The annual AONTAS Adult Learners’ Festival event is scheduled for next week from 20th – 24th February. To celebrate this event Adult Education Community Providers and Co.Donegal VEC’s Adult Education Service have a number of events scheduled to take place throughout the county aimed at providing information to adult learners, showcasing the value of adult learning and celebrating the achievements of adult learners who have come through the process.
“An estimated 15,000 adults are involved annually in formal and community based adult and further education programmes in the county and more than 1,200 attended the recent Adult Learner Fair in Letterkenny – all this points to an increase in demand for adult education services in Donegal”.- says Cróna Gallagher, Adult Education Officer with Donegal VEC. Please see full Press Release.
Please take the opportunity to view the Adult Learners’ Festival Timetable for Donegal and to listen to the selection below of some real life testimonials of achievement from around the county, from people who have availed of the Adult Education Services to date.
Click on the individual names below to listen to their experiences with Adult Education: Here is Lorraine Mc Daid -
For further information please contact the relevant centres from the timetable. For ongoing information on VEC Adult Education Programmes, contact Rose Duffy at the Donegal Adult Learner Guidance Service (074 9178088).
We look forward to your attendance throughout the week of events!!
The Donegal Music Education Partnership’s Children’s String Orchestra has been invited to the 5th Annual Coole Music Festival in Gort, Co.Galway on Sunday, 4th March 2012. This is the first time for the orchestra to participate in such an important event where they can meet other orchestras from all over Ireland. There will be two performances, one at 1.00 p.m. for junior orchestras featuring the Kilkenny Junior Orchestra, Sligo Academy of Music Junior Orchestra, Athenry Junior Orchestra, Coole Music Junior Orchestra and our own Children’s String Orchestra, and the later show at 6.00 p.m. will be for senior ensembles. The Children’s String Orchestra will perform pieces by S.Suzuki, W.Gluck, J.S.Bach and also popular traditional songs under the baton of one of our music tutors, the Spanish cellist and conductor Víctor Yélamo. At the end of the concert all the junior orchestras come together to play a piece called “UNDER COVER” specially created for this event by Katharina Baker. This piece will be performed from memory by all the ensembles. We wish them well with their performance and look forward to hearing all about it.
The Children’s String Orchestra will be accepting new members in March. The junior ensemble group is open to all string players aged from 7 to 13 years old. For further information, contact Donegal Music Education Partnership on 074 – 9176293 / musiceducation@donegalvec.ie
READ LK is a reading initiative inspired by the One Book, One Community project worldwide and here in Letterkenny pupils of 4th/5th/6th classes of Educate Together NS and the 1st Year students of Errigal College are undertaking the reading of the acclaimed children’s book – Four Kids,Three Cats, Two Cows, One Witch (maybe) by Siobhán Parkinson and being involved in various events officially from Read LK launch on Tuesday next 21st February (7.00 p.m.) in the Central Library, Letterkenny to the official close on March 29th next. Click here for full details of READ LK and a breakdown of the events being organised.
As part of the various events over the 5 week period there is a flash fiction Creative Writing Competition for 2012 where book vouchers can be won by writing 500 words or less on the theme “JOURNEY”. Entries can be sent by post or delivered to Brid Mc Intyre, Adult Education Centre, Donegal VEC Admin.Offices, Ard O’Donnell, Letterkenny or indeed by e-mail to bridmcintyre@donegalvec.ie on or before the deadline of Friday March 9th.
Here are the full Rules, Information and Conditions of Entry. Join in the fun and let’s see all the creativity!!
Some of Coláiste Phobail Cholmcille’s students had a great day on Thursday, 02 February when Micheál Mac Aoidh presented them with prizes for their writing. The girls took part in Comórtas Liteartha do Mheánscoileanna na Gaeltachta, 2011 and they did extremely well. The presentation took place in Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge, Gaoth Dobhair. Lauren Ní Bhaoill won the prize for best entry in Ireland and Ciara Ní Dhubhgáin the prize for best entry in Donegal (for the second time!). Áine Máire Nic Ruaidhri won first prize in the essay competition (age group 16 – 18). The writers had both old and modern themes and their work will soon be available on the Students’ Work page on the school website. Well done girls and keep up the writing!
A young Letterkenny woman has recently been appointed as the new principal of Mulroy College in Milford. Fiona Temple (37) from Crievesmith, Letterkenny will succeed current principal, Rita Gleeson in March this year. She will become one of the youngest secondary school principals in the country. The youngest daughter of Seamus and Mary Temple, Fiona is currently Deputy Principal of Crana College in Buncrana. Ms.Temple has previously worked for a few years in Germany and also in Errigal College, Letterkenny for a period of 10 years. In an interview recently Ms.Temple said that she was looking forward to the new posting. “It is a big challenge, but a great opportunity to take on such a prestigious position”, she said. She added that she looks forward to working with the staff, students and parents and the community to build on the excellent work to date achieved by the school.
Mulroy College, is the former Milford Vocational School and is built on a greenfield site on the outskirts of the town. There are approx. 320 students at present from the Milford area and from the Fanad and Rosguill Peninsulas.
Fiona’s parents are both retired psychiatric nurses and she has two elder sisters – Labhaoise Maguire in Conwal, Letterkenny, Deirdre in Dublin and she has one younger brother, Martin.
We wish her well in her new position.
A group of 6 talented lads under the name of the “Retrotones” and who are all students at St.Catherine’s VS, Killybegs will be on stage this weekend, Feb 4th, in the first live show of the “Opportunity Knocks” Talent Competition in the Central Hotel, Donegal Town.
The Retrotones are no strangers to the stage having competed in and won outright the “Our School’s Got Talent” competition in mid-December last which was run in conjunction with Special Olympics Ireland, Co.Donegal. The 6 lads involved are : Christopher McBrearty, Christopher Cunningham, Matthew Kyle, Luke Kelly, Philip Floyd and Andrew Blain. Before Xmas last in the previous competition mentioned Jack McDaid and Paul O’Donnell were also part of the group but have now gone to persue other things. The Retrotones are also under the choreography of Ms.Jessica Bray who is also a student in St.Catherine’s. We wish them well in the competition and here are some pictures and also a piece from YouTube. 
Donegal VEC’s Adult Learner Fair 2012 at the Mount Errigal Hotel last Tuesday 24th was a resounding success and rated by participants and exhibitors alike as the best ever! The Fair, which was celebrating it’s 10th year, was organised by Donegal Adult Learner Guidance Service (DALGS) and focussed on bringing 64 education, training and support organisations together for the benefit of adults considering returning to education and training. Mr.Sean Debney, Adult Guidance Co-ordinator with DALGS said “that the Fair was an important day to bring all such providers together in the one place and to assist the public in general with their queries and needs directly on-site. With at least 1200 people attending, it was indeed a worthwhile effort and acknowledged his staff and all who helped bring it all together. He added that if anyone out there needs to follow up on any issues, whether they attended the Fair or not, that his office and his staff are readily available and can be contacted at 074 9178088. Here are a range of photographs taken on the day.
The Only Way is Rock
Moville Community College recently presented two nights of entertainment with their musical “The Only Way is Rock” in the Millennium Forum in Derry but as the Inishowen News item shows – events in Derry on the night didn’t help but decisions had to be made agus the performance went ahead as planned. This short post is an acknowledgement of the input and dedication from the students and their families and friends and they deserve the highest praise for their commitment. Well done once again on your participation and achievement.
Here are a few pictures from the show.
A final year student in Crana College who is hoping to continue her education studies in the field of Art, has been short-listed from thousands of entries to the last 16 of her category in the Create a Doodle for Google Competition. Claire McCay, can not only win herself a new laptop and her Doodle Entry being on the front homepage of Google.ie for a day but also she could win €10,000 for her school to spend on technology and given the current economic climate, this would be a great legacy to leave her school, that she loves!
Please take time out to click on Doodle4Google and vote for Claire and Crana College. This can be voted on every day over the next few weeks so that Claire reaches the final 5 and both herself and Crana College would really appreciate your support and please pass on to your friends as well.
Congratulations to the u-16 Coláiste na Carraige team who recently won the County Title beating Carndonagh with a scoreline of 2-6 to 0-7. Under manager Paddy Boyle, they were dominant throughout and indeed if they hadn’t had as many wides on the day, the winning margin would have been greater. There is a nice article here in the Democrat, that gives a deeper review of the occasion.
As a result of their achievement in winning the County Title, Coláiste na Carraige had to face a strong opponent 3 days later at Celtic Park, Derry in St. Joseph’s from Coalisland, Tyrone in the Quarter Final Ulster U-16 and although Coláiste na Carraige played well and gave a good account of themselves, their opponents eventually won 0-11 to 0-7. It’s a pity that such an important game came so quickly after the other one but nonetheless they are worthy Champions here and Well Done.
