the word Lucan in the mastheadthe word newsletter in the mastheadtransparent filler image
25 May 2025
link to home page link to main Sport page page link to GAA page link to Sports round-up page link to Local news page link to Parish page link to Politics page link to Community notes page link to Schools page link to Regulars page link to Birdie page link to Letters page link to Anniversaries page link to Lost and found page link to Features page link to Local interest page link to Stories/poems page link to History page link to Archive page link to Links page

Schools notes

picture of an owl reading a book

 

Lucan Community College

Essay Competition: Well done to our 7 TY students in the final of the National Grainne O'Neill Essay Competition - Oisin, Naomi, Cosmin, Kayla, Max, Mary and Donagh. Everyone was presented with a certificate on the night. Donagh and Mary were awarded a merit medal for their entries. Great to see students get involved and to try something creative. Well done to everyone!

Schools

Glasnevin Cemetery, 5th year History Tour: 5th years had a very interesting day exploring some key personalities on the Leaving Certificate course such as Charles Stuart Parnell, James Larkin and William Martin Murphy. They also had a look inside Daniel O Connell's crypt. The tour in Glasnevin Cemetery is very informative and steeped in history. A brilliant day out!

Schools

Teacher V Student Games: One of the most anticipated yearly traditions at our school is the Students vs. Teachers games - with both soccer and dodgeball on the schedule this year. The students came out on top in both games, showing impressive teamwork, determination, and just a bit of bragging rights! This event is about coming together, having fun, and celebrating the end of another great year. It's a reminder that school isn't just about the classroom - it's also about connection, joy, and shared experiences. Best of luck to our class of 2025 in their exams in June and Best Wishes for the future.

Schools

 

St Joseph's College Lucan

Scifest 2025: A massive well done to second year students Fina O'Connor, Aimee Sherriff and Isabelle Van Aesch as they performed excellently at the recent Scifest event at TUD Grangegorman. Their project entitled 'Aquaponics? Is it more efficient for plant growth than soil-based methods?' was displayed and presented superbly. The students received the Life Sciences and Sustainability award on the day.

Schools

Ceist Leadership Conference: Recently Student Council members Ruby Bell Curran, Elaine Jimmy and Rachel Guest attended the Ceist Student Leadership Conference at St Patricks College, DCU. In the conference the students learned about the values of Ceist and the traditions and history of the Ceist Trust. On return to the school the students can then relay these messages to other members of the Council so they can be spread throughout the school.

Darkness into Light: Well done to all the students and staff who took part in Darkness into Light last Saturday. The school raised over 1600 euro for Pieta House, a brilliant charity. St Josephs had nearly 100 early risers in St Catherine's Park for the walk. It was a great morning where spirits were high and jovial amongst the people taking part.

Second Green Flag: A celebratory day this week as Sandra and Sharon travelled to the Helix to collect our second green flag. They were representing our green school committee who were awarded the water flag for water conservation. Well done to all our students who helped us conserve water this year.

Clothing Collection: There will be a clothing collection hosted by the St Joseph's Parents Association this Saturday, 24th May from 10am - 12pm. Location: St Joseph's school lay by.

Schools

PAL mock trials: We had a fantastic performance in the recent Public Access to Law mock trials in the Central Criminal Courts. The students were brilliant on the day and qualified for the final of the competition. Unfortunately in a tight decision our team were just on the wrong side of the final verdict. . PAL is a transition year module that strives to make the workings of the legal system more accessible to the public and to students. Since 1997 PAL's large panel of practising barristers have presented the PAL visiting law module to transition year classes throughout the length and breath of Ireland. However, it was not all bad news for our brilliant team of students on the day as, as a result of their finishing position in the competition they have qualified for a trip to Chicago to represent Ireland in the International competition.

Sixth year Graduation dance: Our 6th year class of 2025 graduation dinner dance will take place this Friday, 23rd May at 7:30 pm in the Springfield Hotel.

Follow Us on Twitter: @StJosephsLucan
Follow Us on Instagram: @stjosephscollegelucan
Find us on our Website: www.stjosephslucan.com

 

Colaiste Phadraig

Awards Night: The annual Colaiste Phadraig Awards Night was held in the school on Monday 19th May. The Sports Hall was once again packed, with over 550 people in attendance as parents, family, friends, students and staff gathered together to celebrate a whole host of award winners at the biggest and most anticipated event in the school calendar. In total, over 270 awards were given out to 215 students across a broad spectrum of categories, the evening was a powerful celebration of the outstanding achievements, talents, and contributions of our student body throughout the school year.

Schools

BT Young Scientists

The opening awards were for academic excellence, with beautiful glass plaques presented to one student from each year group for each academic subject. The majority of awards on the night were non-academic, with awards for the BT Young Scientists, the Student Council, Mark O' Neill Student of the Month winners, Gaeilgeoiri na Miosa winners, Sports Stars of the Month winners, Class Tutor awards, ERST Student Committee, music awards, well-being awards, Green Schools, sports awards, effort and application, positive attitudes, co-operation and courtesy merits awards, Visual Art Creativity and homework awards to name but a selection of the awards!

6th yr Alex D'Alba won the coveted Ryan McKeown Perpetual Shield for outstanding contribution to English class throughout the year.

Transition Year student Derry Ware held off some fierce competition from Jack McCarthy and Simon Sunday to claim the Sports Star of the Year Award in recognition of his outstanding displays for the school’s u16 and senior hurling and Gaelic Football teams.

Andrei Costa and Leo Jordan were joint winners of the Transition Year Student of the Year Award in recognition of their fantastic all-round contributions to TY throughout the year. Both students fully embraced and embodied the spirit of TY as they planned and organised a huge range of school activities and events on their own initiative. They developed personally, socially and academically during the year and both were outstanding ambassadors for the school throughout their involvement with TY.

Cole Keenan Feary, Danny O' Leary, Ben Biju, Jayron Sarmiento and Enda Walsh all won From Each, His Best awards for their year groups in recognition of giving of their best at all times in every aspect of school life, while Enda also won the overall award, for which he received the beautiful perpetual trophy.

Blake McEntee, Daniel McDevitt, Rory O' Connor, Evan Whelan, Cillian Lawlor and Adam Salmon all won Padraic Naughton awards for their various year groups, with Cillian and Adam winning the overall perpetual award for their fantastic all-round contribution to school life throughout the year.

Schools

Adam Salmon and Cillian Lawlor Padraic Naughton winners with Mr. O' Meara

The main award of the night, The Tommy Brennan Student of the Year, was won by 6th yr David Farrelly, who got a sustained standing ovation from all in attendance.

David has impressed his teachers and management with his maturity, impeccable manners, strong work-ethic, positivity, leadership qualities and helpfulness throughout the year. He was a brilliant prefect; respectful, punctual, trustworthy, patient, reliable, courteous and authoritative when needed. He was a shining example of effective leadership, initiative and responsibility.

Schools

David Farrelly The Tommy Brennan Winner 2025 with principal Mr. O' Meara

David is a very talented musician who has been a loyal and committed member of the school's Music Club since its inception. He is so kind, friendly and encouraging to the younger members of the club, always willing to offer guidance, support and encouragement.

His involvement in the Student Council also showcased his dedication to making a positive impact on our school community. Although he is a softly-spoken, reasonably shy young man, David's voice was impactful and influential at meetings. He listened to the concerns and requests of his fellow students and advocated for meaningful change, often resulting in positive action and improvements in the daily lives of our students. He has been wonderful asset to our school community in his six years with us and he was a worthy winner of the Tommy Brennan Student of the Year Award 2025.

An enjoyable night was had by all and thanks to Ms. Farrell and Ms. O’ Leary who did a great job introducing and presenting the awards throughout the evening, to Ms. Casey for her fantastic work preparing, collecting and distributing the awards, and to Ms. Ryan who helped with the artwork, the stage arrangements and the photography area set up. Thanks also to our caretakers Noel and John for setting up the stage for the important week of Awards and Graduations. Many thanks also to Vivienne Ralph from Diamond & Gem Jewellers in Lucan who provided all of the awards for the ceremony and was a constant support right up until the last few frenzied hours (and minutes!) of preparation!