Congratulations to our Class of 2024!

Their Graduation Ceremony was held on Thursday 23rd May and we were delighted to welcome parents, families, grandparents, staff and special guests to share in this very special event.

The Graduation Ceremony began with Darragh O’Donovan and Adam O’Sullivan reading out the names of the Leaving Cert students as they processed up through the hall with their ‘success in exams’ candles.

Darragh and Adam welcomed everyone and outlined the context of the ceremony.

Ms. Moriarty’s Address.

Ms Moriarty thanked the students, staff and special guests; Mr Séan Culhane (Chairperson of the Board of Management) Br. Martin Kenneally (Member of Leadership Team of the Presentation Brothers), Mr Michael Sexton (P.B.S.T.) and Mr Graham Healy (Past Pupil).

She thanked the students for their contribution to the ‘spirit’ of the school and said this was acknowledged to some extent at the senior awards ceremony last week but they were involved in so many other events for which there are no accolades. She wished them well as they embark on their new journeys and encouraged them to return to the school over the years ahead. She assured them that the candles will be lighting for them in the front hallway during their exams.

Readings and Reflections

Br Simon led the next part of the ceremony as he invited Patrick Hayes to share a reading from the Prophet Jeremiah and this was followed by an extraordinary response delivered by Br Martin.

Six students: Séan Cronin, Keanu Tan, Séan Connolly, Jason Foley, Ray Snapes and Diarmuid O’Halloran read their prayers of intercession on behalf of their year group.

Luke Liu and Sam Cronin, accompanied by Ben O’Donovan and Timothy Marquez on guitars, shared a powerful reflection called, ‘A Creed to Live by’. Br Simon offered a prayer of blessing to the Leaving Certs students, their parents/families, staff and friends.

Student Responds and Reflections

At the next part of the ceremony Mark Fitzgerald spoke on behalf of the Leaving Cert group.

In his speech Mark highlighted the growth and maturity of the year group over the six years in school, stating, “we as a year group have matured greatly and have reached today as better and more capable people than we were six years ago.” He acknowledged the impact of the teachers, expressing gratitude for their commitment to the students’ education and personal growth, “Our teachers’ expectations remained high for all of us, their commitment to our education is showcased by the extra classes that many offered in the early mornings, lunchtimes and after school.” Lastly, he praised the unity and spirit of the class, noting their strong bonds and memorable experiences, “perhaps our most characterising trait was our ability to ensure that there was never a dull day, whether it was our games of ’25’ on Mr Brett’s dart board during break or even our ability to always find something to talk about despite seeing each other for 7 hours 5 days a week.”

He concluded by saying, “let us take a moment to think about and realise all of the opportunities that lie ahead of every single one of us. We are on one stepping stone about to jump to the next, there will always be a next.”

Guest Speaker’s Insight

To conclude the ceremony Georgin Sajosh introduced Graham Healy (Past Pupil) who shared his experience of being a student in Coláiste an Spioraid Naoimh.

Graham has such an interesting story to tell as he was involved in every aspect of school life here and he returns every year to share his experience with T.Y students. He captured the attention of students and parents when he told them about the career paths he has pursued.

He wished the students well as they move on to the next stage of their journeys.

Nostalgic Video Wrap-Up

Students, families and staff enjoyed watching an amazing video featuring images from all the different years which took us on a nostalgic trip down memory lane It helped the students to reminisce about the incredible six years they spent in school.

Refreshments and Socialising

Ms Moriarty invited us to share in refreshments that were set out at the back of the hall by Ms. McCarthy and the T.Y students. Our graduates, parents, families, grandparents, staff and guests were delighted with this opportunity to get together and enjoy such a joyous event with over 400 people present.

Ms. A. Cleary