School finished up for the Christmas break on Thursday after another trying few days as snowfall and frost threatened to force early closure. We managed to keep going, however, and ran with the scheduled exams for 1st, 2nd and 3rd years. We are grateful to everyone for their co-operation and help over the past number of weeks when weather conditions have been so poor.

It was very nice to see some past pupils, home from afar for the holiday period, call in to say hello over the last days of term. Thanks also to those who have been in touch by e mail through this site  - always good to hear from our alumni and to know that you are keeping in touch with life in the Counsel.

To everyone associated with Good Counsel College, a peaceful, happy Christmas and the very best wishes for 2011.

P.S.
A reminder to all 6th Years that there will be supervised study in the school, Tues. 4th Jan to Fri 7th Jan. inclusive, starting at 10am and running until 2pm.
 
 School reopens on Monday, January 10th. Continue Reading...

After the weather enforced disruption of the previous forthnight, the week past saw things return very much to normal - even if we are currently subject to the threat of a return to the Arctic conditions. Hopefully, we will make it to Thursday next , when we close for the Christmas break, without loss of any further school days.


TY students launch their Gloves, scarves and hats appeal.

Transition Year students are currently planning their YSI projects and among the activities being undertaken is a drive to gather excess or unwanted scarves, hats and gloves for distribution by the Simon Community. They also plan to have a post Christmas appeal for unwanted presents which will also be given to charity.

Awards for academic achievement in the Junior Certificate 2010 were presented to students during the week - another event delayed by the recent weather. 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes were awarded to each class group in addition to the overall first which went to Jack Allen. Well done to all of those students who were presented with their awards.

The U-14 football team played their final group game on Wednesday winning in a home match against Knockbeg. They now qualify for the South Leinster semi final after Christmas as they attempt to win back to back Leinster 'A' titles.
On Thursday a 1st year selection travelled to Waterford to play Newtown School in a rugby friendly and despite stalward second row, Vyto, being unable to travel and outhalf, Ritchie Waters picking up a knee injury, the Counsel boys enjoyed a good win. Many thanks to Mr Doyle for his work with the group. Continue Reading...

Good Counsel College remained open throughout the week despite the continued difficult weather conditions which made it impossible for some students to travel to school. Classes went ahead as timetabled although plans to carry out some Christmas tests have had to be rescheduled while others went ahead.
Great credit is due to all those who made such valiant effors to get here and in particular to the teachers and all the school staff who got here each day despite many having to travel considerable and testing journeys. Thanks also to those who came in over the last weekend to help move snow and clear foothpaths; we are very grateful to everyone for their co-operation.

6th and 3rd year Parent/Teacher meetings originally scheduled for Wednesday last were postponed in favour of a normal school day and will now take place in the New Year. Parents will be informed of the revised dates in due course.
The meeting of 3rd and Transition year parents on the issue of 5th year subject choices was also postponed from Thursday night and will now take place on Wednesday night next, Dec. 15th at 7.30.

For parent/guardian information, we will close for the Christmas Holidays at 1.20pm on Thursday, Dec. 23rd.

The new toilet block has just reached completion and will be in use from next week. It is a welcome addition to the school facilities and was badly needed in a school with a much greater student population than when originally built.


Needless to say there have been no sporting activities to report in the past couple of weeks. There will inevitably be a backlog of fixtures post Christmas but hopefully these can be played off with minimum disruption. Continue Reading...

The Campus under a blanket of snow.

The extreme weather conditions of the past week forced the school like all others in New Ross, and many nationwide, to close for the past five days, something unprecedented in recent memory. A big effort has been made to clear the grounds of snow and ice in order to get up and running as soon as possible. It is hoped that we will be open on Monday but great care and co-operation will be required as the forecast continues to be for freezing overnight temperatures and with so many students coming from country areas, we urge people to take the greatest of care and to use sound judgement. We also ask anyone on the school grounds to take extra care during these testing times.

The clean up operation.

Parents will continue to be informed of all plans in relation to school opening and other events which are scheduled for the coming days/weeks.

Congratulations to Ahmed Yousif onr ecently being elected to the Council of County Wexford Comhairle na nOg. No doubt Ahmed will have plenty of useful ideas to contribute. Perhaps we may one day see him take a seat in our National Parliament.

Jack Wall recently received a J P McManus National Scholarship Award in recognition of his outstanding Leaving Certificate achievement of 600 points. Currently studying Engineering in UCD, the picture below shows him at the awards ceremony with J P McManus and his father.
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A bleak campus on Monday afternoon.

Good Counsel College, along with all other schools in New Ross, was forced to remain closed on Monday due to the very severe weather conditions. The college will also remain closed on Tuesday with the situation being reviewed on a daily basis with regard to the rest of the week. Parents will continue to be kept informed by text message and through local radio. Continue Reading...

Joe Lyng and Matthew O'Hanlon receiving their entrance scholarship awards in UCD on Friday last.

On Friday last 5 Good Counsel students from the class of 2010 received UCD entrance scholarship awards in a ceremony in the O'Reilly Hall. Those honoured were Eoin Conway, College of Business and law, Jack Wall and Michael Walsh, College of Engineering , Joseph Lyng and Matthew O'Hanlon, Elite Athlete Academy. It was a proud occassion for all of them and their families. Best wishes to all of them for the future. (More pictures on Flickr)


Past pupil Richard Hayden who paid a visit during the week.
We received a visit during the week from past pupil Richard Hayden who received world wide recognition for his expertise in sports surface technology especially during the world cup in South Africa where he had responsibility for the playing pitches and for which he earned many plaudits. He has also been the chief consultant on the Aviva Stadium playing surface and on other major projects such as the Ascot racecourse, the london olympic games showjumping arena and Shaktar Donesk's soccer pitch. He has many fascinating tales to tell about his experiences in his work.

The Parents' Council Cookery evening with top chef Phelim Byrne was a huge success on Thursday night with over 250 people in attendance. Many thanks to all who came along and also to those who sponsored prizes and in particular Joyces Home Centre, New Ross who were the event's main sponsors. Thanks also to students Robert Muldoon and adraic McGrath who provided some musical entertainment at the cheese and wine reception which preceeded the culinary display.

Good Counsel hosted the Co. Wexford U-19 Badminton Championships on Thursday with teams from Enniscorthy V.S., Ramsgrange C.S., St Peter's College and the host school taking part. Our own team of Nicholas Murphy, Thomas Power, Tom Foran and Bill O'Brien emerged winners after a thrilling encounter with St Peter's. The tie finished 3 games each but Good Counsel won on aces scored, 108 to 80. Well done to all who took part and a particular thanks to Mr Coffey who organised the event so efficiently.

The U-16 footballers qualified for the South Leinster semi final with a good win over Knockbeg during the week while the U-14's will face either Naas or Newbridge in a South Leinster play off after losing out to St. Peters by 2 points in Wexford on Friday. Continue Reading...

We were delighted to be informed during the week that Billy Conran is to receive an award later this month for the Best Leaving Cert, Higher Level, Design and Communications Graphics, 2010. The State Examinations Commission data reveals that 6,128 students sat DCG nationwide in the 'Leaving' 2010, so to achieve the highest grade in the country is a magnificent achievement and one Billy and his family can be proud of as all in Good Counsel College are. Well done to him and also to his subject teacher, Mr Kehoe.
In the past 2 years now Good Counsel College students have claimed first place in Ireland in separate subjects at Leaving Cert higher level as Daniel Wall was awarded best Technology Higher Leaving Cert in 2009.



Science Quiz winning team with Mr. Daly and Fr. Hennebry.
Last week was National Science week and the occassion was marked by a number of events held in the school. On Thursday all first years took part in a Science table quiz organised by Mr. Daly while Friday was a 'no uniform' day, an occassion of great sacrifice for the majority of students as they reluctantly swapped the charcoal trousers and navy jumper for their own particular line in fashion. Funds raised went to the Wexford Society for the Prevbention of Cruelty to Animals.

The second coming of 'Good Counsel's Got Talent' will take place in the school on December 9th at 7.30pm. Any students interested in showcasing musical, dramatic, magical or other talents can get in touch with the Senior prefects who are organising the event. Given the popularity of many of the acts who have featured on some of the TV 'talent' shows in recent years, no student should consider absence of talent to be a deterrent; it could prove to be positively favourable. Think Jedward, Wagner .......

One final reminder for the Phelim Byrne cookery evening which takes place in the college on Thursday night next at 7.30pm. Tickets available from Parents' Council members or from the school.

The college senior hurling team recorded a good victory over Colaiste Eoin in the third round of the league on Wednesday last. This leaves the team with 2 wins and 1 defeat so there is still a chance of qualifying directly for the championship semi final. There was victory also for the U-14 footballers over Carlow CBS while the junior rugby team lost the 2nd round of the cup to East Glendalough. Continue Reading...

We hosted a large crowd of 6th class boys and their parents/guardians at our annual open day on Saturday last. Blessed with a fine dry morning, everyone had an opportunity to see the school facilities and ask questions of staff and students. It is always a welcome opportunity to invite new visitors and prospective students to the school and we thank all those who took the time to come along on the day. We must also thank the teachers, secretaries, caretaker, cleaners and dining room staff who put so much work into making the occassion as informative and pleasant as possible and also those current students who volunteered their time to help out.
Anyone wishing to enrol a student for 1st year, 2011/12, can get the necessary forms and information by contacting the school office. Completed applications must be received before 3pm on November 30th.

On Monday night last the cast of Les Miserables, the musical staged so successfully with St. Mary's earlier in the year, presented a 30 minute excerpt from the original production in the Theatre Royal in Waterford as part of the Waterford International Music Festival. A total of 6 school productions were performed over 2 nights and the Good Counsel/St Marys performance received several category  nominations with Padraic McGrath winning the Adjudicators' award for vocal eloquence. Well done to Padraic and to all those students who gave up time to rehearse and perform. Many thanks also to the teachers and staff who likewise gave of their own time to prepare the show and accompany the group to Waterford.

We mentioned in a previous blog how 5 of last years Leaving Certificate class had been awarded UCD scholarships and one a J P McManus National Educational Achievement award. Another of the class, Brendan Browne will also receive a scholarship, this one from Trinity College where he is studying 1st year Medicine.  Again well done to Brendan and to the others and best wishes to them in their studies.

This being the month of November, each year group participated in a prayer service of rememberance organised by the religion department during the week. Students were invited to bring forward candles bearing the names of those they wished to pray for while a book of rememberance in which the names of deceased can be written, remains open throughout the month in the school church. 
  
The rugby teams had mixed fortunes during the week as the Junior side beat St. Conleth's in the opening round of the cup while the snior side lost out to Sandford Park in their game. Thanks to Mr. McGinley for his work with the teams and good luck to the Juniors in their second round game on Monday next.

In Gaelic Games the Senior hurlers lost narrowly to Kilkenny CBS in their second game of the league played in Dicksboro on Wednesday. An encouraging performance and with sharper finishing the Counsel boys might have come out on top. Menwhile the junior football team began their campaign with a hard earned 1 point victory against St. Peters in a game played at home. It was a very competitive encounter between 2 sides who will both have serious hopes of going all the way.

A reminder once again that the Parents' Council have arranged a Cookery Demonstration evening with Phelim Byrne for Thursday, Nov. 25th in the school and tickets are currently on sale. It is always a sell out so, as the adverts say,  get your ticket early to avoid disappointment!  Continue Reading...

On Monday last the staff of Good Counsel met with the staff of the only other Augustinian school in Ireland, St Augustine's, Dungarvan for the 3rd annual Joint schools meeting where the shared  values of Unitas, Veritas and Caritas were considered and what it means to be an Augustinian school was explored. It is always great to meet our colleagues from Dungarvan; best wishes to all of them.


Seamus Sutton, left, with the other successful students and the judging panel at the Poetry Aloud competition.

Congratulations to Seamus Sutton who, on Thursday, in St Kieran's College, Kilkenny qualified for the All Ireland semi final in the schools' national Poetry Aloud competition. From 35 performers 4 were chosen to go forward to the semi final which will take place in the National Library on December 3rd. Well done to Seamus who recited poems by Yeats and Sassoon and a thank you also to his English teacher, Ms Cushen.

On Friday November 19 five students from last year's Leaving Certificate class will be awarded scholarships in the O'Reilly Hall in U.C.D.. Eoin Conway will receive a College of Business and Law scholarship while Jack Wall and Michael Walsh both receive College of Engineering, Mathematical and Physical Sciences Scolarships. Michael receives a further UCD Choral Scholarship. Two other students from the class of 2010, Matthew O'Hanlon and Joseph Lyng will be recipients of UCD Elite Athlete Academy awards on the day.
Jack Wall, who achieved 600 Leaving Cert. points will in addition to the above, be honoured on Saturday with a J.P. McManus bursary in University College Limerick.

Congratulations to all of them; they have done themselves, their families and indeed Good Counsel College proud.


Congratulations also, and best wishes, to Jack Allen, who has been selected to represent Ireland at the upcoming World Age Group Gymnastics Championships in Metz, France. Jack has has already represented his country many times winning international medals on several occassions.


The senior hurlers started their campaign on a winning note with victory over Carlow schools in the Leinster league on Wednesday. They have 2 further fixtures in this league in the coming weeks, the results of which will determine their seeding for championship.
The senior and junior golf teams played in New Ross and Enniscorthy respectively during the week with the seniors being successful while the juniors just fell short. Continue Reading...

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run;
From To Autumn by John Keats.

The beautiful crisp autumnal weather of recent weeks has contributed in no small way to the apparent haste with which mid-term has arrived. Hopefully the week of mid-term will itself bring more pleasant conditions and  staff and students alike will have a refreshing break.

In recognition of their achievement of gaining an  A in Junior Certificate, Higher Level  Business 11 good Counsel students were awarded certificates of Merit by Waterford Institute of Technology and the Business StudiesTeachers Association of Ireland at a special awards ceremony in WIT on Tuesday October 12th.
Those presented with their awards were
Jack Allen
James Barron
Aaron Byrne
Colm Doherty
Tom Foran
Padraig McCormack
Luke O’Loughlin
Tomás Tubritt

The following students who also made the grade were unable to make it on the night.
Páraic Conway
Gavin Feeney
Michael O’Connor

Thanks to their teachers and in particular Ms Shine who accompanied the boys on the evening of the awards.
Junior Certificate Business Higher Level is the only examination other than Irish, English & Mathematics which requires students to complete two papers. This point was noted when congratulating students who worked very hard to achieve a hard earned A grade. We now look towards the future and hope that our Businessmen of the Future will be among those bringing our economy back to its former glory.

Best wishes to 3rd year student, Ashwin Joseph who has been with us for over 2 years but who now leaves for Brisbane with his family to continue their lives 'down under'. Anyone who taught Ashwin or had any contact with him here in Good Counsel will remember him as a most pleasant and courteous young man who always wore a smile. May he long continue to do so.

 The senior hurling and rugby teams continued their championship preparations with friendlies against Castlecomer CS and Naas CBS respectively while the under 14 footballers had a game against Clonmel High School.
The Senior Golf team played their penultimate game in the Leinster League when making a winning visit to Carlow on Tuesday last. Well done to all involved.

 Continue Reading...