First Year Open Evening

The open evening at Mary Immaculate Secondary School for incoming first year students was held on the 23 October. Prospective student got to visit a number of departments in the school including science, DCG, woodwork and home economics where they were given hands on experience in these subjects. Present students in the school ran all the workshops with the teachers of those subjects taking a back seat. Great credit must be given to all the students and teachers who gave up their evening to ensure that the open evening was a great success.

Open evening – woodwork	Open Evening – firing rockets
Open evening – Science	Open evening – Art
Open evening – Drawing room	Open evening – Musicians
Irish angus project group speaking to parents at the open evening

Burren Winterage Weekend

A team of three students from Mary Immaculate Secondary School are finalists in the Certified Irish Angus Schools competition 2018. As part of their project, two of the students involved from addressed delegates at the annual Burren Winterage Weekend.  The theme of their presentation was the role Irish Angus cattle in relation to Farming in Tandem with Nature. After their presentation, they answered many questions from the delegates attending the conference. The theme of this section of the conference was Farming for Nature in Ireland.

The Burren Winterage weekend includes a conference on sustainable farming systems, heritage walks, farming demonstrations, a food fayre, an innovation fair, music and art.   The weekend’s events culminated in the community cattle drive in Carron on Sunday 27^th, where the community follow a herd of cattle into the Burren hills where they will spend the winter. This is a great celebration of this rich tradition that has existed in the Burren over centuries. A number of students from the school took part in this event as well as science teacher John Sims.

More information on our Certified Irish Angus Schools competition finalists can be found on our website burrenwinteragefarmers.eu.

Cattle drive to the winterage	Two present students and a future student of MISS at the winterage
Amy Woods and Aoife Forde after the cattle were brought to the winterage.	Amy Woods addressing delegates at the Burren Winterage Weekend
	Amy Woods and Séamus MacNamara at Burren Winterage Weekend

Presentation to John O’Loughlin

The outgoing Board of Management made a presentation to retiring principal John O’Loughlin in Hotel Doolin on Friday 18 October. Following dinner in Glas restaurant, chairperson of the board, Stephen Flaherty, thanked John for his long and dedicated commitment to Mary Immaculate. John was presented with a bog oak sculpture made by past pupil Caoimhín Conneally (Irish Wood Products).

Stephen Flaherty presenting John O’Loughlin with the bog oak sculpture

John O’Loughlin, Maura O’Loughlin and Stephen Flaherty

BT Young Scientists 2020

Mary Immaculate Secondary School entered nine projects for the BT Young Scientist and Technology exhibition in January. After the screening process, six projects were chosen to take part in the exhibition in January. The students are busy working on their projects over the mid term and will be continuing their research over the next two months.

Sports news

Athletics – Caoimhe Byrne O’Connell did exceptionally well on Tuesday 22nd October representing her school in Athletics. She came 9th out of 33 in Munster and a year out of her age group and 1st in Clare at the combined  event.  She got a PB of 140cm in the high jump.

Ladies Football – Well done to all players, parents, supporters and followers of Mary Immaculate Secondary School who played their part in securing a set of jerseys and training equipment though the #SeriousSupport campaign in conjunction with Lidl. This campaign seeks to promote and support Ladies Football in Secondary Schools around Ireland.

The Senior Ladies Football team continued their successful run by beating Gaelcolaiste/Ennis Community College on a scoreline of 7:19 to 2:1. Well done to all involved. Both the junior and senior teams will advance to the semi-final stage of their respective competitions.

Burren Gaels Minor Ladies Football – Well done to this group of ladies who reached the Division 1 Minor Semi final and played a great game and were unlucky not to win on the day. Well done to all involved.

Ladies football team

Getting the new jerseys

Wellbeing Concert

As part of mental health week Mary Immaculate Secondary School held a wellbeing daytime concert in the Pavilion Theatre in Lisdoonvarna on the 23 October. All students of the school attended as well as staff and some parents and grandparents. Student acts from throughout the school performed traditional, modern and classical music during the concert. There was also a jig and a set danced as well as a brush dance. There was a musical performance from a past pupil and our French language assistant.

The quietness of the audience was a testament to how well the acts were received. In opening the event, the principal, Mona Hynes, addressed the audience. “It is an honour and a privilege to welcome you all here today to our Brunch Time wellbeing concert.  A showcase of the talent that is such an integral part of the fabric of Mary Immaculate Secondary School.  An opportunity for some to shine and for all to enjoy and delight in.  The sharing of our gifts and talents for the wellbeing of all.  The promotion of positivity, the promotion of each other, Together we take joy in each other’s gifts”.

Mona went on to say, “As we celebrate this talent, we acknowledge the great support that has developed and nurtured it, your Parents and Guardians. Welcome to all our parents and guardians here today.  Thank you for all you have done to nurture and develop such gifts, thank you for the support and indeed at times the sacrifice.  Our young performers today are the embodiment of all that love and support”.

Our thanks to Mr. Mulqueeney for organising this great event.

Wellbeing concert . Emma and Sean	Wellbeing concert. Brush dance
Wellbeing concert audience	Wellbeing concert. Set dancing
Wellbeing concert. Sean (rapper)	Wellbeing concert