ‘Media Specialists’. Here in Ireland it is taught by a dedicated group of independent operators who feel at times as if they are promoters of an educational minority sport. If we emphasise the positive, we can say at least that such skills have been officially recognised as necessary for pupil mental formation, but must deeply rue the fact that the most plausible teachers of those skills have not been acknowledged. And this is not mission-creep on librarians’ behalf. Third level institutions routinely decry the poor standard of incoming student research and presentation skills. Indeed the SLARI Spring Conference 2014, entitled ‘Librarians teaching Information Literacy’ and given by Julia Bradbury of UCD Library’s Research Services, was but one of many attempts to meet these concerns. And imagine if you will, when hopefully our teaching colleagues and the Minister have resolved their differences, a poor pupil studying nine or ten subjects in Junior Cycle, and receiving from each of his hard-pressed teachers separate and uncoordinated instruction on ‘Managing Information and Thinking’. Now who wouldn’t want to send for their friendly school librarian in circumstances like that? TMcC Librarian
CONTENTS Editorial.............................................................1 New Books..........................................................2 Junior Poetry.....................................................4 Dr David Sowby, obituary by Dr Bannister........7 Richard Mosse: Enclave review......................10 Patrick Scott, obituary by Mrs Morris.............12 Library Committee..........................................13 Kafka on the Shore, review Ms Kerr.............14 What’s Thinking Me.......................................16
The Submarine would like to thank all its contributors, be they poets, artists, reviewers or obituary writers. Particular thanks go to Dr Garry Bannister for his encouragement and support, Mr Peter Watts for organising the art photos and Richard Mosse Enclave reviews, and as ever, Ms Emily Bainton, our publisher.
Nothing Holds Back the Night by Delphine de Vigan A Permanent Member of the Family by Russell Banks The Poets' Wives by David Park The Queen's Man by Rory Clements The Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer The Spectre of Alexander Wolf bv Gaito Gazdanov A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John Le Carre TransAtlantic by Colum McCann Two Pints by Roddy Doyle The Undertaking by Audrey Magee Waiting for Sunrise by William Boyd Wars of the Roses 1: Stormbird by Con Iggulden Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella Wrapped in White by Kevin Brooks JUNIOR FICTION All The Truth That's In Me by Julie Berry Allegiant series by Veronica Roth Awakened by P.C. and Kristin Cast The Bunker Diary by Kevin Brooks Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare Diamond by Jacqueline Wilson The Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin Goliath by Scott Westerfeld Hagwitch by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick Half Bad by Sally Green Heroic by Phil Earle The History Keepers: Circus Maximus by Damian Dibben Paper Aeroplanes by Dawn O'Porter, Paper Towns by John Green, The Perks of being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan Severed Heads, Broken Hearts by Robyn Schneider Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
NEW BOOKS IN THE LIBRARY These are some of the titles we’ve added to our shelves since Christmas. DRAMA 100+ Ideas for Drama by Anna Scher and Charles Verrall Glengarry Glen Ross by David Mamet Improvisation Starters: a collection of 900 improvisation situations for the theater by Philip Bernardi An Inspector Calls and Other Plays by J. B Priestley National Theatre Connections 2012: Plays for young people Plays for Young People: Citizenship; Scenes from Family Life; Totally Over You by Mark Ravenhill, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard, Selected Plays of Dion Boucicault by Dion Boucicault Selected Plays of Lennox Robinson by Lennox Robinson Six Ensemble Plays for Young Actors by various authors Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose Two & Bed by Jim Cartwright Willy Russell Plays: 1: Breezeblock Park; Our Day Out; Stags and Hens; Educating Rita by Willy Russell
SCIENCE & NATURE An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield Animal Earth: the amazing diversity of living creatures by Ross Piper Birdsong by Madeleine Floyd Creation: the origin of the life; the future of life by Adam Rutherford Know Your Brain: feed it, test it, stretch it by Nicola Morgan How Irish Scientists Changed the World by Sean Duke
SENIOR FICTION 600 Hours of Edward by Craig Lancaster Boxer Handsome by Anna Whitwham Bullfight by Yasushi Inoue Butcher's Crossing by John Williams Emperor series by Con Iggulden Five Star Billionaire by Tash Aw The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt The Guts by Roddy Doyle Her Privates We by Frederic Manning The Hound of the Baskervilles & The Valley of Fear by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle I’m Happy Now.Com by Diarmuid Hudner
Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier, Jaws by Peter Benchley Life after Life by Kate Atkinson, The Lives of Stella Bain by Anita Shreve Longbourn by Jo Baker The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri Mrs Hemingway by Naomi Wood Norwegian wood by Haruki Murakami
RELIGION As I Said...an ordinary priest reflects by Canon Horace McKinley World Religions: the great faiths explored and explained by John Bowker
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THIRD LEVEL TEXTS Becoming a Doctor: is medicine really the career for you? by Matt Green, Tom Nolan, Alex Young and Will Dougal Engineering Mathematics by K.A.Stroud and Dexter J. Booth The Essential Guide to Becoming a Doctor by Adrian Blundell, Richard Harrison, and Benjamin W. Turney The Globalization of World Politics: an introduction to international relations by John Baylis, Steve Smith and Patricia Owens Introduction to International Relations: theories and approaches by Robert Jackson and Georg Sorensen Mapping the Deep: the extraordinary story of ocean science by Robert Kunzig Mechanical Engineering Principles by John Bird and Carl Ross. Psychology: the science of mind and behaviour by Richard Gross
Roman Arbitration by Derek Roebuck and Bruno de Loynes de Fumichon Roman Life: 100 B.C. to A.D. 200 by John R. Clarke Romanization in the Time of Augustus by Ramsay MacMullen, Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger, The Story of the First World War by Paul Dowswell The Story of the Jews: Finding the Words 1000 BCE1492 CE by Simon Schama The Usborne Introduction to the First World War by Ruth Brocklehurst and Henry Brook Veni Vidi Vici: everything you ever wanted to know about the Romans but were afraid to ask by Peter Jones The Wars of the Roses by Michael Hicks World War I by Simon Adams World War II by Simon Adams World War II The Definitive Visual Guide: from Blitzkrieg to Hiroshima by Richard Holmes (editor) Tudor: the Family Story bv Leanda de Lisle GENERAL NON-FICTION Barcelona & Catalonia by Roger Williams Bullying in Irish Education: Perspectives in Research and Practice by Mona O'Moore and Paul Stevens (editors) Can I Tell You About Asperger Syndrome? A guide for friends and family by Jude Welton Can I Tell You About ADHD? A guide for friends, family and professionals by Susan Yarney Can I Tell You About Dyslexia? A guide for friends, family and professionals by Alan M.Hultquist Can I Tell You About Epilepsy? A guide for friends, family and professionals by Kate Lambert Can I Tell You About OCD? A guide for friends, family and professionals by Amita Jassi The Exam Skills Handbook: achieving peak performance by Stella Cottrell The Girl With No Name by Marina Chapman, Vanessa James and Lynne Barrett-Lee A Portrait of Dublin in Maps: history, geography, people, society by Muiris de Buitleir Riding the Storm: my journey to the brink and back by Duncan Bannatyne Sex, Snogs, Dates and Mates: Teen Life Confidential by Anita Naik Travel Light, Travel Dark by John Agard ART
Senior Play poster by Molly Dunne
HISTORY The British Soldier of the First World War by Peter Doyle The Bull of Minos by Leonard Cottrell Clarendon: Landscape of Kings by Tom James Crusader Castles in the Holy Land: an illustrated history of crusader fortifications of the Middle East and Mediterranean by David Nicolle The Gentry: stories of the English by Adam Nicolson The Golden Age of Maritime Maps: when Europe discovered the world by Catherine Hofmann, Helene Richard and Emmanuelle Vagnon The Great War by Mark Holborn (editor) Great War Tommy: The British Soldier 1914-1918 (all models): Owner's Workshop Manual by Peter Doyle Lost Gold of the Dark Ages: war, treasure, and the mystery of the Saxons by Caroline Alexander
Erik Desmazieres: Imaginary Places Greek Art by Mark D. Fullerton Morocco: 5000 years of culture by Vincent Boele (editor) Painted with Words by Lara Marlowe Spraycan Art by Henry Chalfant and James Prigoff Waterford Treasures by Eamonn McEneaney and Rosemary Ryan (editors) Photography Tips, Tricks and Fixes: unlock the potential of your photographs by Imagine Publishing SPORT I am Zlatan Ibrahimovic by Zlatan Ibrahimovic and David Lagercrantz The Manager: inside the mind's of football's leaders by Mike Carson Rala: a life in rugby by Patrick O'Reilly Stillness and Speed: My Story by Denis Bergkamp Tales from the Secret Footballer by Anonymous
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Junior Poetry Prize Ms Smith recently judged the entries for this year’s Junior Poetry Prize. The overall winner was Nyla Jamieson, whose winning poem The Tear appears below. We’re also very pleased to include the work of some other fine young poets. The Tear Nyla Jamieson The tears welled up in her sorrowful eyes, They brimmed on the edge of her lower eyelid, There, the water built up until there was a small pool. The pools glistened in the dull light, Suddenly a tiny drop of warm water Tumbled over the edge of the eyelid, Like a fledgling taking its first leap. The tear fell over the dark area below her eye That looked like a bruise It showed off the many sleepless nights of before. The tear caught on the tiny hairs on her cheek, It slowly made its way down her face, Leaving a glittering trail behind it. Slowly, slowly, slowly, It trickled down. Then it fell. She turned away from the mirror. Self Portrait by Pia Gromotka
Rain Lucia Masding
Taxis at Night James O'Connor
Avalanching to the ground Like an army of parachutes Destroying everything And toppling everyone. Where does it come from? Where does it go? Nobody knows. But it certainly floods your toes.
They pass, like lightning flashing. Almost not there, I suppose. One hundred thousand stories just outside my window, All so different, yet all the same. I can still hear it now, like some crazy kind of music. A baby was crying. Some people, yelling in the street As the midnight fiddle player plays on.
Beautiful and embellishing, Moving in every inch of everywhere From the floorboards of the creaky mansion To growing a towering tree, Demolishing everything, But creating something new.
Time may pass, generations will come and go, but those one hundred thousand stories never fade. They pass, like lightning flashing, All so different, yet all the same. 4
Snowdrop Nick Oguntuase The ice is my power The cold is my strength But I have been down, My heart has been bent. I don't know how this could be But now I'm finally free To let go of my inhibitions. It's not science or religion, But little old me, in the middle As lonely as a snowdrop Falling in the sky or At the edge of a mountain. Goodbye world. Batik of Frieda Kahlo by Freya Pierce
The River of Life Grace Goulding Light Soft Gliding Into a trickle. Swaying side to side, flowing. A stream tip-toeing Into another stream. All of a sudden BANG! Like a bullet it slices through Everything in its way. He is strong and powerful, Like a cheetah hunting its prey, Chasing its desire. That small trickle Has turned into a Deep, horrific storm: He is raging and angry. Yet, he slowly calms Down And takes A rest. He knows he's home.
Lino print by Leslie von Negenborn
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The Peregrine Falcom Alexander Brennan
The Luxury Airliner Benjamin Gleeson
A dot in the sky A bird gracefully soaring. How I'd love to fly, Ducking and gliding, A beautiful sight for the eye. Diving and searching, The most elegant of things As it beautifully sings.
Soaring through the air Cutting up the clouds Down, up and around Slicing through the air Faster than a jet, Faster than light. Goes through some minor turbulence And crashes in broad daylight.
A flash A frenzy of feathers, A poor creature trying to dash And a mouse in tatters. A clash of beaks. And then, soaring up, again.
But we must remember. This was no ordinary plane: The last people aboard it, Were licked by its flame When seated aboard The lost flying Concorde. The Irish Shower Sonnet Sun-Woo Park Down comes the bullet-like rain, Of course, giving me pain. Lashing, pouring, drizzling, raining, To be honest it's the same thing. Hail, cold and wind makes my skin ooze, What's the point in the umbrellas that no one's using? It's always the rainy season, Though there seems no reason. After the wet disaster, The clouds move away faster. Rainbows hanging like bridges counting one, two, three Over the dark brown tree. This is the cycle of life as it goes In the land of eternal coldness, grass, and potatoes.
Apple, watercolour by Polina Shikina
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DR DAVID SOWBY 1926 - 2014 There are certain people we meet on our journey through life who seem to possess something quite extraordinary in their character, something quite indefinable, and yet I have met many such people amongst past alumni and alumnae of St Columba's College. To this calibre of person the former Columban, Dr David Sowby most certainly belonged. David came, as a young boy, to live in the College in 1934, following the appointment of his father, the Reverend Cedric Sowby as Warden of the College a year earlier in 1933. Born to Cedric and Mary Sowby on December 8th 1926 in Keswick, Cumbria, David was only seven years of age when he arrived in leafy Rathfarnham with his parents. He attended the preparatory school of Aravon where conditions at the time were extremely harsh and decidedly regimental. David recalls being given just two minutes to solve a mathematical problem and when failing to do so, being brought to the headmaster's study for three good lashes of the cane. But not all times were bad, he also remembers the then headmaster, A. B. Craig, inviting him to his fishing lodge during the summer of his final year at Aravon, after he had been appointed head boy. In 1940 David won a scholarship to the College worth ÂŁ120 per year which was a huge sum of money in those days. However his father felt that it would be inappropriate to award this money to his own son and so David had to make do with just the honour of having won it.
Cedric & David Sowby 1933
There were two Houses in the school at that time, Glen, where David was placed - under the housemastership of Sandham Willis - and Grange, which was under a housemaster by the name of P. J. Southgate. A keen sportsman, David participated enthusiastically in all sporting activities that the College had to offer in the early forties. In February 1942 he and the school junior rugby team solidly defeated Wilson's Hospital in the 1st round of the Leinster Schools Junior Cup 28-0 (see photo below left).
David grabs the ball & heads for the line - (1942)
David (far left, front row) - (1943)
In cricket, David was greatly valued on the first eleven team both in 1943 and in 1944 when he was made captain. On both occasions Columba's College made it right through to the finals only to have victory snatched from their grasp by the Masonic School. 7
During his time at St Columba's, David always spoke of two teachers stood head and shoulders above all the others. First was his mathematics teacher, Mr S.G. Patterson, who had the amazing ability to make what was complicated clear, easy and understandable, and Mr Harry Lush who taught Irish, inspiring him with a great love for the language, a love that never faded.
Rev. Sowby & S.G.Patterson (1942)
Harry Lush (1916 - 2005)
A long and lasting friendship was established between David and Eve Webb (later: White) when she came to work as Assistant Housekeeper at the College in 1948. Perhaps even love may have been in the air but regrettably David had to leave Ireland with his parents for Canada when his father accepted the exciting and irresistible offer of becoming principal at Upper Canada College in Toronto. After David graduated in Medicine at the University of Toronto and after having spent a short time at the Charles Camsell Indian Hospital in Edmonton Alberta, he was invited by the Canadian Department of National Health and Welfare to join and assess a small unit to research and assess general levels of public exposure to radiation which included safety and protection from fall-out due to the widespread nuclear bomb testing which had been undertaken worldwide at that time. David and his team found a worrying increase in radioactive materials due to fall-out, especially in those areas which were being exposed to higher levels of precipitation. In the mid-fifties a committee was set up at the United Nations to comprehensively investigate public exposure to radioactive fall-out and David played a central role in the committee’s work for some 30 years. As a deputy of the DNHW he teamed up with many specialists from all the major UN countries in order to address this urgent problem and find workable solutions which eventually he and his colleagues did manage to identify and implement over time. Over the last decade of his life, David became a strong supporter of nuclear power and to the very end remained resolutely convinced that, when properly managed, nuclear generated electricity, is one of the most environmentally friendly and efficient forms of energy providers. Along with fellowenthusiasts Frank Turvey and Christopher Hone, also a former Columban, David set up BENE (Better Environment with Nuclear Energy) – an action-group dedicated to encouraging and promoting 8
positive initiatives towards the introduction of nuclear power stations in Ireland. But David had many other strings to his bow, indeed far too many to list in this brief article. Nonetheless, no obituary on David would be complete without mentioning his tremendous passion for the Irish language and Irish literature. Resuming this interest with his old Columban teacher, Harry Lush, in the mid 1990's, David developed a tremendous knowledge of classical Irish literature and early twentieth century writers. Having completed editing his father's memoirs 'With Thy Blessing’ in 1993, he began translating Brian Merriman's 'Midnight Court'. His translation of this epic work was so successful that the celebrated Irish poet and writer, Máire Mhac an tSaoi, decided that she would write the preface to his book. David's translation is brimming with scholarship and commentaries on the original Irish text, making it a must-read for anyone interested in studying this classic literary masterpiece. In 2002 David started working on a definitive translation of the complete text of Tomás Ó Criomhthain's very famous autobiography: 'An tOileánach' – (The Islander). This was also a very arduous scholarly endeavour as many of the anachronistic colloquialisms and indeed a sizable portion of O'Criomhthain's own personal vocabulary was not to be found in any available modern references or present-day dictionaries. Yet ever determined and undaunted, David co-authored what is now acknowledged to be the authoritative translation of this seminal work in the early development of Irish-language biography. After his retirement in 1985, a new phase of a whole new life began for David when in 1993, he was reunited with Eve White, with whom he spent 15 of the happiest years of his life until Eve tragically passed away on 3rd October, 2008. David was always a keen supporter of the College but after his return to Ireland, he became even more so. David Sowby was an extraordinarily accurate proof-reader who for many years, keenly assisted Ninian Falkiner in preparing the The Columban for publication and his many generous donations of various kinds to the College library archives are simply legendary. In the final years of his life, David was regularly consulted by Professor Alan Titley, in regard to another Opus Magnum, the professor's translation of 'Cré na Cille' (The Churchyard Clay) by Máirtín Ó Cadhain - a book often compared to 'Ulysses' because of its influence, its complexity and its immense David Sowby in Canada c. '70 - '75 literary authority. Professor Titley's translation is to be published next year by Yale University press. I would like to end this article by saying that over the twenty-odd years that I had the good fortune of knowing David, I never once heard him descend to gossiping about other people. The worst you would ever get from David was a protracted studied silence of disapproval. In addition to this, I never remember hearing him complain, no matter what difficulties he had to face or whatever ‘googlies’ life might have bowled at him. Perhaps if I were asked to describe David's philosophy of life it would be as follows: "It is none of my business what people say about me or think about me. I am who I am and I do what I do. I do my best, but expect nothing and accept whatever happens with equanimity." In short, I believe David Sowby possessed the very essence of what it is we all admire in the ineffable Columban spirit decency, a sense of duty to others, tolerance, optimistic tenacity, and an endless joy in the adventures of life. Garry Bannister 9
RICHARD MOSSE Enclave Richard Mosse’s multimedia installation Enclave was recently exhibited at the RHA Gallagher Gallery in Dublin, and is currently on show in Limerick. It represented Ireland at the 55th Venice Biennale in 2013. Mosse, an Old Columban (1991) currently lives in Berlin but says, “I end up travelling a lot for work, so I’m hardly ever home….I’ve worked in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Bosnia. For my latest project I spent 370 days in the Congo. That was spread over eight trips”* He made contact with a rebel group, an indigenous Congolese tribe whose narrative he wanted to document, though he adds “I wouldn’t spend more than three nights with them because once they get to know you, they could start to plan things and it could become dangerous.” He used Aerokrome, an almost defunct military infrared film originally designed to reveal enemy camouflage and as a result normal colours remain fixed, but vegetation takes on surreal pink and mauve hues. Mr Watts recently brought his 4th Form Art class to see to see the installation. Here’s what they thought. Louvisa Karlsson-Smythe: The actual film sequenced different snippets from what must have been daily life in war-zone Congo. Between brute war and gun raids we see peaceful lakes and rivers, as if to re-define war photography to show not only the violent but also the precious life that still remains. The fact that it was also filmed with a military camera increases the contrast when it comes to peaceful, more quiet scenes, when even then we see them through the eye of war. 10
Jan Szekendy thought the infra-red technique worked best in the photos in the anteroom, and less in the film itself, probably because it was a bit too much of all the pink and red after almost 40 minutes. He enjoyed the soundtrack though: I also really enjoyed the added sound, which gave it a mystic and sinister touch. Especially the deep and threatening bass noises, which went louder and louder. These, with the sometimes following songs sung by one person made the audio-support very enjoyable. He, too, was affected by the colour: In my opinion the shades of bright red/pink symbolised all the blood of the people who died in this conflict so far in a mystic and maybe creepy way. One could argue that the soil (plants, trees, grass, bushes etc) is soaked by all the blood that has been shed in the past 16 years.
Aisling McBurney found one scene in the film riveting: One scene in particular features a village staging a faux-coup on themselves….the final moments of the scene show men faking death, and one in particular of a young child staring at the camera; he appears shocked and confused, noticing a man nearby feigning death, and yet becomes cheerful, dancing, in front of the lens of the video camera…accompanied by silence, this is one of the most atmospheric scenes within the exhibition. Meanwhile Jone Gonzalez simply enjoyed the outing: I thought we were going to go to a boring museum and that the trip was going to be so boring. But it wasn’t. At the entrance the exhibition was full of pink photos, I think they were so cool, all the pictures and effects. After that we went to a big room full of huge screens. We were watching weird videos full of pink stuff, but that was kind of cool. But it was so noisy inside there, so we all had a headache and were kind of dizzy. I really enjoyed it, it’s the first time that I go to an exhibition that I like. *Sunday Independent, 2 March 2014
Richard Mosse’s photo Life during Wartime, from his Enclave exhibition hangs in the Lower Argyle. “Mosse makes vivid how cruelty can be sublime and violence can ravage or remake a landscape in ways we may politically detest but also find visually arresting, even beautiful.”
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PATRICK SCOTT 1922–2014 Patrick Scott, who died in February 2014 at the age of 93, came to St Columba's College from Kilbrittain in Co. Cork in 1935. After St. Columba’s he studied Architecture at UCD. While still at university he became involved with the White Stag Group, a group of British painters who had come to Ireland to escape the effects of the Second World War and began exhibiting with them. This was the start of a successful career in art although for many years he combined his work as an architect with painting, and he only turned to painting full-time after he represented Ireland at the XXX Venice Biennale in 1960. It is interesting to note that in the Lower Argyle we have a photograph by another Old Columban, Richard Mosse, who also represented Ireland in the Venice Biennale in 2013. It is a wonderful achievement that a school of our size has produced two artists who have represented Ireland at this outstanding festival.
Scott’s earliest work was very different to the painting he presented to the College in 2010 that now hangs in the Drawing Room (go and have a look). His work from the 1940s
consists of formally divided landscapes depicting imaginary birds and simplified compositions of familiar scenes painted with thin layers of transparent pigment. There is a book in the Library called Patrick Scott: A Retrospective that has excellent photographs of his work including a particularly attractive one of his cat, Miss Mouse . This cat in fact inspired the colour and design of a number of his design commissions, including the black and orange livery for CIE that he carried out for Sigma Design Consultancy in the 1950s and 1960s. His work is very diverse and he produced tapestries and rugs as well as large canvas paintings. In a series of paintings known as the Device Series, he registered his dismay at the testing of H–bombs by painting abstract ‘explosions’ of diffused and dripped colour. In 2007 President Mary McAleese presided at a ceremony to mark Patrick Scott’s election as Saoi in Aosdana, the highest honour that can be bestowed on an Irish artist. His work is represented in numerous private and public collections, including New York’s Museum of Modern Art and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC.
Mrs A. Morris
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Linocut by Kitty Morris
THE LIBRARY COMMITTEE This year’s Library Committee consisted of Molly Dunne, Nicola Dalrymple, Jess Beresford, Callum Pery-Knox-Gore, Alex Barnes Barnes-Auld, Wolfe Purcell, Thakur Hirsch, Mr Brett and Mr McConville. The Committee, which meets twice a term, promotes two-way communication between the Library and pupils; through it pupils can let management know what issues and needs they have, while management can respond to proposals and new initiatives and keep the Committee up to date on Library developments. A sample of issues and initiatives we dealt with this year are as follows. Third Level Textbooks: under the guiding hand of Mr Brett the Library has been increasing its stock of University textbooks. These serve three purposes – firstly and most obviously they allow pupils considering third level courses to gain a taste of what they will encounter in those courses. Secondly, they allow pupils, in their personal statements and interviews, to demonstrate an engagement with the courses they are considering. Thirdly, they encourage interested pupils to go beyond Leaving Certificate curriculum requirements and ‘read around’ their subjects. A set of shelves has been put aside for these textbooks, and the Library has committed to increasing its stock at a rate of three per month. Magazines: The Library subscribes to about 25 magazines, and the Committee undertook to assess whether the range we have was appealing to pupils. As a result of recommendations new subscriptions were organised for FourFourTwo (soccer), How Things Work (general knowledge) and Photography for Beginners. Next term we will assess less-read magazines with a view to replacing some of them with more popular choices. Book of the Week: On the recommendation of the Committee the Library undertook to put together folders (Senior and Junior) of ‘recommended reads’ with short summaries of the chosen novels and scope for pupils to comment on the books after they had read them, a peer review system designed to encourage fiction reading. This process is gradually taking place and it is hoped that soon a critical mass will be reached. Audiobooks: The Library has undertaken to put Leaving and Junior Cert selected texts (fiction, plays and poetry) on the Library laptops so they can be listened to in the Library (with headphones!) After some technical delays the Library hopes to have the system up and running next term. Meanwhile the Library will continue to purchase ordinary audiobooks for general use. 13
KAFKA ON THE SHORE by Haruki Murakami – REVIEW – Ms KERR Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami is essentially a story about a quest. Or rather, a more modern type of quest, where the destination in life is unknown, but like all good stories, the journey is the whole point. The story centres on two contrasting characters whose stories intertwine through a medium of dreams, apparitions and unexplained murder. Nakata, the simple elderly man still suffering from a bizarre childhood affliction and Tamura, the runaway, who is haunted by his father’s Freudian prophecies. On the edge of the narrative looms the threat of an unidentifiable evil, appearing to Nakata in the form of an apparition. Tamura is plagued by illicit sexual desire, explored through dreams. In this novel, the formal view on such things does not apply and we find we have to re-evaluate our thoughts on both. More importantly we have to ask ourselves: where is the line between perception of our desires and the actualisation thereof? Are we projecting ourselves on to others? Are we responsible for our subconscious actions and unconscious desires? I don’t have clear answers on any of these. Nor do I think that there is a certain answer to something that is both subjective and by nature, hazy.
_________________________ DONORS The Library is very grateful for donations, which widen our range of subjects and interests, and often consist of books that we would not normally stock.
Mr R. Brett, Mr P. Watts, Mr R. Swift, Celine Klee, Anna Herrero Tejada, St Columba’s College Polo Team, Dr David Sowby, Dr G. Bannister, Trinity College Dublin, The Warden.
Self portrait, oil on canvas by Sam Clarke
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Christine Danielyan – Reyza (Le Premier Jour, La Première Nuit by Marc Levy) Wild, courageous, beautiful, smart, educated, stubborn, hardworking, spontaneous, interesting – I like her as a character. Sadhbh Sheeran – Mr Darcy (Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen) Courtesy of that thing they call the Leaving Cert the only characters I am currently encountering are those on the English course. I feel I know Mr Darcy better than Elizabeth Bennet does! Having dissected his character for the past two years he has lost all attractiveness from devilishly handsome to downright irritating. Bring on new postL.C. characters! And Submarine, I solemnly swear never to tear a character to shreds in the manner I have done to Mr Darcy. Ever again. And Mr Darcy, I apologise to you too for any pain caused.
Maria Majekodumni – Charly (The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky) Charly is my favourite character in The Perks of Being a Wallflower. He makes me think about topics I never would have thought to bring up. If I had the chance to meet him I would love to, as I would like to know why his mind works in such a way.
Brendan Dickerson – Euron Crowseye (A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin) “The Crowseye” is a character who is shrouded in mystery. After many years sailing the seas and raiding he returns with a crew of mutes from lands far and wide the night his brother, the king of the Iron Isles, dies. I would not like to meet him because he is a mysterious and nasty guy. I do like his character though because of that element of mystery which sets him apart from others. 15
WHO’S THiNkING ME in which we ask pupils about a character they encountered in a book recently ---and what they thought of them. Killian v Bassewitz – Machiavelli (Machiavelli oder die Kunst der Macht) I am not really sure if I like him but I can certainly say that I consider him a very interesting person since his views on many different themes like war and politics are shocking or new which makes them very interesting. So certainly, yes, I could ask him questions about his opinions.
Nyla Jamieson – Augustus Waters (The Fault in our Stars by John Green) He is really kind and clever. He’s a sweet boy who knows his opinion and sticks to it. I really liked his character and would definitely like to meet him.
Rowland FitzGerald Barron Danaerys (Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin) At first Danaerys seemed like a rather sympathetic character since she’s only fourteen (I think) and yet she is being forced by her brother to marry the leader of a Barbarian tribe. However as the story continues, she takes everyone by surprise and shows her true colours.
Peter Quigley – Tyrion Lannister (Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin) I would love to meet him because of his witty nature. It seems he is playing both the good and bad guy and this intrigues me. He is brave also which doesn’t usually go hand in hand with being good with words. Ralph Sweetman also enjoyed Tyrion Lannister: Right off the bat Tyrion is a dwarf, he’s witty, intelligent, charming, a borderline pervert and ladies man so it’s very entertaining to read about his merry adventures. He always has little schemes brewing in his mind and I’ve seldom found a chapter where he isn’t mocking his sister or his nephew, the king. He is one of my favourite characters, period.
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