| Dec. 22nd
CanTeen On behalf of CanTeen Ireland we would like to thank everyone who supported this worthy cause by buying Christmas Cards. You have helped us raise €311.00 for CanTeen’s activities. Thanks a bunch!! Lisa Fitzpatrick Christmas Wishes At the end of term I want to extend my thanks to all involved in the life of the school. A school as busy as this, offering a wide range of activities and opportunities, can only be sustained by the commitment of students, parents, staff and Board of Management. Throughout this term I have seen again and again the dedication and interest of everyone to maintaining our traditional levels of activity while at the same time looking to the future and assessing how we might best place ourselves to maximise the potential of our students. I want to express my thanks, my appreciation and my indebtedness in particular to the staff of the school for their unrelenting hard work, their willingness to go the extra mile, their creativity and their energy in engaging anew with the great work of teaching and learning. To all associated with Portumna Community School I wish every peace and joy of the season. D. Long.
Removal of old flooring Over the Christmas holidays, old floor tiles will be removed from rooms A, B, C, D and nearby corridors. Work will commence on the evening of Friday 22nd Dec. and should be completed by Monday, 8th Jan. 2007. The work is being done by a contractor for the Office of Public Works as part of the removal of asbestos materials from school buildings organised by the Department of Education and Science. The school will be closed entirely for the duration of the work and notices will be posted advising of this. If you wish to make contact with the school over the Christmas Holidays you should phone the normal school number and leave a message. It will not be possible to call into the school while these works are in progress so we are asking everyone who wishes to make contact with the school to phone. I hope that the replacement of the flooring will add to the excellent condition of the facilities which we can offer to our school community.
Surgeon Noonan Society
Thanks to everyone who supported our Surgeon Noonan Society fundraising the total raised came to €800. This will be forwarded to the Fourth Year Medical Students from University College Cork who will be travelling, in June 2007, to hospitals in Ghana, Tanzania, Malawi, Kenya and Zambia, bringing with them the much needed medical supplies and financial aid.
Best of Luck Best wishes to Aine and Kate O’Meara who hope to take part in the Science Olympiad in D.C.U. in the New Year. They have the chance to win the right to represent Ireland in Germany. Best of Luck girls. Lisa Fitzpatrick & Sinead Reddan
Senior Camogie Portumna C.S. 6-9 : St. Brigid’s V.S., Loughrea 1-2
Our Senior Camogie team qualified for the schools ninth Senior ‘A’ Connacht Final in a row with this win on Wednesday. The early stages were closely contested but by the time Julie Brien goaled for the second time mid-way through the first half the outcome was becoming clear. By halftime, with Julie, Emer Haverty, Louise Larkin and Stacey Coen dominating the midfield diamond, Portumna led by 3-5 to no score. Loughrea got on the score sheet in the second half but it was mainly one-way traffic with Claire Kelly adding her second goal and Lynda Moloney coming to life with a goal and a point. The girls will now face Presentation College, Athenry in the final in the New Year where they will be hoping to avenge last year’s defeat.
Team & Scorers: Helen Campbell, Laura Shiel, Serena Brien (Capt.), Amanda Broderick, Catherine O’Meara, Louise Larkin, Marie Duane, Julie Brien (2-3), Emer Haverty, Ann Marie Starr (0-1), Stacey Coen (0-2), Megan Moran, Claire Kelly (2-0), Lynda Moloney (1-1), Tara Ruttledge (0-2), Claire Harte, Karen Brien, Ruth Kilkenny, Nicola Muldoon (1-0), Amanda Lynch, Niamh McClearn, Kate Goode, Claire Lynch.
Christmas Survey During tutor class on Thursday a survey of Christmas Favourites was carried out. Below are some of the results:
Favourite Christmas Carol: Silent Night. Away in a Manger.
Favourite (popular) Christmas song: All I want for Christmas. Fairytale of New York.
Favourite Christmas Film: Home Alone. Santa Claus The Movie.
What are the first three words you think of when you hear the word Christmas? Presents. Food. Birth of Jesus.
Earliest Christmas Memories (just a few samples!) Visiting the crib in our local church. Waking up at 1.30am and opening presents! Our dog having 5 puppies on Christmas day. Swapping presents with my sister without her knowing! Being afraid of Santa in a shopping centre in Galway. Getting a teddy as a present that was bigger than myself. My sister and I spraying the Christmas tree completely gold! Singing in a choir at Christmas eve Mass.
Christmas Joke: Q. What was the name of the other reindeer? A. Olive! ("Olive the other reindeer used to laugh and call him names")
Portumna Christmas Events Committee
On behalf of the above committee I would like to invite your younger brothers and sisters to join us on Sunday, 24th Dec. in the Shannon Oaks Hotel from 2 to 5 pm. The Christmas Eve Pageantry includes Kiddies (U-8) disco, Bouncy Castles, an Award winning magician, ‘The Great Padini’, and Santa will be there to meet each of the children. Please note: all children must be accompanied by an adult. We will also announce the winner of the Best Decorated house and locality. Congratulations to Hayes & Hayes Pharmacy on winning the Best Decorated Shop Front. We would also like to thank all the sponsors of the Portumna Christmas Lights 2006. Anne Donohue
Transition Year In any field of endeavour, be it sporting or cultural, it is difficult to win back to back competitions. This year’s Transition Year have achieved just that by winning the Euroscola Competition for the second time in two years. This is a major achievement for the school and in particular T.Y. Five entries were submitted by the students during show-week. The deadline for the entries to Euroscola was Friday, 8th December, which was the final night of the show. The students made a great effort to have their projects ready in a very busy week in the school calendar. The winning entry was on ‘The Treaty of Rome’ and ‘The Four Freedoms of the City’. The students involved were: Shane Tully, Aidan Hough, Aine O’Meara, Kate O’Meara, Blaithin Conroy, Niamh Molamphy, Veronica Burke, Julie Larkin, Tanya Byrne and Brian Walsh. As in the musical, this group are intent on maintaining ‘tradition’. Thanks to Mr. Loughnane and Mr. Coughlan who guided the students with this project.
Ty Visit to Croke Park
The Transition Year students had an excellent outing on Wednesday (20th) when they travelled to Croke Park for the guided tour that took about two hours. The students also got in some shopping at Liffey Valley on the way home. Thanks to Ms. Feehily and Mr. Coughlan for providing such a valuable learning experience for the students.
J. Coughlan
Christmas Quote " During this Christmas season, May you be blessed
Dates for your Diary: (23rd Dec. – 8th Jan.)
School Website: www.portumnacs.com Email: info@portumnacs.com Vol. 7 Issue 16 – 22nd Dec. 2006
Dec. 15th Removal of old flooring Over the Christmas holidays, old floor tiles will be removed from rooms A, B, C, D and nearby corridors. Work will commence on the evening of Friday 22nd Dec. and should be completed by Monday, 8th Jan. 2007. The work is being done by a contractor for the Office of Public Works as part of the removal of asbestos materials from school buildings organised by the Department of Education and Science. The school will be closed entirely for the duration of the work and notices will be posted advising of this. If you wish to make contact with the school over the Christmas Holidays you should phone the normal school number and leave a message. It will not be possible to call into the school while these works are in progress so we are asking everyone who wishes to make contact with the school to phone. I hope that the replacement of the flooring will add to the excellent condition of the facilities which we can offer to our school community. D. Long.
Personal Belongings
Students Please note:All Coats, tops, sports gear, etc. are to be cleared from the school during next week. Anything left over the Christmas Holidays will be disposed of.
Celebrating Advent 2006
Advent is one of the few Christian festivals that can be observed at home as well as at church. With its association with Christmas, Advent is a natural time to involve children in activities at home that directly connect with worship in church. In the home an advent wreath is often placed on the dining room table and lighted at mealtime, especially on Sunday. It can provide an opportunity for families to engage in a little prayer before eating. The circle of the wreath reminds usthat God has no beginning or no end. The green of the wreath reminds us of the hope that we have in God, the hope of newness and of eternal life. The four outer candles represent the period of waiting during the four Sundays of Advent. The white candle reminds us of the light of God coming into our world through the birth of the infant Jesus, what this festive season is all about. May each family rejoice with home-comings, broken friendships be renewed, broken trust be restored and may the peace of the new born child be with each one of you.
Christmas liturgies Next week each class will be invited to come to Suaimhneas to share in a special liturgy in preparation for Christmas. These services will take place during religion class periods throughout the week. Looking forward to seeing you all there and be sure you are in good singing voice.
Fr. Abe. Zambian Project On Thursday we were delighted to welcome back past student Dr. Nathalie Carty to school for an intriguing presentation on here recent work in Zambia. Nathalie was accompanied by Brother Michael O’ Donoghue who has been working on the same project for the last 5 years and is currently on a short break in Ireland before returning to Zambia in the New Year. Presentations were made to second years, transition year and a lunchtime meeting was held with members of the Chernobyl Group. With the Chernobyl Project now concluded the school is in the process of establishing a new venture with the needy in Africa and we are hoping to develop formal links with ventures such as this in the very near future.
Surgeon Noonan Society
A Non-Uniform day was held today in aid of the Surgeon Noonan Society which is a charity organization run by Fourth Year Medical Students from University College Cork. The society is celebrating its 30th Anniversary and they hope to raise in excess of €200,000. Fundraising takes place throughout the academic year and all money raised is brought directly to African Missionary Hospitals in June by the students. In 2007 thirty medical students (including a past student, John Duddy) will travel to hospitals in Ghana, Tanzania, Malawi, Kenya and Zambia, bringing with them the much needed medical supplies and financial aid. If you wish to contribute you can still do so next week – there is a Blue Boot left in the Social Area for this purpose.
Christmas Favourites Next week’s Eolas will be a Christmas special and with this in mind we are inviting submissions on a Christmas theme from students – also during Tutor class next week we will be carrying out a survey among students and teachers to find out the following favourites: Christmas Song, Christmas Movie, Christmas Poem
CanTeen Ireland
CanTeen Ireland is a nation-wide support group for young people, who have or have had cancer. The CanTeen Christmas Cards sold out fast here in the school last year so if you missed the opportunity to get a pack or two you’ll be happy to know they are available once again in the Social Area! Please support this worthy cause.
On Wednesday last a most successful careers evening was held in the school. Many of the third level colleges were in attendance as were representatives a variety of local professions in the area. The school hugely appreciates all the effort that so many people made for this event. The response from students was also particularly gratifying with so many offering very positive feedback. Of particular interest on the evening was the "Journalism" table – with two past pupils both of whom had to make considerable effort to be in attendance: Ailbhe Conneely who works with the News department in RTE and Tom Felle who is a reporter with the Irish Independent. Ailbhe’s career continues to go from strength to strength while Tom is leaving for a year in Beirut as a correspondent with the Daily Mail. Best of luck to both. Many thanks to Miss Hanley and Mr. Shinnick for the organisation of this event. Concern Debate Our Concern debating team had a good win on Tuesday night here in the school. The team – Ceara Bergin, Sarah Hooban, Chloe O’Hara and Audrey Hogan – spoke really well and were convincing winners. Out opposition was the Sacred Heart Sec. School from Tullamore. Thanks to all who supported us on the night. B. O’Connor.
Christmas Quote "Christ was born in the first century, yet he belongs to all centuries. He was born a Jew, yet He belongs to all races. He was born in Bethlehem, yet He belongs to all countries." Transition Year
On Monday (11th) Transition Year students travelled to Galway Chamber of Commerce to take part in the European Forum Speak Out on the ‘Four Freedoms’ - Constituency Final (Clare V Galway). Paul Abberton, Sarah Conboy and Clare Killeen were narrowly beaten. On Tuesday T.Y.s were again debating – this time ‘as Gaeilge’ – in Roscrea and on Wednesday night Clare Killeen, Paul Abberton and Kate O’Meara competed in the first round of the Mental Health Speak Out forum. Portumna defeated Coláiste na Coiribe, from Galway. Clare Killeen received her team’s prize along with a special prize for the best speech. Congratulations to Ms. Burke who helped the students prepare their speeches. T.Y.s have been very busy recently having performed a first class musical last week. They have also submitted five beautiful entries for the ‘Euroscola’ based on the theme of the Four Freedoms of the City (Treaty of Rome). The students produced this work during ‘show’ week. The class have also completed the European Studies exchange project. This involved: each student submitting a personal profile; a student’s day at Portumna C.S.; the history, background and structure of the school; along with designing a Christmas card. This work has been sent to all of our European partner schools and the work students produce is being recorded in a special booklet along with the work they receive from the partner schools. Well done to Clare Killeen and Paul Abberton who have been involved in all of the above. What a week for them!
J. Coughlan
Irish Debating The Irish debating team travelled to Roscrea last Tuesday evening (12th) to participate in the 2nd round of the Gael Linn díospoireacht. The other teams competing in the debate were Hospital from Limerick, Birr and Edenderry. The motion for the debate was "Tá féiniúlacht na nGael caillte in Éireann an lae inniú". The team consisted of Áine O’Meara (Capt.), Veronica Burke and Louise Larkin. Unfortunately they did not advance to the next round of the competition. A special thanks to Ms. Connolly, Ms. Conroy and Ms. Kinneen for preparing them for the debate. Today in History – 15th Dec. 1877 - Thomas Edison patents phonograph (old fashioned record player). 1964 - 1st time 4 people in space. 1964 - Canada adopts maple leaf flag. 1973 - Pirates of Caribbean ride opens at Disneyland
Dates for your Diary: (16th – 22nd Dec.)
School Website: www.portumnacs.com Email: info@portumnacs.com Vol. 7 Issue 15 – 15th Dec. 2006 Dec 10th Fiddler on the Roof is an Outstanding Success
What a week it has been for everyone involved with this year’s production of Fiddler on the Roof. After the dress rehearsal on Monday night it was down to business immediately again on Tuesday morning for the traditional matinee show with almost 500 local primary school pupils, their teachers and parents in attendance. The show was extremely well received with the young audience showing great appreciation for the production. For the very young the dream scene was the highlight even if it was "a little bit scary".
On Wed night we had the special cabaret style performance – where the audience watched the show in candlelight, while food was served by the fifth year students and teachers. A nice development in recent years is where a number of local community groups and groups of friends/neighbours/extended families attend the show together. Once again there was a magnificent response to the production from those in attendance. Last night we had the first "regular" performance and again the cast delivered a first class performance. Tonight then is the last chance to get to see, what is being described by many, as one of the best shows ever staged in the school. As was mentioned last week a number of tickets have been held back for tonight’s performance, so please come along early if you want to be guaranteed a seat.
The school is indebted to the huge effort of so many staff and students over the last number of weeks to make this a truly memorable production. It is a testament to what can be achieved from a professional approach, teamwork and co-operation – well done to all concerned but a particular word of appreciation to the musical director, Miss Kelleher and the show’s producer Mr. Coughlan. Celtic Trip Last Friday night/Saturday morning at 2.30 a.m. forty-five senior students and five teachers boarded a bus outside the school to begin the first leg of the journey to Glasgow. We arrived in Belfast at 6.30 a.m. for the 7.30 a.m. sailing on the Stena Line fast ferry. Arriving in Stranraer at 9.30 a.m. we began our journey to Glasgow and made our way to our hotel where we dropped our bags before making our way towards Celtic Park. Grabbing a quick bite to eat en route we distributed the tickets to the group before entering the stadium after the 3 p.m. kick-off against their rivals, Aberdeen. While Celtic won the game 1-0 the quality was way below the usual standard. After the game we made our way back to the hotel for our evening meal, collected the keys to our rooms and freshened up before making our way towards George’s Square for some outdoor ice-skating. With such a wide variety of experience on the rink from first time skatersto the more seasoned skaters, there were some pretty impressive thrills and spills! At 10.45 p.m. we made our way back to the hotel for some socialising before finally getting everyone back to their rooms for the remaining few hours sleep. On Sunday morning a call came through to say that due to the adverse weather conditions the Stena Line sailings were cancelled until further notice. Disappointment on the faces of the group was not evident when I broke the news. However, we still had to make our way to Stranraer to book in for the first available sailing. At their own expense, Stena Line organised a few hours in the Ryan Leisure Centre on Sunday afternoon, gave us fifty-five £5 vouchers for food and booked us on to the 11 p.m. sailing from Cairnryan to Larne with P&O Ferries. We’re very thankful to Stena Line who were indeed gracious hosts to us all. On a pretty rocky ship we finally made Larne at 2 a.m. and continued our homeward journey to Portumna for 7 a.m. breakfast Monday morning. What a wonderful group of students and teachers to be out with for a weekend. Looking forward to next year already!! Fr. Abe.
Careers A Careers Information Evening will be held in the School on Wednesday, 13th December, from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. for Third years, all Senior Students (T.Y. to 6th Yr.) and their parents.Many colleges from Dublin, Galway, Cork, Waterford, Sligo will be here along with career Professionals such as doctors, Physiotherapists, Engineers, Vets, etc. This will be a good opportunity to find out about courses and careers.
Credit Union: The school’s Credit Union will be open every Friday from 1.30pm to 2.00pm for students wishing to deposit money into their Credit Union account. On Monday, 11th Dec. there will be a Parent Teacher meeting for parents of 1st and 3rd year students from 4.15 p.m.
On Tuesday, during morning break, the LCA students will be having a Cake Sale in Aid of the Simon Community. Please support.
Careers – Open Days – Dec.
12th – Waterford Institute of Technology. 13th – Trinity College Dublin
Portumna Christmas Events Committee On behalf of the above committee I would like to invite you to join us tomorrow, Saturday, 9th December : 5.30 pm – 7.00 pm For carol singing and Christmas tunes. Santa will arrive escorted by the Band of the 4th Western Brigade to help with the ‘Switch-On’ Ceremony of the Christmas Street Lights and Christmas Tree in the Square. This will be followed by a Professional Fireworks Display by the Black Power Monkeys. It promises to be a wonderful evening for children and adults alike so please try to come along and join in the celebrations. Anne Donohue
Senior Girls Soccer Our Senior girls soccer panel travelled to Mervue Park, Galway on Wednesday last to play Ballyhaunis in the final game of the Connacht league before the knock-out stages in 2007. Portumna, playing with a strong wind advantage in the 1st half, took control of this game from the kick-off. After just 5 minutes of play Sarah Conboy opened the scoring with a lovely goal, only to be followed 7 minutes later with a second goal, beautifully struck by Shauna Grady. Still well in control of this game, Blaithin Conroy, 10 minutes from the end of the 1st half, chipped a wonderful ball from the right edge of the parallelogram over the head of the Ballyhaunis goalkeeper to make it 3-0 to Portumna. 4 minutes from the end, Shauna Grady broke through the Ballyhaunis defence yet again for her 2nd goal making the half-time score Portumna 4 – Ballyhaunis 0. The 2nd half was slow to take off and 18 minutes went by before the first score was witnessed, this time by Ballyhaunis. However, 4 minutes later Blaithin Conroy chipped a ball, not too unlike the one in the 1st half, over the head of the keeper bringing the tally to 5-1. In the final minute of the game, a breaking ball on the edge of the box was volleyed to the back of the net by Sarah Conboy for her 2nd goal of the match and 6-1 to Portumna. Ballyhaunis, in extra time, got a consolation goal to make the final score Portumna 6 – Ballyhaunis 2. This was a spirited display from the Portumna girls who played with passion and confidence. Let’s hope we make it to the knock-out stages in 2007. Well done girls. Fr. Abe
New Floor Covering
Please note: New floor covering will be installed during the Christmas Holidays. To allow for the removal of old floor tiles the school will be completely closed over the Christmas Holidays.
Today in History – 8th Dec. 1813 - Ludwig von Beethoven's 7th Symphony in A, premieres. 1854 - Pope Pius IX proclaims Immaculate Conception, makes Mary, free of Original Sin. Dates for your Diary: (9th – 15th Dec.)
"Fiddler" set to Raise the Roof Next week will indeed be a very hectic one for everyone involved in Fiddler on the roof. The dress rehearsal will take place on Monday night and there will be a matinee performance for all the local primary schools starting at 12 noon on Tuesday. Wednesday night sees the third year of the cabaret performance with the regular shows on Thursday and Friday night. The nightly shows will commence at 8pm each evening. We would like to wish everyone involved with this production the very best of luck for the busy week ahead. 
Latest Ticket Information: All available tickets for the Friday night performance have been sold out!! A number of seats will however be available on the night to facilitate those returning from work or college who, traditionally, attend the show on the Friday. There are still seats for the Thursday night show but we urge you to purchase these as soon as possible if you have not already done so. These tickets are available through the school office. Tickets for the cabaret performance have been selling well also – if there are any more families, groups etc who wish to book a table please contact the school office as soon as possible. (090) 9741053.
Advent
This Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent, the beginning of the Church’s year. During the month of December each class will be invited to Suaimhneas for a liturgy in preparation for Christmas. Dates and times will be posted later.
Junior Girls Soccer Our Junior Girls Soccer panel travelled to Ballinasloe on Tuesday last to play in the final game of the Connacht League before the knock-out stages. With two games under our belt we were hoping to keep a clean sheet, however, this was not to be. Playing against the breeze in the first half we managed to get to half time two goals down. Playing with the breeze in the second half, a couple of good scoring opportunities failed to give us a result on the score sheet. Then in the last five minutes Ballinasloe, against the run of play, added a third goal to their tally, leaving the final result Ballinasloe 3 – Portumna 0. As two teams go to the knock-out stages we are still hopeful of a place from our previous two wins. The training continues girls.
Celtic Trip Forty-five students and five teachers will leave Portumna Community School at 2.40 a.m. tonight/tomorrow for our annual trip to Park Head. We are taking the 7.30 a.m. ferry from Belfast to Stranraer, then heading onto our hotel in Glasgow and will have time to freshen up, do a little shopping and a bite to eat before we head for the kick-off at 3 p.m. between Celtic and Aberdeen. See you all tonight. D.V. Fr. Abe Please Note As mentioned above we are having a special matinee for the local national schools on Tuesday. There will be a heavy commitment by teachers to staging the show in a manner that will do justice to the hard work and effort of the T.Y. class and their producers. In addition, a considerable number of 5th year students will be involved with the production. Therefore, in order to facilitate the matinee we are asking that all Second year students and Fifth years, not involved with the show, to stay at home on Tuesday (5th). All others should attend school as usual.
On Monday, 11th Dec. there will be a Parent Teacher meeting for parents of 1st and 3rd year students. Details will be outlined in a letter next week.
Careers Night A careers night will be held in the School on Wednesday, 13th December, from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. for Third years, all Senior Students (T.Y. to 6th Yr.) and their parents. Many colleges from Dublin, Galway, Cork, Waterford, Sligo will be here along with career Professionals such as doctors, Physiotherapists, Engineers, Vets, etc. This will be a good opportunity to find out about courses and careers.
Credit Union: The school’s Credit Union will be open every Friday from 1.30pm to 2.00pm for students wishing to deposit money into their Credit Union account.
Careers – Open Days – Dec.
1st Dec. – Athlone I.T. and Clonakilty Agricultural College. 2nd – Dublin Institute of Technology. 6th – Pallaskenry Agricultural College 6th – Rathmines College of FE 7th – Ballyfermot College of Further Education 7th – National College of Art & Design (undergraduate) 8th – University College Dublin.
Rugby - Result Well done to the Junior Rugby Team who overcame St. Patrick’s College Tuam in the first round of the Junior Development Cup. Final score was Portumna C.S. 14 – St. Pats 5. Try scorers were Craig O’Meara and Martin Lawrence, with 2 conversions by Frank Lillis.
Junior Rugby Team to Visit Thomond Park The Junior rugby squad make the very exciting trip to Thomond Park, Limerick on Sunday evening for the Celtic league match between Munster and Connacht. This should be both enjoyable and educational for the team. Thanks to Mr. O Tuairisg for organizing the tickets and to parents Francis O’ Halloran and Kieran Madden who will also accompany the lads on the trip.
Today in History – 1st 1835 - Hans Christian Andersen published his 1st book of fairy tales. 1887 - Sherlock Holmes 1st appears in print: "Study in Scarlet". 1913 - Continuous moving assembly line introduced by Ford (car every 2:38). 1959 - 1st colour photograph of Earth from outer space. 1987 - Digging begins to link England & France under English Channel. 1990 - British & French workers meet in English Channel's tunnel (Chunnel).
Minor Title! Congratulations to the Killimor Camogie Minor Team who won the Minor A County Title on Sunday last (26th Nov.) against Athenry with a scoreline of 1-10 to 2-3. Team: H. Campbell, E. Haverty, R. Geoghegan, M. Duane, S. Brien, A. Broderick (Capt.), J. Brien, A.M. Starr, A. Burke, C. Brien, V. Burke, C. Kelly, K. Brien, H. Quinn and past pupils, A. Casey & M. Conroy.
Road Safety We have mentioned it here before but the issue of road safety can never be highlighted too often, particularly during these dark mornings and evenings. Many students are now leaving home in the dark and arriving home in similar conditions. This week we ask you to remember one simple message –
"just because you can see an oncoming car does not mean it can see you" The same goes for students crossing the road – please look before you do so for your own safety!!
Portumna Christmas Events Committee On behalf of the above committee I would like to invite you to join us on Saturday, 9th December : 5.30 pm – 7.00 pm For carol singing and Christmas tunes. Santa will arrive escorted by the Band of the 4th Western Brigade to help with the ‘Switch-On’ Ceremony of the Christmas Street Lights and Christmas Tree in the Square. This will be followed by a Professional Fireworks Display by the Black Power Monkeys. It promises to be a wonderful evening for children and adults alike so please try to come along and join in the celebrations.
The winner of the best decorated shop front will be announced on the night. The Competition for the best decorated residential house and locality with be announced on the 24th Dec. during our Christmas Eve Pageantry. So get decorating. Anne Donohue
"The human race has only one really effective weapon and that is laughter. Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand." Mark Twain
Dates for your Diary: (2nd – 8th Dec.)
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