Best of luck to our Senior Boys Football Team and their Coaches in their first round Corn Uí Mhuirí Match V Coláiste Choilm Ballincollig!
Wednesday October 22nd
1.30pm St.Mary’s GAA Grounds Enniskeane
CAO Virtual Information Evening for Students & Parents
Tuesday, 21 October 2025, from 6.00pm
CAO will host an webinar on the CAO application process, will provide advice on choosing courses and supports for parents/guardians and live Q&A with representatives of Higher Education Institutions.
Spaces for the live online event are limited: a recording will be available after the event for those who were unable to attend.
Registration is required https://www.cao.ie/index.php?page=webinar
On a beautiful October day, our Transition Year Home Economics students embarked on a delicious and educational journey to Ballymaloe Cookery School and Gardens in East Cork. The visit was a feast for the senses and a masterclass in sustainable living.
Ballymaloe Highlights
Ballymaloe is certainly a place where food is grown, nurtured, and celebrated.
On Thursday morning last, our students were warmly welcomed into the heart of Ballymaloe’s ethos with a beautiful buffet of homemade sweet treats and elderflower cordial. Students explored the lush organic gardens, met the famous free-range hens at the ‘Palais des Poulet’s’, and learned about the importance of seasonal produce and soil health.
A visit to the sourdough headquarters and associated ‘Bread Shed’ was a standout moment for students who are fans of their TikTok posts! The 100-acre farm at Ballymaloe is home to 12 Jersey cows – a stocking ratio not often seen in West Cork! We were introduced to the small dairy that makes butter, cheese and yogurt daily.
We enjoyed a guided meander through their many and varied vegetable, fruit, herb and flower gardens. Biodiversity is key to all that happens here. We were delighted to be among the first guests to be welcomed to Ballymaloe’s new glass house covering over one acre of ground! The highlight of the morning? Meeting renowned chef Rachel Allen, who shared some of her culinary wisdom and passion for sustainable cooking.
Mahon Market & Shopping Centre Moments
The afternoon brought a change of pace with a lively visit to the weekly Mahon Farmers Market. Students sampled local cheeses, artisan chocolates, and chatted with producers about food provenance and ethical sourcing. Of course, no trip to Mahon Point would be complete without a quick bite at the newly opened Wendy’s—a real contrast to the morning’s wholesome fare! A little retail therapy followed, with students picking up treats and treasures before heading home.
This memorable day blended sustainability, food education, and fun— hopefully leaving students inspired to think more deeply about what’s on their plate and where it comes from.
Roll on our next food trip!
Photos of our Music students on their jam packed tour to London and Liverpool last week which included:
Tour of Royal Albert Hall.
Performance of Wicked.
Workshop at Pineapple Dance studio.
Panoramic view over London at Horizon 22.
Performance of Mozart’s Requiem.
Beatles tour in Liverpool.
Performance of The Book of Mormon.
A visit to Liverpool Cathedral (The largest in the British Isles).
Workshop and interactive experience at the British Music Experience.
It was an amazing trip and an unforgettable experience for all.
Pictured are our students helping out in Cara House.
They spent the day chatting to all of the clients, doing errands and organising their shopping lists in local supermarkets.
Thanks to Ms. Aine Minihane, Ms. Orla O’Sullivan, Mr. Conor Uhl, Mr. Tom Foley and Ms. Gretta Burchill for organising.
Wishing all our TY students the very best as they begin their work experience placements next week.
We know you'll make the most of this opportunity to learn and explore your interests in the world of work.
A sincere thank you to Patrick Nealon and the Career Services team who recently delivered an excellent workshop to TY and LCA students to help them prepare for this. The session covered:
Reflecting on personal strengths & interests
How to search for and contact employers professionally
Tips for creating a strong TY CV
Your support has helped our students feel confident and ready to take on this new challenge. Go n-éirí libh go léir!
A big thank you to Mr. Ian McCarthy Engineer with McDonnell Piling and Foundations who came in today to give a talk to our TY students about his career in Structural Engineering.
Well done to our 1st year girls football team and their coach Ms. Anna Ward who beat St. Mary's of Macroom today.
Hard luck to our senior hurling team who lost to MICC yesterday in the league.
World Languages and Culture Week Roundup!
Dzień dobry! Olá! Labas! Привіт! Dia duit! Bonjour! ¡Hola! 你好！ہیلو!
Many, many thanks to all who participated and supported this year’s celebration, especially our TY helpers, Home Economics dept., Margaret and Ciara in the office and our BAM colleagues for their patience and flexibility.
A few highlights from the week:
Food – there were a lot of delicious delights to sample this week. Individual class groups prepared tapas-style tasters and our 2nd year Home Economics students designed and prepared food from various international menus. Our TY Food & Hospitality course collaborated with our TY Language and Culture class to host a mouth-watering lunch of sharing platters. Sharing food is a ritual that fosters community and belonging. It’s a universal language of care, connection, bringing friends together and making people feel welcome. We had authentic dishes from India, Ukraine, Poland, Turkey, New Zealand, Moldova, Italy, Middle East, Spain, France, Mexico and of course tea and scones with real butter, jam and cream from Ireland! Mrs. Doyle would have been proud! Once again, Joe arrived with his stall to treat our 6th students to freshly prepared churros con chocolate.
Art – we have incredible cohort of artists among our 1st year students. Almost 100 students submitted posters which helped to promote languages as a way of connecting with others. All the students’ work was warmly received and is proudly displayed in our canteen area. The theme was, ‘Languages open hearts and minds’. Prizes were awarded to the following students for their exceptional work: Elena C., Emma K., Ava C., Megan S., Maya M. Our TYs taught our 2nd years a lesson about Pablo Picasso and his famous anti-war painting, ‘Guernica’. We even recreated our own version for our Spanish classroom.
Language – our 6th years hosted a Spanish-language debate and invited Ms. Sheane’s 5th year Spanish class. The motion was: ‘Cambiar is algo positive’ (‘Change is a positive thing’). Both teams were very well prepared and performed excellently. The proposition won the adjudicators’ vote on the day and Olivia and Esmira were noted as stand-out speakers. We also enjoyed multi-lingual boardgames, music playlists and Spanish-language card games throughout the week.
Dance – our 1st years and TYs definitely found their dancing feet with in-class Just Dance competitions and a Zumba class with the amazing Flavie!
¡Fiesta! – La valiente Sra. Sheane organised a mini-Tomatina (tomato-throwing festival) with her TY students. This was not for the faint-hearted but was definitely lots of fun!
Film – Mr. Good hosted a French-language film during Film Club this week and students also enjoyed MFL screenings in their own French and Spanish classrooms.
Pictured below are our TY students who attended the Student Enterprise Conference at the Celtic Ross Hotel today.
Photos from our Junior Cycle Presentation Day last Wednesday.
Congratulations and well done to all our junior cycle students on their excellent results.
Pictured are our 1st and 2nd year English classes enjoying a trip to Skibbereen Library.
Students were informed about the services available at the library.
BorrowBox which lets you choose from bestsellers, new releases and much more with thousands of ebooks, audiobooks and magazines for all ages.
Comics Plus offers thousands of digital comic books, graphic novels, and manga for readers of all ages, with no holds, wait lists.
Kanopy is the best video streaming service for quality thoughtful entertainment.
Libby provides access to a wide range of online magazines on a variety of topics, including many international publications, with no download limits.
PressReader provides online access to thousands of newspapers and magazines from 120 countries around the world.
Transparent Language Online allows you to choose from over 100 languages, including English as a foreign language.
Universal Class lets you partake in hundreds of free online courses, ranging from business, IT, crafts, health and so much more.
Our students were encouraged to become members and were reminded about the importance of reading books for pleasure. The library staff informed them that they were available to help them research their CBAs for Junior Cycle going forward.
Our sincere thanks to our English Dept for organising the trips, Ms. Veronica Whooley for facilitating the talks, Ms. Pauline O’Callaghan and Mr. Tony O’Sullivan from Bam for accommodating us.
We are already looking forward to our next trip back there.
Transition year students pictured here with some of the residents of Skibbereen Nursing Home.
Students had a wonderful time catching up with residents, playing bingo and doing a spot of gardening.
Congratulations to our U19 Boys Soccer Team who beat Kinsale Community School in the Munster Cup.
Hard luck to our U19 Boys Basketball Team who narrowly lost to Crosshaven in the League.
Well done to our First Year Boys Hurling Team who took part in a West Cork Schools Blitz in Clonakilty today.
We were delighted to invite Nurse Margaret Crehan today who gave presentations to 3rd year students on health and well-being.
She is pictured here with Mr. Tom Foley Deputy Principal, Mr. Peter Lynch our Well-being Coordinator and Ms. Orla O’Sullivan one of our SPHE teachers.
Well done to our Junior Ladies Rugby team and their coaches Ms. Aoife Breen and Mr. Aaron O’Riordan who beat Bandon Grammar today by 38 points to 5.
Dear Parent/Guardian,
Classes will finish tomorrow Wed, Oct 8th at 12.10pm to facilitate the Junior Cycle Results Presentation. Buses will run at this time, Regards, SCS Management.
Pictured here are our TY students chatting to clients and organising their shopping lists.
Thanks to Ms. Aine Minihane, Ms. Orla O’Sullivan, Mr. Conor Uhl, Mr. Tom Foley and Ms. Gretta Burchill for organising.
