Table of contents for June 2024 in The Primary Planet

Thrills & Spills We told you to watch out for it last month, and we were right! Europe’s largest intertwining rollercoaster has opened in Emerald Park, County Meath! The rides known as ‘Na Fianna Force’ and ‘The Quest’ are in a new section of the park called ‘Tír Na nÓg’, together with another new ride called ‘The Celtic Dreamer’. Na Fianna Force reaches heights of 32 metres and speeds of up to 90 km/h! 750 metres long, it has five ‘inversions’ that turn you upside down. The Quest, which it is intertwined with, is a ‘family boomerang rollercoaster’ that travels up to 60 km/h and climbs to heights of 25 metres! They were engineered by a Dutch company, a major supplier for the Walt Disney Company. Rollercoaster fan Seán Evans…

This month in history On this day, Mexico abolished the siesta – the 2 to 3 hour nap people used to take in the middle of the day. Workers would go home for lunch, have a siesta, return to work and work later than we do. This meant four commutes a day and it was putting a strain on the transport system, especially in big cities like Mexico City. Now they have one hour only, so they have lunch downtown. Siestas are the custom in many hot countries and doctors say they protect against heart trouble. On this day, during the Second World War, 156,000 Allied troops from the UK, the US, Canada and other countries landed on the beaches of Normandy in northern France. Their aim: to liberate France…

Inside Out 2: Journey to Emotion City Where: In cinemasfrom June 14Cert: PGStarring: The voices of Amy Poehler, Mindy Kaling, Bill Hader, Lewis Black and Phyllis SmithDirected by: Pete Docter Are you ready to dive back into the colourful, emotional world of Riley in Inside Out 2: Journey to Emotion City? In this much-anticipated sequel to the 2015 hit Inside Out, we join Riley as she enters her teenage years, fraught with new emotions. As you can imagine, having to navigate the complexities of adolescence brings chaos to Headquarters. Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger and Disgust are in unchartered territory and must learn how to work with Riley’s new emotions. Yes, Anxiety, Envy, Ennui and Embarrassment have just entered the top floor! With Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger and Disgust now suppressed…

The Paris Summer Olympic Games is set to take place this summer – just three years after the 2020 Games in Tokyo ... which, if you remember, ran in 2021 because of Covid – and we cannot wait. With over 10,500 athletes from 206 countries taking part in 329 events, you can look forward to thrills, spills, goals and wins. In fact, your biggest issue will be choosing what to watch and what to miss. Of course, with Team Ireland heading to Paris packed with superstars capable of winning gold, this could be the Games we have always dreamed of. To help position you as the Games expert in your household, check out (and remember) these fun facts about the Olympic Games, from its earliest times to now. 1. READY,…

Primate Pranksters New Species Alert A new study has found that apes have a questionable sense of humour and like to tease each other by poking and prodding. The study revealed that in some cases chimps would go as far as slapping an unsuspecting friend before running away. Ouch! Orangutans often took and hid items from other members in their group simply to witness the response. Many of the primates pulled hair and regularly made goofy faces at one another! Scientists – and anyone with brothers or sisters – agree that this behaviour mirrors that often seen in young humans. Perhaps this is no surprise, considering that we share 97% of our DNA with these animals. DO YOU KNOW? Orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees, gibbons and bonobos are members of the ape…

OK, OK, this is Seamie’s last attempt … until September! Hey, you hardly thought this kid would quit? Oh no, not our Seamie! He’s of the mindset that you should keep going until you win. (Best of luck with that, S!) As always, if you manage to spot Seamie, log on to www.theprimaryplanet.ie/competitions (or scan the code provided) and leave his location, along with your name and school details in the comment box provided. If you are correct, you will be entered into a draw for a super O’Neills GAA county jersey of your choice. Last month’s winner: Charlie McKenna St Christopher’s NS, Haddington Road, Dublin 4 Closing date for entries is June 25, 2024 DON’T FORGET, TEACHERS! Planning and resources for Issue #133 are available online at www.newsmagmedia.ie Next…

75,000-Year-Old Woman Researchers believe that a 75,000-year-old skeleton found in Iraq in the Middle East is that of a woman in her mid-forties. The flattened skull was found in 2018 by archaeologists from Cambridge and Liverpool John Moores universities. It is thought that the skull had been crushed by a rockfall not long after the death of the woman, and then it was compacted by sediment over tens of thousands of years. 200 pieces of the skull were pieced back together by hand, with a special glue used to strengthen the bones. The researchers relied on tooth enamel proteins to tell them whether the skull belonged to a male or a female. In addition, they were able to determine the physique of the fossil, which also indicated that she was…

Matt & Kelvin Nine-year-old Kelvin Ellis spotted a shabbily dressed man standing in a corner outside a coffee shop in Louisiana, US, with his eyes closed. Thinking it was a homeless man, Kelvin gave him a dollar – all the money he had. He’d earned it for getting good grades in school. However, the man wasn’t homeless. He was Matt Busbice, who owns a sporting-goods company worth millions of dollars! On hearing a fire alarm that morning, Matt had thrown on some old unwashed clothes and rushed out of his apartment. It was a false alarm but he then went into the coffee shop for breakfast. When he came out, he stood in the corner and said a prayer of thanks that all was well. And that’s when Kelvin saw…

5 Fast Facts 1 The Veneno is based on the Lamborghini Aventador and was created to celebrate the company's 50th birthday. It made its first public appearance in 2013. 2 The Veneno was built as a racing version of the Aventador and was redesigned to be more aerodynamic. It has deep body vents at the front that pull air in and down to increase downforce. 3 There are two versions of the Veneno. The coupé cost €4 million while the roadster sold for €3.3 million. 4 People can't just call up Lamborghini and buy one as it is a limited edition. There were just four coupés made, and one of those is still in the Lamborghini museum in Italy. 5 Nine roadsters were made and sold and could be totally…

The Whitsunday Islands are 74 islands off the coast of Queensland in north-eastern Australia. Scattered across a deep-blue sea, they are sheltered by the Great Barrier Reef and so their seas are almost always warm and calm, and perfect for coral reefs. The islands have up to a million visitors a year. On Sunday 3 June 1770, the day the Christian feast day of Whitsun (Pentecost) was celebrated, explorer Captain James Cook sailed his ship Endeavour through the islands. He named the passage he followed ‘Whitsunday’s Passage’. The islands are part of a larger chain called the Cumberland Islands (also named by Cook). Whitsunday Island Whitsunday Island is the largest island. Around its northern bays are seagrass beds that are home to a great range of marine life. Unadorned rock-wallabies…

Did you know that Black Hole Week 2024 was celebrated by NASA and other space organisations in early May? If you missed it, look out for it next year. NASA describes it as ‘an event that celebrates the mystery and wonder of black holes’. Throughout the week, scientists from across the globe share news, videos and social media posts about black holes. This year’s event was especially good as there have been some exciting black-hole advances recently. The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) observed Sagittarius A* (pronounced ‘ey-star’), the supermassive black hole at the centre of our Milky Way, capturing multi-coloured views of it. Also, the Hubble Space Telescope captured an amazing new image of NGC 4951, a spiral galaxy some 49 million light-years away! The image showed starry spiral arms…

The gharial is a critically endangered crocodile living in the rivers of northern India and Nepal. It once thrived in rivers in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Myanmar (formerly Burma). It now survives in separate groups living in only 2% of what was its range throughout history. Ancestors of modern crocodiles evolved over 200 million years ago and fossils have shown that the gharial, as a particular type of crocodile, could be up to 23 million years old. Sadly, after all that time, it is now in danger of extinction. Unique species The gharial is easily distinguished from other crocodiles, because of its long narrow snout bristling with 110 sharp teeth. It has never been known to kill a human – in fact, its jaw is perfectly adapted for catching fish…

Daniel Wiffen Age: 22 County: Armagh Event: Swimming Olympic History: Debut appearance Wiffen is a world champion, a world record holder and a real contender for a gold medal in Paris. The Magheralin native won gold medals in the 800m and 1500m freestyle at the World Aquatics Championships in February, having broken the 800m world record last December. Wiffen has also won gold in the 400m. He turns 23 on July 14, two weeks before the start of the Games. An Olympic gold medal would be the perfect birthday present. Rhasidat Adeleke Age: 21 County: Dublin Event: Athletics Olympic History: Debut appearance Adeleke has been starring on the athletics scene and many expect her to continue her rise with an Olympic medal. A standout performer in both the 200m and…

Euro 2024 Unfortunately Ireland are not among the 24 teams competing for European honours in Germany – but that won’t stop us enjoying watching stars like Mbappé, Kane and De Bruyne. Our Celtic cousins Scotland face the tournament hosts in the opening match as they look to progress beyond the group stages for the first time, with defending champions Italy drawn alongside Spain and Croatia in an engrossing Group B. Tour de France The biggest race in cycling will see riders compete over 21 gruelling stages, racking up 3,492 kilometres. Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard, who rides for Team Jumbo-Visma, is seeking a third successive title, while Ireland’s Sam Bennett could make his first appearance since 2020. The women’s race, the Tour de France Femmes, runs from August 12-18. Wimbledon It’s time…

In the cities, towns and countryside of Ireland over the past month, you’ll have seen election posters here, there and everywhere, with faces of candidates smiling down at you, each trying to appear to be the friendliest, nicest person you’re ever likely to meet. All begging for your ‘NO. 1 VOTE'. Well, you aren’t 18 yet, so you're too young to vote – but your time will come. Then, don’t be fooled by smiling faces – find out what the policies of the candidates are! So, what is this local election business all about? It’s how candidates are elected to the city and county councils every five years. The date set for these elections is June 7. There are 166 Local Electoral Areas (LEAs), each electing three to seven councillors…

Our Island’s History Proudly Sponsored By In Our Island’s History, we look at periods, events and people that helped shape our country and forge our identity. While our country may be a small island, we have a rich and varied history. Fighting Back As Ireland moved into the 16th century, a new monarchy rose to power in England. They were the Tudors and they ruled England for almost 120 years. They came to power in 1485 when Henry VII became King of England and they left a lasting legacy not only in England, but also in Ireland. Earls of Kildare At this time in Ireland most of the people who lived inside the Pale were loyal to the English king and their centre of government was Dublin Castle. However, outside…

Artist: Henri Rousseau (1844-1910) Nationality: French Date: 1907 Style: Naïve, Primitivism Medium: Oil on canvas On display at: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (known as ‘The Met’) At first glance this is a gorgeous, bright painting – with those vivid colours, the lush plants so fresh and green, and the different patterns of leaves that please the eye. Only then do we notice what could be just another golden flower: the lion devouring his bloody repast (meal) – some kind of scaly creature. Rousseau was fascinated by jungles, where beauty and cruelty live side by side – despite the fact he never saw a jungle in his life! Instead, he visited the botanical gardens and the zoo in Paris. With no training as an artist, he is considered…

Well, butter my biscuit, Planet Farmers, I cannot believe that this is the final article for this school year! The time has gone by faster than my heifers bolted from the shed after the winter indoors. Thanks be to God, May finally brought some badly needed sunshine. Even so, on my travels north and south, it was clear that, in general, a lot of farms were (and still are) behind with fertiliser, slurry and silage. Normally, in early May, the coast road from Limerick to Listowel would be a hive of agricultural activity, but it was unusually quiet this year. When I spoke to a number of dairy farmers, they said that despite cows being turned out to grass, the milk yields have been very slow to increase after the…

He looked around him. Bruno Fernandez had his head down, almost between his knees. He did not look like someone who believed a result was possible. Next to him sat Diogo Jota. He was not slumped over like Fernandez was, but he was staring into space – with the most vacant look on his face. This did not look like a team ready to fight. Rather, it looked like a bunch of players ready to quit – throw in the towel, as they say. Raise the white flag. Cristiano stood up – and with that, all heads turned to him. Even Bruno’s. ‘What is this I see?’ he asked. Had he tears in his eyes? ‘Who are you? Are you the players that topped your group, beat England in the…

The Girl Who Lost a Leopard Author: Nizrana Farook Publisher: Nosy Crow Year: 2022 Selvi is a young girl who befriends a leopard. She lives in the mountains of Serendib in Sri Lanka. Her leopard friend (Lokka) is an endangered species who is being targeted regularly! Will Selvi’s friend Amir help her save Lokka or will they lose him forever? I would highly recommend reading this amazing book as it has a lot of great descriptive language which helps the reader to picture the settings brilliantly! In my opinion The Girl Who Lost a Leopard is a 10-star book! If you’re interested in reading this book, why not head down to your local bookshop or library – the author is Nizrana Farook. I’m sure you will enjoy reading The Girl…

The school year is (finally!) nearing its end, just as the GAA championships are starting to heat up. We are already into the All-Ireland series in both the men's and women’s football championships, as well as the hurling, while the group stages in the All-Ireland Camogie Championship gets underway this month. There will be some crunch games over the coming months as counties battle it out for silverware. Who do you think will emerge victorious? It’s early days but here are our picks! Men’s Football Given the tightness of the inter-county calendar, the football season is now all about peaking at the right time. Derry look to have got it wrong this year while, as ever, Dublin and Kerry look to be timing their runs to perfection. Donegal and Galway…

Another Premier League season has entered the history books, and once again it was Manchester City who lifted the trophy. Pep Guardiola’s side held off Arsenal and Liverpool to win a record fourth successive Premier League. It is the first time in 136 years of English football that a team has won four top-flight titles in a row. It was a season of thrills and spills, with Aston Villa qualifying for the Champions League and Manchester United faltering to their lowest league finish since 1990, while the three promoted sides – Burnley, Luton Town and Sheffield United – were all relegated back to the Championship. Team of the season The Villans will play in the Champions League for the first time in 41 years after a fantastic fourth-place finish, beating…