Offaly school launches award in memory of late GAA star

ST Ciaran's Mixed National School, Boher celebrated the opening of their new ASD unit and the reconstruction of the external environment

The school has also launched an award in memory of Board of Management member, the late Conor Connelly.

In welcoming the local community, Anne Casey, the principal, reiterated that the school ethos conducts an open and welcoming atmosphere for all and promotes inclusion and integration of children with special needs into mainstream school that benefits greatly all the pupils.

Recalling the journey, Tom Minnock, the chair of the Board of Management set out a vision that undertook, in addition to the new build, a programme of work to enhance the school environment by erecting sensitive fencing that would ensure the safety of pupils on the site; to extend the green field play area; lay down a large tarmacadam area suitable for play on wet days; further develop the outside area to include car parking spaces for our staff and allow buses to disembark the pupils safely on site. This greatly alleviates parking congestion outside the school. At the centre of this vision was the safety and comfort of the pupils.

“The journey was by no means an easy one with teachers, pupils and parents having to adopt to a restricted and constricted site so that work could be safely carried out.

The early planning was only completed and contractors on site when the Covid restrictions shut down the work and this was quickly followed by a devastating blow with the untimely passing our board member Conor Connelly. It took great resolve for the Board members with their various skills to pick up the pieces and set about delivering the vision.

“We thank our local contractors Healy and Sons; Tom Egan and Christy Grennan for the high quality of their work and accommodating our timelines to cause minimal upset to the running of the school. We were also grateful for the ingenuity of Patrick Little of Axis Architects and T. Murray Builders the main contractors in working through the challenges set by Covid restrictions and the supply chain for seeing the vision fulfilled. A special word of thanks to Peader Daly for his work as caretaker in accommodating all the needs of contractors and staff as well as attending to the day to day work in maintaining the site”

Emphasising the need for community spirit to the pupils, and in tribute to the late board member, the Conor Connelly Perpetual Star Award was launched. Conor came to our community and asked “what can I do for you?” and continuously reminded people ’’it can be done, we can do it’’.

The Award has these statements on the shield along with Promoting Volunteering which he did a lot of in his time with us.

The award is to inspire the pupils to aspire to these traits and take them into their community.

Organisers hope it will inspire pupils of the present and the future in the years to come.

The award will judge pupils on their voluntary/community work; their personal endeavour/achievement; their capacity for leadership, whether overt or leading by example and overall contribution to school life. 

The individual trophies to be retained by the pupils will be sponsored each year by Ballycumber GAA.