The ambassador to Malta Mr Leonard Sacco, together with his wife, were hosted at Maynooth Educational Campus for the opening of an exhibition on Malta and Valletta as the Cultural Capital of Europe 2018. They were welcomed by a group of nine students who had just returned from a four day visit to Malta and Gozo over the carnival weekend that was organised as part of their International Language studies.
The students had the opportunity to present the exhibition and talk about the rich experience they had on their visit. They thanked the ambassador for facilitating the various visits they made to different museums and cultural centres. St John’s Co-cathedral in particular left a lasting impression on them, while their visit to the Anglican Cathedral in Valletta helped them appreciate the ecumenical relationship that exists between the different Churches.
The highlight of their visit was the day they spent in Gozo, where they met with young people from the Good Shepherd Pastoral Centre in Victoria, who last year had visited Ireland, and with whom they had the opportunity to meet and share their experiences.
The idea of the tour originated with an Irish student Alex Harding, of Maltese descent in 5th year whose grand-mother hails from Nadur, Gozo. Alex is keen about his cultural heritage and wanted to share this with his fellow students. He has been learning the Maltese language in preparation for the Leaving Cert in Maltese.
Alex last year won the Leargas Language Learner of the Year, and he will be the first Irish student to sit for the Leaving Cert (Examinations in Ireland) in Maltese. Following their visit to Malta, the students have taken an interest in the Maltese Language and will be attending classes once a week.
While in Malta, the students were hosted at the Salesian Oratory in Sliema. The visit was supported by Mr Johnny Nevin, and Ms Siobhán McCauley, Principals of Maynooth Post-Primary and Maynooth Community School respectively. Ms Helen English, coordinator of International Languages Department, and Mr Jesmond Harding, also a teacher, accompanied the group on the trip, which was facilitated by Fr Richard Ebejer who is currently the School Chaplain in Maynooth Post Primary.