Special Day at Scoil Íde as Aidan O’Mahony Raises Active Flag

Active Flag at Scoil Íde, Curranes National School 21/06/2017
Scoil Íde, Curranes National School, Castleisland Principal Emer Nelligan and guest, Garda Aidan O’Mahony unfurled the just awarded ‘Active School Flag’ at the special ceremony on Wednesday morning. ©Photograph: John Reidy

Past pupils, parents, teachers, retired teachers and a huge cast of current pupils were all on their best behavior bright and early on Wednesday morning.

Former Kerry, All-Ireland winning footballer and Dancing with the Stars co-winner, Garda Aidan O’Mahony made his way to the highest school in the area on a special mission.

Gaining Flag Status

In the course of a week in early May, teachers and pupils at the Curranes undertook the task of gaining ‘flag status’ through their participation in the Active Schools Flag Initiative.

After an exhausting range of mainly outdoor, sporting activities over the five days from Monday May 5th to 8th inclusive, the school management applied for the flag.

Active Flag at Scoil Íde, Curranes National School 21/06/2017
We earned it: Scoil Íde, Curranes National School, Castleisland Principal Emer Nelligan and guest, Garda Aidan O’Mahony with delighted Active Week participants and their flag at the special ceremony on Wednesday morning. ©Photograph: John Reidy

Because of all the activity they had engaged in, the people at the department were really impressed and wrapped a flag immediately and posted it to Curranes right away.

Flying Proudly over Curranes

Principal Emer Nelligan then invited Aidan O’Mahony and he too said yes there and then. And so the well earned flag is now flying proudly in the breeze over Scoil Ide in Curranes and marking a great effort by both pupils and teachers as the summer holidays approach.

Castleisland’s Scoil Ide / Curranes National School was a hive of sporting activity from Monday 8th to Friday 12th as teachers and pupils celebrated Active Week.

The school is participated in the Active School Flag Initiative and there has been a major focus on physical activity in the school throughout the year.

Outdoor Activities

“During active week the children made the very most of the fine weather and engaged in a wide range of outdoor activities throughout week,” said Ms.Nelligan.

“On Monday morning Junior and Senior Infants received coaching in basketball from James O’Connell, while the children from first class to sixth class travelled by bus to the Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre for swimming classes and the pupils are receiving a set of six swimming lessons at the Killarney Sports & Leisure Centre.

On Tuesday morning the girls in fourth, fifth and sixth classes travelled to Knocknagoshel to play in a football blitz. While the senior girls were playing football, the rest of the children participated in a skipathon at the school.

Coached in Athletics

“On Wednesday, Mary O’Connor from An Ríocht Athletic Club visited the school and coached all of the children from junior infants to sixth class in athletics.

The focus was on Gaelic football on Thursday and former pupil, James O’Connell conducted a skills session with all of the classes in the school.

Friday was a very special day because the entire school used some of the sports amenities in Castleisland town.

“The children from junior infants to first class travelled to the playground on Friday morning. Later in the day, the children from second class to sixth class engaged in non-competitive running activity in the GAA field and played tennis on the local courts,” she concluded.

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