Scoil Naomh Pádraig, Curragh Camp. - News

BERNARD STRIKES GOLD AS CROSS COUNTRY TEAM FINISHES SEASON WITH A BANG

23/5/2017

Once again, the school cross country team produced some remarkable performances at the South Dublin Cross Country League Finals on May 11th. With the closure of the school due to Prince Charles’ Royal Visit to the Curragh, a small team of only third class runners travelled to Corkagh Park to contest the season finale. Our team of 8 runners were split into 12 seeded races based on their league results from the three qualifying rounds earlier in the year. Dylan O’ Reilly got the team off to a flying start earning points with a battling 5th place finish in his race. Next up was the ever improving Cian Browne who finished like a train to take 6th place. Second classer, Ross Fagan was soon to follow and he rose to the occasion to cross the line in a fantastic 4th place, a great achievement for Ross considering he will be back competing in this age group again next year. Adam Behan, Christian Byrne Talbot, Eoin Molloy also had great runs to finish in the top 20 of their respective races. Last up were Bernard Ibirogba and Ifo Ojo who both qualified for the ‘Champions Race’ as they won all their previous qualifying rounds. As the 300 metre race progressed into the final stages, Bernard carefully manoeuvred his way into contention before unleashing a devastating sprint finish to take victory. A few short moments later, Ife Ojo who recovered from a poor start battled on to finish powerfully in 7th place. With almost 500 boys contesting the third class races, it was a great achievement from all the boys from Scoil Naomh Pádraig. Congratulations must go to Bernard Ibirogba who now adds the South Dublin Cross Country title to his Millrose Games gold medal. Well done to the entire cross country club on their great efforts and achievements over the year.

UNDER 10 GAELIC FOOTBALL TEAM MARCH INTO COUNTY SEMI-FINAL

9/5/2017

Congratulations must go to our under 10 Gaelic football team who secured a semi-final spot in the Cumann na mBunscol county championships. Despite a nail biting extra time loss to Newbridge Educate Together on Monday, victories against Kildare Educate Together, Lackagh NS, Brannockstown NS and St. Patrick’s Newbridge were enough to see the boys from the Curragh earn a deserved semi-final place. The boys will now meet St. Colmcille’s Moone in the semi-finals. The game will take place at Scoil Bhríde Kilcullen on Friday 12th May at 11:10am. We are all so proud of the team and we wish them the very best in their semi-final game.

Brilliant Book Day!

3/3/2017

Junior and Senior Infants had a blast on World Book Day! Thank you to parents for organising fantastic costumes and sending in books for our book swap! Earlier in the week we chose our favourite books and drew new book covers for them which you can find at https://youtu.be/1-I11yDlC8g .We began the day by discussing our costumes and then we got stuck into picking our favourite Mr. Men characters and re-creating them as you can see below! We then had great fun as Mr Healy's 5th and 6th Class organised a Where's Wally hunt around the school for us. After break we took part in a World Book Day quiz and we finished our Where's Wally hunt! All in all we had a great day!

Counting down to World Book Day...

1/3/2017

World Book Day 2017 is almost upon us here in Scoil Naomh Pádraig. Our pupils have already received their Book Vouchers which entitles them to a special free World Book Day Book in participating outlets, or €1.50 off any other book on sale.

We will be dressing up on Thursday as our favourite book characters and donating money to BookAid which provides children in need all over the world with new books. Make sure to check back in on our website to see how we got on. Happy Reading :)

BERNARD BLAZES TO VICTORY AT MILLROSE GAMES

13/2/2017

ASTONISHING!!!……..On Saturday night in New York City, Scoil Naomh Pádraig’s Bernard Ibirogba wrote his name into the history books of the world famous Millrose Games. Bernard, who was competing against the fastest 8 year olds on the east coast of America, stormed to a phenomenal win in the closest run race of the day. His victory in The Fastest Kid on the Bock 55m race makes Bernard the first Irish winner at the famed track and field competition since Mark Carroll won the Wannamaker Mile 17 years ago. Our little sprint sensation joins a famous list of past Irish winners at the meet including Eamon Coghlan, Ronnie Delaney and Marcus O’Sullivan.

Bernard’s weekend didn’t start as planned as his flight to New York was diverted to Washington D.C. before eventually arriving into the Big Apple at 1.00am (6:00am Irish time). Bernard didn’t allow the door to door journey of almost 24 hours derail his ambitions of winning, he just smiled and embraced every moment of the trip. After a good night’s sleep, Bernard set off to the Amory Track on 168th street for his final training session. His final workout included some light drills and some fine tuning of his starting technique. A couple of hours later he was centre stage at the official press conference before finishing the day out at the official Millrose Games Banquet where he dined with Olympic 1500m Champion, Matt Centrowitz. Some might consider this an overwhelming experience for an 8 year old but this wasn’t the case for Bernard, he loved every second of it and his infectious smile lit up New York City.

When race day arrived on Saturday, Bernard entered the sold out 5000 capacity stadium at 1:00pm. He checked in for his race, picked up his bib and then sat down to soak up the atmosphere. Like an eagle in the sky, he studiously observed the professional athletes going through their pre-race rituals. An hour before his race, he set off for the warm up track to rub shoulders with the pros and at this point, Bernard and the many Olympic champions were now on a first name basis with each other. Bernard completed his pre-race warm and drills just as he would have done in the Curragh.

At 3:11pm, Bernard laced up his racing spikes and stepped onto the line to compete against America's fittest and fastest. The starting gun fired and Bernard shot out from his crouching start but he slightly trailed the leader. As with previous races, Bernard hit full stride at the halfway mark and he began to close in on first place. He gained precious ground with every step and stormed over the line in a sensational 8.41 seconds, the very same time as his closest competitor, Phil Kamara. Who won? Nobody knew…..The entire crowd anxiously awaited the result of the photo finish but after a few nervous moments the winner was announced…..BERNARD IBIROGBA - MILLROSE CHAMPION!!!

This incredible moment was witnessed by Bernard’s proud parents Kudi and Abiodun who made the trip to New York. Congratulations must go their way for always supporting and encouraging Bernard. On behalf of Bernard, his family and Scoil Naomh Pádraig, we would all like to express our immense gratitude to Dermot McDermott and Caoimhe Ní Mhurcú who have created this wonderful opportunity through the Believe and Achieve initiative. Without any sponsorship, Dermot and Caoimhe have funded the entire trip out of their own pockets and they left no stone unturned to create an amazing weekend for an amazing boy. Scoil Naomh Pádraig would also like to congratulate Emily Kelly of Donegal who ran an excellent race to finish in 3rd place in the girls' Fastest Kid on the Block race. Emily and Bernard were great ambassadors for Ireland.

Bernard would also like to thank his school teammates and classmates who have encouraged him throughout the year and in particular, Ife Ojo, who has trained very closely with Bernard over the past month. In addition, Bernard would like to thank all the staff at Scoil Naomh Pádraig, including teachers Mr Healy, Miss Collins, Miss Sheehan and Mr Connolly who have all regularly joined the running team on their runs over the Curragh Plains. Finally, the school would like to thank the Defence Forces for use of their track, Alan Ward (Emerald Facility Services), Jim Aughney (Dublin Marathon) and Jill Bradbury (Bradburys Irish School Meals) who have all made generous contributions to the school's cross country programme over the past three years.

The final word goes to our hardworking hero, Bernard Ibirogba. We are all so proud of you and you deserve every success. WELL DONE CHAMP!!!

Bernard has gone viral - see press coverage below.

Race Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2yXOXVE3Uc

Believe and Achieve Initiative: https://twitter.com/believe9achieve?lang=en

Irish Independent:http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/athletics/speedsters-match-americas-fastest-kids-at-millrose-games-35445447.html

Irish Runner Magazine:http://www.irishrunner.ie/young-irish-light-up-millrose-games/

Balls.ie: https://www.balls.ie/athletics/bernard-ibirogba-358921

The42.ie: http://www.the42.ie/bernard-ibirogba-new-york-millrose-games-3237213-Feb2017/

Irish Examiner: http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/sport/watch-8-year-old-irish-boy-win-fastest-kid-on-the-block-title-in-new-york-776971.html

Kildare Nationalist http://www.kildare-nationalist.ie/2017/02/10/bernards-fastest-feet-take-him-all-the-way-to-new-york/

Ife Ojo leads school to 1-2-3 clean sweep at the South Dublin Cross Country League

13/2/2017

The school cross country club continues to grow from strength to strength and this was clear to see by all this past Thursday. A small squad of 23 boys set off for Clondalkin Park with hopes of scoring their first points in their respective races. On the back of months of hard training in all weather conditions, the boys were eager to test themselves against some of the larger schools of South Dublin. Although small in size, this is a squad high in quality and this quality shone through on the day as all expectations were surpassed.

First up were the 3rd class boys who were split into 3 races of 40 boys each. Ross Fagan (2nd class), making his debut for the school team, lead the charge with a courageous run and he was rewarded with an excellent 5th place finish. As Ross finished inside the top 10, he put the first points on the board for Scoil Naomh Pádraig. Christian and Adam Behan were soon to follow and both finished in the top 20.

Next up was Race 2 and this was undoubtedly the race of the day. Within 5 seconds of the gun sounding, Scoil Naomh Pádraig vests swarmed to the front of the field with Ife Ojo storming into the lead. Chasing hot on his heels was Dylan O’Reilly and remarkably Eoin Molloy (2nd class) sat in 3rd place. As the race approached the closing stages, Ife and Dylan O’Reilly ran well clear of the chasers and the only question now was who would take gold. Both boys were neck and neck coming around the final bend but a final surge by Ife was enough to take the win. With Dylan taking a comfortable 2nd place, Eoin Molloy showed great stamina to make it a 1-2-3 finish. This was an incredible achievement and the icing was put on the cake when Cian Browne showed great pacing ability to work his way through the main pack to finish in 5th place. The result of this race alone meant that the team banked 36 points (12+10+8+6), a new record score for the school. Other notable performers in the 3rd class category were Seán Byrne, Ryan Sage, Cillian Keane, Dylan Comerford, Ben O'Connor, Scott Murphy, Daryl Byrne, Scott Doyle and Bradley Cox.

As the day progressed, the harriers from the Curragh continued to excel and earned further points through the great efforts of Teighan Ryan Klimuk and captain Mikey Ijoma. The ever improving Kian McGowan ran another solid race to earn a top 20 finish. Rhys Hayden, Cormac Doyle and Tyon Drazi closed the day with fine runs. A final score of 49 points smashed our previous best of 30 points; well done to all on our best performance yet. Onwards and upwards!

Mini Moores come to Scoil Naomh Pádraig

13/2/2017

Moorefield GAA kindly sent 3 of their top coaches to Scoil Naomh Pádraig to give us a glimpse of what would be in store for any of the boys who decide to join the Mini Moores. Led by past pupil and Senior Footballer James Lonergan, ably assisted by fellow coaches Colin and Anthony, all 4 classes took part in fun skills sessions. Anyone looking to find out more about the Mini Moores, contact Philip (087-2023580) or Alan (0876505013) or come to their First Touch Open and Registration Day (for children born in 2010/11/12) in Moorefield GAA on Saturday 25th February where you can meet the coaches and your team mates. Training for other year groups also begins on Sat 25th.

Bernard set to take on America’s finest in New York City’s 110th Millrose Games

9/2/2017

At 3:11pm (8:11pm Irish time) on Saturday 11th February, Scoil Naomh Pádraig’s Bernard Ibirogba will lace up his racing spikes and the toe the line against America’s fastest 8 year old boys at the world famous Millrose Games. Having become Irish National Champion last December, Bernard will pull on the Irish vest for the very first time and compete in the Fastest Kid on the Block 55 metre sprint. With 12 Olympic Gold Medallists competing at the same meet, this will undoubtedly be a very proud moment for Bernard, his family and friends. The entire school community of Scoil Naomh Pádraig are so proud of Bernard and we all wish him the best of luck in New York City. As often said during our training sessions; RUN LIKE THE CLAPPERS BERNARD!!!

Info on Bernard’s race is below

Live webcast available:
http://www.usatf.tv/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=45365&do=videos&video_id=192217

To watch the webcast, a login must be created. Subscribe at http://plus.runnerspace.com/ at a monthly cost of $12.99. The subscription must be cancelled within a month to avoid any further charges. A subscriber can only view from one device so it may be a fun idea to team up and have a Millrose party with a neighbour! If subscribing to the live webcast, Bernard’s race will be on the first TV slot as shown below (12:00PM to 4:00PM). Bernard’s race is scheduled to start at 3:11pm New York Time (8:11pm Irish Time). The professional races will begin shortly afterwards at 4:00pm (9:00pm Irish Time).

If you are unable to watch the race live, we will endeavour to publish the race on the school website as soon as possible.

Facebook updates available on Believe and Achieve:
https://www.facebook.com/believe9achieve/

Millrose Games Website: http://www.nyrrmillrosegames.org/

Race fields (to be updated shortly): http://www.nyrrmillrosegames.org/fields-2017/

Race schedule: http://www.nyrrmillrosegames.org/meet-schedule/

Results available on Armory Track website: http://www.armorytrack.com/

Bradburys Bakery and Restaurant supporting Bernard Ibirogba in NYC

6/2/2017

With less than a week to go to the world’s longest running and most prestigious indoor track and field competition, Scoil Naomh Pádraig’s Bernard Ibirogba has been fine tuning his training in preparation for the biggest moment of his prosperous running career. Before Bernard jets off to the Big Apple, Scoil Naomh Pádraig, Bernard and his family would like to express their gratitude to Jill Bradbury of Bradburys Bakery, Newbridge for kindly making a generous contribution towards Bernard’s travel and accommodation costs. Last week, Jill kindly took time out of her day to come into the school and visit Bernard and wish him best of luck in New York. Further information on Bradburys extensive range of products can be found on their website: http://www.bradburys.ie/
Further details of Bernard’s race including a live stream link will be posted during the week.

Cooking as a Christmas Treat

21/12/2016

Junior and Senior Infants had great fun preparing Rocky Road today. As we have been learning about sequencing and ordinal number (first, second, third, last) in Maths we thought it would be nice to practice these new words whilst baking. First we brke up cooking chocolate and biscuits. Second teacher melted the chocolate (we must be very careful with boiling water). Third we added the biscuit to the chocolate and stirred the mixture. Thenw e added marshmallows, placed the mixture in a tin and put it in the fridge to cool. The last thing we will do is eat it all up tomorrow, we cannot wait :)