A Tipperary secondary school with a special link to the Austrian embassy

An exhibition charting the story of the CBS High School Clonmel is currently running at the Tipperary Museum of Hidden History in Clonmel.

This year the High School is celebrating the 125th anniversary of the foundation of the school.
The exhibition will remain open until June 7.

In 1997, the Irish Austrian Society organised the first nationwide annual German Language Essay Competition.

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The intent of the competition is to engage with schools, students, and teachers across the country and offer students an incentive to learn the German language and win attractive prizes. It was introduced by Dr Otto Glaser, an Austrian who was sent to Ireland during the war and ended up staying here and setting up his own Electronic Company.

The annual essay competition makes a significant contribution to Ireland’s education system and is eagerly awaited by CBS High School students each year. Up to 2019, several High School students received a German language scholarship inclusive of travel, accommodation, and German language course in Salzburg for two weeks.

Since 2007, the Dr Otto Glaser Trophy and the St Feargal perpetual trophies were also awarded to High School students and in 2001 the Dubky’s environment trophy was awarded to TY students who wrote an environmental essay.

Following Covid the scholarship prize was replaced with Apple iPads and many High School students are thrilled to have received this prize as they move on to university. High School students love the opportunity to write creatively and show off their German.

The essays are approximately 200 – 250 words in length and are judged by university lecturers nominated by the Austrian Embassy in Dublin.

German teacher, Martina O’Reilly, is very proud that since its introduction over 25 years ago, High School students have won prizes almost every year. “The competition provides students the opportunity to step out of their comfort zone, think creatively and produce an essay in the German language of a very high standard.

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“Many students who have won the competition have continued to third-level education to study the language and now work in Germany or Austria,’’ said Martina. All winners are invited with their parents to a reception hosted by the Austrian Ambassador in Ailesbury Road, Dublin.