On Wednesday 3rd September Pat Falvey, adventurer and climber, visited Terence MacSwiney College situated on the pinnacle of Cork City’s Northside, an area beset by social and economic deprivation and a veritable blackspot of unemployment in the 1980’s.
Pat is no stranger to these parts, coming as he says from “down the road” and starting his presentation with a slide of the Falvey family bricklaying on the Northside in the 1970’s. If the only true poverty is the poverty of imagination then the students was treated to a veritable abundance of riches as Pat held them spellbound with stories of his adventures and slides ranging from Nepal to the icebergs of Antarctica which he described as “half the size of Cork City”.
At the beginning of his presentation to the 40, fifth year students, Pat asked how many would like to be part of a student programme travelling to Antarctica this November. Three students raised their hands, the rest looked mystified. By the end of the presentation 30 students were clambering to go, which presents the school with a new dilemma; how to select the students?
The staff have now organised an adventure trip to Kerry for these students. They will travel to the Gap of Dunloe at the end of September and participate in a variety of team-building, hill-walking and water-based activities. They will be evaluated by teaching staff and their peers on their team-building initiative, enthusiasm and outdoor skills. Though only one student will eventually get to go the involvement in the selection process above has created wildfire enthusiasm throughout the school. Transported on the magic carpet of Pat’s experiences, Terence MacSwiney Community College now has a committed group of students who have got the message that if you have a dream you must simply go for it.
Phil O’Flynn
Anne Masterson
Heather Keane
On behalf of the Terence MacSwiney Students’ Antarctic Expedition 2008
