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St Columba’s College Clinch Dramatic Ian McKinley League Final Win

In blazing sunshine at Lakelands Park, St Columba’s College edged a thrilling Ian McKinley League Final with a last-minute penalty to seal a 26-25 win over a powerful Oatlands side.

Oatlands started the brighter, using their size up front to dominate early possession. But it was SCC who got on the scoreboard first, with Rory O’Dowd slotting a penalty. Oatlands responded with a penalty of their own and followed up with a well-worked try to lead 8-3 approaching halftime. However, a brilliant long pass from Ryan Ovenden found Vito Wiesner in space, who dived over in the corner to level the match 8-8 at the break.

The second half was fiercely contested, with big carries from Oatlands testing the SCC defence. Matthew Houlihan and George Priestley led the resistance with immense physicality and determination. Ovenden continued to be a spark in attack, and early in the half, he broke through and timed his pass perfectly to send David Chukweuke diving in at the corner for us to lead 13-8.

Oatlands hit back with a converted try to lead 15-13. Gavin O’Dowd kept the pressure on with sharp breaks from scrum-half, and David Cron was relentless in midfield. Ovenden once again made the difference, slicing through the defence and sending Chukweuke over for his second. This time, he finished closer to the posts, and Rory O’Dowd’s conversion gave SCC a 20-15 lead.

Oatlands responded again to edge ahead 22-20, before another O’Dowd penalty nudged SCC back in front. Yet another late Oatlands penalty saw them lead 25-23 with minutes remaining. But with one final chance, Rory O’Dowd coolly slotted his final kick in an SCC shirt to seal a memorable 26-25 victory. A heroic win and fitting end to a brilliant season.

Ian McKinley Final 2025 - Senior Rugby
Ian McKinley Final 2025 – Senior Rugby
106 photos
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Form I Boys Win Rugby League Final

Congratulations to the Form I boys Rugby Team who won a thrilling league final last week against a physically strong Templeogue team. The game ended 45-34 after a phenomenal team effort. Templeogue started strong, going into a 0-10 lead early on but Columba’s foght back, with a penalty and a converted try courtesy of the excellent Joshua Cron. Templeogue got on back and it was 14-17 at half time. Joshua was on the scoresheet early in the second half, dotting down for two more tries (converting both) and “The Ducks” now had a 31-17 lead. Joshua was almost unplayable and two more tries, started inside his own 22, saw their lead extend to 45-27 with just a few minutes left. Templeogue got one more consolation try, showing their determination extended to the final minute, but St. Columba’s were crowned the champions and celebrated in style.

Congratulations to the entire team for their amazing performance and to Mr Paul Cron and his coaching team for their hard work and dedication throughout the term.

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Junior Play Review – DNA by Dennis Kelly

Congratulations to the stellar cast of this year’s Junior Play – DNA by Dennis Kelly. The young cast did this incredible modern play justice, exploring the dark potential in humanity, in people of all ages. [The play mirrors many of the themes of Adolescence,  a topic the Warden wrote about recently here].

Matilde Matera was excellent as Leah, the fast talking moral barometer of the cast. Finn Vanmalder played the broody Phil with serious intensity, coming to life during his plotting monologues, while Luca Cowen was menacing as John Tate. Harry Casey and Eloise Droilliard were Mark and Jan, the play’s narrators of sorts, expertly setting the tone for the long group sequences. Adam, the topic of conversation for much of the first half of the play, was played by Aleksander Foster, who expertly brought this vulnerable and broken character to life. Jason Otolurin (Brian), Darren Ulogwara (Richard), Merida Zhang (Dani), Laragh Cunningham Ash (Cathy) and Suvi Cully (Lou) completed the strong cast (Alice McCarthy understudied for ‘Cathy’ in the final performance on Saturday night). The play as directed by Mr Jones and Mr Stewart.

Congratulations to the young cast. They brought intensity, emotion and energy to the play, ensuring everyone in the BSR was on the edge of their seats throughout. Pupils and staff will talk about it for many days to come.

Junior Play 2025
Junior Play 2025
41 photos
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Music Prize Concert 2025

Congratulations to the winners of this year’s Music Prizes. Each of the 16 shortlisted musicians performed at the last nights Music Prize Concert with the winners decided by guest judge Colma Briscú from the Royal Irish Academy of Music. The winners are:

Junior

Matilde Matera and Eric Wang

Senior

Rebecca Flanagan, Ferdia Murray, Elliot Warnock and Jerry Zhang

Music Prize Concert 2025
Music Prize Concert 2025
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Warden’s Thoughts on … Adolescence

Hands up if you have watched Adolescence. If you haven’t you probably should, if only so that you can have an opinion on it and be part of the debate that is being engendered about the issues that it raises. Really important issues about what it means to be a man, what it means to be a parent. It is a fine drama, but, more importantly, it may be a watershed moment, which is not something that can be said very often in a world where there are endless new productions being released every week on a myriad of platforms.

I am not going to tell the whole story but, put simply, it is about a 13 year old boy who murders a girl from his school who has mocked his masculinity on social media. Although he is the perpetrator of a brutal crime, he is also a victim, conditioned by the online world which he and his friends inhabit and where he has been manipulated by bad actors who churn out filth and lies about what it means to be a real man. I had not heard the word ‘manosphere’ before but I did know what an ‘incel’ was and everyone has heard of Andrew Tate and his like. You get the context.

The most moving part of the series is the effect it has on his mother and father and sister. His parents are ordinary people who have done their best to raise their son and keep him safe. They thought he was safe in his bedroom, staying off the streets, but were totally unaware of the virtual world that he was living in. The portrayal of the father is incredibly moving. I guess the parents are also victims, bringing up their children in a very rough world without the emotional tools to navigate between Scylla and Charybdis (look it up).

I have heard it said before that as parents we find it easy to protect our children in the physical world: how do you cross a road, how do you learn to swim, don’t talk to strangers, wash your hands before eating. Those things are easy and obvious and you would despise a parent who didn’t teach their child these basics. On the other hand, although they can avoid getting hit by a car, we have allowed our children to access a jungle of online influences without imposing any parameters, thinking that the online world was safer than the physical one. We were wrong. Left to themselves it will be no time before children (I used that word deliberately) are watching violent pornography, extremist political or religious content and material designed to get them to question their identity and feel bad about themselves…we know where that leads. And all the while algorithms, developed by the cleverest people in the world, feed them with content that encourages them to develop more and more warped views on the world…or on women.

As a school we have a major responsibility to educate the children here and to put in place rules and guidelines to protect them. Obviously, this is of particular importance for the younger ones. We need to teach those ones how to cross the road or to stay away from the road altogether. Education is better than the imposition of rules, so that we teach young people how to make good decisions, but rules are necessary here, just as they are at home. And rules need to be reviewed, as they will be.

This responsibility is shared with all their parents, who are the ones to buy the phones and other devices to put them into their child’s hands. They could always make the decision not…or to delay. Nowadays it is possible to monitor exactly how much online time they can have, which apps are on their phones and which websites can be accessed. How many parents are actually doing that? Day schools can ban phones and that is a no-brainer, but I wonder how many parents impose their own strict rules at home. Most children go to a school where they spend a maximum of eight hours a day, five days a week. What about the other 75% of their time? And that is term-time only.

Perhaps Adolesence is the wake-up call that society needs as a whole.

How can we change the narrative…what should it mean to be a man at St. Columba’s? It is always better to focus on the positive than dwell on the negative. That is a discussion that I would really like to have.

Image credit: Netflix 

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Open Evening 2025

We are delighted to host an Open Evening for prospective pupils and their parents will take place on the evening of Thursday 15th May, from 6.30pm to 8.30pm.

This will be an opportunity for pupils seeking entry in 2026, 2027 or 2028 at any age to see around the College with their parents. There will be a reception, with teachers available for questions, followed by introductory talks, and then short tours given by Junior pupils.

If you would like to come to the Open Evening, please contact us via email – admissions@stcolumbas.ie – or phone 01-4906791.

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Arts Week 2025

After a hiatus of six years, Arts Week returns to the College calendar for 2025 with a varied and interesting mix of events planned. Some of the highlights include hand building pottery workshops, lunchtime gigs, literature workshops, circus performances, card making, “Scéal” drama workshops (as Gaeilge), fireside chats with the Lír Academy,  mono printing workshops, African drumming sessions and more dance and drama workshops. It promises to be a wonderful week. Many thanks to Ms Emma Patterson for coordinating the week’s event and to the teachers, parents and friends of the College providing opportunities for our pupils to engage with the arts world.

See an album of photos from the event below – this will be updated daily, so come back and see if again later in the week.

Arts Week 2025
Arts Week 2025
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Junior Play 2025 – DNA by Dennis Kelly

Updated: Monday March 24th

This year’s Junior Play is ‘DNA‘ by Dennis Kelly, performed by a cast of Form III pupils. It will be performed on Friday March 28th at 7:00pm and Saturday March 29th at 7:30pm, in the BSR. Guests are welcome.

DNA by Dennis Kelly is a gripping, contemporary drama that follows a group of teenagers caught in a web of moral dilemmas after a shocking incident spirals out of control. The play delves into the dark undercurrents of youth culture, exploring themes of guilt, responsibility, and the destructive power of group dynamics. As the characters grapple with their actions, the lines between right and wrong blur, revealing the fragility of truth and the lengths individuals will go to protect themselves. Kelly’s sharp dialogue and tense pacing underscore the play’s examination of peer pressure, identity, and the haunting consequences of unchecked decisions, leaving audiences to question the nature of morality in a chaotic world.

The cast, in alphabetical order, are:

Harry Casey – Mark
Luca Cowen – John
Suvi Cully – Lou
Laragh Cunningham Ash / Alice McCarthy – Cathy
Eloise Droilliard – Jan
Sasha Foster – Adam
Matilde Matera – Leah
Jason Otolorin – Brian
Darren Ulogwara – Richard
Finn Valmander – Phil
Merida Zhang – Dani

Directed by Humphrey Jones & Dylan Stewart. Technical support by Ronan Swift.

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South Africa Trip Report

Form V pupil Safia Walker reports on the recent school trip to South Africa.

During the February half-term, fifteen of us embarked on a long but highly anticipated journey to South Africa, where we had the incredible opportunity to stay in Tiger Kloof School. Tiger Kloof is a historic boarding and day school located in Vryburg, in the Northwest province of South Africa. The school holds deep historical significance, having endured the effects of the Apartheid, making it a powerful place for learning and reflection.

Upon our arrival, we were warmly welcomed by the students and staff and we  enjoyed a wonderful dinner together, setting the tone for the week ahead. From the very start, we felt a strong sense of community and were eager to immerse ourselves in the cultural and social experiences that awaited us. Throughout our stay, we had many memorable interactions with the students, who were eager to share their culture and traditions with us. One of the most memorable moments was learning and performing traditional South African gumboot dancing and marimba playing. Though our dancing skills were far from refined and our marimba playing was slightly offbeat, the experience was filled with laughter and joy. The sound of our enthusiastic yet imperfect performance echoed through the stunning church, creating an unforgettable moment of cultural exchange.

In addition to participating in cultural activities, we attended classes with the students, which provided us with valuable insight into their education system. While we noticed many similarities in subjects and teaching methods, there were also stark differences in student life and daily routines. This experience allowed us to appreciate the unique challenges and opportunities faced by students at Tiger Kloof, deepening our understanding of life in South Africa.

We didn’t just interact with the students. In the nearby township we visited a centre for disabled individuals. We read books, danced and also did some colouring with them. Afterwards we headed to the soup kitchen which was set up by the Warden and where the Tiger Kloof students volunteer twice a week.  While we were there we aided in cooking food, we cried a lot while cutting onions and we played football with the local children.  This was a very moving and rewarding experience to help those who are not as fortunate as us yet still were full of joy.

As our week was coming to an end, we drove to Pilanesberg National Park to do a safari tour. We were lucky enough to see rhinos, elephants, hippos, giraffes and lions, as well as countless butterflies.  Looking back, our time in South Africa was an extraordinary journey of cultural immersion, personal growth, and meaningful connections. We left with a newfound appreciation for the kindness and hospitality of the people we met, as well as unforgettable memories that will stay with us forever.

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Warden’s Blog:

The latest piece from the Warden is from his contribution for the new Old Columban Society Bulletin (published in May for members):

Every year has its challenges and I will not bore you with some of mine! Nevertheless the challenges that we face over here as a sector are nothing compared those faced by the independent sector in the UK. The new Labour government which was elected in July 2024 lost no time in fulfilling its manifesto promise to remove the exemption on charging VAT on school fees, thus essentially adding 20% to the cost of sending your child to a private school. Some schools have been able to absorb some of the cost but they have had to make cuts elsewhere. A year’s fees at Eton in September 2025 will be an eye-watering €75,000 a year! The irony is that this would have been impossible if not for Brexit, since it is illegal in European law to charge VAT on education.

I have many friends running schools in the UK and morale is low. At the last HMC (Heads’ Conference) that I went to, the best attended seminar was on the topic of what to do after headship! Many Heads are exhausted and are looking for calmer and less stressful waters.

Having said that, I do feel that UK private schools as a whole are, to some extent, reaping what they have sown. It used to be that professional parents could afford a private school, even a boarding option, but fees have ratcheted up well above inflation for a very long time now and an independent education is beyond the means of many who would traditionally have explored that option. Schools have become embroiled in an arms race for bigger and better facilities, trying to outdo each other in what they offer: a second sports hall; a new theatre that would not be out of place in the West End; boarding houses with 5 star accommodation. Were schools meant to be like that? Were they meant to be the bastions of social elitism that they have become? Many of the top schools in the UK were founded as a charitable endeavours to care for orphans and their benefactors would be astonished at what they have become.

Don’t get me wrong, the top schools in the UK are amongst the best in the world, but I think they are in some ways to blame for the predicament in which they find themselves.

Here at St. Columba’s we are seen as very expensive in the Irish context and yet our boarding fees begin at €25,000 a year, with day fees at €11,000, the price of one term at a top day school in the UK. Of course, we do get a state subsidy and I am not claiming that we are cheap but sending your child here is an aspiration that many more parents can afford than in the UK. We have very good facilities, but we are not in an arms race to outdo our competitors. We do what the best schools anywhere do… a beautiful campus, academic excellence, a very broad extra-curricular offering, a wonderful sense of tradition, all underpinned by great pastoral care.

It won’t surprise you to know that we are vigorously advertising in the UK. There are many families over there that have Irish family or Irish roots and they still want a traditional boarding education. I am hopeful that we will pick up a number of children who would have gone to a UK private school, but whose parents simply can’t afford it any more. Forecasts suggest that numbers attending private schools over there are set to shrink in the next couple of years and some smaller schools have already announced that they are closing their doors. I do not like to see friends and colleagues over there struggling but that does not mean that we are not hoping to benefit from their plight.

I believe that what we offer here is just as good as any school in the UK. As I said, I don’t mean that we can match the biggest schools over there for facilities, but we are true to our foundation, we are a safe and secure campus, we are a small school that looks out for every child that comes our way and I think that ultimately those things are more important than award-winning buildings and vanity projects.

If you add to that the breadth of the Irish Leaving Certificate curriculum, vis-à-vis the narrowness of the outdated three subject A Level option, and the imaginativeness of the Transition Year…but those are topics for another day!

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Form I Boys Hockey Team Valiant in Cup Final Defeat

A small school like ours with a varied intake does not often reach the final stage of their competitions. So the last nine days are almost unprecedented in more recent times when our First Year Boys competed in our fourth losing final against a strong Wesley side.

Of course, it is nice to win silverware, but it is also important to see a high skill level, competitiveness, effort, and player development on the pitch. Both teams produced all the above, and the losing St. Columba’s team showed they have plenty of potential.

The 4-1 loss score line did not indicate the game’s closeness. Wesley certainly shaded the first, leading 2-0, before Joshua Cron scored a top-quality reverse stick short corner before halftime.

St. Columba’s had plenty of possession in the second half, with three short corner attempts going too high and rebounds not quite falling to our attackers in the opposition circle.  The Wesley goalkeeper also pulled off an excellent stick side save. On the other hand, Wesley snapped up their chances and consistently defended our line-to-goal penetrations.

To single out a few St. Columba’s players, but to preface that, I want to say that all tried their utmost to the final whistle; their performance being a real team one. Players at this age level rarely throw 40 metre overheads; Joshua Cron combined this skill with pace and timely tackling. Archie Moffett defended energetically and showed some excellent ball carrying and passing ability. Bruno Pujol was calm, displaying some adept three-dimensional stick work when the opposition pressed him hard at left back. Samuel Butler, Sebastian Jenner and Jonny Quinn looked sprightly up front and ran tirelessly.

Well done to both teams and their coaches on an excellent match. The photograph below of both teams together after the presentation exemplifies what sport should be and can be about; competition on the pitch and real camaraderie once the final whistle has gone. I am sure many will come up against each other at school and club level for many years.

(Daniel Brady, Fraser Carey, Jamie Crombie, Jacobo Gonzalez-Arnao Mut, Benjamin Graves, Sebastian Jenner, Joshua Cron, Geoffrey Dobbs,  Archie Moffett, Thomas Monaghan, Maximilian Morrissey, Alex O’Herlihy,  Bruno Pujol, Bosco Quesada Torrejon, Jonny Quinn)

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Double Disappointment for the Senior Girls Hockey Squad.

Our Senior Girls’ hockey team played their second final in a week today. The Trophy Final match was again in the Three Rock Rovers hockey club and against the same opposition, Newpark Comprehensive School.

Last Monday’s encounter was a closely fought game that ended in a disappointing loss in the one-on-one eliminators. Our team knew they had let the previous week’s game slip away from them and were determined to reverse the result.

From the start it was clear that Newpark had decided to pack their midfield to deny us the space needed to implement our passing game, as well as forcing us left to minimise us using the right hand side as an attacking avenue. This all meant that there were far fewer scoring chances created.

Newpark’s first short corner yielded their first and the decisive goal. It was to be their only direct shot on target in the match. With five minutes to go the St.Columba’s coaching staff took off our goalkeeper AJ Ediale to try and force the desperately needed equaliser with an extra outfield player. The brave but risky tactic did yield some circle entries and half chances but  some last ditch effective Newpark defending meant the final whistle blew and Newpark had won an elusive double League and Trophy title.

In spite of our double disappointment our entire squad and coaching team deserve enormous credit for an excellent season.

(N.Bradley-Brady, O.Cowan, AJ.Ediale, A.Genetzke, T.Larke, F.Lodewijk, M.Mann, A.McCoole, C.Mellenthin, H.Murray (Capt), C.Penwill, R.Pollock, S.Pollock, P.Pringle, S.Walker, P.Wiesner, )

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Junior A Girls Hockey Team Defeated in League Final

The second girls’ hockey final in a week did not disappoint although sadly it ended in a second final defeat. This time it was the turn of the Junior A Girls’ team, playing in the Leinster League 1 final against a strong Loreto Balbriggan side. The day was again bathed in Spring sunshine as over two hundred College supporters walked down through Marlay Park.

The girls advanced to this final by reversing an earlier 8-0 League defeat to the St. Teresian School, drawing 1-1 in the semifinal and winning the one-on-one eliminations.

The game opened tentatively with St. Columba’s defending hard, notably with Captain Cora Wheatley and goalkeeper Hannah Bowles to the fore. Balbriggan’s well-drilled short corner routine put them a goal ahead. St. Columba’s managed some unsuccessful goal line flurries but went 2-0 down after Balbriggan counterattacked from the top of their circle; what a goal it was with the Balbriggan forward eliminated two St. Columba’s defenders with left to right drags and rounding our goalkeeper.

On the stroke of half time, our First Form playmaker whipped in a slap hit short corner of her own, meaning we went into halftime with the game delicately balanced and all to play for.

The second half was marked by us not taking our chances and Balbriggan scored another goal to emerge worthy winners.  Both teams deserve praise for their unstinting efforts to the final whistle and playing competitively but in excellent spirit.

Later today, our Senior Girls’ Hockey squad return to Three Rock Rovers for the Trophy Final, getting the opportunity to exact revenge on Newpark for last week’s League Final defeat. On Wednesday, our Form I boys play in their league final against Wesley College after an excellent semi-final defeat against High School last week. Hockey finals are like Dublin buses these days; we wait so long for one to arrive and then four arrive at the same time!

(Hannah Bowles,  Daniela Casasus Benitez, Winnifred Cawley-Comerford, Suvi-Helene Cully, Sophie Dobbs, Melisa Frisenbrudere, Emily Gleeson, Anna Hart, Eleanor Hart, Naomi Larke, Hannah Moffett, Madeleine Murphy, Daisy Nowlan, Alannah Starbuck, Matilda Strack, Cora Wheatley (Captain).

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Senior Girls Hockey League Final Report

The Senior Girls’ Hockey Team reached their League and Trophy finals this season; an achievement that last happened in 2016.

The League final was played on Monday, 3rd of March in the Three Rock Rovers hockey club. The team was buoyed by defeating their opponents, Newpark Comprehensive School, 4-0 in a previous league encounter.  The coaching staff made it clear that there should be no complacency as finals have a knack of upturning form.

The warm, clear, sunny day combined with two supportive and positive sets of supporters set the scene.

From the start, the St. Columba’s side strung flurries of coordinated passing movements together but could not make the circle entries and score the goal their possession warranted. In saying that, Newpark defended their circle tenaciously and a couple of speedy forwards posed a constant counterattacking threat.

This pattern continued throughout the second half when short-range opportunities on the left-hand post were not seized. In the final minute, Newpark won a corner, which our goalkeeper AJ Ediale calmly dealt with.

The 0-0 draw took the game into five one-on-one shootouts. AJ Ediale saved Newpark’s first three attempts, closing down their attackers quickly and agilely, staying on her feet. St.Columba’s first attempt was efficiently scored by Polly Pringle, but that encouraging start faltered. We did not score another, while Newpark scored their final two, meaning they took the league title.

The final result was disappointing as we knew we had let the game get away from us. However, the match was played in an excellent spirit and both team Captains congratulated each other’s sides for that in their acceptance speeches. We can be sure that Holly Murray and her team will do their utmost to reverse this result in next Monday’s Trophy final; it may well be against the same opposition. (Playing their semi-final tomorrow).

(N.Bradley-Brady, O.Cowan, AJ.Ediale, A.Genetzke, T.Larke, F.Lodewijk, M.Mann, A.McCoole, C.Mellenthin, H.Murray (Capt), C.Penwill, R.Pollock, S.Pollock, P.Pringle, S.Walker, P.Wiesner, )

Senior Girls Hockey Final, March 3rd 2025
Senior Girls Hockey Final, March 3rd 2025
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London Foundation Event, May 2025

Old Columbans, parents (current and former) and friends of the College, who live in (or regularly visit) the UK, are cordially invited to attend reception in the Athenaeum Club, Pall Mall, London on Thursday 22nd May, 2025 between 6:30 – 8:30pm. 

At the event, the Warden will bring you up to date with news of the College and its plans through the Foundation. We will also hear from a number of OCs about their careers and what they are doing now. 

This event will provide a great opportunity for our community to get together and is very kindly being hosted by a current parent and OC who is a member of the Athenaeum (a private members’ club which is not open to the public). Joining me at the event will be Sarah Love (Chairperson of the Fellows), former members of staff and current staff members. 

Places are limited to 120 people. Bookings are dependent upon the receipt of a £30pp contribution to be made payable via this link. For queries, email Sonia Young using the details below.

The club dress code: as a private club, the Athenaeum has a strict dress code which it describes as jacket and tie for men and for women to dress with equivalent formality. Please see the club’s website for more details.

We very much hope that you will be able to join us for what will be a most enjoyable evening in London. 

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