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
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.
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
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.
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.
All
Ireland RTE drama festival - workshops, theatre exhibitions, events
Athlone
Literary Festival: Celebration of the life and works of John
Broderick (1924–1989)
American
crime writer James M. Cain references Athlone in his 1937 book
Serenade!
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.
The
Golden Island Shopping Centre (1997)
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!
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.
