Sport

The school provides many sporting options for students, and in this area has also had some success. In the past, the school volleyball team achieved national success, and the girls’ basketball team won two Senior ‘A’ All-Irelands. Football and hurling teams have achieved great success in Cork and Munster Colleges competitions over recent years.

Camogie and girls’ football are offered also. Athletes are encouraged to compete in the provincial and national athletics competitions and we have had many individual successes over the years. The school has scored back-to-back victories in the Cork Colleges soccer tournament. Students are exposed to a wide range of other sports since P.E. was introduced in the school and T.Y. students take off for an adventure week every year. First years also get to experience watersports in Kinsale. A very successful Sports Day is also held each year.

Student Exchange

The school has also embraced the European dimension to education, and has forged strong links with College la Gautrais in Brittany. Students have also travelled to schools in La Rochelle, France and to Germany. Students also took part in a three-year Comenius programme with other schools through Europe celebrating both the diversity and the similarity of educational systems, and compiling many surveys of attitudes to education.

Field Trips & Excursions

Transition Year and Fifth Year students also have the opportunity to make an educational visit to different European locations. Many students have fond memories of Mr. Buckley’s geographical expeditions and the annual Fifth Year trip to Dingle Gaeltacht. Photos of recent trips to the Burren and Coumshingaun can be seen in the photo gallery. Retreats for fifth and sixth year students are held at venues outside the school.

Fundraising

The spirit of altruism has always been an integral part of the school and classes have been very effective and successful foundraisers for a wide range of charities, perhaps the most well-known being the Transition Year cycle from Malin to Mizen for GOAL in 1995. The annual carol-singing and Christmas fast in aid of St. Vicent de Paul have been part of school activity for thirty years. In 1999 we added the Oxfam Fair Trade sales of work to our agenda every Christmas. In recent years the L.C.V. P students have held an annual fashion show, which raises thousands of euro for various charities, most recently the Marymount Hospice and the Presentation Sisters in Pakistan. Many other charities have also been grateful to the work done by students of all year groups down through the years, too many to mention, and this work continues today. Students were also at the forefront of the recycling initiative long before it was popular and took part in a major clean-up and re-stocking of the local River Martin. Jump for Joy is held each year and raises money for The Children’s Hospital in Crumlin. €4,600 was raised in 2006.

Music and Drama

A strong emphasis has also been placed on creativity and aesthetic education. Performing musicals is a regular occurrence. Students have competed and performed very well in debating competitions and quizzes as well as the Slógadh competition ( for music and singing) and art competitions where provincial and national success has been achieved. We have played host to many artistic and drama groups including the Royal Shakespeare Company which visited only one school in the Republic, Callino Quartet and more recently Lyric FM.

Perhaps the most celebrated achievement has been, of course, in the Science and Technology area. In 1999, the school scored an unprecedented success at the Esat Young Scientist Competition, when Sarah Flannery won the overall award of Young Scientist of the Year and Vincent Foley won the other major individual award, the Intel Award of Excellence. Sarah later became European Young Scientist of the Year and both represented Ireland in International competitions with great credit on numerous occasions. In recognition of this unique achievement, An Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern visited the school and declared that Scoil Mhuire gan Smál “must be the greatest school in the country”. In 2006 Anthony O’Brien won and again in 2007 Anthony O’Brien won 1^st prize in the Senior Technology Section.