NewsLetters

CHRISTMAS 2000

Voices from st. colmcilles travellers training centre

Wishing all staff and trainees a happy and bright new year!

A Trip to Tuam, by Pauline McDonagh

On the 29th of march we went to visit the Training Centre in Tuam. We left Tullamore at 9.30 and arrived in Tuam at 12.30pm. We went to the centre and had a cup of tea and some biscuits and cakes. Then we split into two groups. We went into all the rooms, upstairs and downstairs, to see all the things that they had made.

Then we went outside to the tunnel to se all of the flowers. We went into the pool room and talked there for a while and thanked all the staff and trainees. After that we left. We went into the town and had something to eat. We had a lovely day. We arrived back in Tullamore about 4 pm. By Pauline McDonagh

 

I have a friend
She is the best
Although she is great
She can be an awful pest.

Her name is Claire
And she is okay
I should know
I see her every day.

Sometimes I stay at her house
And sometimes she stays at mine
We usually have a small fight
But we always have a good time.

Sometimes I don’t respect her
And I can be a pest
But no matter what
She’ll always be the best.

I am going now
And I just want to say
I love my friend Claire
More and more every day.

So Claire please remember
And don’t ever forget
You are the one and only
The best I’ve ever met.

Tracy Ward


Halloween Party

Nothing sybmolises this season of the year more than the pumpkin, believed to be the world’s oldest vegetable. It has been cultivated since ancient times in Europe, the Americas and the Middle East. The name for pumpkin comes from the Greek word for melon.

In the 17th century, pumpkins were one of the most popular vegetables with pumpkin pie being a dish served at many tables. Nowadays, most people know pumpkins as the basis for the Halloween decoration usually known as the ‘Jack O’Lantern’. This is an ancient tradition which originated because the Celts believed that fairies, who were considered resentful of men taking over their lands, would try to trick humans into becoming lost in their fairy mounds where they would be trapped forever.

So these people who went out on the Eve of Samhain carried turnips, beets or potatoes carved to represent faces to frighten away spirits or fairies who might harm them. Candles were lit inside them to make the pumpkin or turnip appear alive. When set inside windows, these lanterns cast the same spell of protection over the household. Compiled by Caroline McDonagh.

 

Our Day of Drama

The Covenant Players came to St. Colmcille’s last Tuesday the 9th of May. They arrived early in the morning and they stayed all day with us. There were four of them altogether and they came from all different parts of the world. Deana came from Lithuania, Jacob came from Denmark, Sylvia from Poland and Clara from the USA. They told us about violence, discrimination, crimes, drug abuse and alcohol through short sketches that they did. It was very exciting and very funny and we hope we will see them again. By Louise McDonagh

Our Dramatic Moments.

Covenant Players.

Tuesday morning I arrived into work at 9.30. I was told to go to Millie’s room because the Covenant Players were coming to perform for us. I did not know what the Covenant Players were about. When they came into the room and started to perform they were very good. They did plays about the office, the work-place school, and about what goes on in the home. They got all 35 trainees involved in participating in small scenes of our own. My group did a scene about Travellers being stopped from going into night clubs. There were four people part of the Covenant Players. The leader was from the USA. There was a woman from Poland, a woman from Lithuania, and a man from Denmark.  They were all very nice. We had a great day with the Covenant Players. I hope they come again soon. Mary McDonagh

A group of actors came to our centre last week on the 9th of May. They were called the Covenant Players. There were three women and one man. They acted out different scenes for us, then got us to make up and act out different scenes ourselves. We made up small sketches about violence, discrimination, crimes, and drug and alcohol abuse.

            There were four of them altogether and their names were Clara, Deanna, Sylvia, and Jacob. They came from different places around the world. I thought they were all very funny and very good at acting. I thought they were very good at making people laugh. By Geraldine Ward

On Tuesday last, the 9/5/00 the Covenant Players came to St. Colmcilles to present all the trainees and staff with a day of fun and drama. It started at 10.30 in the morning. There were four people altogether and their names were Deanna, Sylvia, Jacob, and Clara. They come from Lithuania, Poland, Denmark, and the USA. The leader was Clara from the USA. All the trainees gathered in the sewing room and had a good time. We were divided into four groups. The groups got together and made up different plays about different things like  violence, discrimination, crimes, and the state of the world. We all worked together on those short sketches. We would like to see them all again.  By Bridget Ward

 

Presentation of Certificates

Tuesday June 20th 2000

I and all the other trainees arrived in work at 11 o’clock and it was a different day to any other in the centre. Today we were going to receive certificates for modules we had worked on throughout the year. Ten of us were going to receive First Aid Cerificates, seventeen others were going to receive NCVA Certificates for Personal and Interpersonal skills, Preparation for Work, Caring for Children, Food and Nutrition, Personal Effectiveness, Computer Literacy, Craft, Upholstery, Child Development and Play, Work Orientation, Horticulture, and Mathematics.

Bridget Donahue did St. Colmcilles and her fellow students proud when she became the first in St. Colmcilles to finish all eight of the modules. She did us all very proud, well done, Bridget. There were a lot of speakers. Mary Carroll gave a lovely opening speech and she then introduced the other speakers. Mr. Noel Burke, the chairperson of St. Colmcilles centre gave great praise to Mary Carroll and the staff for doing such a good job in teaching the trainees and running the centre so well. He said Mary Carroll is a great director and one of the best.

The other speakers were Fr. Nick Flavin, Ms. Julieanne Doorley and the presentation of certificates was made by Ms. Connie Hannifin. We then went to the canteen for lunch. It was very nice. We also had some wine or minerals if preferred. A great finish to a great day.

 

A GREAT DAY FOR ST COLMCILLES.

Presentation day was on the 19th of June 2000. People came to the centre at about 10.45am.  It started at around 11 o’clock. Trainees and staff went into the sewing room. Mary Carroll made the first speech. She welcomed all the to the presentation. Noel Burke, the chairman of the Offaly VEC also gave a speech. He paid tribute to all those receiving their certificates. Diarmuid O’Neill CEO of Offaly VEC spoke very highly about the centre and praised all the trainees for their work. Fr. Nick Flavin from NCVA spoke and praised all of us for great work. It was a great day for St. Colmcilles. Bridget Ward

 

Love Heart for a Grave

I made a love heart for Mary Kate.

She wanted it for someone’s grave. I cut it out with a jigsaw and I sanded it ity down with the sander. I made a back to hold it upright and I sanded the back with sand paper. Then I glued it on and screwed it to the heart  shape enough to stand it in place. When I had that done I varnished it and it was finished. Denis Ward

 


The Saddest Day of My Life

On the 20th of March 1987 at approx. 10.30am I was in bed. I was very tired because my six-week old baby used to cry all day long and most of the nights too. My husband was up with the two kids in the kitchen when there was a knock on the door. It was Paddy Kerrigan and Charlie Kavanagh. They told Brian they my mother wanted me to come to her place straight away because Daddy went to hospital. Brian called me and I came downstairs. They told me the same story so I got ready and went out to their car.

I was worried sick about my daddy. Brian went out to the car with the two children. He said that he would get a lift to the house as well and he got into the car. I did not cop on that my father was dead; they did not tell me either at that time.

When we arrived at my parents house the three of them got out and walked away. There were a few other people there too, which surprised me a little. Well, I walked into the kitchen and my poor mother was crying and crying.

She looked up at me and said “Julieanne, your daddy is dead”. What am I going to do? Well I didn’t really know how to express the way I felt right there and then. My whole life fell apart. It was like a bad nightmare. Some of the lads got in contact with the rest of the family. They too were all broken hearted. We had crowd and crowds coming and going, giving their support. When they were all gone and the funeral was over, my poor mother was heartbroken. She was never really the same again. She died on the 6th of February 1990, just three years and six months later.

These were the saddest days of my life. They both died sudden deaths, which in many ways was a good thing for them. They didn’t have to suffer for too long. For the family, it was a shocking fright to get.

I’ll always remember them every day of my life and God knows how much I love them. I have what no one can take away from me… memories, so many loving, happy, memories.

 

The Seven Blessed Wells

Last week our centre decided to visit the seven blessed wells in Killeigh just about three miles from the centre in Tullamore. Joe, our gardener, was the man who organised it so we all went off to this beautiful place. Joe started to talk about the history of the place. We did not know that Joe helped in the building of this wonderful place.  He told us that it took just over a year to finish it. We all walked up along the pathway to the well itself. It was a lovely sight to see. We all brought bottles in with us in order to get some of the holy water from the well. We also went over to the “Rag Tree”. Joe told us all about the place. We also had lots of photographs taken of the well and the Rag Tree. It was very interesting for us all. I think it would be a lovely place for young and old to go. We were there for about an hour. There were lots of people praying at the well and over at the rag tree. We also drank water from the well. It was lovely to drink. That’s my story about the Seven Blessed Wells in Killeigh in Co. Offaly. Written by Margaret Ward

 

Trainee Representative.

At the last trainee meeting in March, Mary McDonagh’s time as a trainee rep was up so a new trainee rep was elected. That was myself, Ann Marie Morgan. At the end of the three months Mary was given a certificate for her work, well done. I took this on in March. I had my first meeting in April with the staff. A few days before the meeting I had to round to all the trainees to see what issues they wanted brought up at this meeting. I would then go into the staff at 12.30 of the day of the meeting. I would bring the issues to the staff and they would give their answer. I would then take down the answers and report back to the meeting. The staff trainee meeting took place at 1.30. I would then give the trainees feedback from the staffs answers. At the meeting I would take the minutes and after I would type them up. I have to do this for three months. I will be finished in June and I hope to achieve a certificate for my work. Ann Marie Morgan

 


Did you Know??

The world’s tallest Christmas tree is 221ft. tall. A Douglas Fir, it was erected in a shopping centre in Washington in 1950.

The best selling Christmas record is “White Christmas” by Irving Berlin. The ever popular Bing Crosby version has sold an incredible 30 million copies to date. Other Versions of this Christmas Record have sold over 100,000 copies.

Christmas cake first appeared around the middle of the 19th Century. They were really plum puddings, but were more solid making them suitable for a family tea. In poorer houses, cakes and puddings were made out of potatoes and bread!

In Ireland, the robin became a familiar sign of Christmas because postmen in Queen Victoria’s reign wore red uniforms. And the traditional rush for cards first began with the introduction of the halfpenny card stamp in 1870.Ann Marie Morgan

 

Working With Children

Mary, the director of St. Colmcille’s and Martha from FÁS     and staff of the training centre had a meeting about two girls from the centre going on Work Experience. The teachers in the preschool needed help because on of the women had a baby and couldn’t come back for a while. That’s how I got the opportunity to go on work experience to Castle View Pre-School.

At 10 o’clock I would start work. I would get a basin of lukewarm water to wash the children’s hands. Then I would get their copies and help them to do their work.  They then would match pictures of animals and colour them in later. When they were finished they would get to do a jigsaw. They would play until 11.30. At this time they would have a break and put all the jigsaws away. I would bring them into the toilet, wash their hands again, sit them all down at one table and give them all milk and toast. Their break would last from 12.00 to 12.15. Then it would be story time. Each child would get their own chair and bring it to the back of the classroom for a story. They would sit in a circle and the teacher would read. When she was finished she would play Barney songs and they would all play around the room.

On Friday the teacher would bring out the bikes and the tractors to play with. The children are easy to work with but sometimes there is difficulty in working with one or two of them. When this happens, we have a chair called the thinking chair. It is there for them to sit and think about what they have done. They know that they can’t be bold, so when they think about what they have done they go back to the teacher and say sorry. I liked working with the children.

The teacher Mary Leonard was very nice. I was doing work experience for four weeks. I thought I was finished but one day while I was working in the training centre, Mary got a call saying that I was needed back in the school for three more days I would like to work with children in the future. It is one job I would like to do. Ann Marie Morgan