Coláiste Choilm Weekly News Round-Up Week 20 Jan 26th-Jan 30th
Cross Country Leinster Semi-Finals
Reporting by Micheál Monaghan (Second Year)
On Wednesday the 28th, the lads left early to compete in the semi‑Leinster cross country race in Carlow. Our first member from Coláiste Choilm, Ben Kirwin, stuck it out to the very end—never giving up and staying enthusiastic throughout. He took on the one‑lap race, covering 1.5 km, and showed great determination from start to finish.
Next up was Patrick Duffy, who had been eagerly waiting for his race. From the very beginning, he paced himself smartly and preserved his energy—something that really paid off. He finished in an impressive 6th place and qualified for the Leinsters, which we’re all hoping to hear more good news about soon.
Overall, every athlete gave their all and left everything out on the course, doing whatever they could to succeed. A fantastic effort from the whole team.
VEX Robotics Ireland National Championship Comes to Coláiste Choilm
Reporting by David Strade & Duje Grgic (Transition Year)
The VEX Robotics Midlands Regional Competition recently took place at Coláiste Choilm, bringing together 25 student teams from schools across Ireland to compete in the VEX V5 High Stakes challenge. The event showcased engineering skill, teamwork, and competitive robotics at a national level.
Qualification Rankings
After the qualification rounds, Kinsale 3 (Team 81785G) finished in 1st place with an impressive 7–0 record, followed closely by Breifne Bots (45030B) in 2nd place and Coláiste Choilm Tullamore (34217A) in 3rd place, achieving a strong 6–1 record.
Other high-ranking teams included:
- Oaklands Community College – Team 1 (14198A)
- Kinsale 5 (81785C)
- Choppers Army (18844C)
- VEX Vipers (18844M)
- Robo Rangers (46033B)
Coláiste Choilm’s strong ranking was a standout achievement, showing the school’s competitive strength on home ground.
Elimination Bracket & Finals
The elimination rounds featured intense head-to-head matches. The finals saw Kinsale 3 (81785G) and Kinsale 5 (81785C) win the championship alliance, defeating the finalist alliance of Breifne Bots (45030B) and Robo Rangers (46033B). Their consistent scoring, fast robot movement, and strong teamwork helped them secure the overall competition victory.
Coláiste Choilm Team Performance
Coláiste Choilm Tullamore (34217A) performed exceptionally well throughout the tournament, finishing 3rd in rankings and advancing to the semi-finals. They fought a close and hard-fought semi-final match,narrowly missing out on a place in the final. Their performance reflected outstanding dedication, technical skill, and smart match strategy — earning them recognition as one of the top-performing teams of the event.
Event Atmosphere & Student Experience
The competition created an exciting atmosphere in the Coláiste Choilm sports hall, with students cheering, analyzing robot performance, and supporting their teams. With 25 teams competing from around Ireland, the spirited environment fostered both friendly rivalry and collaboration. Participants developed skills in robot design, coding, communication, leadership, and problem-solving under pressure.
Conclusion
Hosting the VEX Robotics Midlands Regional Competition was a major achievement for Coláiste Choilm, highlighting both the school’s commitment to STEM education and its students’ talent in robotics. The turnout of 25 teams from across the country demonstrated the growing national interest in robotics, innovation, and teamwork in Irish education.
Coláiste Choilm vs St Finian’s, Mullingar 2nd Year Basketball
Reporting by Noah Berry & Ross Philips (Second Year)
Coláiste Choilm travelled to St Finians with a comfortable guarantee out of the group stage; even so, they did not hold back. A muddle‑up with the kits caused the game to be delayed by around 10 minutes.
The starting line‑up for the first quarter was:
Adam Geraghty, Bart D, Daire Spollen, Jack McDermott, and Owen Walsh.
Coláiste Choilm were outstanding in the first quarter, taking a 6‑point lead after the first 7 minutes.
Even so, there were changes to the team going out for the second quarter:
Kevin Dunne, Harry Martin, Xulin Wang, Thomas Prendergast, and Sam O’Beirne.
St Finians pulled it back to a two‑point lead for Coláiste Choilm, but the tight score was soon pushed away with great passing play and brilliant scores by Thomas, and by Harry, who scored two free throws.
One change was made to the team coming on for the third quarter, with Shan K coming on for Sam O’Beirne.
More great passing plays led to Coláiste Choilm running away with the lead, with Thomas, Bart and Kevin all scoring plenty between the three of them.
The team going into the final quarter was:
Conor Horkan, Aaron Santry, Cormac Farrelly, Adam Geraghty and Thomas Prendergast.
A three‑pointer by Conor Horkan and an impressive three three‑pointers by Adam pushed St Finians nowhere near Coláiste Choilm.
Coláiste Choilm outplayed St Finians in all four quarters, in both offence and defence, to secure a comfortable 29‑point win.
Final score:
Coláiste Choilm: 61
St Finians: 32
Man of the Match: Adam Geraghty.