The St. Mary’s Leaving Certificate students made history last week by taking part in the school’s first ever History trip abroad. We greatly enjoyed this wonderful experience and gained a great insight into World War II history. We began our trip with a guided tour of the city of Munich. This is a beautiful city with amazing gothic architecture. We saw all the main sites and particularly enjoyed the pedestrianised area of Marienplatz. The discovery of an unexploded World War II bomb prevented us from visiting the German Science and Technology Museum but we used this time to good effect by exploring more of the city and soaking up some German culture. Our second day in Germany was dominated by a trip to the nearby city of Nuremberg. Our first stop was the Nuremberg Trials Memorium. We visited Courtroom 600 which was where the famous trials of Nazi leaders took place after the war. Following this we went to the Documentation Centre Museum which focuses on the huge Nazi party rallies that were held here every year during the Third Reich. We learned a great deal from these two visits and our newly acquired knowledge should be an enormous help to us in the Leaving Cert. In the evening out teachers brought us bowling as a break from the interesting but somewhat depressing Nazi history we had spent the day learning about. The bowling quickly turned into a battle between teachers and students. Needless to say the students triumphed! Our final day was the most interesting part of our trip but also the most emotionally difficult. We visited the Dachau concentration camp. The eerie atmosphere of the work camp where over 200,000 people were imprisoned and over 41,000 were brutally killed, could be felt by all and certainly left an impression that many of us will never forget. To lift our spirits we spent the afternoon at the Olympia Park and marvelled at its beautiful autumnal landscape and the attractions such as the 1972 Olympic Stadium and Olympic Tower. Our trip to Germany was as unforgettable as it was educational. On behalf of the sixth year history students I would like to thank our school, and the four courageous teachers who brought us, for making this amazing trip possible.
Teri O’Reilly. Sixth year student of St. Mary’s, Edenderry.