This week we had the 30th Transition Year English Evening, the longest-established TY event in the College. It was planned primarily as a celebration of pupil work across the year, with an external guest speaker. There is no competitive element. This year we were delighted to welcome back a former teacher, Mr Paul Reidy, who […]
As happens annually, and has done for about 40 years since former Head of English Mr John Fanagan initiated the event, Voices of Poetry took place on Sunday evening, the last major event in the BSR of the school year. And as happens annually, many pupils and a handful of staff read or recited short […]
The Junior Public Speaking Competition at the end of May each year is part of a continuum of public speaking opportunities which our pupils have, and which help them build confidence and fluency. This starts in the First Form competition in front of their peers in English class, and includes the Transition Year House Speeches […]
Many congratulations to our Head of Science, Mr Jones, on his Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland Achievement Award in recognition of his exceptional contribution to education. In the words of the ASTI: “Humphrey Jones is a teacher of science, biology, and agricultural science, as well as a career guidance counsellor at St. Columba’s College […]
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 […]
A couple of weeks ago there was the publication of the first-ever biography of the architect of our Chapel, William Butterfield (1814-1900), and has just been published in a splendid production by Lund Humphries of London. Its author, Dr Nicholas Olsberg, visited the Chapel some years ago, and writes in the book that it is […]
This year the College is again taking part in national Culture Night, enabling visitors to the campus to learn about the history of the school, as well as its architectural heritage. Come and visit us on Friday 20th September (from 6.3opm – pupils will guide you from the car parks, and the talk starts in […]
It’s been an incredibly busy final term for our Transition Year pupils, capping off an extraordinary year (read the end of term report here). Last night, at the prize presentation evening in Whispering House, our Transition Year co-ordinator Ms Lynch wrapped up the year, reflected on the various experiences and, finally, announced the following awards […]
The 29th Transition Year English Evening was held on Tuesday 30th May in the Big Schoolroom. Again, it was a showcase of some of the best writing done during the year in English classes (there is no competitive element). Mr Jameson hosted the event, and the guest was former English teacher here, Mrs Annie Donnelly, […]
The long-standing Voices of Poetry event at the end of May provides a pause-point in the year. It is the last major event in the Big Schoolroom, and on a Sunday evening at the end of a busy weekend it gives us all a moment to listen attentively and appreciate great writing. As always, it […]
Congratulations to the winners of this year’s Form Prizes, based on overall academic performance, including examinations: FIRST FORM: Charlie Dunleavy, Max Heidenfeld, Oyindamola Oni, Marianna O’Shaughnessy. SECOND FORM: Jan-Christian Dijkstra, Grace Lee, Alannah Starbuck, Cora Wheatley, Merida Zhang, THIRD FORM: Lexi Hunter, Ethan Robertson, Jason Wong. FOURTH FORM: Grace Koch, Leire Mayo, Oscar Ryan, Giulia […]
I have just finished reading The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt. If you haven’t read it, get a copy. It is an important book. The overall thrust of the book is that the current mental health crisis among young people has been caused by the advent of the smart phone…children are now experiencing a phone-based childhood […]
Last night the ‘Junior Sandwich‘ which was this year’s Junior Play production came to a conclusion with two performances in the Big Schoolroom. Particular thanks are due to Mr Swift for conceiving this unusual evening of three short (and very different) pieces flowing into each other. They were very effectively staged in the round on […]
Drama continued to find its feet post-pandemic (when only modest productions found their way to the BSR stage, such as Michael Frayn’s Matchbox Theatre and a part of Waiting for Godot). Last year’s excellent Blithe Spirit was followed this November by another cleverly-plotted piece of stagecraft, Lennox Robinson’s The Whiteheaded Boy. First produced in the significant year 1916, it […]
The Whiteheaded Boy by Lennox Robinson is a favourite on the Irish theatre scene. First produced in the significant year 1916, it tells the story of the Geoghegan family: the youngest son, Denis, is his widowed mother’s favourite, and all the other siblings suffer by comparison. When he – yet again – fails his TCD […]
The College is delighted to present an event for Culture Night again, after a gap of some years. All visitors are welcome to come on the evening of Friday 22nd September 2023. St Columba’s College has been on its current site since 1849, and this tour offers a rare opportunity to see the campus and […]
On the afternoon of Saturday 17th June a memorial service was held in the College Chapel for former Warden David Gibbs. Mr Gibbs was Warden from 1974 to 1988, and died in June 2020 (he was born in 1926) when pandemic restrictions meant that such a service was not possible. A considerable gathering came to […]
The annual Transition Year Prize evening tonight featured an overview from Ms Lynch, the TY Co-ordinator, of the huge number of activities the pupils have taken part in this year. Pupil speakers on their experiences included Tomas Echevarria, Catejan Cardona, Mario Ramirez Miranda, Hedley Butler, Ayodeji Ediale and Harry Smith Huskinson, while Alison Wang sang […]
