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Education continues for local pupils

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ONLINE LEARNING: Holy Cross Mercy School Teacher Rhonda Healy preparing work to give to her pupils online.

By Michelle Crean

Pupils from Holy Cross Mercy Primary School are not missing out on school work as teachers are continuing with classes online via the school’s Seesaw App.

The aim is to keep pupils up to date with the curricular schemes previously planned but also to keep an air of calm and provide learning with a sense of fun at this time.

“Children don’t need the worry, so routine and the normal every day activities they're used to are so important for their health and development right now,” teacher Rhonda Healy told the Killarney Advertiser.

“It’s wonderful as so far they’ve been really engaging with all of our tutorials and tasks through the App and we are checking in with them and their parents each day. Each week I have assigned ‘Wow Work’ such as a project or some larger task and a number of mini lessons which include some video links and tutorials featuring my own voice and I assign tasks for the pupils covering each of my curricular subjects.”

She added that this week her Sixth Class pupils are making a movie trailer for a book they would like or recommend to their fellow classmates.

“Next week they will do a digital black and white photography bundle to depict the story of their next seven days in this unprecedented time in our history.”

Other tasks and suggestions the school has shared with families provides for offline time and a re-direct from the screen time. They included:

Socially distanced nature walks with scavenger hunts for items from nature, creating mandalas outdoors with natural items found in nature, reading novels for pleasure, watching some cartoons and documentaries on TG4, playing some card games to encourage revision of table facts, making pencil sketches of still life available for observation at home such as a bowl of fruit or a vase of flowers or a plant from the garden, writing a fantasy story, making models and engineering STEM activities such as Lego and robotics where available.

“Our children have most of their schoolbooks at home so it’s no harm to use this time to choose a topic or two each day to revise. They could read over with a parent at home and then discuss what has been read or create a project, drama, diary entry or mind map based on it.”

Other ideas include making up their own dance routines and performing them with their siblings, creating a garden obstacle course or relay race, making up their own songs and poetry, baking together as a family, and writing up and sharing those recipes too.

She added that they’re very grateful to Irish educational publishers who made the online editions available for free as well as other companies who offer educational Apps and websites.

“They have made our job in remote teaching and learning so much easier. Please God we will all be back safely in the classrooms before long.”

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A Celebration of Culture, Community and Talent at St Brigid’s Presentation

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St Brigid’s Presentation Secondary School was alive with music, song and celebration at their recent Trad Night 2026, a wonderful evening that showcased the rich cultural talent within their school and wider community.This special event was a joint fundraiser organised by their Gaelbhratach committee, promoting the Irish language and culture; their Yellow Flag committee, celebrating diversity and inclusion; and their dedicated Music Department. The night reflected the spirit of unity in the school, bringing together students from all year groups in a vibrant celebration of heritage through music, storytelling and dance. The programme featured an impressive lineup of performances including the brush dance, junior and senior set dancers representing local clubs such as Kilcummin and Spa, and a spectacular performance from Irish dancing World Champion Caoimhe O’Halloran. Thri junior and senior traditional groups performed beautifully, alongside the hugely talented Glenflesk Ballad Group, multiple All-Ireland award winners, who brought the audience to their feet. The evening was made all the more special with the generous sponsorship of tea and traditional brack from O’Sullivan’s Bakery, which was warmly enjoyed by all in attendance. The night concluded with a memorable performance from Deputy Principal, Liam McGill, who entertained the audience on guitar and vocals, accompanied by well-known local music teacher Rosie Healy and Aine McCann. St Brigid’s are immensely proud of all students who performed and contributed to making the night such a resounding success. Trad Night 2026 highlighted the extraordinary talent within the school and the strong sense of community that defines St Brigid’s Presentation.

A Celebration of Culture, Community and Talent at St Brigid’s Presentation

St Brigid’s Presentation Secondary School was alive with music, song and celebration at their recent Trad Night 2026, a wonderful evening that showcased the rich cultural talent within their school and wider community.This special event was a joint fundraiser organised by their Gaelbhratach committee, promoting the Irish language and culture; their Yellow Flag committee, celebrating diversity and inclusion; and their dedicated Music Department. The night reflected the spirit of unity in the school, bringing together students from all year groups in a vibrant celebration of heritage through music, storytelling and dance. The programme featured an impressive lineup of performances including the brush dance, junior and senior set dancers representing local clubs such as Kilcummin and Spa, and a spectacular performance from Irish dancing World Champion Caoimhe O’Halloran. Thri junior and senior traditional groups performed beautifully, alongside the hugely talented Glenflesk Ballad Group, multiple All-Ireland award winners, who brought the audience to their feet. The evening was made all the more special with the generous sponsorship of tea and traditional brack from O’Sullivan’s Bakery, which was warmly enjoyed by all in attendance. The night concluded with a memorable performance from Deputy Principal, Liam McGill, who entertained the audience on guitar and vocals, accompanied by well-known local music teacher Rosie Healy and Aine McCann. St Brigid’s are immensely proud of all students who performed and contributed to making the night such a resounding success. Trad Night 2026 highlighted the extraordinary talent within the school and the strong sense of community that defines St Brigid’s Presentation.

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European title for Killarney handball star

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By Con Dennehy

Killarney handball star Owen Brosnan answered Ireland’s call at the weekend with a breathtaking display at the European One Wall Tour in London.

Currow native and Spa Killarney Handballer, Brosnan took on the best players in England, Wales, Ireland, Holland, Belgium, France and Israel and thanks to a superb display returned back to Kerry with a European gold medal following his phenomenal success in the Men’s C Plate competition.
Played at the Westway Sports Complex in London, more than 150 players took part in the competition on six indoor courts with Brosnan and his Killarney team colleague Tim Cronin playing 15 games over the two days. Following earlier round victories, Brosnan was paired with Tim Cronin in a Kerry dominated semifinal clash. This was an exciting high-octane game with both players producing a classic display of handball. Aces were hard fought with just one point separating both players at the end of a pulsating game. Brosnan advanced to the final on a 21-20 scoreline. “I was thrilled with my semifinal game. It was a hard-fought contest with all the training at the Spa GAA Hall helping me edge out a win. We train together and know each other strengths and weaknesses which added to the excitement of the occasion. We both teamed up in the Men’s B Plate Doubles competition reaching the semifinal where we were defeated by Matt Flapan and Gleb Spiridon, a USA/Israel combination,” said Owen.
Brosnan produced a superb display of fast paced handball in the Men’s C Plate final where his opponent was the highly fancied Josh Thomas from Wales. Using the court to his full advantage, the Killarney player produced a brilliant all-round performance to record a 21-18 victory and in the process his first major title.
“Naturally, I was delighted with the success. Both Tim and I started the sport by accident over 12 months ago when we attended an Open Family Day at Spa GAA Club. Brendan O’Donoghue, one of the founders of Spa Killarney Handball Club, was giving a demonstration of handball and invited us to try it out. We both enjoyed the experience and have been playing ever since. We are looking forward to the various domestic competitions over the coming months and really enjoy the training and fun element to the sport in the club.”

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