National recognition for Clonmel High School student Micheál

Micheál McKeown - a 15 year old student in the CBS High School, Clonmel decided to put pen to paper to express his opinion about the coronavirus and submitted his thoughts in German as part of the National German Essay competition organised by the Irish Austrian Society.

This competition promotes the teaching and learning of the German language in Irish schools. This year it was unique in that students had to do the essay at home due to lockdown.

It attracted the highest number of entries ever from secondary schools around the country and Micheál was thrilled to be crowned the overall winner of the Junior Category. He will receive his prize later in the year at an Awards Ceremony at the Austrian Ambassador’s residence in Ailesbury Road, Dublin. Attending the ceremony will be his parents Seán and Rose McKeown, Martina O’Reilly, German Teacher and Principal Karen Steenson.

Young people learning German were invited to write to a young Austrian person starting with the line - “Hallo, wie geht es dir in dieser schwierigen Zeit?” - Hello, how are you during this difficult time?

By Micheál Mckeown

Hello, how are you doing during this difficult time, a time that is hard for everyone, especially for us young people.

Do you feel like me that we are living in a prison. Time never passes and the day never ends. Everything has stopped - team sports and music lessons. I can't meet up with my friends or go to the cinema. I can’t buy ice cream or go for a walk around town. I can't even visit my grandparents.

I miss hugs, I miss life, and I even miss school - I thought I would never say that. I can't look forward to the summer holidays either.

I find the big waste of time the hardest. Time that we could spend with someone, doing something, seeing something. Who will give us back our time?

Like you, I have to study online from home - it’s difficult. Out of boredom, I spend even more time on social media than I used to, but I need contact with friends.

The best thing is that young people don’t whine and complain. We still laugh, especially when we think about the hoarding purchases - the toilet paper rolls!!! It was the same in Austria, wasn't it?

I don’t know about you, but I think young people our age have adapted very well to the pandemic. It’s not an ideal life, but we've accepted it. Once we have structure and routine, we can survive. Stay safe and keep smiling and remember there is light at the end of the tunnel.