In March several students from Sullivan Upper School who take speech and drama lessons in school with Catherine Gardiner (CAST School of Speech and Drama) competed in the Lagan Festival of Speech, Drama, Music & Art, with incredible results and many cups and trophies now grace many mantlepieces!  All the students who competed, whether or not they were placed, performed extremely well, and all are a credit to themselves and to the school.  Here are the top results! SUS LAGAN FESTIVAL SUCCESS 2026 VS=Verse Speaking ML=Monologue PP=Prepared Prose Reading SR=Sight Reading BR=Bible Reading DLI=Improvisation Duologue GPI=Improvisation Group PPR=Poetry and Prose Recital   HC=Highly Commended   Year 8   Lyla Ridge                 PP       3 rd                                     VS       2 nd   Isla Rodger                VS       HC Kate Nelson              PP       HC   Year 9   Isabella Parke           BR      1 st                                     SR      HC                                     DLI      HC                                     GPI     HC Tilly Ham                   BR      2 nd                                     SR      2 nd                                       PP       1 st                                       DLI      HC                                     GPI     HC                                     ML      2nd Gabriella Morrow      SR      1 st                                     PP       2 nd                                       ML      2 nd   Catherine Turner      PP       3 rd                                     DLI      HC                                     GPI     HC Poppy Cann              DLI      HC                                     GPI     HC   Year 11 Esme Huey               BR      3rd                                     SR      2nd                                     VS       HC                                     PP       HC *winner of the intermediate commendation trophy awarded to the competitor gaining places in many classes bit not winning any *winner of the trophy for the female competitor gaining the highest aggregate marks across all speech classes   Mitchell Brown          SR      3rd                                     VS       3 rd                                     PP       HC *winner of the trophy for the male competitor gaining the highest aggregate mark across all speech classes     Year 13   David Johnston        PPR    HC Olivia McLean           PPR    1 st *winner of the trophy for poetry and prose recital, winner of the trophy for the highest mark in the festival with 94, winner of the cup for the most memorable moment of the festival and winner of the overall Lagan Festival Cup for Speaking of Verse and Prose

The East of Ireland Open, the 5 th  of Ireland’s 6 National Circuit events, took place last weekend 14 th  and 15 th  March in University College Dublin. Eight SU fencers took part: Myles Wilkinson, Adam Sugar, Ethan Dilworth, Flynn Woolsey-Jensen and William Penny in the men’s foil and Amelia Penny, Cassidy Ogle and Erin Keough in the women’s foil.   In the men’s foil Myles made the last 16, finishing in 11 th  after a narrow defeat for a place in the last 8. Adam was just outside the L16 in 17th, while Ethan, after being knocked out by Myles in the L32, finished 22 nd . Flynn and William both won their L64 fights, ending up in 29 th  and 30 th , respectable results for two 13 year old juniors testing the waters of senior competition.   Unfortunately, from a team Sullivan point of view, Amelia and Cassidy met in the L16 of the women’s foil, meaning that only one of SU’s 2 top female fencers would make it through to the L8. Amelia won 15-11, but was then beaten in her quarter-final by the eventual competition winner to take 7 th place with Cassidy 10 th . Erin finished 18 th , this being her first senior competition, having just fenced in her last ever competition as a junior (NIJFS U16) the week before.   This was a tough senior competition that had strong international attendance, with fencers competing from Canada, the USA and across Europe, along with the best in Ireland (North and South). The next event for SUFC fencers will be the Irish National Championships on 18 th & 19 th  April in Dublin.   David White SUFC Coach 17 Mar 2026

Noah competed in the schools British trampolining finals over the weekend at the velodrome in Derby. There was strong competition and he represented Sullivan well, just missing 3rd place by 0.03 of a point. He finished 4th which is a fantastic achievement and puts him 4th in the whole of Britain. We had a great weekend and Noah was delighted to hear he was competing beside Royalty, princess Charlotte was on a trampoline beside him when he was doing his routine, with her mother sitting in the bleachers trying (not very well) to blend into the crowd.

Charlie McVeigh 9c pictured with his prize for winning the recent Under 18 Ulster Tennis tournament whilst only age 13.

The 6 th and final round of the 2025/2026 N Ireland Junior Foil Series was held last Sunday 8 th  March in the Sullivan Upper Sports Hall. SUFC had 22 fencers competing across U12, U14 and U16 age groups with a total of 6 medals won: 2 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze.   U12s There were 6 SU fencers in the U12F category: Lydia Snoddy, Ella Murphy, Emma Markey, Nico Suto-Murphy, Kate Stewart and Vanessa Chiu. Lydia won bronze, which secured for her overall 3 rd  place in the end of series rankings, while Ella’s 4 th  place (combined with her previous 4 round wins) won her the overall U12F championship title. Emma and Nico were 5 th  and 6 th , while Kate and Vanessa were 8 th and 9 th . James Jebb, who was Sullivan’s only U12M entrant, finished 7 th .   U14s In the U14 girls Grace Tsang won gold, making a year total of 6 wins from 6 rounds and giving her the overall U14F series championship title. Olivia Morse won silver on the day, which took her to 2 nd  in the overall rankings, making it a SUFC U14F one-two. William Penny won his 3 rd gold of the year, which maintained his position at the top of the U14M points table and gave him the overall U14 boys’ championship title. Along with William’s win, the U14M mid-field positions show the current strength of SUFC’s junior fencing, with places 4 to 9 all filled by SU fencers: Flynn Woolsey-Jensen, Eric Hutchinson, Shion Suto-Murphy, Mark Ross, Zach Fyffe and Rory Wilson respectively.   U16s Lydia Hamilton, Amy Walker and Erin Keough finished 2 nd , 3 rd and 4 th  respectively in the U16F. Once their points were added to the overall series totals, Lydia and Erin were tied for 1 st  place. The tie-break rules gave the series title win to Lydia, with Erin in 2 nd . In the U16M Ethan Dilworth finished 5 th , but had already scored enough points in the previous rounds to hold his 3 rd  place overall in the year’s series rankings. Patrick John was 6 th  and Adam Sugar 7 th .     Sullivan Overall 2025/2026 Series Results   After totalling of points from the best 5 results of the 6 NIJFS rounds, Sullivan fencers finished in the following series positions. This was an amazing year in terms of junior competition results for SUFC, with SU fencers winning N Ireland championship titles in 4 of the 6 age group categories entered. Along with the 4 title winning trophies, two 2 nd  place and two 3 rd  place trophies were also won.   David White SUFC Coach 12 Mar 2026

Last weekend 21-22 Feb the West of Ireland Open was held in the University of Galway’s sports facility in Galway City. Two SU fencers made the 4 hour journey: Amelia Penny for Saturday’s women’s foil competition and Myles Wilkinson for Sunday’s men’s foil.   After the poule stage of the women’s foil Amelia was seeded 7 th  for the direct elimination rounds. She won her last 16 fight, but was then knocked out by the no.2 seed (and eventual competition winner) in the quarter-finals to take 7 th in the final rankings.  In the men’s foil it was a very similar story for Myles, as after a strong performance in his poule, he was also seeded 7 th  for the direct elimination. He too was knocked out in the quarters, also finishing 7 th . Excellent results from both fencers, taking Amelia to 7 th  place in the 2025/26 Irish Senior Women’s Foil ranking points table and Myles to 13 th  in the Senior Men’s Foil rankings.   The next event for SUFC fencers will be at the 6 th and final round of the 2025/2026 NI Junior Foil Series in the Sullivan Sports Hall on Sunday 8 th  March.   David White SUFC Coach 23 Feb 2026

Edinburgh Open On the 10th of January SU fencer Cassidy Ogle began the new year by taking part in the 2026 Edinburgh Open. Competing against Scotland’s best female foil fencers she finished 9th overall. However, this also qualified her to compete in a secondary foil competition for those finishing outside the last 8. In this she was seeded 3rd after the poule stage and then went on to beat the no.1 seed in the final. Leon Paul Foil Open Myles Wilkinson travelled to London on the 1st of February for the Leon Paul Foil Open, one of the UK’s major foil competitions. In a very tough field Myles finished 49th, but as in the Edinburgh Open, this event also included a secondary foil competition which he then entered. Myles made the semi-finals where he lost to the eventual winner to finish joint 3rd. CEP Marathon Fleuret While Myles was in London, Cassidy spent the weekend 31st Jan - 1st Feb in Paris at the CEP Marathon Fleuret competition (fleuret = foil in english). This is a world famous junior foil competition run by the Cercle des Escrimeurs Parisiens club, where the competitors fence multiple times across Saturday and Sunday in 3 poule stages followed by a knock-out stage. Cassidy, in the U17F category, was competing in a field of 107 of the best young female fencers from around the world. In her first poule of day one, after a nervous start she finished 101st, but after gathering confidence bettered this to finish 65th in the second. In her third poule on day two she placed 80th, then after the knock-out stage achieved an overall finish of 81st. Well done Cassidy and Myles, a great start to 2026, both fencers gaining valuable competition experience and growing their competition skills and confidence. {video: Cassidy in red shoes on piste 108}

Sullivan Upper Fencing Club hosted the 5 th  round of the 2025/26 NI Junior Foil Series on Sunday 1 st of February in the school sports hall. This turned out to be the biggest event of the 25/26 series so far, with the hall packed with over 50 fencers from all over Ireland along with parents, coaches and event organisers. Twenty two SU fencers took part, 5 of whom were year 8 beginners in their first competition. SUFC fencers won a total 8 medals across U12, U14 and U16 age groups, 3 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze.   U12 In the U12F Ella Murphy had her 4 th  win of the series, while year 8 beginners Nico Suto-Murphy and Emma Markey finished 3 rd and 4 th . Vanessa Chiu was 5 th , Lydia Snoddy 7 th and beginner Emme McCleary  8 th . Year 8 beginner James Jebb was the highest placed SU fencer in the U12M, finishing 5 th , followed by Sam Ellames in 7 th .   U14s Flynn Woolsey-Jensen, William Penny, Mark Ross, Shion Suto-Murphy, Ronan O’Hagan and Rory Wilson were the SU entrants to the U14M. Ronan and Rory were knocked out in the last 16, finishing 10 th  and 11 th , while William, Flynn, Shion and Mark went through to the L8. From this 4 only William progressed further, going on to win convincingly in the final 15-5. Flynn, Shion and Mark finished 6 th , 7 th  and 8 th . In the U14F Grace Tsang took her 5 th  consecutive win, giving her a now unassailable points lead for the series U14F title. Year 8 beginner Maya Monroe finished 3 rd  to take bronze while Olivia Morse was 4 th .   U16s In the girls’ U16s Erin Keough and Lydia Hamilton took silver and bronze, with Amy Walker in 4th. This puts Erin, Lydia and Amy in 1 st , 2 nd  and 3 rd in the U16F series points race with one round to go. Ethan Dilworth and Patrick John were SU’s only representatives in the U16M. Both progressed from the L16, but unfortunately met each other in the L8, Ethan winning to go on to take 2 nd place, with Patrick 4 th .   Well done all 22 SU competitors! This was the largest NIJFS event in recent years, so a big thank you goes out to all those who gave up their time to organise, referee and assist at the event, to the SU staff for preparing the Sports Hall and to fencer parents for their support. Round 6, the final round of the 2025/2026 NIJFS season, will be held on Sun 8 th March in the SU Sports Hall.   David White SUFC Coach 03 Feb 2026

The Open is N Ireland’s premier and largest fencing competition of the year and was held last weekend the 24 th  & 25 th of January in Thornhill College in Londonderry. Ten Sullivan fencers took part.   Women’s Foil Four SU girls were competing: Amelia Penny, Cassidy Ogle, Lydia Hamilton and Grace Tsang. Amelia and Cassidy both fared well in the poule stage, but unfortunately ended up meeting each other in the quarter-finals, resulting in a narrow 15-13 win for Cassidy. Cassidy then progressed into the last 4 but lost her semi-final 13-15 to finish joint 3 rd  (bronze medal), with Amelia finishing 6 th . For Grace and Lydia the NIO was their first ever senior (adult) competition, both testing the waters of senior competition while still competing as juniors. A tough event for both, though they both won fights in their poules and finished a respectable 9 th and 10 th .   Men’s Foil Six SU boys had entered: Myles Wilkinson, Adam Sugar, Tom Woolsey-Jensen, Ethan Dilworth, Flynn Woolsey-Jensen and William Penny, with juniors Ethan, Flynn and William all experiencing their first senior competition. All 6 performed well in the poule stages, but only Myles made it out of the last 32 of the knock-out stage into the L16. Myles then defeated a higher seeded competitor to go into the L8, but went no further, finishing 8 th . This showed a significant improvement for Myles over the previous year’s finish.  Flynn finished 19 th while Ethan, Adam, William and Tom took places 21 to 24.   This was a tough senior competition, especially for the SU juniors, with all the best Irish fencers (North and South) in attendance along with some from abroad. Both competitions mentioned above were won by Italian fencers currently studying in Dublin universities. The next event for SUFC fencers will be for U12, U14 and U16 juniors at Round 5 of the NI Junior Foil Series on 1 st  February in the Sullivan Sports Hall.     David White SUFC Coach 26 Jan 2026

Five SUFC fencers travelled south last Sunday the 18 th  to the Loreto Abbey Sports Centre in Dalkey in the south of Dublin to compete in the Pembroke Cup junior fencing tournament run annually by the Pembroke Fencing Club. Grace Tsang, Olivia Morse, William Penny and Flynn Woolsey-Jensen represented SUFC in the U14 age group, Lydia Hamilton in the U16s.   In the U14F Grace and Olivia met in the final, Grace winning to take home the Girls’ U14 Pembroke Trophy and Olivia taking the silver medal. Meanwhile in the U14M, William and Flynn had both made the semi-finals, though William then suffered a narrow defeat, while Flynn won to go through to the final, though lost there to last weekend’s NIJFS U14M winner. Lydia made the U17F semi-final stage, but progressed no further to finish joint 3 rd .   This was a very successful SUFC Dublin excursion, with all 5 SU fencers winning podium places in their respective age group categories. Well done all 5. SUFC fencers will be competing again next weekend at the N Ireland Open, the first senior competition of the year.   David White SUFC Coach 19 Jan 2026

Round 4 of the 2025/26 NI Junior Foil Series took place last Sunday 11 th  January in Shankill Leisure Centre in Belfast. Twenty two Sullivan fencers took part, 7 of whom were year 8 beginners in their first ever fencing competition. A total of 8 podium finishes were won across U12, U14 and U16 age groups with 2 gold medals, 3 silver and 3 bronze.   U12s Sullivan girls Ella Murphy and Lydia Snoddy dominated in the U12F, finishing 1 st  and 2 nd , thus setting up a close race between the two of them for the U12F championship with 2 rounds to go and Lydia leading 74 points to Ella’s 72. Year 8 beginners Vanessa Chiu and Kate Stewart finished 6 th  and 7 th , each having achieved one poule stage win. In the U12M all the SU entrants were beginners: Sam Ellames, Isaac Foord, Teddy Tremlett and Jamie McClure. Sam had an amazing start to his 1 st  competition with 3 wins in his poule and finishing 5 th , while Isaac, Teddy and Jamie were 7 th , 8 th  and 9 th .   U14s William Penny and Flynn Wolsey-Jensen both made the semi-finals in the U14M, though both lost there to Dublin based rivals. William then won the fence-off with Flynn for 3 rd  to win bronze. William’s 3 rd place was enough to take him to the top of the U14M points table. Shion Suto-Murphy and Mark Ross made the quarter-finals, but went no further and finished 5 th  and 6 th . Ronan O’Hagan was 9 th and year 8 beginner Rory Wilson 10 th  (Rory in the U14s, not the U12s due to his birthday being in 2013 and not 2014 as with the other year 8s). Grace Tsang and Olivia Morse were again unchallenged in the U14F, taking gold and silver.   U16s The post R3 U16M championship points leader Sam Snoddy was absent from R4 due to his recent appendectomy (get well soon Sam), leaving it up to Adam Sugar, Ethan Dilworth and Patrick John to keep the SU U16M flag flying. All 3 performed well, but ended up in 4 th , 5 th  and 6 th  respectively. In the U16F Erin Keough took 2 nd  place while Amy Walker and Lydia Hamilton tied for 3 rd . This put Erin and Lydia equal on 81 points and joint 1 st  in the U16F championship with 2 rounds to go.   This was great set of results for SUFC and a very strong turnout, well done all 22 fencers. Thanks to Amelia, Cassidy and Tom W-J for refereeing and to Eric for coming along to support SUFC despite the broken collar bone! Round 5 of the NIJFS will be on Sunday 1 st  February in the Sullivan Upper Sports Hall.   David White SUFC Coach 13 th  Jan 2026

Last Saturday 13th December saw the 3rd round of the 2025/26 NI Junior Foil Series held in Shankill Leisure Centre in Belfast. Fifteen Sullivan Upper Fencing Club members took part and achieved a season high total of 10 podium finishes across U12, U14 and U16 age groups with 4 gold medals, 3 silver and 3 bronze. U12s After missing round 2, Ella Murphy returned to competition with a strong U12F performance and a dominant 10-1 victory over the round 2 winner to win gold and put herself back in championship points contention. Lydia Snoddy finished 3rd, which after adding to her points gained from rounds 1 and 2 takes her to the top of the points table. There were no SUFC U12M entrants. U14s William Penny had a perfect day’s fencing, going 5 wins from 5 in his poule, then fighting his way through to the final where he defeated the U14M points leader to take gold. Flynn Woolsey-Jensen, Mark Ross, Shion Suto-Murphy and Eric Hutchinson all made the last 8, finishing 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th respectively. In the U14F Grace Tsang and Olivia Morse again finished 1st and 2nd in the U14F. U16s Sam Snoddy, Ethan Dilworth and Adam Sugar were ranked 1, 3 and 4 after the poules in the U16M. Adam went out in the quarters, while Ethan and Sam went through to fence each other in the semis. Ethan won this nail-biting fight 15-14 to progress to the final, but lost there 10-15 to the winner of last week’s Pembroke Christmas Cup U17M in Dublin. Sam finished 3rd, Adam 5th. Sullivan girls dominated the U16F category, with Erin Keogh taking gold, Lydian Hamilton silver and Amy Walker bronze. This was a superb set of results for SUFC, well done all 15 SU fencers. Round 4 of the NIJFS will be on Sunday 11th January in the Shankill Leisure Centre. David White SUFC Coach 15th Dec 2025