This is the time of year when parents are preparing to get their children ready for going back to school, when the kids are feeling sorry for themselves, and their days of carefree freedom in the sunshine are coming to an end.
It is also, perhaps, the time of year when adults reflect on their own schooldays, the teachers they loved and respected, the teachers they did not like and scorned, the children that sat beside them in the desk, the adventures in the playground, the terror of exams. For most, their school experience was wonderful, the happiest days of their lives. For others, the experience was memorable for different reasons.
We would like to focus on one city centre school today, St Patrick’s National School, run by the Patrician Brothers. The first Brothers arrived in Galway at the invitation of the then Bishop and set up the Monastery School on January 15, 1827. On their first day, they had 300 boys in attendance, many of whom came from poor backgrounds and were hungry, and so had little interest in learning. So the Brothers set up a Poor Boy’s Breakfast Institute in 1830, and this continued seven days a week, 365 days a year, for many, many years. During the Famine, they fed about a thousand boys every day. The old Monastery School quickly became an important component of education in Galway.
In 1862, they expanded by taking over a building on Nun’s Island and converting it into a National and Secondary School, partly funded by the Bishop, and known locally as ‘The Bish’. The ‘Middle Class Seminary’ became known as ‘The Sem’. Eventually, Fr. Peter Dooley, the parish priest of St Patrick’s, bought the site of the former Shambles Barracks on Bridge Street, and after a long protracted battle between the bishop, Michael Browne and C.I. O’Flynn, the County Manager, it was finally decided to build a new national school on the site. On March 31, 1954, the boys from the Mon and the Bish National Schools marched into their brand new school, now known as St Patrick’s. There were 941 boys and 20 teachers.
This new school quickly established itself in the field of education and also in extra-curricular activities such as hurling, football, swimming, athletics, music and drama. Brother Cuthbert taught singing, including to a choir that sang for JFK. Brothers Alphonsus, Luke, and Aidan directed plays and choral recitations, Brother Maurice directed back-stage crews, Jimmy Cranny taught swimming, and membership in the school band introduced many hundreds of pupils to music. Some of these activities are seen in our illustrations today.
Our first photograph is of the ‘maidens’ that formed the ladies' chorus and the ladies principals in a production of HMS Pinafore that was performed at the school in 1962. They are, front row, left to right: Michael Beatty, Noel Sherlock, John Cunningham (who played Cousin Hebe ), Paul McDonagh (Josephine ), Valentine Cawley, Gabriel Ryan and Norman Deacy.
Second row: Griffin, John Walsh, Raymond Beatty, Michael Monaghan, Des Donegan, Vincent O’Malley, Noel Curley, Michael McDonagh, Michael Mooney, Martin Ridge, Billy Langan and Seán O’Flynn.
Third row: Pat Carroll, Brian Divilly, Pat McDonagh, Richard Raftery, Pat Murphy, James Griffin, Joseph McMahon, Tom Linehan, Pat Rooney.
Back row: Joseph O’Flynn, Maurice Walsh, Ray Gilmore, Tom Joyce, Martin Donnellan, Anthony Varley, John Clery, Arthur Keaveney, Michael O’Sullivan.
They were all beautifully kitted out with some very impressive hairdos. The week of the production was a memorable one in the school. Murt Coleman played one of the lead male parts.
Our second photograph is of the cast of “Íosagáin”, the school play c1959, who won the cup in the Féile Drámaíochta in An Taidhbhearc. They are, left to right: Joe Brennan, Brendan Fox, John Carlos, Brother Gregory, Martin Kilkelly, Sean Cóinín (Jennings ), Seán Healy, -- Casserly, Martin Kearns.
Our final image is of the school’s Athletic Team, who won the Dr. Browne Cup and Primary Schools relay race at Ballinasloe. They are, back row: Michael Dooley, Colie Anderson, Gerry Dooley, Gabriel Cooke, Paddy Tummon, Tom Nally, Brother James. Middle row: Michael John Heffernan, John Clery, Dommo Nolan, Gabriel Walsh, Ronnie Ward, Tom Lally, Eamonn Madden, Brian Flynn, Miko Nolan. In front are Joe Flanagan and Ray Beatty.
