Editorial: Well done and best of luck to the Class of 2023!

It is that time of year again when the school holidays lay out in front of youngsters, two months of relative freedom and away from the classroom.

It is a time of celebration and time well spent with family and friends. The summer break is welcome and necessary for us all but for some youngsters this summer will be a little different. Most of us remember with various degrees of trepidation the transition from primary to secondary school.

One day you are top dog, comfortable in the reassuring knowledge of having spent eight years in primary school, surrounded for the most part by the same staff and teachers only to be let out to fend for yourself as a first year in secondary school. It can be somewhat daunting but no doubt our youngsters are well prepared and excited about this new chapter of their young lives.

This week we join in celebrating and acknowledging this momentous rite of passage - one foot still in childhood while the other is pointing towards the teenage years. To all the schools and staff who sent us in photographs for our 16-page pull out supplement thank you so much. We hope it will be a treasured keepsake in Kilkenny families as we wish only the very best for a bright and future for all our alumni of sixth class of 2023.

Celebrating the changemakers

Traveller Pride Week is underway and it is apt to reflect on the considerable contribution the Traveller culture has made to our communities.

On Tuesday (July 11) a special afternoon of events will take place at the Butler Gallery which will showcase and promote certain crafts that are an integral part of Traveller culture including tinsmithing and storytelling. The celebrations will culminate in the Local Traveller Pride Awards.

We live in a time of cultural diversity so this is an opportune to reflect and send out a message of inclusion and equality.