St. Aidan’s C.B.S.,
Whitehall, Dublin
Scoil Aodháin, Fionnbhrú, Baile Átha Cliath
News Update
Winter 2016
Christmas Cards
Transition Year Mini Company Christmas cards
sales are well under way this year. The cards are
beautifully designed by Art
students in the school and all proceeds will be
donated to the following charities. The charities
this year are The Irish Cancer Society, Make a Wish
Foundation, Whitehall Social Services and Heart
Children Ireland. Pick up some lovely cards and
help out these very worthy charities.
SEASON GREETINGS
As we come to the end of another busy year we give thanks for all the good
things that happened at St. Aidan’s in 2016. The year brought us many
successes in all areas of school life. Our junior and leaving certificate students
performed extremely well. Our sportsmen had numerous triumphs including
All- Ireland titles in Basketball & Athletics, our dominance of Gaelic Football
in Dublin continued and our U16 Hurlers won Dublin for the first time in the
schools’ history. Students were actively involved in many other activities such
as Drama, Gaisce, Debating and much charity work. A number of students
were successful in a national poster competition run by Euroscola, as a result
twenty four pupils and two teachers will be visiting the European Parliament
in Strasbourg next spring. Our 1916 commemorations were thought
provoking and inspiring and five years of hard work cumulated in the
opening of our All-Weather Pitch by President Higgins. All of these activities
as well as the others not mentioned could not happen without the
commitment of our staff, students and the support of our parents. We hope
that 2017 brings more reasons for us to celebrate success both inside and
outside of the classroom.
As we enjoy Christmas we also need to be conscious of those at home and
abroad whose problems and challenges do not take a break over the festive
season. Our students do much work for charity and this raises much needed
funds and creates awareness of the difficulties that many people face. 2017
will see another group of our students go to Tanzania to witness firsthand the
stark poverty that many people still live in.
I would like to wish all the staff and students and their families a happy and
safe Christmas and a joyful New Year.
Brendan Harrington
Christmas Shoebox Appeal
Our Student Council took on the Team Hope Christmas Shoebox Appeal this
year and got a great response. We put items in our boxes such as:
-Stationery (pens, pencils, copies, paper, etc.)
-Washing essentials (toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, etc.)
-Clothing (shoes, hat, scarf, socks, underwear, etc.)
-Treats (sweets, toys, games, gifts, etc.)
We were delighted to receive 35
shoeboxes from boys and staff
throughout the school. The
shoeboxes will go to children in
need throughout Eastern
Europe and Africa. In the spirit
of the festive season, we held a
raffle for all who donated a
shoebox. Congratulations to Kevin Corr in 1 North who won the €20 One-4-All
voucher. Thanks to all others who donated as well!!
Remembering at Christmas Gilbert Hughes RIP
Former colleagues and past pupils of St. Aidan’s will remember Gilbert Hughes with great affection. We were all saddened to
hear of his passing on May 13th of this year. When I began to reflect on his career and write about him, I was immediately
imbued with his warm, open hearted, genial spirit and the benign influence he had over all aspects of school life.
Mr. Hughes joined the teaching staff as a maths teacher at the foundation of the school in 1964. He was appointed Deputy
Principal in the early 1970’s and served under six different Principals from Br. Loughran to Br. Cashel. This was a time of
burgeoning staff and student numbers, and building construction. In the St. Aidan’s 25th Anniversary Commemorative
Magazine, Gilbert described the early days in the Larkhill pre-fabs in his own amusing way “during the winter months in
this wide open yard, gales used to sweep over and under the two precious classrooms. This was followed by flooding so
much so that our little school resembled Noah’s Ark; birds above, cats and dogs below and an abundance of donkeys
within!”.
Mr. Hughes played a pivotal role in the everyday life of the school. He was an intelligent, soft spoken and eminently
presentable Deputy Principal - Gilbert was noted for his dress sense! His qualities as an administrator ensured that all
aspects of school life ran smoothly. Together with Br. Coffey he would commandeer a classroom in July or August and use
the blackboard to make out the timetable for the upcoming school year. Technology took over in the 1990’s.
Working assiduously and effectively away from the limelight Mr. Hughes spurned any notion of self importance. He was
cautious in his deliberations and decisive in his actions; this made him ideally suited to his job. At the same time, Gilbert was
also a sensitive, caring person and was surely affected from time to time by the pressures of school life. However he never
spoke ill of others, he was not a person to hold grudges and he never betrayed a confidence. Above all, Gilbert was discreet.
In essence Gilbert was a family man. He made a clear distinction between his private life and his working life. He will live
long in the memory of those who knew him. We extend our condolences to his wife Dolores and his three children, Aoife,
Ciara and Declan and to his extended family and friends.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.
TPW July 2016.
Stop Everything and
Read Week
First Day Memories
Writer June Considine read a very
inspiring story to the first years in the
Library as part of their induction day
in secondary school.
Some students from 2 South taking part
in the Stop Everything and Read Week
which took place from Monday 10th 14th October in school.
On the first day all students read a story
with their English teachers called 'A
Sound of Thunder' by Ray Bradbury. The
remainder of the week students were
allowed time to read from 11.20 11.40am each day.
It was great to see the students reading
from books and also to draw to their
attention the importance of reading.
Temple Street
The school received a Certificate
of Appreciation from Temple
Street for the money raised from
the non-uniform day. Thanks to
all the tutors and student council
for collecting the money. We were
able to donate €300 towards a
new X-ray machine which is
invaluable to the work they do
there. Well done to all involved.
TY recess 2016
When I first heard about the trip to recess in Connemara I was anxious.
While I had gone away on holidays with a class before, I had never done so
like this. I was a bit nervous as I didn’t really know my new class yet.
However, all my worries were soon forgotten as soon as I stepped on the
bus. We arrived after four hours or so and picked our rooms. We were told
our chores and the fun began. We all combined really well and had a great
time doing activities such as kayaking, surfing and my personal favourite
was orienteering. I especially loved the orienteering due to being able to
work in a group and getting to know people while having fun and getting
lost.
We also took part in activities such as bingo and quizzes. By the end of the
trip I had made loads of new friends. I also learned a lot more about my
fellow students as a whole. I was sad to leave a place that I was once
anxious about going to and really enjoyed my trip. I am now looking
forward to all the other trips we will do especially the one to Italy after
Christmas.
Philip Young TY
President Opens All-Weather Pitch
We were very fortunate to
have the President Michael D
Higgins officially open the
all-weather pitch on the 13th
September which is shared by
our school and St. Kevin’s
football club. He was very
impressed by this
partnership, to see what can
be achieved when you join
forces and work together. In
his speech in the new sports hall he said “You can do so much together when
we share resources so that the maximum amount of people get the greatest
benefit.”
The opening of the pitch by the President was a culmination of five years of
planning and construction which began when officials from the club
approached the school about installing an all- weather pitch in 2011. Now as a
result of this, no matter what the weather conditions are there will be no need
to cancel training sessions and games, which prior to this would have
happened a lot due to our unpredictable weather.
It is a credit to all the people involved and they should be very proud of what
they have achieved for the benefit and joy of others for many years to come.
Check Mate
A Work of Art
The U19 chess team took on CUS at home on the 21st of
November with Mr. E Carthy the team coach. This was their first
competitive match of the league and in the history of St. Aidan's,
but impressed the opposition managers highly, especially Darren
Kitching who really put it up to Irish International Luke Scott for
nearly two hours.
Aaron Forrester fought his way back from a difficult position
against CUS' second in command to make a fight of it and tension
was high.
James Jacobs fought bravely in his first competition for the school
but not without undue risk. Having taken a convincing lead, he
repeatedly harassed his opponent, who fought back well to
eventually beat James in 39 moves.
In the end, experience won the day and St. Aidan's finally
succumbed to the rated and more experienced players of CUS. An
excellent competition with both sides showing ispirational levels of
sportsmanship. The team players on the day were Darren Kitching,
Aaron Forrester,
Eric Redmond, James Jacob and Jash Hurrynag. Well done to all
involved.
On Tuesday the 22nd of
November, my art history
class went on a trip to
IMMA to see the Lucian
Freud Project exhibition
and in the afternoon The
Hugh Lane Gallery,
located in Charelmont
House on Parnell square
North, beside the Garden
of Remembrance. I found
it to be an excellent
experience to see fantastic
pieces of art presented in such a pristine, well
catered way, showing off their grandeur and sheer
beauty in craft and skill. The tour guide was very
open to discussion and friendly, while also
showing a great sense of love and appreciation for
these works. This made the experience all the
more enjoyable and memorable. I thoroughly
enjoyed seeing works by artists whose work I
have only seen before in a textbook. I could
appreciate them much more then I would have
before. One painting in particular I liked is called,
“Les Parapluies,” by Pierre-August Renoir. An
exceptional piece of a busy Parisian street during
a rainy day, that took a 5 year period from 1881-86
to create. I look forward to visiting this gallery
again in the future and exploring other galleries
around Dublin and abroad.
Ethan Butler 6th year
The European Parliament Strasbourg in Spring
Congratulations to Rodrigo Soberon
Pena from 5th year on winning a
terrific prize for the school with his
superb poster. The theme of the
Euroscola Poster Competition was to
show a snapshot of everyday life in
Europe, as the 1916 Rising was
unfolding in Ireland. A group of 5th
year and TY students from Mr. A O
Neill and Ms. D Mc Quaid’s class
entered the competition in which
Rodrigo’s winning entry secured a
trip for 24 students and 2 teachers to
take part in the Euroscola programme
of the European Parliament in
Strasbourg on the 30th March 2017. Euroscola is a European
Parliament program that gives young people the opportunity to
discuss their expectations and ideas on the progress of European
integration and to share this day with young people from other
European Union countries. There is great excitement about the
upcoming trip and we are very proud of Rodrigo on his superb
poster and also to the other students that took part in the
competition. Strasberg here we come!
When It All Adds Up
The Maths Department ran a 1st
year quiz for "Maths Week"
which ran from 17th -21st
October. It took place in the old
sports hall and great fun was
had by all involved.
RUN IN THE DARK
Some staff members took part in the Run in
the Dark, which took place on Wednesday
16th November at 7pm in town, doing a 5k or
10k run. In over 50 cities worldwide, they
were part of a living light show flowing
through the streets like lava. Those same
people were helping to fast-track a cure for
paralysis as part of the Run in the Dark. Well
done to all involved!
Scary Guys
OFF THE RAILS
The students appeared in some very wonderful
Halloween costumes on the day of the October
mid-term break. Terrific to see how creative they can be,
also the fact that there were great prizes to be had for
the most creatively dressed encouraged them all the
more to dress up. Well done to all involved.
In October the Transition Year pupils led by chief
innovator and site foreman Mr. J Cunningham and Mr.O
Deneher TY Coordinator took to the rails. The team
worked on improving the visual appearance of our
school. This involved about sixty student’s
cleaning/sanding/painting all the railings at the front,
which needed an urgent facelift. A smaller group carried
out other gardening and cleaning tasks around the
school.
Great to see in our boys a sense of community spirit, to
experience working as part of a team and to see what
can be achieved as a result.
The pupils were great to work with, taking pride in
their work and as a result the school is now looking
great. Well done to all involved.
TY Visit The Irish War Museum
The entire TY group and some of their History teachers Ms. Z
Kennedy, Ms. M Ryan and Ms. A Brennan went to The Irish
War Museum on the 29th November. On arrival when we were
split into three smaller groups. One group went for the actual
tour of the museum and got to see all of the artillery of World
War One and Two. The second group went upstairs to see the
weapons, clothes and uniforms the soldiers had to wear to
represent their country in war. We also got to hold some of the
weapons that they had at the museum, as you can see in the
pictures shown. While these groups were having fun looking at
the weapons, tanks, etc,the last group were having the time of
their lives getting to see these in action. We got to see our
teachers shooting these weapons. Soon after we were shown
how the trenches were used in wartime. We then went to see a
tank and were driven around in the tank which was the high
point of the tour that everyone enjoyed. After the hour or two
in the one section the groups were swapped around so
everyone got to see and do everything at the museum. The
students really enjoyed the war museum and learned so much
at the same time.
By Robert Coffey TY
Basketball Blitz
The u19 Basketball team started the season in excellent form continuing on from last year’s success. They have
enjoyed victories over any Dublin league team who have challenged the All-Ireland Champions with
comprehensive wins over local rivals Ard Scoil Rís, Malahide Community School, St. Fintan’s Sutton, St. Pauls
Raheny and Ashbourne. An unbeaten record, led by top scorers and Irish Internationals Brian Ashton and Matt
Treacy, gave them a number one seed into the Dublin knockout stages, where their reputation earned them a
buy straight into the semi finals.
Their quest to retain the All-Ireland cup started at home against a surprisingly strong Pres Athenry side.
Nervousness was evident throughout the team as early lead changes showed no clarity of who would come out
on top. Contributions from outside shooter Brian O’Connor and Cameron McCormack helped the lads push on
and secure a first round victory. The second round proved a harder task as the team travelled to Kerry to take
on Killorglin. A thrilling, high scoring encounter saw the lads down at half time with a lot of work to do, but an
outstanding individual performance from Matt Treacy gave them the boost they needed. The game went down
to the wire and key free throws from Brian Ashton, Emmet Lawless and Cameron McCormack made certain
that they would leave with a win, 94-92 .
Next up was the Quarter finals at home against local rivals Malahide. The away side showed lots of fight as
motivation from the loss earlier in the year spurred them on. A strong inside presence from Stephen Canning
proved difficult to deal with for the away side. Some questionable fouling from Ciarán Mchugh broke up the
play and ensured some well needed breaks for both teams. The depth of St. Aidan’s was a major factor as Cian
Auguste and Eric Redmond chipped in off the bench in anyway that they could. The reigning Champions were
well in control for most of the game led by an inspiring display by Cameron McCormack that earned him
Evening Herald Sports Star of The Week. U16 Stars Adam Power and Calum Sheridan had their first taste of
U19 basketball with some well earned minutes off the bench. The lads closed out the game with a comfortable
scoreline of 87- 59, and now they look forward to an All-Ireland Cup Semi-Final in January.
The U19 basketball team would like to thank all the support and help they have been given all year by Ms. C
Peoples and Coach Randall Mounts and also to all the supporters who have come to cheer them on.
Bright Start For Both Of Our Soccer Teams
Our U-17 and U-19 soccer teams have had hugely positive starts to their
respective campaigns, both each winning their first two games.
It is particularly pleasing to see the new players such as Aaron Malone,
Jack McMahon and Eric Andrews settle seamlessly into the team,
replacing the influential past students like Eric Whelan and Jamie
Lennon.
It is hoped that this year we will win a competition at both age groups
and get closer to achieve our long term goal of being the No.1 soccer
team in the country!
Senior Footballers
For the first time, our senior footballers made their debut in the North
Leinster League as a mean of preparation for the A Championship. It
proved a worthwhile exercise, with wins against Scoil Dara (Kilcock)
and St Pat’s (Navan) as well as a draw with Edenderry CS meaning
we finished a respectable third in the group; this despite being
decimated by injuries.
However, it is of course the championship that really matters and the
lads proved this with a brilliant away victory against Patrician
Secondary School, Newbridge on Friday 25th. Despite being three
points down midway through the second half, the team rallied to
outscore their opponents 1-6 to 0-2 for the remainder of the game,
securing a deserved four point victory. St Mel’s of Longford are next up in a home draw which should attract a
large and vociferous local support.
Cross Country Win Win!
The Cross Country team and their coach Mr. A O Neill are a
winning success, they kicked off last term on the 5th of
October by finishing first overall at the Clonliffe Schools
Invitation. Forty two schools took part from around Ireland
so the competition was tough. The star performers on the
day were Dillon Paisley, Cian Hill, Dermot Buckley, Daniel
Lacey, Cian Bolger and Sean O Leary who won the senior
race.
Next on the list was the Blackrock Invitational on the 16th of
November. At this event in Blackrock College the lads still
on their winning streak took the Blackrock Invitational title.
A week later a former St. Aidan’s student, Mick Byrne (Class
of '74) came to visit the school. Mick went from St. Aidan's
to Providence College on scholarship. He coached athletics
at Iona University for 24 years and is now head coach in
Wisconsin University.
He gave the Cross Country team a very insightful talk on
his experiences in the field of Cross Country and Athletics.
Mick told the team about his adventure from St. Aidan’s all
the way to America and eventually becoming head coach in
one of the top universities state-side, Wisconsin University.
Mick would have walked through the school’s corridors
over 40 years ago. He was delighted that the team was still
winning titles decades after him.
As a thank you for Mick coming, senior captain Gregory
Hossenny gave Mick the singlet he wore while winning the
Schools Senior Cross Country title in 1974.
Next up is the All Ireland C.B.S in A.L.S.A.A.
^ƚŝĚĂŶ͛Ɛ^ĞŶŝŽƌ,ƵƌůŝŶŐ
ĨƚĞƌǁŝŶŶŝŶŐƚŚĞhϭϲ͚͛ŚƵƌůŝŶŐĐŚĂŵƉŝŽŶƐŚŝƉůĂƐƚLJĞĂƌƚŚĞƌĞǁĞƌĞ
high expectations ĨŽƌƚŚĞ^ƚ͘ŝĚĂŶ͛ƐƐĞŶŝŽƌŚƵƌůĞƌƐ͘&ŝƌƐƚƵƉǁĂƐƚŚĞĐŚĂůůĞŶŐĞ
of Terenure College who were very much up for the game. Down by four
points at halĨƚŝŵĞ͕ƚŚĞŝĚĂŶ͛ƐŵĞŶƐŚŽǁĞĚŐƌĞĂƚĐŚĂƌĂĐƚĞƌƚŽďƌŝŶg the
game back to a draw with five minutes remaining. Unfortunately Terenure
scored two points in the final minutes of the game and held out as worthy
winners.
The next match was played in Whitehall GAA pitch and the opposition
was Ard Scoil Rís. Playing against a very strong wind, ^ƚŝĚĂŶ͛ƐƚƌĂŝůĞĚďLJƐŝdž points with 20 minutes
played. As always, this group of players showed excellent character and fought their way back into
the game. Donal Ryan was winning the world of ball at centre back, while Enda O͛Donnell was doing
excellent work at midfield. Points from Cian Power and Mikey Noonan steered St Aidan͛s back into
the game before a fantastic score from Enda O͛Donnell levelled the match. However Ard Scoil Rís
proved to be too strong on this occasion and won the game by six points.
^ƚŝĚĂŶ͛ƐĨŝŶŝƐŚĞĚϯrd in the group and as a result reached the quarter final stages. St
Benildus College stood in the way of a place in the semi final. With the return of key players from
injury and with two competitive games played, ^ƚŝĚĂŶ͛s showed confidence and conviction. ŝĚĂŶ͛Ɛ
stormed into the game with points from Enda O͛Donnell, Mikey Noonan, Seán Lowry and Lee
Gannon. A well taken goal by O͛Donnell with 15 minutes played ensurĞĚ^ƚŝĚĂŶ͛ƐŚĂĚĂϲƉŽŝŶƚ
advantage at half time. Lowry was on target early in the second half as he caught a Ciarán Murphy
delivery and struck for goal. St Benildus asked serious questions of our defence and scored two goals
in the second half. However St ŝĚĂŶ͛ƐƐŚŽǁĞĚŐƌĞĂƚĐŽŵƉŽƐƵƌĞĂŶĚǁŝƚŚůĞĂĚĞƌƐůŝŬĞŽŶĂůZLJĂŶ͕
Enda O͛Donnell and Luke McCarthy, went onto win the game by three points to secure a place in the
ƵďůŝŶ͛ƐĞŶŝŽƌŚƵƌůŝŶŐ semi final against Ard Scoil Rís.
hŶĨŽƌƚƵŶĂƚĞůLJ^ƚŝĚĂŶ͛ƐŚĂĚƚŽƉůĂLJ without the services of key
players due to injury. We produced a fantastic first half performance.
The defence was solid with Donal Ryan and Darragh Bergin leading the
way. Luke McCarthy and Keith Doran won the battle at midfield while
our forwards worked some great scores. An Owen Sheridan goal with 20
minutes půĂLJĞĚĞŶƐƵƌĞĚ^ƚŝĚĂŶ͛ƐŚĂĚĂƚǁŽ point advantage at the
ŝŶƚĞƌǀĂů͘ŝĚĂŶ͛ƐƐƚĂƌƚĞĚƚŚĞƐĞĐŽŶĚŚĂůĨĂƐƚŚĞLJĨŝŶŝƐŚĞĚƚŚĞĨŝƌƐƚ͕ǁŝƚŚ
points from Enda O͛Donnell, while Mikey Noonan was on target from
placed balls. With ten minutes ƚŽďĞƉůĂLJĞĚ^ƚŝĚĂŶ͛ƐůĞĚďLJƚŚƌee
points. However as bodies began to fatigue Ard Scoil Rís opened our
defence and scored three goals which ended our hopes of reaching the final.
Overall it was a very encouraging year considering the competiveness of this group of young
players. This was a very young senior hurling panel as some players are eligible to play, not only to
next year, but for the next two to three years.
St Aidan͛s U16 Hurling
With a very young side, this year was a stepping stone for the future. We lost our first two matches
to Ard Scoil Rís and Coláiste Eoin. The next fixture was against Coláiste Éanna which proved to be a
very entertaining match. Key scores from SeáŶ>ŽǁƌLJĂŶĚŽŝŶ&ůĂŚĞƌƚLJĞŶƐƵƌĞĚ^ƚŝĚĂŶ͛ƐǁĞƌĞ
within reach of Coláiste Éanna at the interval. Playing with the wind, our lads showed excellent pride
and character in the second half scoring five points without reply. Eddie Moran, Tom Gleeson and
Seán Lowry prominent. A well taken goal by substitute SeáŶ&ŝŶŶƉƌŽǀŝĚĞĚ^ƚŝĚĂŶ͛Ɛǁith a one
point advantage with only one minute to play. Unfortunately we were unable to prevent Coláiste
Éanna from scoring the equalising point.
It was very rewarding for this group of players to
finish with a well-deserved victory over St Benildus in the last
group match. Overall, it was a very positive team performance
with noteworthy displays from Seán Lowry, Josh Thorpe,
Martin Jacobs and Tom Gleeson. With many of this group
underage again next year, the experience gained from playing
ĐŽŵƉĞƚŝƚŝǀĞ͚͛ŐƌĂĚĞŚƵƌůŝŶŐǁŝůůďĞǀĞƌLJďĞŶĞĨŝĐŝĂůŐŽŝŶŐ
forward.
St Aidan͛s 1st Year Hurling
Our 1st year hurlers competed in the first hurling blitz which took place in Abbotstown GAA Centre of
Excellence. Transition year students Kevin O͛Sullivan and Josh Thorpe were appointed as selectors
for the day, as the first year hurlers wore the St Aidans jersey for the first time. Our young hurlers
displayed excellent skill and did the school proud throughout the day. Many of these players will be
part of the U14 hurling team next year and will continue to develop into key players for St Aidans
CBS.