WHAT I LIKE ABOUT DOUGLAS
30th March, 2000

A few weeks ago, we in the ‘Douglas Weekly, came up with an idea which we thought would be good because it would involve our young people in St. Columba’s girls and boys school. We rang school principal Michelle Cashman and asked her if her students would write a composition on “Why I like living in Douglas”. Michelle liked the idea and today we continue to publish another four entries. At the end of the competition we will get a judge to pick three winners, who will receive a prize from Douglas Books. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as we did ...

What I Like About Douglas By Caitriona O'Driscoll

Hi there! My name is Caitriona O'Driscoll. I have been an inhabitant of Douglas for the past twelve and a half years. My house is in Donnybrook. I like my neighbourhood but they are all older or younger than me almost none are my age.
I attend St Columba's N.S. with facilities for Deaf Children, this year I am in sixth class and will be making my Confirmation in April. I like school because as well as the normal lessons we do sports such as Gaelic Football, camogie, basketball, swimming and P.E. we also have speech and drama, creative dance and computer classes. After school there is gymnastics, Irish dancing, tennis, music, art classes, speech and drama and French. Our Principal Mrs Cashman leads the school choir, which last year won the Merchants Quay Carol Competition.
The village itself is like a mini version of Cork City, with it's own cinema, two shopping centres, four primary schools, a library, two secondary schools and two churches, it is very seldom that I have to go to town. Come to think of it we are just like a mini city, we have pubs restaurants, schools and we even have our own newspapers EG. The Fingerpost and of course the Douglas Weelky!
The thing I like most about Douglas is the peace and quiet. Around the school we have a bog garden, a hedgerow and a small wood. Around my home there is a large green so I feel very close to nature. Of course Douglas would not be Douglas without the kind friendly people who live and work there.
I love Douglas and hope to live there for many years to come. Maybe some day I will be old and reading an essay by a young girl in the “Douglas Weekly”.

What I Like About Douglas By Fiona Fleming

I was five when my family and I moved to Douglas. We used to live in Kilworth, but I must say Douglas is a great place for all ages to live. There is entertainment for everyone.
Although Douglas is a village it still has lots of amenities for everybody, for example we have hotels, two huge shopping centres, lovely bars and restaurants. Our main church St Columba's has just been renovated and is looking beautiful. Douglas is big into sports as well. We have a G.A.A hall, a golf course, a pitch and putt course, a swimming pool and tennis course.
Our school St Columba's is one of the main primary schools in Douglas. Our school itself is a bright and clean building. There are 652 pupils in our school at the moment. If you were to drive or to walk in the grounds of our school you would feel surprised as it is so peaceful. Before Christmas the whole school planted 3,000 daffodils right in front of our school building so spring time should be really bright in St Columba's
Douglas is really near the City, which is a bonus. In the past few years Douglas has become very large. There are lots of flowers and trees everywhere. We have a lovely park that has just been done up. Also on Friday's there is disco dancing in the community centre, which is great fun. I am very proud to be living in Douglas, if I had the choice of living anywhere else I wouldn't.

What I Like About Douglas By Kate Delaney

I have being living in Douglas for just over twelve years now. My neighbour is safe and friendly and is a clean environment. For the old people who can't cook anymore there is Meals on Wheels, which is a group of people who cook meals for the elderly and deliver them to their houses. My grandad lives in the Lyons Club and he used to get visits from the Meals on Wheels. Last Christmas they all had a Christmas dinner of which he said was delicious.
I have been attending St. Columba's Girls N.S. for the past six years. Last year we amalgamated our school with the School for the Deaf. There are fabulous activities in my school like Billy who is a great football trainer also camogie and basketball and other games as well. There is also creative dance by Ms. Fitzgerald, pottery with gabby, speech and drama with Ms. Allman and choir with Mrs Cashman. We have a computer room with nearly thirty computers all with Internet.
Douglas Village is a wonderful place. It has everything for the young and not so young. For instance it has a G.A.A. pitch with a hall and tennis courts. We have a swimming pool, library, play ground two shopping centres with a great variety of shops and restaurants. Until recently there was a fun fair that came to the village every Easter, known as Pipers Funfair.
However the ground was sold for a shopping mall and a new hotel. We have four pubs, KC's a very well known “Chipper” it has being in Douglas for the last sixty years. We have a lovely old church which is called St.Columba's, also it has being redecorated. The parish of Douglas is now so large, we had to build a second church on the Rochestown Road, St. Patricks. I am very proud to be living in Douglas and if I were asked to describe it I would have to say absolutely marvellous.
I pick up the Douglas Weekly every time I go to our local shop, that's where I get all the news and information about events happening in Douglas.

What I Like About Douglas By Rachel Curran

I have been living in Douglas for the past three and a half years and have to say that my overall impression is very good. Douglas is made up of all age groups, the young the old and everything in between. I live in a clean, friendly environment with lots of trees and grassy sidewalks.
The best part about living in Douglas for me is that I go to the local school St Columba's N.S. with facility for Deaf Children, I love it there. I have been attending this school for two and a half years. It is a lovely bright and cheerful school. Every hallway has notice boards upon which lies examples of the children's creativity, something's are permanent like a wall that has a fish design on it. Children have painted an underwater scene onto the wall and have stuck fish made of clay onto it. Something's are temporary like projects and weekly artwork. During each school year each student attends swimming, speech and drama, creative dance and Gaelic football, camogie or basketball. My school has thirty one computers, the internet, lots of educational games and a computer teacher. Last year the person that teaches art after school came to our class and we decorated the courtyard. We divided ourselves up into groups and each did a different part of the courtyard, my group painted all the huge concrete plant pots. On one pot we did an underwater scene on another we painted a jungle. One of my friends made a monkey out of clay, painted it, glazed it and hung it up between the two palm trees. Another group made a path out of coloured tiles, another created a fountain and another built mosaics for the ground. One group constructed a bird village, they made houses out of clay. They painted them different colours, glazed them and made a village with them in the courtyard. While we were all doing this, Gabi the art teacher was taking photographs. We put them on brightly coloured card and stuck them up at the entrance. We also have a bog garden, a native hedgerow and a mini wood that we are growing ourselves.
In Douglas itself we have a G.A.A. hall, the pitch and a lovely old church. There is no need to go into town with the supermarkets, clothes shops, library, pound shops, cosmetic shops, chemist's and shoe shops nearby.
Douglas has a lovely homely feel to it. It has everything you need yet it isn't a big roaring place. There are lots of friendly people and there is much care for the old and the sick with services like Meals on Wheels.
Finally I like Douglas because it is so well located and is within easy reach of the seaside, country walks, tourists attractions, like Fota Park, Trabolgan and of course the city itself.