Law

Today we had two barristers come into our school to talk to us about law. They told us all about the different types of law and explained what happens during a court case. We all got the chance to be examiner-in-chief and also to cross examine a witness.

I found it really interesting as I like the idea of law.

At the end of the day we also had two mock trials. In the second trial I got the chance to be the defence barrister with my friend Róisín and we very happily won our case.

Leap Day

Leap Day is when there is an extra day added in February to align the calendar with the sun's position. Despite there being 365 days in most calendar years it actually takes 365 days and 6ish hours for the Earth to complete a full revulsion around the sun. Over four years 24 extra hours build up so we have a leap day to compensate.
However it doesn't take exactly 365 days and 6 hours for the Earthy to orbit the sun but more precisely 365 days, 5hrs, 49 mins and 16 seconds. On these figures adding a calendar day every four years is an excess of 42 minutes and 52 seconds each time, or about 3 days every 400 years. To compensate for this, three days are removed every 400 years. So the rule to decide when not to have a leap year is if the year is divisible by 100 it is not a leap year unless that year was also exactly divisible by 400. This means that the years 2000, and 2400 are leap years, while the years 1800, 1900, 2100, 2200, 2300 and 2500 are not leap years. In the Chinese calendar, this day will only occur in years of the monkey, dragon, and rat.


There is a tradition called Bachelor's Day in some countries which allow a woman to propose to a man on February 29th however if a man rejects a woman's proposal on Leap Day, he must buy her 12 pairs of gloves. He must buy her gloves to hide the embarrassment of not having an engagement ring. In Ireland, the tradition is supposed to originate from a deal that Saint Bridget struck with Saint Patrick.

In Greece it is considered unlucky to marry on leap day.

I can't do a Leap Day post without giving a special mention to my friend Jade who was born on Leap Day. You can check out her blog here: http://jwolfety.blogspot.ie/

Lollipop Day

Today we went to town today to sell lollipops as part of Lollipop Day in aid of Oesophageal Cancer. The lollipops were only €2 each but something so small multiplied by many other people could make such a big difference. Even small differences in cancer research can have a major impact and that is why it is so important to fund cancer research.

Manchester

Over the weekend I visited my best friend Pooja in Manchester. While there we went to see Pride and Prejudice with Zombies. The film was really good with a good balance of plot and zombies.
We also went to Arendale, a huge shopping centre in Manchester. We walked all around Selfridges & Co. to see all the things we can't afford. While there we got free flavoured popcorn. I had gingerbread, Pooja had salty sweet and her sister had toffee.
We also went out for breakfast one morning in a café called Mama Bears which has really good hot chocolate. I love their décor. They have a super homey feel with quotes stuck up all around the walls. Overall I had a really good time.

Valentine's Day

RBS Six Nations!

IT'S THE SIX NATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!

Just in case you haven't realised I may have a slight obsession with rugby. Really small I promise. So anyway it's that time of the year again when I get to binge watch rugby for the whole weekend every weekend. 

So far in the women's:

Scotland lost to England 0-32 at Broadwood Stadium, (England)

Ireland beat Wales 21-3 at Donnybrook (Ireland)

and 

France beat Italy 39-0 at Marcel Verchere (France)

In the men's: 

France beat Italy 23-21 at Stade de France (France),

Scotland lost to England 9-15 at BT Murrayfield (Scotland)

and 

Ireland drew with Wales 16-16 at Aviva Stadium (Ireland)

In other rugby news, Paul O'Connell has officially retired from professional rugby. O'Connell has been forced to retire after receiving an injury in the 2015 world cup match against France.  Despite his international career being over, O'Connell had hoped to continue playing with Toulon. O'Connell will be sadly missed but had a good career and will be remembered as a legend. 

Glasnevin Cemetery

So today we went on a trip to Glasnevin Cemetery. While there we were given a tour and shown some graves of famous people such as Daniel O'Connell(a founder of the cemetery). There were other people there such as Eamon De Velera, Maude Gonne, Michael Collins and Charles Stuart Parnell.

It didn't stop raining the whole time and by the end most of us weren't sure if we still had toes, but all in all it was a very interesting experience.

Here's some pictures:

Pancake Tuesday

Chinese New Year

The Monkey (猴) is the ninth animal of the 12-year cycle.

World Cancer Day

We can. I can.

One in three people in Ireland will develop cancer during their lifetime. However up to 50% of all cancers are preventable, 30% are preventable through lifestyle changes alone. Early detection can be key so make sure if you have any suspicion to get it checked out. It's better to be safe than sorry.

World Friends Day

Happy Friendship Day to everybody.