Tag Archives: education news

THE new Ennis National School will be officially opened next month by Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn. As well as the minister, the official opening on May 16 will also be attended by Bishop Kieran O’Reilly. A series of activities and events have been organised for the day to mark the occasion. Among these will be the publication of a new book exploring the history of Ennis National School. The new state of the art school at Ashline opened its doors to its first pupils back in August. Among the many benefits of the school’s new location is the greater ease of access and increased parking. There was a concerted effort between Ennis Town Council, Clare County Council, An Garda Síochána and the school authorities prior to the school’s opening relating to the Travel Plan. And it is hoped that sustainable travel methods – walking, cycling, ‘walking bus’, car-pooling – will be used by increased numbers of students in keeping …

A GROUP of Ennis students have proved they can talk the talk after making it to the semi-finals of a national competition. The newly formed St Flannan’s College debating team have reached the semis of the Concern Debates, Concern Worldwide’s flagship school’s activity. For the semi-finals the St Flannan’s team will debate Coláiste Bhríde, Carnew, County Wicklow on this Tuesday  in the Irish Chartered Institute of Accountants Building, Pearse Street Dublin. The motion is ‘Confidence that world leaders will take meaningful action on the latest IPCC report is misplaced’ and St Flannan’s will propose the motion. Almost 150 schools initially entered the competition this year. Saint Flannan’s College have triumphed in their previous six rounds and are now down to the four top debating schools in the country. In the group stages, Saint Flannan’s College have beaten Presentation Secondary School, Limerick, Saint Caimin’s Community School, Shannon, and Salesian’s Secondary School Limerick. In the group’s decider, St Flannan’s defeated Laurel Hill …

MUSICIANS and dancers from Rice College in Ennis have made it to the finals of the All Ireland Schools Talent Search. Over 600 entries for this competition have been whittled down to the last ten, and “Riches of Rice” have made the final ten. According to a spokesperson for the school, “It’s a huge achievement in our school and we are extremely excited about this wonderful achievement.” The final takes place in the University of Limerick Concert Hall this Saturday. The twelve students, with their teachers, Ms Hanrahan and Ms Brooks have been diligently practising during the Easter holidays and are greatly looking forward to the final, which will be televised by TV3 and broadcast on Sunday May 4. The only Clare entry in the final, the Riches of Rice team will represent County Clare in true Clare style, with beautiful arrangements of traditional tunes, slip-jig and reel, with sean-nós dancing and soft and hard shoe step dancing. It has …

WHILE there have been strong calls for the development of a third level institute in Ennis, one establishment is already successfully operating a centre in the county capital providing third level education to the county’s mature students. Five years since its establishment the LIT Ennis Learning Centre continues to go from strength to strength. The centre from its campus in the heart of the county capital has been running the Higher Certificate in Business in Business Computing from Limerick Institute of Technology. September 2013 saw the fifth intake of students to the LIT Higher Certificate in Business in Business Computing and LIT Ennis Learning Centre is now recruiting for September 2014. This is a direct entry course and is available to mature students and those obtaining a minimum of 220 points in the Leaving Certificate or a full FETAC level 5 award, with equivalent points. The aim of the LIT Ennis Learning Centre is to widen participation in higher education. …

ENNIS has been invaded by Vikings. However, this time it is not gold these Vikings were after but knowledge of how to set up Family Learning classes. 24 Norwegians visited Clare Family Learning Project work last week with their ultimate goal to set up Family Learning programmes in their region in Norway similar to what is being done locally in Clare. While here, the group gained valuable ideas through visiting classes in action, meeting parents who have already attended classes, and meeting family learning tutors and the partners that Clare Family Learning Project work with. The visitors from Nedre Eiker Municipality in Norway included 11 adult education teachers, two primary school principals, three kindergarten teachers, the head of all schools and kindergartens in the region, a volunteer co-ordinator, a cultural leader, a pedagogical leader and others interested in the notion of family learning. Principal of the Adult Learning Centre in Nedre Eiker Elizabeth Engeset visited the Clare Family Learning Project …