Ardscoil Rís has a long tradition of integrating a school tour as part of the Junior Cycle and recently as part of the TY. Many teachers have given their time freely during holiday periods to undertake and supervise our students as they visit and learn from the many interesting centers we have visited.
School excursions have been to Russia, Egypt and Morocco, but recently centred on European centres. All tours organised by Ardscol Rís are facilitated by accredited School Tour Travel Companies and are fully insured and compliant with the latest legislation. Spain ( Barcelona, Madrid and Andalusia), Italy ( Rome, Florence, Verona, Venice and the lake region), Germany (The Rhineland, Berlin, Munich and the Alps), The low countries (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Brussels, Bruges and Antwerp) are all firm favorites. Students are usually accommodated in modern, student hostel facilities in friendship groups and have a full daily activities program and are supervised at night which usually involves social activities such as ice skating, bowling, quazar or other suitable activities. The itinerary usually includes a theme park visit or water works visit. Most trips are designed to be economically viable for most families to afford and local transport provides the student a real immersion in the cities they visit and reduces costs.
Students on tour in Berlin (Brandenburg Gate) and in Barcelona(Parc Güell).
The first trip to Zambia was during Easter 2003. To date we have organised eight trips with the last in February 2019 bringing a total of 78 students to Zambia.
There is a long relationship of the school with Zambia and in particular the town of Mongu in western Zambia. When the last Christian Brother principal of the school, Br. Harney, retired in 1992 he went and served the rest of his days working as a missionary in Mongu. To support him in his work two teachers, Michael Connolly and Brian Brophy organised an annual Zambian hike, initially a two day hike over the Wicklow mountains and laterally a one-day hike along the Royal Canal. These walks raised significant funds for which Br.Harney accounted for in meticulous detail.
When, in 2002, ERST, the trustees of the Christian Brothers, suggested to their CB schools that they consider offering the opportunity to the students the chance of exposing themselves to life in a developing country and the work of missionaries there, Ardscoil Rís took up the offer and challenge, with our connection with Br.Harney, Zambia and the town of Mongu was an obvious choice.
The trip lasts on average for 18/19 days. While there we do not build schools or sink water holes. We simply join with the Brothers and the Sisters of other congregations in the projects that they themselves are running. Religious orders such as the Presentation Sisters in Mongu and Kaoma.
The Holy Spirit sisters in Limilunga and the Comboni Sisters.Their work involves helping disabled children in the Cheshire Home, educating very poor children, various AIDs and baby feeding programmes, observing new farming methods and industries being set up and introduced by the sisters. Visits to the houses and communities of the people they work with are also an important feature of the overall experience along with connecting with local youth groups.
Through all of this the students get a real exposure and immersion to life in a developing country and the work of the missionaries there.
Ten students are chosen by interview and consultation from both TY and 5th yr.
All the funds needed to travel are raised through bag packing, church gate collections, cake sales, soccer blitz, quizzes and a host of other events in and outside of school.
Our connection with Zambia and the Immersion project has enriched the imaginations and experience of both the students that are fortunate enough to travel and the wider school community and is a strong commitment to the ethos of our school and the inspiration and vision of our founder Edmund Rice.
Every year a trip to Recess Co.Galway outdoors pursuits centre is organised. It is open to all non-exam classes i.e. excludes 3rd and 6th years.
While there the students are exposed to four activities over two days: Kayaking, Hill walking, Orienteering, Rock climbing and Absailing.
It is a great opportunity for them to partake in activities that they may not have ever done before and experience it in the wild open beauty of Connemara.
Since 1998 Ardscoil Ris has been fortunate to be included in the Dublin Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes.
Every year from September 7th to the 12th five students travel with the Pilgrimage along with approximately 180 other students from secondary schools across the diocese. They accompany approximately 2,000 pilgrims.
Each student is given specific duties ranging from stewarding the ceremonies to working on the hospital wards and the movement of the sick and elderly to the various events.
While there is a great energy and enthusiasm created by so many young people working on the pilgrimage, the spirituality experienced there also has an enormous impact. Testament to this is the amount of students that continue going on the pilgrimage years after they have left school.
Past pupils from Ardscoil Ris play a significant role in quite a number of leadership positions on the pilgrimage.
The school also helps in Dublin airport during the massive challenge of moving the pilgrims through the airport on departure and arrival home
Ardscoil Rís,
Griffith Avenue,
Dublin 9,
D09 AK30
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