Contact Us

The Presentation Boarding School :

Boarding School Manager: Noreen Bohan

Boarding School Assistant Manager: Bernie Hughes

Email :This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Phone No:  0504-21131

November 2014

ARCHBISHOP’S FAREWELL VISIT

On Wednesday last Archbishop Clifford paid his final formal visit to our school for our Prayer Service. The importance and power of prayer was the theme of the day. Archbishop Clifford recounted the story of the young Irish mother, Elber Twomey, who sadly lost her family in a car accident, while on holiday in Devon two years ago. Through the power of prayer, faith and forgiveness she has come to terms with the dreadful tragedy. His Grace also told the story of Saint Therese of Lisieux, who devoted her life to prayer. Our Principal, Mrs. Collins, thanked His Grace for his support and friendship over the last twenty-six years and his faithful attendance at our school musicals. He was presented with a token of our appreciation by our Deputy Principal, Mrs. Lanigan Ryan. We wish His Grace every blessing and pray for good health and happiness in the next stage of his journey.

LIA REPRESENTS OUR SCHOOL ON WEBWISE.IE YOUTH PANEL: On the 4th of November, Lia Grogan, a sixth year student in our school travelled to Brussels with representatives from the PDST webwise.ie Youth Panel, in order to take part in the Pan EU youth and adult panel and subsequently the Safer Internet Forum 2014. Young people and parents/guardians of 21 students of different nationalities attended the youth panel which took place on the 4^thand 5th of November. They engaged in a number of different workshops in which they prepared topics for discussion at the Safer Internet Forum. A lot of this preparation was aimed towards a youth-led panel workshop on the 6th of November. Lia was selected to represent Ireland on a seven person panel guiding the session.  Four of the participants were young people from Holland, Luxembourg, Malta and Germany. A teacher from the United Kingdom and a parent from Spain also sat on the panel. A Q&A session was followed by a workshop. This year the 11th edition of the Safer Internet Forum took place with the theme, ‘Growing up digitally.’ More than 260 stakeholders in the field of child online safety from approximately 40 countries across the globe attended the event to discuss the latest trends, risks and solutions related to child online safety. Participants included youth ambassadors, academics, industry representatives, teachers, NGOs, the European Commission and Ministry representatives. Further information about this event can be found at http://www.saferinternet.org/sif.

AVRIL WINS GOLD IN BAHRAIN:On Friday 31^stof October Avril Deegan, a Transition Year student in our school was one of a group of Irish female athletes chosen by Laois based coaches Ian and Teresa Wilson to compete in the Bahrain Marathon Relay. The race was 50km and is one of the largest races in the Middle East with over 170 teams composed of international athletes, Olympic athletes and a silver medallist from the Asian Games. The race consisted of 16 stages 3km in length. Avril ran two stages of the race in what were windy, hot and humid desert conditions. The team of eight girls ran a brilliant race and finished in 6^thplace overall and were the first female team home in under 3 hours. The girls received a gold medal and we congratulate Avril on this wonderful success.

ENTRANCE SCHOLARS AWARDS:Congratulations to past pupils Roisín Costigan, Emma Murphy and Sarah-Jane O’Riordan who were recently awarded UCD Entrance Scholar Awards at a ceremony held on Monday 10^thof November in UCD. Entrance Scholars are first year students recognised for their excellent academic achievement in their leaving certificate exams. We congratulate the girls on this wonderful achievement and wish them every success in their future studies.

CAMOGIE NEWS: Presentation Thurles made the trip to Ennis to play Munster champions St. Flannan’s. It was a miserable day for camogie with wet and windy conditions. In the first half St. Flannan’s scored a vital goal on the stroke of half time to lead by 3 points. An inspirational performance from Niamh Sweeney and an outstanding save from Laura Gleeson kept the Presentation girls within a point right up until the final 5 minutes when once again St Flannan’s found the all-important goal. Special mention also to Courtney Ryan who contributed 9 points from centre back. Well done to the girls for playing with grit and determination on what was a disappointing outing for the team.

BASKETBALL SENIOR ‘A’ CUP ALL IRELAND QUARTER FINAL: Presentation seniors travelled to Galway on Thursday for the cup quarter final. The team were playing well heading into this fixture. The opposition was Calasanctius College Oranmore and over the years there have been many games between both schools. This game was competitive from beginning to end and Rachel Byrne and Soracha Henderson kept the Presentation in touch. Down 6 in the first quarter with a lot to do the defensive rebounding was a factor as Presentation edged to level the score at half time. The third quarter was where the winning and losing of the game was and the Presentation girls were frustrated with some bad calls and these seemed to lead to a loss of concentration. Robyn Moore and Caoimhe O’Dowd came off the bench and working alongside Nicola Loughnane, Keelin Nugent and Laura Loughnane kept the Presentation in touch. The inconsistency of the officials seemed to affect the Presentation team and the opportunity to advance to the last 4 slipped away on a 5 point margin. Laura Loughnane excelled under pressure and put a huge effort in to this game as did all the girls. Amy McGrath Clodagh Sherman and Tara Layden made the senior cup panel for this game even though they are third years which is an impressive achievement. Well done girls for working very hard this year.

CHRISTMAS SHOEBOX APPEAL: Second year students Naomh Eoin recently took part in The Christmas Shoebox Appeal for the Hope Foundation. The girls filled shoeboxeswith simple Christmas gifts for children in the poorest areas of the world. We hope the shoeboxes will bring a smile to the faces of those who receive them. The students would like to thank all who contributed to this worthwhile appeal.

December 2014

Visit from former Cork hurler Conor Cusack

Former Cork hurler and mental health ambassador Conor Cusack visited the school on Thursday 4^thDecember. For those who were present it was a morning that will live long in their memories. Conor's message of hope, positivity and togetherness left a positive impact on the girls. Conor spoke about his own struggles with depression and how he has overcome them. There was a strong anti-bullying message throughout his address combined with a message to support and look out for one another, and the girls really embraced the experience with a very active question and answer session at the end. Our own mental health week kicks off on Monday the 8^thof December and we look forward to a positive week as we continue to promote mental health awareness within our school. 

NOVEMBER  MEMORIES: A mass to remember the deceased relatives and friends of staff and students in our school was held on Wednesday last. Fr. O’Connell our school chaplain gave very comforting words to those students and staff who have been bereaved during the past year. “For each of us life is like a journey. Birth is the beginning of our journey to God and death is just another mile stone on our road to eternal life.” To all of those we have loved and lost may we treasure their memory and may they rest in peace.

ROTARY YOUTH  LEADERSHIP  COMPETITION: Congratulations to Ellen Dunne who represented Tipperary at the Rotary Youth Leadership Regional Final in Waterford on December 1st. Ellen progressed to this stage after winning the local club stage of the competition. This competition focuses on personal achievements, work experience, planning and organisation. Ellen was an excellent representative for our school in this competition.

WORK EXPERIENCE: 

Well done to our Transition Years and Leaving Cert Applied students who went out on work experience recently. The girls embraced the opportunity to experience life in the work place and really enjoyed the week. We are very grateful to all the businesses who welcomed the girls into their work place and gave them this opportunity.

CAMOGIE  NEWS:Presentation Thurles qualified for the senior ‘A’ national camogie league final after a thrilling victory over Scoil na Tríonóide Doon. In a pulsating semi-final Presentation Thurles were never behind at any stage despite the fact that the Doon girls had a chance for a free from 21 yards away in injury time to win the game, but could not find a way past the inspired Laura Gleeson. On a day where the Presentation had 15 stars Laura Gleeson produced her greatest ever display in the red jersey. Laura Loughnane was scorer in chief with an impressive tally of 2-2. The key moment arrived with ten minutes to go when Sarah McKevitt scored a crucial goal to edge Presentation Thurles into a 2 point lead which they never relinquished. Final score Scoil Na Tríonóide 4-8 Presentation Thurles 3-13. The girls now advance to the Senior ‘A’ League final. Well done girls.

ATHLETICS  NEWS: Our athletics teams took part in the Tipperary Cross Country championships in Thurles Crokes on Wednesday the 3^rdof December. It was a very successful day, with Avril Deegan winning gold in the intermediate girls’ race. Avril was followed home by Caitlin Dwyer making it gold and silver for the Presentation girls. Keelin Nugent maintained good form taking silver in the girls’ senior event. Katie Bergin represented the first years with a brilliant performance to take bronze in the minor race. The girls won silver in the teams minor and junior events thanks to the efforts of Katie Bergin, Sorcha Moloney, Aisling Dwyer, Sophie Dooley, Kerry Browne and Áine O’ Connell. Well done girls.

CREDIT UNION POSTER COMPETITION: The Art Department had great success in the Chapter Level of this year’s Credit Union Art Competition. Breda Ryan, 1st Year won first prize in the 11-13 years category, while Thèrese Dwan Transition Year also won first prize in the 14-17 years Special Category. Congratulations to both girls and also to their Art teacher Mrs. Miriam O'Sullivan. 

RELIGION DEPARTMENT NEWS: November and December have been busy months for our religion department. Our annual Mass for the Dead was held in the school chapel, where during mass candles were lit to remember our deceased family members and friends. Our third year students attended a retreat given by Sr. Anne Lyons and Brother Jim O'Hagan. It was a day filled with spirituality, prayer and meditation. Last week we also had confessions to prepare for Advent and next Wednesday afternoon we will have our annual Christmas Carol Service.

WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL: Our Transition Year students had a unique experience last Friday when they participated in a wheelchair basketball workshop under the expert guidance of Paul Ryan, Sports Development Officer with the Irish Wheelchair Basketball Association. His enthusiasm got the girl’s attention from the outset as they learned the varied aspects of this specialised sport. The girls thoroughly enjoyed the workshop and were actively involved throughout the day. They learned the basic skills of the sport and ended the day with a highly competitive game. This opportunity gave the girls an insight into disability sport and we thank Paul Ryan for giving of his time.

TY CAKE DECORATING: On Monday 8th December the Transition Year classes were given a chance to try out some cake decorating. Local lady Joanna Loughnane visited our home economics kitchens and shared her knowledge and skills of cake decorating with the girls. The girls had great fun and also learned some tips that they can put to use in the New Year when the Ceist Bake Off begins. This competition requires the students to design a cake reflecting the theme of ' talents '. We look forward to admiring their creations and of course to tasting some cake too! Thanks very much to Joanna for spending the day with the TYs and sharing her expertise.

CAO & COLLEGE INFORMATION NIGHT: On Tuesday evening 9^thof December Mr. Murphy, Guidance Counsellor delivered a comprehensive presentation to 6^thYear students and their parents dealing with all the main issues involved in preparing for college. The main topics were:

• How to choose/decide on third level courses
• CAO application process
• College Costs 
• Grants/SUSI
• Scholarships
• DARE/HEAR/Access routes
• Student accommodation
• Careers and Employment

The presentation was followed by a question and answer session. Both students and parents found this to be a very informative evening. 

GAELIC FOOTBALL NEWS:The junior ladies football team travelled to Kilsheelan on Monday last where they had an impressive victory against Kilmac. The forward line was led in style by Saoirse O’Meara and Lauren McCormack whilst the defence was on top form thanks to Emma Purcell and Joan Harty conceding only 1 goal and 3 points. Their 17 point victory has brought the Presentation girls into a quarter final against Glanmire which will be played after the Christmas holidays.

SENIOR ‘B’ HOCKEY NEWS: The senior ‘B’ hockey team opened their cup campaign with a disappointing defeat to Coláiste Choilm of Cork. The Presentation girls had a great start thanks to a fantastic goal from Niamh Sweeney. The girls were on top form and in control of the match when a goal from the opposition just before the half-time whistle left our girls with a lot to think about at half time. The home side, Coláiste Choilm, came out with a fighting spirit after half time and blasted in two more goals. A late attack from the Presentation girls was not enough and so the game ended in a 3-1 defeat.

February 2015

Transition Year Drama Group Through to All-Ireland Final

After an excellent performance of 'Don't Shoot the Messenger' our TY drama group qualified for the ‘All-Ireland Transition Year Drama Final’. The girls took part in the semi-final in the Briery Gap Theatre in Macroom Co. Cork. The cast was directed by Susan Troy, Sherine Prendergast and Susan McGee. The final will be held on the 28th February in Macroom and we wish cast and crew the very best of luck.

Science Magic Show: Beulah McManus from the Chemistry department of the University of Limerick visited our school this week to perform a magic show entitled “Big and Bold, Hot and Cold” to TY students.  The show involved a series of fun-filled spectacular experiments showing students how enjoyable Chemistry and Physics can be whilst promoting the subjects at Leaving Cert level and beyond. The students really enjoyed the show.

Senior Basketball News: Congratulations to the senior basketball team who got through and hosted 'All Ireland' Senior ‘A’ playoffs last week. With three teams participating and only one to qualify a tough day of play lay ahead for the girls. Christ King Secondary School Cork were the first opposition and as recent 'All Ireland Senior ‘A’ Cup champions, this was always going to be a keenly contested game. Both teams started well and only a point separated them at the end of the first quarter. Some great basketball was played as the game went on and Christ King were marginally in front at the break. The Cork side extended their lead to 12 points at the end of the 3rd quarter but Presentation Thurles dug deep and never gave up. Despite playing some of their best basketball this season the Presentation girls just couldn't quite get the upper hand on Christ King. The Cork side were victorious over Presentation Tralee in the second game so were overall group winners. In the final game of the day Presentation Thurles took on Presentation Tralee for the runners-up position. The Thurles girls started well and maintained a good hold as the game progressed and went on to win by 48 points to 35. Well done to all the girls involved on the day.

Under 15 Basketball Team Presentation Thurles v The Bower Athlone:On January 16^ththe second year basketball team travelled to play The Bower Athlone in their opening league game. Presentation Thurles started the game very well and took an early lead. Marie Creedon opened the scoring with some excellent shooting. Further scores came from Niamh Woodlock and Laura Daly. Score at the end of the first quarter was 19-5 in favour of Presentation Thurles. Athlone fought back but had no answers to the defensive work rate and accurate shooting of the Presentation team. Anna Dunne and Laoise Nugent were very impressive contributing eight points in total. Niamh Ryan who came back from injury was equally impressive from the point guard position. Final score 36-12 in favour of Presentation Thurles.

Presentation Thurles v Cross & Passion Kilcullen:On Thursday 22^ndof January Presentation Thurles faced Kilcullen in round two of the midlands league. Presentation opened up an early lead. Marie Creedon was very impressive picking up ten points in the first quarter. Laura Daly controlled the game from the point guard position and Amy Mc Govern showed her speed and agility picking up six points off the fast break. Score at half time was 18-6 in favour of Presentation Thurles. Presentation Thurles began the second half in an impressive fashion with Lily Hobbs and Nicole Gleeson dominating the offensive and defensive boards. Caoimhe Wixted, Sarah Hayden and Jennifer O’Meara came off the bench early in the second half and scored immediately to build momentum and extend the lead. Final Score 42-20 in favour of Presentation Thurles

Presentation Thurles v Portlaoise:Our girls were focused and determined heading into the game knowing a win would secure the top spot heading into the midlands regional finals. They started the game very well. Marie Creedon dominated the boards contributing nine points for her team. Score at the end of the first quarter was 11-4 in favour of Presentation Thurles. The second quarter saw Portlaoise edge their way back into the game with excellent defensive work and three point shooting. Half Time score: 16-12 in favour of Presentation Thurles. However, this was a game of two halves. Portlaoise began the second half in an impressive fashion, completely blunting the Thurles attack. Portlaoise put on a full court press in the second half and dominated the game for the third quarter. Portlaoise led the game 28-19 heading into the final quarter. Amy McGovern and Laoise Nugent tried to rally their teammates and Presentation fought back. An excellent rebounding display from Lily Hobbs lifted the team. However, Portlaoise were the better team throughout and won the game on an impressive score line 36-24.

On Friday March 6^th, Presentation Thurles will play last year’s winners Presentation Waterford in the midlands semi-final. The girls are focused and confident heading into the game knowing a win will secure a place in the All-Ireland playoffs.

Team: Laoise Nugent (captain), Laura Daly (captain). Marie Creedon, Jennifer O’Meara, Amy McGovern, Nicole Gleeson. Anna Dunne, Caoimhe Wixted, Dorianne Kelly, Niamh Ryan, Sarah Hayden, Lily Hobbs, Niamh Woodlock, Clara Shanahan, Amy Foyle, Shannon O’ Halloran, Roisin O Sullivan, and Kate Atkinson.

Fashion Show 2015

Now that Spring is in the air we can soon shed our Winter woollies and think about Spring and Summer fashions. A colourful collection of the newest trends will be revealed at our Annual Fashion Show on Thursday, March 5th, in our Sports Complex. The venue proved to be the ideal location for the event last Spring and plans are now well underway to carpet the Complex, build the cat-walk, set up the lights and decorate the venue for the social event. We are happy to invite Primadonna's Model Agency to return to the cat-walk this year and along with our own "model students", from both Primary and Secondary schools, and the popular C.B.S. boys and our own staff members, we believe they will provide a great line-up for the evening. The artistic talents of the Transition Year students will also be on display, including the winning entry for The Junk Kouture competition.

Every effort is being made by our hard-working staff, students and Parents' Council to ensure that the audience enjoy a wonderful evening's entertainment. Guests are invited to attend the Cheese and Wine Reception from 7.15pm and the show is scheduled to commence promptly at 8pm. All funds raised are targeted for our Astro- Turf Project, which we hope to bring to fruition in the not-so-distant future. We appreciate the support of our faithful friends, families, local businesses and community in undertaking this dream project. Please come along, bring a friend and support the cause! Míle buíochas!

Transition Year Dublin Cultural Trip:Our Transition Year students recently made their annual trip to Dublin to enjoy a day filled with culture. It was an early start for the students, as they began their journey to the capital. Their first stop was the Dáil where they were given a tour of Leinster House and the Seanad.  The tour started out in the public gallery, where Minister for Health Leo Varadkar was taking questions in the chamber below.  Next up was a choice of three museums the National Gallery of Ireland, the Natural History Museum or the National Museum of Irish Archaeology each student decided on their preferred option and visited it.  In the National Gallery they got to appreciate works from Caravaggio and Monet as well as experience the galleries current exhibitions ‘Lines of Vision’ and the ‘Hennessy Portrait Prize’.  In the National Museum they experienced pieces from the Bronze Age, the Iron Age as well as their particular favourite – the Bog Bodies. In the Natural History Museum or the more commonly known ‘Dead Zoo’ the girls got to marvel at galleries of animals from Ireland as well as overseas. They certainly came away with a greater appreciation of the abundance of culture on their doorstep.  After lunch on Grafton Street students continued on to Dublin Castle for a guided tour. Here they were shown St Patrick’s Hall where the Presidential inauguration takes place along with banquets for visiting heads of state. Then it was on to Croke Park which was the highlight for many of the girls as they visited the players’ area, dressing rooms and walked out on to the hallowed turf. Finally the girls were treated to a trip to the cinema to see the Oscar nominated Stephen Hawking film ‘The Theory of Everything’.  

Transition Year Law Education:TY students had the opportunity to learn about the area of law recently. Kate Hedigan a solicitor with experience in Criminal Law was the facilitator for this day long workshop. The students were informed about the legal profession and many other aspects of the law. Later in the day they had the opportunity to take part in a mock trial with students acting as witnesses, prosecutors and defendants in a court setting.  The girls thoroughly enjoyed the day and we thank Kate for sharing her experiences with the girls.

Transition Year Bar Council Programme:Ellen Quigley TY was selected to participate in this programme from February 2^nd– 6^th. A total of one hundred students from schools all over Ireland were selected to participate in the Bar Council Programme. As part of the programme, a barrister hosted a group of five students for each morning of the five day programme. The barrister involved the students in a variety of classes and exposed them to the daily life of a junior barrister. Students had the opportunity to ask questions of the host barrister during the morning sessions. After lunch each day students were divided into larger groups and brought to the Criminal Court Complex. Ellen really enjoyed the experience.

UCC TY Prep-for-Med: Recently a Prep-for-Med day was held in UCC. Two transition year students accompanied by Ms. M O' Brien Transition Year co-ordinator attended the event. The girls went through many different “stations” where they were given the opportunity to learn how to take blood pressure, blood samples, perform CPR and general first aid. They had an opportunity to talk to some of the medical students at various stages in their studies, some lecturers and also paramedics. After lunch they attended various talks related to different fields of medicine. The Deputy State Pathologist, Dr. Margot Bolster addressed the students, and gave them an insight into the not so glamorous but nonetheless interesting side of Pathology. Following this talk the girls met with gynaecologist Matt Hewitt who gave them a brief overview of his work before they watched a live C-section being performed in the University Hospital. This was a hard act to follow, but Jason Van der Velde from the West Cork Rapid Response Unit was equal to the challenge, showing them live videos ofhimself and his comrades saving lives, from the minute they get the call to when they hand over the patient at the hospital. Throughout the day the girls experienced many interesting and varied aspects of the world of medicine. We would like to thank UCC for affording us this great opportunity.