An unforgettable May evening in London was hosted by the College Foundation, and brought together Old Columbans and our wider community. With the generous hospitality of Old Columban Martin Priestly at the Athenaeum Club, the event saw alumni from 1958 to 2023 sharing stories and reconnecting. The night was filled with nostalgia and camaraderie. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who attended—we eagerly anticipate doing it again next year!
You can see an album from the London event below:
The tradition College ‘Trips Week’ takes place in the first week of June. As the Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate examinations begins, pupils from non-exam years go on a series of trips. Many pupils from Forms I & II travelled to the south of France, visiting Nîmes, Montpellier, Pont du Gard, Avignon, Carcassonne and more, while those remaining at home participated in a series of day trips, including Explorium science museum, Dublin Zoo and Emerald Park.
Form IV (Transition Year) pupils travelled to Achill Island for a week of water sports, camping and outdoor adventures while our Form V pupils made the trip to the Burren in Co. Clare for biology and geography fieldwork. There was time for some rest and relaxation too, with a boat trip to Inis Oirr, the smallest of the Aran Islands, taking in a view of the Cliffs of Moher on their return and some surfing on Lahinch strand.
Below is a photo album from the various trips which took place last week. Many thanks to the staff who organised and accompanied the various trips and to the pupils for their excellent attitude and behaviour.
A wet April meant the summer games programme kicked in a little later than usual, with pitches taking their time to dry out. When things finally got up and running, our Senior Boys Cricket team, in particular, found their groove reaching the Leinster Cricket schools final for the second year in a row. Unfortunately though, despite fine individual performance from Jan Dijkstra (50), Seb Dijkstra (58) and Harry Smith Huskinson (22), it sadly ended in a second final loss in a row, this time against Rush. Rush batted first, amassing a fine 278/4. St. Columba’s were on track during the early stages but a few quick wickets saw them end on 192 runs, losing by 86.
In athletics, Archie Monaghan (Triple Jump) and Darren Ulogwara (High Jump) who navigated their way through East Leinster and Leinster schools athletics to qualify for the All Ireland event, taking place today in Tullamore.
Hughie Casey and Alannah McCoole were the winners of our annual 8km mountain run, both setting new records. Hughie has won the last three events!
The College recently hosted a golf competition for local primary schools; read about the Lionel Munn competition here. Also in golf news, the staff vs pupils golf competition ended in a draw.
The highlight of the sporting calendar, our annual Sports Day took place last Saturday. In glorious sunshine, our pupils competed across a range of track and field sports (plus a few others), with the blue team finishing in 1st place. The final event the day – the Cloister Dash – saw Kim Guinness and Helena Schoen seeing their names etched on the cup. Click here for a full report and for loads of photos from a great day of sport.
In the annual Sports Dinner, taking place that evening, colours were awarded to 24 pupils for their outstanding contribution to sport in the College. Click here for a full report from Mr Canning.
