Wednesday 9 May 2012

Scifest



Today we went off to the Scifest Competition in Tallaght Institute of Technology! It was a good day. Me, Alswyn and Sarah had been in the BT Young Scientist and went into Scifest with the same project. The judging wasn't too bad and we were pretty used to it! In the end we won the best project in the intermediate life sciences! We were so happy! It really made all the work worth it!


I also had to fill out a TY evaluation today and it made me realise that there is very little I would change about TY and that my time is nearly up!

Tuesday 8 May 2012

Banba had a party!

Last Friday Banba, through TYs a party! It was full of food, cake and ceol! We danced, we spilt drinks and and we scoffed our faces! What a great way to start the long weekned! Thanks Banba!

We also went on retreat lately and had a great time! It was tough to be so quiet but I enjoyed the day and the walk!

I would recommend going to Gledalough, loved being outside!

Gaisce



Last Friday, 30 TYs set off to Kippure in the Wicklow Mountains for the Gaisce Hike. It was very exciting but a tad tough yanno? I loved the chats and snacks we had en route. I have never been so mucky in my life! I'm still scrubbin'. I loved that we had our own gorgeous houses and made dinner! We stayed up til 5.30 watching movies and having les chats! I really loved it! Can you bring me back? All the hard work paid off when we returned to the house for a cuppa tea!


I did Step Aerobics, Cooking and Running the School Bank for my activities! They all really paid off! I feel like a developed woman!


Bye. <3
Swim a Mile


For the Ian Daly Swim a Mile Fundraiser we all went to the NAC, Blanchardstown.  I intended to swim half a mile, but on the day I swam the full mile! I must say I was very proud of myself! I think it is a great cause and especially special because Eimear, Ian's sister is in our year. I have also done lots of voluntary work for Barretstown because it is a charity close to my own heart. Its a great cause and I was so proud of St Wolstans TYs who achieved a record of 40 miles, 52 lengths. Today the Salesians are doing, bet they can't beat us!


Bye now

Monday 7 May 2012


Taste of Dublin

At the taste of Dublin the dish chateaubriant beef has been served for the past several years. The taste of Dublin is an Irish food festival held in the Iveagh Gardens in Dublin to celebrate Dublin and Ireland's strong love of food. Taste of Dublin is Ireland’s premier summer food festival attracting up t0 30,000 visitors each year. It is a feast for the senses with 20 of Dublin’s best restaurants, interactive masterclasses, two live entertainment stages and over 100 exhibitors.

Restaurants will design special menus of starter sized dishes for the occasion, including signature dishes created by chefs to reflect their philosophy and showcase seasonal foods. This year, 2012, Jamie Oliver will be opening the event and doing his first ever live demo in Ireland!
How exciting! Also as per every year, Neven Maguire from Blacklion will be the star of the show!

That's it for my Geography project! Hope you enjoyed learning about these links as much as I did! 


Chateaubriand


Chateaubriand steak,a recipe of a particular thick cut from the tenderloin, that was created by personal chef, Montmireil, for François-René de Chateaubriand, the author and diplomat who served Napoleon as an ambassador and Louis XVIII as Secretary of State for two years.
At the time of the Vicomte, the steak was cut from the more tasty but less tender sirloin and served with a reduced sauce made from white wine and shallots moistened with demi-glace and mixed with butter, tarragon, and lemon juice. The term refers to the quality of the cattle bred around the town of Châteaubriant in the Loire-Atlantique, France. Châteaubriand was traditionally served with château potatoes (peeled potatoes cut into the shape of large olives, parboiled, and cooked in butter on top of the stove or in a medium oven), and sauce châteaubriand. For the last hundred years or so, the few people that prepare châteaubriand have opted for the more mainstream béarnaise sauce instead.

  1. The inhabitants of Châteaubriant are called Castelbriantais and Castelbriantaises.
The Loire (is the longest river in France). With a length of 1,012 kilometres, it drains an area of 117,054 km2 (45,195 sq mi), which represents more than a fifth of France's land area. It is the 170th longest river in the world. . Its main tributaries include the Maine, Nièvre and the Erdre rivers on its right bank, and the Allier, Cher, Indre, Vienne, and the Sèvre Nantaise rivers from the left bank. The central part of the Loire Valley was added to the World Heritage Sites list of UNESCO on December 2, 2000.
The Loire Valley has been called the "Garden of France" and is studded with over a thousand chateaux. They were originally created as feudal strongholds, over centuries past, in the strategic divide between southern and northern France; now many are privately owned.

41 trails to ramble, to trek or to cycle.
Plenty of opportunities for fishing in the beautiful lakes and rivers.
4 Horse riding centres nearby.
Open air swimming pool at Nozay.
Swin golf at Rouge.
Mini Golf at Chateaubriant.
9 Restaurants in Chateaubriant.
12 more restaurants within a 30 minute drive of town.
Wonderful beaches on the Atlantic coast within an hour's drive.

Clearly from its famous beef dish, Chateaubriant is France's heart of cattle with hundreds of cows feeding on the most fertile alluvial soil in the country! Agricultural shows are even held several times a year!





Athlone, Westmeath

Athlone is the most central town of Ireland and is considered the heart of Ireland. There is a hydroelectric generation plant at Ardnacrusha belonging to the ESB.
  1. Population (2011) : 20,138
It is on the border of counties Roscommon (province of Connacht) and Westmeath (province of Leinster).
The town was described by IDA Ireland as "the commercial capital of the Irish Midlands" and it is governed by an elected town council, which elects a Mayor.

Features:
  1. Athlone Castle



    Source
  2. St Peter and Paul Church
  3. All Ireland RTE drama festival - workshops, theatre exhibitions, events
  4. Athlone Literary Festival: Celebration of the life and works of John Broderick (1924–1989)
  5. American crime writer James M. Cain references Athlone in his 1937 book Serenade!
  6. A new radio station i102-104fm has recently been launched.


Tourism and amenities: Lough Ree, the largest lake on the Shannon, is a short distance upstream from Athlone to the North of the town, and is popular among anglers, birdwatchers, and swimmers. The town is also home to Lough Ree Yacht Club.
  1. The Golden Island Shopping Centre (1997)
  2. Athlone Town Centre comprises two internal streets, with 54 shops and a hotel, and is the largest shopping and leisure centre in Ireland, outside Dublin.
  3. Athlone Regional Sports Centre is a facility (established May 2002) developed by the Town Council,this facility has a swimming pool, gym and astro turf pitches.
  4. Sean's Bar, located on the west bank of the river, is listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest pub in Europe.
  5. Companies and organisations: State Exams Commission, Élan, Biodin, Ericsson, Tyco Healthcare, Alcatel, The Department of Education, Revenue Commissioners, FÁS Midlands Region, Bus Éireann, Iarnród Éireann, IDA Ireland, and Enterprise Ireland all have bases in the town. Athlone is also a major Irish military centre, Custume Barracks on the West bank of the Shannon is the headquarters of the Western Command of the Irish Army.

Athlone hosted the European Triathlon Championships in 2010. Approximately 5,000 athletes participated in the event.

The town of Athlone is twinned with the a small village called Chateaubriant in France! Many students do language exchanges!

River Shannon



The River is the longest river in Ireland and the British Isles at 360.5 km. It divides West Ireland from the South and East. There are only less that 20 crossing points of the river. The river is named for Sionna, a Celtic goddess.
The river flows generally southward from the Shannon Pot in County Cavan before turning west and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean through the 113 km long Shannon Estuary. Limerick city stands at the point where the river water meets the sea water of the estuary.
By tradition the Shannon is said to rise in the Shannon Pot, a small pool on the slopes of Cuilcagh Mountain in County Cavan, from where the young river appears as a small trout stream. The river runs through or between 11 of Ireland's counties, including the tributary rivers Inny, Suck and Brosna, before reaching the Shannon Estuary at Limerick. Lakes on the Shannon include Lough Allen, Lough Ree and Lough Derg.
The Shannon river is closely bound up with Ireland's social, cultural, military, economic and political history. As late as 1916, the leaders of the Easter Rising planned to have their forces in the west "hold the line of the Shannon". However, in the event, the rebels were neither well enough armed nor equipped to attempt such an ambitious idea.
Course of River Shannon
Depths: 0.5metres - 18m (upper)
Depths: 1m- 30m
There are many towns on the River Shannon... such as Athlone!


Blacklion


This beautiful area of beautiful countryside has wonderful views of lakes and mountains, world-class caves, Fantastic fishing facilities, Megalithic tombs at the Cavan Burren, an excellent golf club, the source of the River Shannon, and one of Ireland's best restaurants.
Much of the area around Blacklion is now part of The UNESCO Global Geoparks Network making it the first cross border geopark in the world. A geopark is a geological heritages scenic spot of special geoscientific significance, rare natural features that are aesthetically attractive. The UNESCO Geoparks are a cultural and land treasure of Ireland.
As many people know, Blacklion is home to one of Ireland’s most well-known and successful reataurants, MacNean House and Reastaurant, owned by the famous restauranteur and celebrity chef, Mr Neven Maguire. A boy who started cooking from a young age, it came to nobody’s surprise that he became a student and later a lecturer at Fermanagh College of Catering in 1992. He has cooked in many well known and Michelin star restaurants world wide, cooking for people such as Lady Diana and Tony Blair.
In 2001 Neven and his wife Imelda took over the family business. Using his own philosophy ‘Make every meal a masterpiece’. He also uses only high quality Irish produce and home food. In 2011 he extended the house to shorten the 5 month waiting list!
I have personally ate and worked in MacNean house and it is not only a fantastic place to eat but the way the business is run is second to none. A calm and relaxing atmosphere is proved here to produce the best food. Doing as little as possible to the food is also a philosophy to his, just enhancing flavours! Not every chef is like Ramsey!

Blacklion is the source of the River Shannon... Lets see where we go with that!

Tuesday 1 May 2012


So here is an update on my life in TY!

We did not get far in Bank Nationals but it was a great day! We had great fun doing silent discos, games and Aoife even won a smartphone for her dancing! It was a fabulous day!



I am also drowning in projects at the moment! They all seem to come at once! So I am starting my Geography project today so the next few blog posts will be about it! The project is that you pick anything in the world and link it to different places. There are 5 links in mine and its really interesting that it all goes together!


So firstly I will be starting with Neven Maguire and his restaurant Mac Nean house in Blacklion, Co. Cavan.


Enjoy the rain!
Caitriona xo

Thursday 19 April 2012

Bank Nationals

Bank Nationals are coming up soon which is making em nervous but excited! I have been practicing our powerpoint a lot and there is a lot to remeber! But I am really excited ! Our app is underway! There is a secret surprise coming along! And the nerves are crazy! But it will be epic! I got to thinking we are in the top twenty in all of ireland and that in itself is such an achievement. ANything after that is a much desired and excioting bonus.

Retweeeet

Last week Eriu went to Glendalough on Retreat! It was a really good day but itinvolved going out of your comfort zone. Like we had to hug crosses and stuff but I really enjoyed it! We had to stay quiet a lot of the time and we walked a lit! It was a cold and wet day which in my opinion made it better but others disagreed! On the way home there was not a word! Everyone was fast asleep! Compared to the way up were we danced and sang the whole way! Thank you Mrs L and Mr K for bringing us on a really calming day out!

Diversity!

Breithlá mo chara Laragh a bhí ann an seachtain seo caite agus cheannaigh mé ticéidí dúinn le haghaidh an ceolchoirm Diversity.Oíche den scoth a bhí ann agus dúirt ceann de na damhsórí phrása a thaitin go mór liom. 'Our Similarities make us strong, our differences make us stronger'. Cheap mé gur phrása iontach a bhí ann don idirbhliain!

Friday 23 March 2012

Bankter

Well, its not long until nationals now. TOP 20 BANKS! Its so exciting. We found out today that none other than BRESSIE is MC for the Nationals! Its incredible. We are currently having meetings about making apps for iphone and android. Its complicated but something that I never thought I'd be learning about. And of course after the meeting in Maynooth we had a trip to Supermacs... it would be a health risk if we went hungry! We had great fun! Waiting to hear if they can make it for us now. 


We also found out that at Nationals. We have a 20 minute interview, then the top 6 have to do a powerpoint presentation in front of the public. And then the winner will be announced. I am getting so nervous just writing about it! Ahhhhhh!


Au Revoir My lovelies! 

Friday 16 March 2012

BRAVEFORCE

Although there have been an uncountless amount of days in TY that I always say 'Oh that was the best day', but this was by far in the top three! We began the day a bit nervous, we arrived to a couple of groups of five or so who had been training and well, lets face it they were very fit. We started the course and Oh the fun began! From extreme muck, underground tunnels, ropes, nets, climbing, rivers the list is endless. I have never been so bruised in my life! The funniest moment had to have been when we were on a bar about three metres above the ground and I fell off it. I didn't even realise I was on the ground I was so numb from the cold water. And the army man said I won the award for the muckiest person! It was the most amazing day ever! Tiring, Mucky but unbelievable!


Over and Out :D

Tuesday 13 March 2012

Mini Company

We had our mini company competition a while back and although it wasn't a success it was a great day. It was so nice to see all the work that people had put into theirs. Congratulations to Illuminate who got through! They really deserved it. In Mini Company now we are designing a cereal bar, we have to advertise and market it. We looked at logos of different brands by playing the logo game. It was great fun!


I would really advise any future TYs to put a lot of effort into Mini Company. Start early, time flies.


A toast to ILLUMINATE 


:D

A LITTLE LOLLY GOES A LOOOOOONG WAY

About two weeks ago, the whole of TY hopped on a bus and headed off to town. We were selling lollipos around town to support the Oesophageal Cancer Fund. It was such a fun and rewarding day out! And people are so generous. Some of the girls even met Ronan O Gara and Cian Healy... I wasn't too happy when I found out that I didn't see them! 
I'd really love to do things like that again! 

It only took Eriu 3 minutes 40 seconds... Just Sayin'

Last Week we had a work shop by a man called Dave! It was so much fun. We learned about all of the different drums and beats. We also sang loads of songs and stuff too. 
I felt a bit sorry for the rest of the school listening to our banging all day! I really enjoyed the workshop. My favourite part was 'WOOD PECKER' Haha. Lots of fun!


And also each of the classes were timed at the end of the day for cleaning up! And guess what? Eriu won! 


Would Recommend Jabba Jabba Jembe to all!

The O'LIMB'ics

Hello Again!

Well in Pe yesterday I was a bit bored because we were doing High Jump... and lets face it, if you are bad at it, its a recipe for embarassment.
So we asked if we could do the limbo!
So Georgia and I won!
That was a pretty big deal because I never win sporty things! The opportunities of TY...
Well Georgia and I want to have a TY 'OLIMBICS!

It would be embarassing if we held it and Georgia nad I were the worst... AWKWARD!

Caitriona

I have the Ballymaloe Flu

Hello Boys and Girls,
Well I am just back from Work Experience in Ballymaloe House! It was really great! I spent a day in the Cookery School (very intense but I learned so much), a day Gardening (Gardening is a lonely job), a day in the kitchen (pure heaven) and two days in the Dining Room (That was hard work but great fun).

I really enjoyed the week and people were so nice to me! Its more like a family!
I got free accomadation and food for the week which was so nice!
I made so many friends and I actually miss them loads. Lent went down the drain that week haha!

Only downfall was that I finished work at 4 and until I went to bed I didn't really have anything to do! Places like that are very quiet during the week!

Thanks !

The Super€uros Bank Launch

Hey Guys,
Well as most of you know I have a slight obsessiojn with the bank. I'm the bank manager this year and I really really love it so much. For me its the highlight of TY. We do all these great promotions and activities and we have so much fun. We have great prizes to!
Our bank launch which we have been planning for a really long time was held on february 23rd. We had the band the Original Rudeboys at the launch! They are really popular at the moment as they have a new album out and also their song 'Stars in my Eyes' hit number 2 on itunes. Check out the program made about the bank launch on kildaretv.com. We also had our own local 'Superhero' Johnny Doyle at the launch. He gave some great words of encouragement on banking. We really had the most amazing day! It was so overwhelming. Everybody got free poster and autographs!

Check out the bank facebook page 'Wolstans bank' to see our pictures.

Thanks to the Prefects, Photographers, teachers and members who made the day possible.

We also had our Regional Finals this week. Boy was it nerve-wrecking, exciting and scary all rolled into one. I had to make a speech in front of so many people and I was so nervous! We all dressed up and had an amazing stand!

WE GOT THROUGH TO FINALS!
I was so happy!
Like unbelievably!
We got 100 euro each and a trophy!
We are now in the top 20 banks in the country. Finals are 25th April! In the Rds!

If anybody has any ideas on anything fun we can do please do so!

Thanks Guys,

Caitriona

Sunday 19 February 2012

40 days of blogging days

Well, It has been too long since I've blogged. I didn't blog about my trip to St Brigid's at all but I'd like you all to know that it will be up soon!


This week is very busy with Mini Company, Lollipop day and the Supereuros bank Launch.


Please look at the Supereuros blog at : stwolstansbank.blogspot.com


Hope you all enjoyed your mid term!

Saturday 18 February 2012

English Review - The Help

A Review of ‘The Help’ by Caitriona Eves

During the sixties, segregation was at its highest point. Blacks and whites were separated when it came to about anything. Water fountains, cinemas, and schools are some examples. The South was directly affected by this cultural trouble. Black women and men were degraded and forced to work under white men in horrible conditions. This world is portrayed so effectively in the novel ‘The Help’ by Kathryn Stockett.
Men worked in factories and labour jobs, while the women went from white family to white family cleaning the houses and raising the children. Many books have been written to express these human struggles, but nothing has been written in the same way as this.
The Help, written by Kathryn Stockett is an emotionally driven novel with exceptional characters, and an outstanding plot that centres on intense segregation issues.
Stockett was born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi, which is the exact setting of the book. Even though this is her first novel, it is clear she is a talented and creative author. Her experience with the subject is shown throughout the novel.
She herself had a black maid during this time named Demetrie, who she loved and cared about. Demetrie died when Stockett was 16. For many years, Stockett has wondered how Demetrie felt being black in Mississippi, working for a white family. According to Stockett, that is the reason she wrote this book, in the hope of finding out the answer within the characters she created. Her own life was the total inspiration for this novel and there is no doubt about it that this is why it has become such a huge success for Stockett, for individual readers and the world.
The novel splits between three major characters: Aibileen, an older black maid who has no husband and no children; Minny, Aibileen’s younger, close friend who is working to support her many children and abusive husband; and Skeeter, a determined, white writer who wants to make a difference.
Stockett starts the novel in Aibileen’s point of view, but throughout the novel she writes in the point of view of Minny and Skeeter as well. She is able to delve into the minds and emotions of these intriguing who play an important role in the plot.
The novel is written in a great way as we see each event or emotion in an aspect of three different characters in three different situations. We learn about each character as an individual and the three women as a group. We see the power and courage that this cultural segregation has driven into them.
Stockett tells the story in a ‘normal’ manner. She doesn’t express how wrong she feels the situation is but lets us figure it out for ourselves: my personal favourite characteristic of this novel. The three different characters, in my opinion represent the different opinions in time. Skeeter is a current day person, Aibleen, ahead of her time, and Minny realising the problem with the rest of the crowd.
The plots, descriptions and world of the text is outstanding as we see everything in a new light, bringing history together in a new way.
In my opinion and in the opinion of most, this novel is a ‘must-read’. This is a book that subtly shows the development of racial segregation in a light and interesting fashion.



Wednesday 25 January 2012

Concrete Angel

So I am sure we have all heard of that song my Martina McBride. The one that makes you cry before you even press play! So we decided to base a play on it and I am really proud to say that it turned out really well!


Everybody loved it so much and I was really proud to be part of it! All of the other plays were really good too. My favourite was Tich Miller. Ours was about a young girl called Holly and her Mother Victoria and her father Cillian. Victoria abuses Holly and we shine a light on how even Holly's father could be in the dark when this is happening to his daughter.


The judges seemed impressed but it was really difficult to project your voice because we had no mics at all!


Overall a great day (and we got to go to McDonalds)


Until next time


Au revoir

Fighting Words

Okay so I am going to take a break from the poems for a few posts because its hard sometimes to describe something well in poetry.


So last week we headed off to town, not really knowing what was coming our way. We arrived to'Fighting words' which was near Croke Park. We sat down and began the workshop. The room was so lovely and there was a really relaxed atmosphere which made it really easy to say what you wanted. So Isabelle and I got up in front of the class and we were given a situation. It was 'Imagibe Caitriona had a major crush on Isabelle's brother and Isabelle and Caitriona have been best friends for years'. This was so funny because Isabelle and I have been best friends for years and me (along with everybody else loves her brother).


We wrote a story together and then we went off into our own groups to finish it! It was really good because the story was so current and we got to think about the tiniest things like characters names etc.


Overall a really good day.
Here is a link to the website if you want to know more:
http://www.fightingwords.ie/contact

Sunday 8 January 2012

The Crimbo Limbo

Well Christmas is done,
I hope all of you had your fun,
I apologise for this blog being a tad late,
But it was the best Christmas to date.


Before christmas we had a blast,
Our day of fun went so fast.
A party of food and dances galore,
Kris Kindle and chatting; far from a bore.

We headed off to have a bowl,
Excited for Christmas. Hoping we wouldn't get coal,
A day of nuggets and getting stuck on a ride,
We couldn't get Shanen off no matter how hard she tried


I set off to Donegal not missing the sleet,
Little did I know I was in for a treat,
Santy came and spoiled me rotten,
Christmas is amazing, I had almost forgotten.


Three weeks of sleeping and food 24-7,
I must admit I was in absolute heaven.