Commemorating the Decade of Centenaries
Commemorating the Decade of Centenaries
Michael Collins
16/10/1890 - 28/08/1922
Sacred Heart Secondary School : 12th October 2022
“Today we continue to mark the Commemorative Years in Sacred Heart .Having marked the centenary of the 1916 Rising ,and more recently the centenary of the events of the War of Independence ,the signing of the Treaty,and now the Civil War, it is important to note that it is not enough to know about the events that took place…we need to know the people behind those events, those brothers ,sisters and cousins who fought together in these events,those young men and women ,some members of our own families, whose lives could have been very different had they not chosen to fight for the freedom of their country. It is not just their lives that were affected by the choices they made .They had parents, siblings, and in some cases, children. The question we ask is what did it cost them on a personal level? In many houses, during many gatherings stories that have been told …today we look forward to stories that have yet to be told.
It is easy to look back on things from our perspective in the 21st century and say things should not have happened
In recent years it has become common to look at the events that happened in the years 1913-1923, and to judge what happened in a way that condemns both the events and, as a result the people who took part.Unfortunately,terrible things did occur, but sadly the harsh reality is that this is the nature of war. These men and women were ordinary people, living in an extraordinary time.It must be borne in mind that the men and women of that generation made choices at great personal cost to themselves and their families ,in the hope of making their country a better place for future generations.Therefore ,what these men and women achieved through their willingness to make these sacrifices should not be forgotten.”
On October 12th,in Sacred Heart , we took time to remember , time to celebrate our past ,while looking forward to our future.
Thanks to all students who participated in this gathering,from First Year to Leaving Cert ,whether in oral presentations, music poetry and art .We extend a special thanks to guest speakers Ms Elizabeth O Sullivan, grand niece of Michael Collins, and local Historian Mr Tim Crowley.
We look forward to a continuation of the celebration of the role of Women in Irish History in March 2023.
Robyn Appelbe (L)winner of the Best Video Category in the Thomas Meagher Foundation Competition. Claire Foyle(R) created a beautiful sculpture of hands for this competition and wrote a piece titled “What the Irish Flag means to Me”. Well done to both girls on very inspirational work.
Aoibhe Daly , Leaving Cert Student who was MC for the Day with Claire Foyle ,who made presentations and created a Booklet outlining the schedule for the afternoon.
Aoibhe Daly,Orla Moroney,Ayesha Ali,Ciara Brady,Rhiannon Finney,Robyn Appelbe,Claire Foyle and Kate Nolan
Danica Geaney. Ide Barry,Maeve O Sullivan, Maebh O SullivanCaoilin Mc Carthy, SineadCrowley,Alison Brennan,Mira Collins.Roisin Cook and Roisin O Callaghan.