On Friday, the 24th of Feb T.Ys were out and about in Dublin raising money for Oesophageal Cancer. It was great fun. When we arrived we were given t-shirts, caps, balloons and buckets full of lollys and badges, we were then put into groups and given a map of different points all over Dublin. We had to sell the lollipops and badges for €2.
We all really enjoyed this day out. We got to help out a very important charity while having a good time with our friends. I was in a group with two girls and we had great craic with all of the people we talked to.
Sorry that I am so late in this blog post but it was definitely one of the highlights from T.Y.
Tuesday, 20 March 2012
Work Experience at the Springfield Hotel
Sorry guys, I haven't had the chance to update my blog in ages so hopefully I'll be able to fix that over the next few weeks!
For my work experience I initially wanted to go somewhere to do with art. I tried contacting many different places but I couldn't get a reply, so I started looking at local places. Eventually a got an email from the Springfield Hotel in Leixlip saying that they would be happy for me to work with them for a week.
Day 1: I was nervous going in for my first morning. Another girl from my school called Emma was going to the same hotel so I was happy not to be alone. When I went in I met up with the head waitress, Caroline and another girl on work experience called Clíondha. It was a nice first day. We cleaned up around the bar area and learned to make and serve tea and coffee to customers. At the end of the day we had to set up two of the function rooms which took a while for it to be perfect.
Day 2: Today was very busy. We had a funeral party and a confirmation around the same time. I was working around the bar area taking orders and cleaning up after them.
Day 3&4: These days were alot less busy but were more fun. I polished cutlery and glasses. I was allowed work behind the bar more serving tea and coffee as well as serving minerals.
Day 5: My last day was really busy. We had a wedding that day. My job was to help clean and polish all the cutlery. We also helped set up the function room where the ceremony was taking place. It was very sad leaving the hotel and saying goodbye to all the lovely staff.
The Springfield Hotel was a very good work experience but I won't recommend it for people that aren't interested in that line of work.
For my work experience I initially wanted to go somewhere to do with art. I tried contacting many different places but I couldn't get a reply, so I started looking at local places. Eventually a got an email from the Springfield Hotel in Leixlip saying that they would be happy for me to work with them for a week.
Day 1: I was nervous going in for my first morning. Another girl from my school called Emma was going to the same hotel so I was happy not to be alone. When I went in I met up with the head waitress, Caroline and another girl on work experience called Clíondha. It was a nice first day. We cleaned up around the bar area and learned to make and serve tea and coffee to customers. At the end of the day we had to set up two of the function rooms which took a while for it to be perfect.
Day 2: Today was very busy. We had a funeral party and a confirmation around the same time. I was working around the bar area taking orders and cleaning up after them.
Day 3&4: These days were alot less busy but were more fun. I polished cutlery and glasses. I was allowed work behind the bar more serving tea and coffee as well as serving minerals.
Day 5: My last day was really busy. We had a wedding that day. My job was to help clean and polish all the cutlery. We also helped set up the function room where the ceremony was taking place. It was very sad leaving the hotel and saying goodbye to all the lovely staff.
The Springfield Hotel was a very good work experience but I won't recommend it for people that aren't interested in that line of work.
Saturday, 10 March 2012
Jane Eyre Book Review
For this review I chose the book 'Jane Eyre' by Charlotte Bronte. I chose this novel because I greatly enjoyed the book 'Pride and Prejudice' and wanted to find a book with a similar writing technique. I also wanted to challenge my reading ability to help prepare for 5th year. The brilliance of Bronte is clearly seen in this novel as you can't help but to get drawn into the story as the world that you know around you quickly disappears, only to be replaced by the foreign world of England in the 1800s.
The novel begins with a 10 year old Jane Eyre struggling to deal with the trials of being orphaned and being left in the care of her cruel Aunt, Mrs Reed and her spoiled children, John, Eliza and Georgiana. From the very beginning of this book we see that Jane must deal with hardship and inequality. Jane is intelligent, honest and fair. It is these attributes that get her sent away to a strict school for girls. During her eight years at Lowood School, Jane blossoms into a strong and sensible young woman and later finds herself in the new position of governess to the french ward of a Mr Edward Rochester, named Adele. Over the course of the next few months, Jane enjoys her stay at Thornfield, even with her having to overcome mysterious events in the house, the prejudice of Mr Rochester's friends and potential wife, Blanche Ingram and most important, dealing with her developing affections for Mr Rochester. She even goes so far as to say that Thornfield "is my home-my only home".
Besides Jane, the other main character in the novel is of course Mr Rochester. When he first entered the story, I found that he was very mysterious and hard to read. He is strong, intelligent and sometimes can be really witty. I liked the character but personally throughout the book I found it easier to relate with Jane rather than him. I think it could be due to the fact that Jane was alot closer in age to myself than Mr Rochester was. I often found myself siding with Jane and sympathising with her, especially in the middle of the book where Mr Rochester and Jane got closer but then the horrible mystery at Thornfield began to unravel, causing Jane to flee desperately.
My favourite character in this novel was Jane. I found her a very strong heroine especially for the way that women were generally portrayed in that time period. I liked the way that we got to see Jane grow up from an unhappy girl to and independent woman from the feeling of alienation from her family to the happiness that she felt at Thornfield. Throughout the novel she learns to balance love and freedom. I also liked that Jane didn't hold back her opinions of the different social-classes that were all over England. Although Mr Rochester was seen as her superior in several ways, she never held her tongue on pointing out his faults, which often made him laugh. I found the character Jane funny, optimistic and very likable, she always acted with dignity and tried to never to anything wrong or that would cause others pain.
I found the novel of "Jane Eyre" a good read, I sometimes found the writing style difficult to understand, and sometimes the plot a bit lacking. Overall I would recommend this book to those who like to challenge their English skills but I would advise that readers be prepared for a long read. I found this book took a long time to finish as you often have to revise what you have read to fully understand the meaning of the language used in this novel.
The novel begins with a 10 year old Jane Eyre struggling to deal with the trials of being orphaned and being left in the care of her cruel Aunt, Mrs Reed and her spoiled children, John, Eliza and Georgiana. From the very beginning of this book we see that Jane must deal with hardship and inequality. Jane is intelligent, honest and fair. It is these attributes that get her sent away to a strict school for girls. During her eight years at Lowood School, Jane blossoms into a strong and sensible young woman and later finds herself in the new position of governess to the french ward of a Mr Edward Rochester, named Adele. Over the course of the next few months, Jane enjoys her stay at Thornfield, even with her having to overcome mysterious events in the house, the prejudice of Mr Rochester's friends and potential wife, Blanche Ingram and most important, dealing with her developing affections for Mr Rochester. She even goes so far as to say that Thornfield "is my home-my only home".
Besides Jane, the other main character in the novel is of course Mr Rochester. When he first entered the story, I found that he was very mysterious and hard to read. He is strong, intelligent and sometimes can be really witty. I liked the character but personally throughout the book I found it easier to relate with Jane rather than him. I think it could be due to the fact that Jane was alot closer in age to myself than Mr Rochester was. I often found myself siding with Jane and sympathising with her, especially in the middle of the book where Mr Rochester and Jane got closer but then the horrible mystery at Thornfield began to unravel, causing Jane to flee desperately.
My favourite character in this novel was Jane. I found her a very strong heroine especially for the way that women were generally portrayed in that time period. I liked the way that we got to see Jane grow up from an unhappy girl to and independent woman from the feeling of alienation from her family to the happiness that she felt at Thornfield. Throughout the novel she learns to balance love and freedom. I also liked that Jane didn't hold back her opinions of the different social-classes that were all over England. Although Mr Rochester was seen as her superior in several ways, she never held her tongue on pointing out his faults, which often made him laugh. I found the character Jane funny, optimistic and very likable, she always acted with dignity and tried to never to anything wrong or that would cause others pain.
I found the novel of "Jane Eyre" a good read, I sometimes found the writing style difficult to understand, and sometimes the plot a bit lacking. Overall I would recommend this book to those who like to challenge their English skills but I would advise that readers be prepared for a long read. I found this book took a long time to finish as you often have to revise what you have read to fully understand the meaning of the language used in this novel.
Thursday, 9 February 2012
St. Brigids Trip
On Tuesday, all T.Ys were brought to Kildare Town to celebrate St. Brigids Day. The week before our religion teachers taught us all about St Brigid and some of the legends surrounding her e.g when she spread her cloak over the Curragh. First we went to the Heritage Centre where we watched a short video on the work of St Brigid. Afterwards we went to the Church of Ireland across the street.
We then took a walk around the town before stopping for a short lunch. After that we went to see the first of the two St Brigid wells. This was the oldest of them. It had a pathway in the middle and everyone got the chance to walk across and bless ourselves. On our way back we visited the other well. This one was my favourite. It was very peaceful and pretty. Usually people who came tied a piece of material on the branches of the trees. People are also welcome to take some of the Holy Water from the well. All of my year had a great day because it was a new experience for everyone.
We then took a walk around the town before stopping for a short lunch. After that we went to see the first of the two St Brigid wells. This was the oldest of them. It had a pathway in the middle and everyone got the chance to walk across and bless ourselves. On our way back we visited the other well. This one was my favourite. It was very peaceful and pretty. Usually people who came tied a piece of material on the branches of the trees. People are also welcome to take some of the Holy Water from the well. All of my year had a great day because it was a new experience for everyone.
Wednesday, 25 January 2012
Ready... and ACTION!
Every year T.Ys get the chance to compete in a drama competition that is open to all schools around the country. Ther are two stages. The first stage is when schools either go to a theatre in Mullingar or Cork. A judge watches your play and then gives you advice on what could be improved. If you get through to the second stage, you and your group get to go to the finals in Cork. The over-all winners win a trip to a different country. Two of the classes in our year took part so we had four dramas all together. My group based our play on the song 'Concrete Angel'.
Everyone was nervous on the day but it went by really quickly. All the plays went really well and afterwards we were allowed get lunch in the town. We also got to see some plays from other school which were very good as well. All in all it was a great day and I hope that at least one of the groups from our school get through to the finals. Good Luck Everyone!
Everyone was nervous on the day but it went by really quickly. All the plays went really well and afterwards we were allowed get lunch in the town. We also got to see some plays from other school which were very good as well. All in all it was a great day and I hope that at least one of the groups from our school get through to the finals. Good Luck Everyone!
Fighting Words
We went on another trip recently, on the 16th of January my English class got to go to 'Fighting Words' in Dublin. It is a creative writing centre set up by the author Roddy Doyle. It was a fun experience as we all had to work together and make up a good story. The challenge was that we had two characters who were best friends and one of the friends was to have a crush on the others brother. The employees were very nice and helpful, as well as funny when they helped give us different ideas. It was interesting to see everyone creativeness and funny to see the absolute randomness of it all. I'm glad that we got to go because it gave us a few pointers for next year when we are backing to writing seriously again in 5th year.
Tuesday, 6 December 2011
Friday Fun: Away At The Ballet!
Last Friday, all Ty's were brought into Belvedere College in Dublin to see a ballet. it is an all boys private school, which was huge. The Dublin Youth Ballet were preforming. Some of the dancers were very young and really good. They performed different dances to songs of the Nutcracker Suite. A highlight of the day was that there was a girl from our class in the Ballet so we got to cheer for her. Afterwards we went to get food. One of our teachers joked "Well that was a cultural experience for us all ... now lets go to McDonalds!" I actually felt sorry for the families that were in McDonalds before we arrived. I bet that they weren't too happy to see around 80 girls come running in! After that we went back to school, but it was just finishing when we arrived so we got to go home straight away.
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