St Brigid's High School Armagh

Saint Brigid’s Exposing Armagh

Saint Brigid’s Exposing Armagh


Fintan Heaney setting up the right atmosphere & Tommy O’Neill enhancing his still life

The Photography Club at St. Brigid’s High School is pleased to announce that one of their members Caolan Toal was selected as a regional winner for County Armagh, in the Youth Justice Agency’s photographic competition.

Caolan with his family and teacher Mr Phil O’Hanlon were invited to attend a prize giving ceremony at Hillsborough Castle. Local personality Dan Gordon, better known for his portrayal of Red Hand Luke in the BBC NI comedy "Give My Head Peace", presented the winners with their prizes of digital cameras and accessories. All the regional finalist’s photographs were on display and the overall winner for Northern Ireland was announced during the ceremony (Miss Karolina Urbanska from Holy Trinity College, Cookstown).

Caolan presented with his prize, (right-left) Mrs Toal, Bill Lockhart, Chief Executive of the Youth Justice Agency, Phil O’Hanlon, Caolan Toal, Mr Toal and Dan Gordon.

The Youth Justice Agency’s photographic competition was designed to give young people the opportunity to express their ideas about how to reduce youth crime.

Open to 10 to 17 year olds the competition was run in conjunction with Harrison Photography and attracted many high quality entries from schools and youth clubs across Northern Ireland.

St. Brigid’s High School’s Photography Club Members. Front-row Connor Kelly, Gareth Smith, Caolan Toal, Mark McAnallen and Andrew O’Hagan; Mid-row Shane Leonard, Nathan McCann, Mr P.O’Hanlon, Thomas Muldoon and Conor Conlon; Back-row Conor Duffy, Ryan McCusker, Darren Cush and Fintan Heaney.

The Photography Club at St. Brigids High School has been running from September under the funding of the Extended Schools Programme and the teaching of Mr O’Hanlon. The aim of the club is to capture Armagh today, its people, places and buildings so that the local community and pupils of the school years from now, can reflect on the changing times. Club members were asked to place importance on images of their local neighbourhoods from their own points of view. All pupils at St. Brigid’s were given the option of exposing the local area and a strong team of pupils met once a week to learn and be introduced to the photographic skills and techniques. They looked at contemporary material and ideas before embarking on their site visits and trips around Armagh. An exhibition of the clubs excellent work will be displayed at the school later in the year.

Caolan Toal’s photograph of James Gribben

Ryan McCusker’s ‘St Patrick’s Cathedral’

Ryan McCusker’s ‘Market Place’

Conor Cunningham’s ‘The bowl is half full’

Rhys Dynes looking for that picture

Mr O’Hanlon says "The extended schools programme co-ordinated by Mr Sean O’Kane, has been a great success for the school. Pupils are engaging in worth while activities after school. The Photography club is just one of the many after school clubs that the school offers to pupils. The success of Caolan shows the hard work put in by all the individuals who take part in the extended school programme."

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