College Tours

Junior Cert C.S.P.E field trip

In early December 2008 the entire 3rd form group traveled by train to Dublin accompanied by Mr Twomey, Mr O’Neill and Ms Guest. This was the main part of their Junior Cert project which was partly organised by the pupils themselves along with their teachers and FG TD David Stanton . It accounted for 60% of their final grade. They departed early in the morning from Kent Station, the group attended a guided tour of An Oireachtas Eireann and watched a small bit of a debate which included Mary Hanafin debating on social housing with her opposition and received a brief talk from Michael Ahern about being a TD, overall the tour was very interesting, educational and enjoyed by most. Following the tour a lunch was organised in the National Gallery, after lunch the group made their way towards An Luas and on the way had a look at Trinity College, Dublin. They were ahead of schedule so had some time to look around the Heuston Station shops before boarding the train and heading back home They arrived home in the evening very tired. Each pupil then wrote about the task they had in organising the project from organising lunch on the journey up to writing a letter to TD David Stanton enquiring about the trip.

-Greg Chamber (Form IV)

Geography fieldtrip

On a bright and early morning on the 8th of October an enthusiastic bunch of 6th formers embarked on our geography field study, accompanied by Mr. Morrissey, Ms. Levis and Mr. Cashman.Spirits on the bus were high when we arrived at our first destination; Ballycotton Cliffs.
Surprisingly, the sun was shining and not a cloud in the sky was to be seen. This was excellent for us the students, but not so great for recording wave height when there was no wind for waves! The aim of our field work was to examine the process of coastal erosion on a bay or headland. So on we went with our clinometers, tape measurers and trundle wheels.
In groups of three we then proceeded to interview the inhabitants of Ballycotton on their personal experience with coastal erosion and how they deal with the every day threat. The interviews went well and thankfully no Ballycotton natives or Midleton College students were harmed in the process!!
Our next stop was at Ballycotton Bay where we observed that the coastline had receeded by 139 metres in the past 100 years!! We also saw the measures that have been put in place to prevent further damage caused by coastal erosion. These were in the form of a hydrodynamic damned wall, wooden poles and an assortment of large boulders.
Finally, we made or way to Garryvoe beach. Here an unfortunate student was delegated the job of putting on the massive waders and making their way out to sea, with a measuring pole to measure wave height.
All in all it was a great day, academically and socially!! And this years 6th formers would like to give a big thanks to Mr. Morrissey, Ms.Levis and Mr. Cashman for co-ordinating the trip.
Hannah Browne (Form 6)

4th Form Trip to Kilfinane

On the morning of 20th April excitement filled the air. We were all anticipating the week that lay ahead. After what seemed like a lifetime on the bus we finally pulled into Kilfinane outdoor education centre.
On arrival we were split into four groups that would be doing activities together. That day my group got to take it easy with indoor rock climbing. This was a lot of fun but was also quiet daunting, hanging from ropes.
Day two we were woken up by the wind and rain, hoping that our activity would be indoors. Unfortunately we were told we would be doing the dreaded hill walk. This consisted of climbing up and down a mounatin which is not easy with the elements up against you.It was a day with plenty of slips and falls but there were smiles all around when we returned and were served a nice warm dinner.
On the third day we were told we would be doing the river walk. This waa my favorite activity by far. There were nature slides on the walk and an area deep enough so we could jump in. On the fourth day we did team challenges, we were blessed to have the sun on our side as all of these were outdoors. We had to work together and use our logic to complete these tasks and they brought us closer as a group.
Our last day, we were all upset to be leaving but that morning we had our last activity. Absailing down the side of a cliff. This didn’t sound too appealing to me, however I still did it and had a lot of fun.
On behalf of all who travelled I would like to thank all the teachers who co-ordinated and supervised and all the staff at Kilfinane for a week that will never be forgotten.
- Stephanie Malbasha (Form 5)

Oysterhaven Trip

In April 2009, second form went on an excursion to the outdoor activity center, Oysterhaven. When we arrived we were spilt into two groups, one went off to enjoy a day of watersports and the other group went to do landsports. Halfway through the day the groups switched and got to have a taste of another activity. The watersports included kayaking (single and double), waterpolo, the pontoon and overall we had a fun filled session. The landsports included activities and challenges which left us covered in mud but with a smile on our faces. Overall we had an enjoyabe day which we’ll never forget! Thanks very much to Mr O’Neill and Ms Curtain for organising the trip.
Niamh Hanbidge and Rachel Quinn,(Form III).

Spanish Exchange April 2009

For the 3rd year Spanish class, Monday the 20th of April was much anticipated. It was the start of the second part of our exchange with Parque de Lisboa school in Alcorcon, Madrid.
That Monday night we were re-united with our penpals whom we had known since September 2008. It was great to see them all again and after all the greetings we brought them to our homes.
On the Tuesday and Thursday of that week the Spaniards went on various bus tours, while we stayed in school. On Wednesday they attended classes in our school like Irish, English and Geography. We then went to the dining hall for a ‘traditional Irish dinner’ which was bacon and cabbage. After that we went to Cork city to go shopping together.
On their last day here both the Irish and Spanish went to Ardmore and did the cliff walk which was enjoyable and gave the Spaniards a good view of the coastline. On the way back we stopped at Youghal beach where the lads played soccer and some of the girls bravely went swimming. That evening everyone went to Perks and did some bowling.
It wasn’t easy saying goodbye to them on Saturday morning because we had a great time with them and we were really only just getting to know each other. I think we all learned a lot from each other and I could speak for the whole class and say I’d do it all over again if we could!
Sophie Smyth (Form IV)

Rugby Tour

With the recession sinking its teeth in, costing was a strong factor in deciding the venue for this year’s biennial rugby tour. However, after much time was spent trawling through websites and painstakingly tedious phonecalls, Mr. Preston finally secured us a good deal on a trip to the old faithful Edinburgh.
We gathered, 29 players and 5 coaches in all at Cork Airport on the 3rd April, extremely sleepy but equally excited. Having landed at Edinburgh Airport we were whisked away by coach to The Cairn Hotel in the centre of Edinburgh. We would take up residence here for the next three nights.
After barely dropping our bags into our rooms, we were on the road again destined for our first fixture against North Berwick High School. Situated on the Firth of Forth, 25 miles from Edinburgh conditions here were not the most forgiving.Playing in a swirling easterly wind and heavy downpours the team carved out a victory against a very physical opposition. Tries came from Jesse Shanagher and Luke Dillon, while Colin O’Brien kicked 5 points to secure a 15-0 win for the touring side.
On returning to Edinburgh we visited the local cinema to see ‘Angels and Demons’. Following such a compelling story we were all exhausted and after sampling some of Edinburgh’s culinary delights (battered Mars bar and battered haggis) in Café Piceante we all hit the hay.
On the next morning we drove to Dunbar, which is situated 30 miles east of Edinburgh; Bob our trusty coachdriver pointed out the sights. In what were once again unfortunate conditions a less than full strength Midleton side was fielded against Dunbar. Due in part to the weather the game was a bit lack lustre in parts. Unfortunately we were under the rule of quite a ruthless referee and thus the game lacked an element of continuity.
After a slow start tries eluded us as a steely determined Dunbar side found holes in our defence. The second half was a more positive affair as we began to dominate but the bounce of a ball and occasional lapses in concentration meant that we were slow to capitalise on our possession. After a try from our Kiwi number 8 Adam Keane the game finished up 20-5. Disappointed we refused to be disheartened and after a good chat in the dressing room we got over this set back and looked forward to the next fixture _a trip
To Murrayfield. We were to see Edinburgh vs Cardiff but unfortunately heavy fog made the game very difficult to follow.
Sunday 5th April was a free day. Following church services we drove out to Edinburgh International Climbing Arena where we took on the Aerial Assault Course and hung terrifyingly 100ft in the air. This wasn’t for the faint-hearted and the real adrenaline junkies came to the fore as others prefered to watch. That evening we continued the competitive element of the tour as we hit the bowling alley. Results were tight and only the truly co-ordinated survived the ten frames.
After another peaceful nights sleep we headed off for our final fixture against inner city team, Portobello. This match was a culmination of a seasons training as we dominated from the off against very steady opposition in a very physical battle we came out on top despite a controversially disallowed try. Tries came from Daragh Crosbie, Captain Brian Quill, Jack Lynch and Sean O’Regan with Colin O’Brien slotting two difficult conversions. The notable crowd watching the game were not disappointed as the two respective sides fought inch for inch.
Following a successful tour we headed, battered and bruised but happy to Edinburgh International.There we bumped into none other than Serevi Waisa, Fiji’s former midfield dynamo and the Brian O’Driscoll of his day. This happy encounter was a fitting end to a very successful tour.
- Sean O’Reagan (Form VI)