Well done to Anna Fitzpatrick, Rose Hayes, Amy Maher, Jamie Browne, Emma Kavanagh, Eileen OSullivan, Patrick Joyce Biddulph., Naoise Hannon, Amelia Flynn and Chloe Nicholson who volunteered to collect donations on behalf of Down Syndrome Ireland during the Punchestown Racing Festival. Our sincere thanks to Garda Jon Brien who drove some of the group to and from Punchestown Racecourse in the Garda Community bus. Over €5000 was collected by our students during the time they were involved. Our sincere thanks to everyone who donated to this worthy cause.
The CPC Drama Club performed “Macbeth in seventeen and a half minutes”
as part of the “Class Act” Post-Primary Drama Festival at the Moat
Theatre, Nass on Tuesday, 25th of March.
Ten schools from all over Ireland participated in the competition. The
competition was adjudicated by Anna Walker, who is a member of the
Association of Drama Adjudicators
CPC Drama Club was nominated for two awards: one for best ensemble and the
second for adjudicator's award. The club was thrilled to win the adjudicator’s
award for Kitmarie Hunter, Jake Byrne, and Kate Callanan's performances as
the three witches.
The play was directed by Ms O'Sullivan, assisted by Ms Flanagan.
In her adjudication, Ms Walker commented that the play was a humorous and
dramatic interpretation, and it was clear the cast enjoyed the experience. She
mentioned that the production successfully captured the mood of the play. The
movement of the opening scene was particularly well-rehearsed. The costumes
made an excellent addition to the production, and the cast's ensemble acting
was superb. She said there was a fantastic connection between the actors,
especially the witches. She noted the interaction between Macbeth, played by
Joey Crowley, and Lady Macbeth, played by Mackenna Lynch, was very effective
in their characterisations. Overall, she noted that it was obvious that there was
excellent teamwork between the cast and a very creative response to the play.
Twenty-five cast members were on stage, with some students playing multiple
roles. The cast included students from 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year. TY student Eloise
Reddy was the stage manager and props assistant. Ryan Cady selected the
soundtrack for the production.
The students who took part in the production were Kitmarie Hunter, Jake
Byrne, Kate Callanan, Rhys Cornally, Casey O’Gorman, Marley Nolan, Ruth
Moloney, Ellie Phelan, Joey Crowley, Senan Delaney, Mackenna Lynch, Darragh
Dunne, Calum Reddy, Leonie Coffey, Aibhe Cady, Sophia Dempsey, Amy
McCormack, Ryan Cady, Promedie Konko, Amelia Reddy, Sarah Smyth, Ella
Fishbourne, Ava Nolan, Grace Ajibola-Craford and Conán-Roc O’Byrne.
The cast and crew are very grateful to the parents association, which
contributed to the cost of the production, along with Ms Harney, Ms O’Malley,
Mr Mann, and Ms Dolan, who created the costumes and props.
On Thursday May 1 2025 former CPC student Jeremy Burke should have celebrated his 30 birthday.
He was a dedicated, talented musician. The enormous tragedy of his death inspired Jeremy’s family to establish a CPC music bursary in his name.
The music department at CPC are so grateful to Jeremy’s mum Louise and the Burke family for this generous bursary, and the incredible opportunity it offers to our music students.
The shortlisted applicants for this years award were Alex Connolly, Carl Kenna, Grace Doyle, Josh Kelly, Olivia Lambert, Grace O'Donnell, Evie Sammon, Charlie Lawlor, Dermot Guiney, and James Meehan.
6th year student Olivia Lambert was awarded the 2025 Jeremy Burke Modern Music Bursary.
Below please find the link to an online survey for parents of neurodivergent children/young people (under 18s – diagnosed and undiagnosed) in Co. Kildare:
Survey for parents of neurodivergent children in Kildare
This initiative is being rolled out by Kildare CYPSC, LCDC and Sláintecare Healthy Communities Athy in partnership with local Family Resource Centres, as part of the Kildare Child Poverty Initiative. The Kildare project has a focus on supports for neurodivergent children/young people.
We are keen to hear the voice of parents about their experience of accessing support for their child. Our hope is to reach as many parents as possible within Kildare through local promotion. Attached please find 2 posters (with QR codes) – in PDF format for print, in PNG format for online.
Please share on your social media platforms, display in your places of work and share within your own networks/groups.
This survey is anonymous. Closing date for completion is 13th May.
Attached, you will find a letter about the National Parents' and Students' Leaving Certificate Helpline for 2024/25
Good luck to Aidin Gordon and Aoife Griffith who were selected to play for the Kildare Ladies Under 16 team and are now through to the Leinster Championship against Dublin tomorrow, Monday 5th May
Guten Tag!
After a very early start and with great excitement 72 TYs landed in Düsseldorf, Germany this morning! After meeting our tour guide Sissi we headed to Efteling Theme Park in Holland for a fun packed afternoon. We then had a yummy all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet dinner in Loon op Sand before going to our hotel In Köln. After a busy day 1 we are looking forward to what day 2 will have in store for us!
Tschüß
Yesterday, our Transition Year students had the opportunity to experience an extract from Is Mise Éire Eile: I Am Another Ireland, a live performance presented by Crooked House Theatre Company. The play, conceived and directed by Emily B. Ditkovski and written in collaboration with Yassine Barkaoui and Serena Giordanengo, explores the real-life story of a community responding to the arrival of 100 international protection applicants in Newbridge in 2023.
Through powerful performances and text drawn from real interviews with asylum seekers, local residents, and community leaders, the play challenges us to reflect on identity, belonging, and the impact of protest and prejudice. Our students listened attentively to these deeply personal stories and engaged with the message of empathy and understanding that ran through the performance.
Following the play, students participated in interactive workshops designed to promote community building through open conversation, active listening and collaboration. Our students reflected on how communities can move beyond division toward shared understanding.
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Crooked House Theatre Company, the facilitators, and director Emily B. Ditkovski for bringing this vital piece of theatre to our school and for leading such thoughtful, engaging workshops. A special thank you also to Ms. Groome who facilitated the pre-workshops with our TY students which prepared them to participate with openness, maturity, and compassion. The students willingness to listen to the experiences of others and engage with such challenging topics is a testament to the values we endeavour to uphold in our school community.
This performance was a preview extract from the full production, which will begin a national tour in June. We are proud to have hosted part of this important journey, reminding us that theatre can be more than entertainment—it can be a catalyst for change.