Hi there, my name is P.J. Mallon and I've been asked to write a report on the 2003 P.T.A.A. Youth Seminar in Ballyhaise, Cavan. Now, if you're reading this, it means you have logged on to the fantastic www.wakeup.to/pioneers.com (please sign message board after reading this). It is a great credit to the Ulster Youth Committee.

Anyway, having been to Gormanston '01 and '02, I had high expectations because Dermot (Fagan) and Co. had made Gormanston seminars memorable, fun and simply unreal crack. However, I know Gary O' Callaghan, Gillian Lynch and Su-zann Scott very well (Su-zann is my local youth club leader and chairperson of UYC), so I was sure Cavan '03 would pass all expectations. I even had the privilege of providing input at the UYC meeting.

Now, to the task in hand. For the week leading up to the seminar, I was virtually in hibernation as I had experienced the sleepless nights of the previous seminars!! Getting onto the bus, the tingle of anticipation was becoming more and more evident. The bus journey from the Loup (Co. Derry) to Ballyhaise was almighty crack, as had been the sponsored walk to raise funds to attend. Seven people, including myself, were going from the Loup Centre. A further two were going from Cookstown, Co. Tyrone, so as you would expect, Derry Vs. Tyrone banter was rife!

Anyway, pulling in through the Ballyhaise College gates, the final tingle of anticipation went through me, Cavan '03 was go…………

After the usual process of registration, finding our dorms and eating tea, it was for the opening ceremony, with talks from Gary O' Callaghan and Su-zann Scott. Then we met our groups. Later that evening, there was the Rose competition. It took the same format of the Rose of Tralee. Each of the Roses was truly beautiful and talented. They all deserved to win, but, sorry to use an old cliché, there could only be one winner, and that was Dolores. The disco that followed was class. The DJ (Ali B) played non-stop rave, brilliant! I love rave (much to the disgust of my class mates, they're moshers!). Like I said before that night was mayhem! We were in bed at 4 am! I doubt if many people slept at all.

Next morning at breakfast, I discovered that my virtual hibernation paid off, and I could actually keep my eyes open! There were so many events that day, it would be impossible to name them all. The highlights were the spirituality talk, which was nothing like we expected. It involved meditating and spiritual cleansing, which was cool. I reckon that the committee has a healthy mix of the young, the cool and the insane. It must have been the insane that came up with the next activity, Human Table Football. Basically we had to link arms like the figures on a football table, and play!

That evening there was a treasure hunt. The path was clearly explained and we were told that only a fool could get lost. My group got lost! Thanks to our group leader, we got back on track, half an hour later. The ceili was great fun, although I have two left feet. The disco that followed was cool. That night, people were too tired to cause mayhem so we went to bed, the leaders rosaries must have worked!!

The next day we had mass after a game of Mallets Mallet. If you didn't answer a question, you were hit by a mallet and were out, must have been another activity thought up by the insane!

Unfortunately, the Loup gang had to leave early, due to an administrative error with the booking of the bus, so we missed the closing ceremony.