Achievements honoured at St Finian’s College

Two hundred and fifty awards were presented to students of St Finian’s College, Mullingar, at a ceremony last Tuesday evening. The awards acknowledge the academic, sporting and cultural achievements of the students and showcase the success of former students.

St Finian’s College is over 200 years old and has almost 900 students. At present it is undergoing a major refurbishment and building project which was first proposed in 2016.

John McHale, principal, announced: “By the start of the new school year, September 2027, we will take possession of our original building fully refurbished, together with the construction of a new entrance, two new Home Economics rooms and an additional educational needs centre. When fully completed and open we will have an amazing facility here in the college,” he declared.

Mr McHale welcomed the large crowd to the awards ceremony, among them Donagh Carey and Sarah Higgins who, along with Anna Sheehy, received the highest marks in this year’s Leaving Cert., and Rev Norman Allred, the school’s new chaplain.

The principal paid tribute to last year’s Parents’ Council, led by chairperson Samantha Flynn, for their support and encouragement. He thanked the Board of Management members Matt Melvin, Ann Nugent, Fr Barry White, Ann-Marie Davitt, Oliver Keating, Kevin Hickey, Aine Kirby and chairperson Aidan Farrell “for their selfless dedication to the work of the college”.

Mr McHale outlined the school’s significant investment in IT. Over the last six years they have purchased 15 Chrome book trolleys, which are like mobile computer rooms providing approximately 500 individual devices. Mr McHale said these devices will be used by all year groups and will assist greatly in enabling Leaving Cert. students complete the new assessment components at senior cycle.

“Our Google School capability continues to expand under the direction of our digital learning group, led by Gerard Lillis,” Mr McHale remarked. They are also looking at ways in which AI can enhance teaching and learning. He thanked the Parents’ Council and Mullingar Credit Union for financial assistance in this regard.

The Transition Year programme is almost a decade in operation at St Finian’s and there are now five classes taking part. The school’s long tradition with school musicals has been revived by TY. Last year students staged the Sound of Music and next March they will put on My Fair Lady.

In the Spring, TY students will visit Lake Garda, Venice and Verona in Italy. Mr McHale thanked the staff for making the programme so successful and wished Dan Connell the best in his new role as TY co-ordinator.

Students from St Finian’s left last week for Germany as part of the German Exchange programme, and German visitors will come to Mullingar next month. Mr McHale described these trips as “a wonderful opportunity for our students to create new friendships with fellow young Europeans, experiencing new cultures and improving language skills”.

He thanked Esther Beggan of the school’s German department, and her colleagues in Germany for arranging these exchanges.

A new departure for the college has been the establishment of an integration project with neighbours Sacred Heart Special School. Both schools will share a library space, develop joint committees, have shared library policies and a shared student led library programme. A joint literacy project with resource sharing will also be facilitated, Mr McHale explained.

The principal congratulated this year’s Leaving Cert. class on their “excellent examination results”, which he said, “are a tribute to the dedication of our teachers and a fitting reward for those students whose hard work, resilience and commitment brought rewards”.

However, he hoped that they would take more than good results with them, and that they had received “an education in the widest possible sense” and “an understanding and appreciation of the lasting values and qualities of life”.

He thanked the staff for the time and energy they devote to extra curricular activities and congratulated the students on their performances in all these areas: “Last year we fielded almost 30 different teams in all codes for both boys and girls,” the principal reported.

Mr McHale thanked deputy principals Aisling Ryan and Emma Carey “for their unstinting support to me and all the staff” and their “total commitment to and care for the students”.

He welcomed new staff members - Donna Fox, Guidance and English, Julie Clarke, Additional Education Needs, Stephen Coleman and Darragh Fallon, Technology and Engineering, Lorraine Coughlan, Art and Additional Educational Needs, Iveta Jonusate, Geography and English, Megan Noone, Science and Ag. Science, and Leo Davitt, Mathematics.

Mr McHale thanked Tracey Fleming for organising the awards ceremony and her colleagues in the Music Department for the entertainment. Ms Fleming was assisted on the night by Siobhan Doran and Niamh Jones.

He thanked Dominic Flynn and Frank Molloy for preparing the hall and supervising the traffic management, and the students who assisted them.

Entertainment on the night was provided by Chloe Cahill and Sean McDonnell and by All-Ireland medal winning sisters Anna and Aoife Dunleavy.

Choloe will be particularly remembered for her stellar role as Anita in the school’s production of West Side Story, a performance that brilliantly highlighted her talents in singing, dancing and acting. She, on guitar, sang Caledonia, accompanied by Sean McDonnell on keyboard. Sean won the Overall Music award for his contribution to music in the school and Chloe received the Non Schola music award.

Introducing the Dunleavy sisters, Ms Fleming said it was rare for two sisters to compete against each other at county, regional and All-Ireland level, but that was what Anna and Aoife did. They both won through to the U15 mandolin final in the Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann fleadh finals in Belfast this year where Aoife was crowned All-Ireland champion and Anna was awarded third place. The girls played a selection of tunes on the banjo.

This year’s Schola Cantorum award was presented to Richard Doyne by teacher Gerard Lillis.

As stated, Sean McDonnell received the Overall Music award. Anna Dunleavy received the junior musician award and the award for music leadership and mentoring went to Darragh McCabe. Chloe Cahill won the non-Schola music award with Chelsey McGovern taking the award for voice, Cillian Carey for keyboard, Béibhinn Nic Gabhan for strings, and Fionn McPhillips for traditional music.

The President’s Prize for outstanding positive contribution to their year group, as nominated by their peer group, was presented to Alannah Buckley, current 6th year, by Ms Carey, and to Regan Martin, current 3rd year, by Eddie Casserly. Alanna Staunton, current 2nd year student, was unable to accept her President’s Prize as she was attending the World Handball Championships in New York.

An Gaisce awards were won by Katie Keon, Sarah Davitt, Sadhbh Carey, Daire Coglan, Lucy Ginnell, Aine Brennan, Emma Lagan, Ellie Bourke-Murtagh, Carolann Downes, Jess Daly and Anna Reilly.

The award for the most positive contribution to the Students’ Council was presented to Harry Spendlow and Elliot Walsh by Ms Carey who also presented the Green Schools Initiative award to Poppy Herbert and Ruby Nally.

Sinead Garvin presented the House Awards, for the positive contribution to the House Programme, to Gloria Coady, Zoe Kirby, Jason Langan and Nikodem Rutkowski.

The awards for highest Leaving Cert. results went to Donagh Carey, Sarah Higgins and Anna Sheehy. The St Phyl’s Award, presented by Mr McHale, went to Seamus McNamee who was described as “a very deserving recipient”.

The new Gradam na Gaeilge awards were presented by Ruth Coloe to Niamh Farrell and Fionn McPhillips.

Celebrity guest speaker, Army Captain Elizabeth Carr, world triathlon athlete and a past pupil of the school, was unable to attend the awards, but it is understood that she will return to the school to address students in the near future.