Easter Holidays & LC Oral Exams
Best wishes to the Leaving Certificate students who are sitting the Oral component of their examinations during the Easter break. You have worked hard and we wish you all every success. We would also like to take this opportunity to wish everyone in the school community, students, parents, teachers and management, a very Happy Easter. Enjoy the holidays and we look forward to seeing everyone refreshed for the Summer Term.
TY ‘Ger Carey’ Trip
On Thursday, 19 March, all TY students travelled to the Mill Theatre in Dundrum to see comedian Ger Carey’s hilarious stand-up Psycho Spaghetti comedy show designed specifically for Transition year students. By secretly observing transition year students in their natural habitat, Carey uncovers the weird and frightening world of the teenager. The aim of the show is to get teenagers to laugh at themselves while also making them think about scenarios they may find themselves in and how they may or should react. Students thoroughly enjoyed the show!
Library Events
Creative Writing Workshops
Renowned Irish writer, Dermot Bolger, facilitated a number of creative writing workshops in the library on Monday, 23 March, for two Second year classes. With over thirty books to his name, Dermot has a lifetime of experience in teaching young people how to express themselves through the written word. As well as reading a number of his own poems and reading out some of his prose, Dermot also distributed a number of photographs to the students who used this as prompts from which to write their own stories. At the end of the sessions, Dermot went around to each of the students and asked them to read out the work they had just produced.
Fáinne Awards
Fainne awards were presented last week to our Leaving Certificate students for excellence in spoken Irish.
Comhghairdeas and best of luck to all our students in their Oral Exams which take place during the Easter holidays.
Gaisce Hike
On 23-24 March 2026, TY2 embraced the challenge of their Gaisce Award Hike!
On Monday morning, bright and early, students started their walk from Rathdrum, Co. Wicklow, through the famine graveyard, before stopping in Clara Vale Church Chapel along the Avonmore river for lunch. They were lucky enough to hear a cormorant and a wood pecker drumming in the distance along and to meet some friendly hikers along the way. Temperatures were cool, but the race was on, with a competitive group racing up and over Trooperstown Hill. Rain, hail, sunshine and even snow did not dampen any spirits and motivation never waned along the way! Having reached heights of 400m and close on 17km later, the group arrived to the end of Trooperstown Hill and were escorted back to Baltinglass.
After an excellent meal, and a rest, a birthday cake was presented for one of our students (all organised by them), and everyone sat down to watch the big movie Avatar with a side of 'chipper'. The students eventually settled down for the night and it was time to recuperate for the next day’s activities.
Rooms cleared and ready for breakfast at 9am, the students started their walk in Glendassan Valley along St. Kevins Walk. Up over Camaderry Mountain and down to Glendalough Valley, they stopped for refreshments, just as the weather turned bad, leaving everyone wet and cold. This is where the challenge became difficult and it tested the group’s resilience. Continuing along the Wicklow Way up over Paddock Hill to terminate the walk in Trooperstown, the students broke the record reaching that point at 2.30pm, the fastest time on record.
Congratulations to this TY group completing this leg of the Gaisce challenge under difficult weather conditions. Well done! Thanks to all the amazing staff at the KWETB Outdoor Education Centre in Baltinglass, it was such a pleasure to work with amazing professional staff.
Junior Pi Quiz Competition
On Tuesday, 24 March, 12 Third year higher level Maths students travelled to Glenart College in Arklow for the annual Pi Quiz competition. The competition consisted of eight rounds based on the junior cycle curriculum, which involved students working together in groups of four. This was a great opportunity for students to work together on their problem-solving skills.
Well done to all students who participated Eoghan Daye, Eoin Treanor, Alex Tyson, Luke Leacy, Grace Wu, Ava Woolington, Taras Ivanets, Theertha Santhosh Kumar Priya, Patrick Treanor, Will O’Callaghan, Edie McPhilips and Lexa Beckett. A special mention to one of our teams, Grace Wu, Ava Woolington, Taras Ivanets and Theertha Santhosh Kumar Priya, which came 2nd overall and was only one point off the winning team!
Green Schools Poster Competition
Well done to all students for their wonderful entries in the Green Schools poster competition. Congratulations to the winning students:
1st Place - Grace Wu 3 Barrow
2nd Place - Emma Rose Butler 3 Bann
3rd Place - Haleema Ahmed 2 Erne.
Lidl Serious Support Programme
On Wednesday, 25 March, a group of our First year girls took part in Day 2 of the Lidl Serious Support programme aimed at keeping young girls in sport. The workshop was led by retired Dublin footballer, Hannah Tyrrell. The day started in the classroom focusing on the core values underpinning the programme; Respect, Responsibility, Trust, and Recognition. There was brilliant participation from the girls as they actively listened and brought their spirit into the activities.
The second half of the day included a training session where Hannah focused on certain skills while also bringing some fun and competition into the session. It was an enjoyable workshop for our girls, and these core values will be focused on in the future with the aim to empower and carry on their journey in sport.
Quality Mark Celebration
On Thursday, 26 March, four students from CCM’s inclusion and diversity club travelled to Dun Laoghaire for Belong To’s Quality Mark accreditation celebration. After a lot of work from our SASS club, teachers and management members, we are delighted to say our school has been presented with our re-accreditation certificate which states that CCM continues to be an inclusive, safe and supportive place for all students.
Well done to all students and staff who have worked tirelessly to keep CCM a quality mark school and to ensure all current and prospective students know they will be supported here no matter who they are.
CCM Juniors Make History with Dramatic Duff Cup Victory
CCM 32 – Coláiste Mhuire Mullingar 26
CCM Juniors made school history at Lakelands, home of Terenure College RFC, claiming the Duff Cup title after a thrilling win over Coláiste Mhuire Mullingar. Led by captain Luke Connolly, the team capped off a remarkable season that also saw them secure their first-ever Fr. Godfrey Cup win earlier in the year.
From the first whistle, CCM looked the sharper side. Forwards Connolly, Josh Callery, Daniel Coombs, and the returning Eoin Treanor carried strongly, setting up a quick platform for half-backs Alex Birrell and Alex Healy to stretch the Mullingar defence. The early pressure paid off when Connolly powered over for the opening try to make it 5–0, after an Alex McKenna break in midfield.
Momentum continued to build and, soon after, a perfectly weighted cross-field kick from Healy found winger Alex Tyson for the second try, converted by Alex McKenna for a 12–0 lead. Moments later, McKenna broke from deep, linking with Tamatai Rangitaawa and Chris Delahunt before Tyson crossed again to make it 17–0 after just 20 minutes.
Mullingar, however, showed their fighting spirit. Captain Liam Enright led by example, scoring in the corner before Joshua Scahill added the extras. Another try and conversion before halftime cut CCM’s lead to 17–14, giving Mullingar renewed hope heading into the break.
CCM needed a response—and they found it. Connolly again drove over the line for his second try, extending the lead to 22–14. The advantage grew further when Daniel Connolly finished off another Healy cross-field kick on the back of carries from Patrick Treanor and Bill Guinan, converted by McKenna to make it 29–14.
But Mullingar refused to fade. A yellow card for CCM opened the door for Enright and hooker Odhrán Devine to lead a late comeback, scoring two converted tries to make it 29–26 with only minutes remaining.
With the tension rising, CCM’s composure shone through. Positive impacts of the bench from Elijah John Rangitaawa and CJ Armstrong were followed by big plays from Treanor, Connolly, and substitute, Tiernan Nolan, who replaced the hard working Hunter Hennessy, saw McKenna slot a crucial penalty for a 32–26 cushion. Mullingar regained possession from the restart, but a vital turnover by Callery allowed CCM to clear the ball and spark wild celebrations as the final whistle blew.
This hard-fought victory marks a historic Duff Cup win — the first in CCM’s history — and a fitting reward for a season of dedication, teamwork, and belief.
Special thanks go to Miss Murphy, Miss McDonald, and the travelling supporters of students, teachers, and parents who brought the noise and colour that made all the difference on the day.
