This weekend, nine of our Year 13 pupils made the annual residential trip to Clongowes Wood College, our sister school in Co.Kildare.
Accompanied by Mrs Rees and Mrs Goodall, the boys took part in a range of activities, giving them the full experience of boarding school life.
On arrival on Sunday we joined the Clongowes school community to celebrate the Eucharist, with Josiah Johnston delivering the reading from the gospel. After a hearty lunch, and donned in purple and white, we boarded the buses to Donnybrook to cheer on the junior rugby team in a Junior Cup match, who we can happily report returned home victorious. The boys then took part in a highly topical debate ‘This house believes that Brexit should happen now’. Seasoned debaters Marc Hennessy and Syzmon G joined two Clongowes Wood student to form the opposition. Whilst Cian Brady and Peter Dolan joined their Clongowes Wood counterparts to form the government. The house voted unanimously in support of the opposition, with Marc Hennessy being named the ‘ best speaker’ of the evening and being presented with a Clongowes Wood tie.
On Monday Mrs Goodall delivered the morning address, which has become a tradition of recent years and spoke movingly about the lasting friendship not only between ourselves and the school, but also those that are formed among the students. Mr Carroll, our host echoed her sentiments describing the ‘legacy as one cemented in true friendship’
The students experienced lessons on Monday morning and a tour of the school which culminated in a visit to the Blessed John Sullivan archive. A fitting end, as it is the connection with Blessed John Sullivan, an Old Portoran who converted to the Jesuit faith and taught in Clongowes Wood College, on which the twining of the schools was founded.
