Coláiste Chraobh Abhann
CCA
literary
journal
Strong roots for tall futures
Academic excellence and mutual respect
2022 - 2023
Table of contents
Principal's welcome................................................................2
Meet the team............................................................................3
Poetry collection ...................................................................4
Responding to poetry............................................12
Diary entries............................................................................16
Letters.......................................................................................20
Essays.........................................................................................26
Reviews.......................................................................................32
Creative writing.....................................................................37
Blog post....................................................................38
Instagram post.......................................................40
speech.........................................................................42
short stories...........................................................43
Firstly, I would like to welcome you to Coláiste Chraobh
Abhann’s first-ever Literary Journal.
The production of this journal would not have been
possible without the work of our dedicated and
collaborative staff. The team consisted of our English
Department: Jason Redmond, Sharon Nolan, Gwen Toner,
William Byrne, Siobhán Ward, Eoin Martin,
Principal's welcome
Lena-Rose Fennell and Rachel-Ann Harrop-Brady, who acted as co-editors
of the publication in its final stages.
The benefits to the CCA Literary Journal are countless. For teachers, the CCA
Literary Journal was used as a key motivator throughout the year. English
teachers encouraged students to take more pride in their classwork and
homework with the added aim of being published in the literary journal. For
English teachers, it also meant that they could store distinguished samples of
work. These samples can then be used as a teaching and learning resource,
and can act as guidance for future students.
The CCA Literary Journal provided students with a platform to showcase
their work. For many students, acceptance into the journal meant that their
work was viewed by someone other than themselves, their parents, or their
teachers. As the CCA Journal was published publicly on the CCA School
website, they could highlight their talent to the wider public; for many
students, this opens up a platform to be appreciated, or critiqued, at a wider-
level. We hope that this initiative continues into the future.
Oliver Stack
Principal
Coláiste Chraobh Abhann
Cathal Mac Oireachtaigh,
and Laura O’Driscoll. It also included two Transition Year students,
meet the team
At Coláiste Chraobh Abhann, we believe in collaboration. As an English
Department in the school, with the help of two Transition Year students, we
collaborated on this project to produce the CCA Literary Journal for 2022-23.
The aim of the CCA Literary Journal was to not only highlight our literary
talent to the public, but also to give students a voice and an opportunity to
express themselves at a wider level. The CCA Literary Journal was open to
students across all year groups within the school. Most pieces were either
completed as classwork or homework and were selected by one of the
teachers listed below for being exemplary pieces of literature.
Jason Redmond
Siobhán Ward
William Byrne
Sharon Nolan
Eoin Martin
Laura O'Driscoll
GWEN TONER
Lena-rose fennell
Rachel-ann harrop-brady
A special thanks to two TY students who helped to co-edit the
first-ever CCA Literary Journal.
Cathal Mac Oireachtaigh
Poetry
Reflection
A poem by Eliza Scott (1st Year)
It strikes me in wonder
through days of distraction
When things fall asunder,
what leads to reflection?
WHY in the moment of crisis or trouble
- How midst a hurricane of strife
When somebody's burdens begins to be
double
do they think to look back at their life?
They begin to observe to observe, reflect,
and remember
to see the life they are living,
To look back at their childhood like snow in
December,
Like a previous gift that keeps on giving
Reflection doesn't point yonder,
It looks like the past.
So how often do we ponder
On the shadow we cast?
A poem by James Whelan (1st Year)
Autumn Thoughts
A small crippled leaf,
laying on the ground
drained of colour, drained of life
duller than the sky above
The rest of my friends orange and
blazing red
Beautiful, gorgeous, full of life brighter
than the sky above
So unlike me...
Who's drained of colour, drained of
hope,
Which I will never regain
Why are there so many people?
Why not only a few?
Why do the walls close in on me out of the blue?
Why do the teachers call on me whenever I do not wish to speak?
If my hand is up, do not call on me, please.
For I do not wish to talk, sing, gallop or run.
Though I do it anyway because my friends are having fun.
I know I may sound childish, but please don’t be alarmed.
For I know how to deal with these feeling when they get far too strong.
“These feelings,” you ask, “how would you describe them?”
Well, noble reader, let me show you to my realm.
These feelings, I may add, are nothing but a bore. So, if you do doze off,
please, try your best not to snore.
They are crushing, manipulative, scary and insane.
They can be hideous, dangerous, frightening and vain.
Now, when you add all of these feeling together, one obvious answer will
emerge.
Whether you’re depressed, angry, assured.
Look no further, for I have found the forgotten word.
The combination of crushing, manipulative, scary and insane, hideous,
dangerous, frightening, and vain, is none other than…
Ah, yes, ANXIETY, that’s his name.
Anxiety
A poem by Bee Fennell (1st Year)
Reading is a healthy addiction, or so I’ve been told
But once I open a book I’m sold,
I can’t stop
I need to go on,
To known more
To read on.
Once a book has dragged me in, I’m lost,
Lost in the pages not wanting them to end,
Lost in the endless words,
Not wanting to come to the words ‘THE END’ in a book,
but I do
But no I don’t stop there
But I start another book
Not looking at the clock
Oh just a few more pages and I’ll stop I said.
I should be in bed sleeping but instead Im here reading,
And soon enough it’s morning
I haven’t even slept.
Because of reading
This so called ‘healthy’ addiction
Addiction
A poem by Emma
Surmova (2nd Year)
I can vaguely think of a "fond memory"
Bits and pieces come and go
I loosely think of making muffins with mum
And maybe at 3 planting a rose
All these things I'm uncertain if these happened
Or if I thought them up
I can't tell between real and fake
And where reality breaks up.
A fond memory is quoted as,
"something that you remember with pleasure."
And again as I try to remember
I find nothing too of leisure.
Except for the days I sat alone
Homework and pen in hand
I hated what would become of me
And I despise those days now.
Nobody cared but now they do
Everything has changed
I have friends now
It's all new
I made my own family
My own mum
My own dad.
Brother and sister too.
We go to fairs, arcades, and parks,
My favourite restaurants at noon.
I don't resonate with my past
Nor do I reminisce
I choose to live in the moment
And be content with my bliss.
So to answer the question of a "fond memory"
My answer would now be,
Memories are a thing of the past not present
And that is how they should be seen
Fond
Memories
A poem by Lauren Coffey (2nd Year)