Scairbh
Na
gCaorach
EMYVALE
St. Macartan’s College and Monaghan Collegiate
welcome President McAleese to Monaghan.
President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, visited St. Macartan’s College on Wednesday, Feb 18th to mark an innovative Monaghan Collegiate School /St. Macartan’s College, Peace III project.
During the last eighteen months, Transition Year students from both schools came together to study the involvement of people from North Monaghan in World War 1. Working under the direction of History teachers Ms. Wendy Sloan (Monaghan Collegiate School) and Mr. Dermot Mc Aree (St. Macartan’s College) and assisted by Ms. Grace Maloney at the Clogher Historical Society, the students involved, had an opportunity to meet on a regular basis to develop their project and plan a trip to Belgium during which they visited some of the locations encountered during their research.
President of Ireland, Mary McAleese met the students at a special event held in the Sports Hall at St. Macartan’s College. This event saw both school communities coming together to mark the project and joining in an ecumenical prayer of thanksgiving for peace in Ireland. This prayer was led by Bishop Joseph Duffy and Bishop Michael Jackson, who officially launched the Monaghan Collegiate School /St. Macartan’s College, Peace III project in November 2009.
A book researched and published by local historian Kevin Cullen, containing the names of every person from Co. Monaghan who died in the First World War was presented to the President, while the students who took part in the project outlined the findings of their research. As part of this event the names and places of birth of over 500 people from throughout Co. Monaghan who left to fight and die in World War 1 was on display at this event.
The student body from both schools were present as were the staff and Boards of Management, Trustees, Parents Committees and Public Representatives. The President in her address congratulated the students and hailed the initiative and leadership in both schools to undertake and complete such a magnificent project. She encouraged all never to take peace for granted and hoped that the celebration of all the upcoming anniversaries of times in history will not be a cause for further divisiveness and a resurgence of our toxic past.
