FURTHERMORE
By Gerry Moran
Thursday, June 26 last I took one last stroll down memory lane through CBS Secondary School James’s Street, my Alma Mater, before the school moves to its new location in Dunningstown. I rendezvoused with Nicky Harte, a fellow classmate from 1968/69.
We strolled together, our thinking being that two memories are better than one. And they were. For the most part. We were greeted heartily by Lucy Ryan, the Vice-Principal (the only time we were ever greeted, let alone heartily, on entering school) who introduced us to the Principal, Tom Clarke. Soon Nicky and I were strolling, not so much down memory lane, but down maze lane. All, all had changed since our time in the CBS, a mere 56 years ago!
Brother McGeagh was the Principal when I started in the CBS, a brother I had great time for as he personally called to our door to tell my parents that I had won a County Council Scholarship. And I was very fond of ‘Pancho’ Leahy, low-sized, rotund, good humoured, with a half-smoked roll-your-own always dangling from his lips. Another favourite teacher of mine was the tall, sallow-complexioned Brother Brett who gave me a love of poetry, not least Patrick Pearse’s ‘The Wayfarer’ a rather sad but beautiful poem.
And then there was Brother ‘Kipper’ Lynch, our French teacher, who cut quite a dash, smoked Gaulloise cigarettes and wore a beret. He was also instrumental in bringing the first Language Laboratory in the 26 counties to the school, one hell of an achievement (it even featured on TV). Tony Henderson, my maths teacher (and an excellent one at that) I’ll always remember. Later I played soccer with Tony on the Kilkenny B team. And I often wonder what the opposition made of yours truly shouting at Tony: “Pass the ball, sir, pass, the ball, sir.”
Brother Malone, my chemistry teacher, helped me become the Kilkenny Inter Schools 100 Yards Champion and helped David O’Carroll, a classmate, become the Leinster Schools 100 Yards Champion. Under Brother Malone’s coaching, David, myself, Adrian O’Keefe and Martin Brett won the Leinster Schools 4 By 100 Yards Relay Championship in a record time that Martin (five times Mayor of Kilkenny) tells me stood for several years.
Brother Malone also brought a hurling All Ireland title (albeit the B Championship, I think) to the school. And then perhaps the best teacher I ever had: Paul Glennon, still with us I’m glad to say, who commanded total respect without ever having to raise his voice one decibel and whose impassioned readings of poetry and prose instilled in me such a love of English literature that I went on to study it at UCD.
Over some sandwiches and scones (and thank you, ladies, for the wonderful spread and thank you gentlemen for the music and my thanks to all the students who acted as guides on the day), I met up with some familiar faces: Richie Walshe, Jim Kelly and two old classmates, Michael Gannon and Tommy Thompson, and former teacher in the CBS, Tom Keane, with whom we had a right old natter.
And I enjoyed chatting to Kathleen Pattison, a former SNA and Mary Butler, former librarian who, along with Tom, filled me in on all the principals who came after Brother McGeagh and Brother Smiddy. Oh, and in the middle of it all was Elvis, the one and only Myles Kavanagh, who brought some colour to the proceedings.
I have to say that I am more than grateful to the Christian Brothers for the education they gave me – an education that qualified me for a County Council Grant that saw me through five years of college, four years in UCD and one year in St. Patrick’s Training College (now affiliated to DCU) without ever having to burden my parents for one penny.
I wish those grants had been available for my siblings, my late brother John, and my sister Mary, both brighter than me but, alas, they weren’t. I thank the Christian Brothers for the education I received and for the fulfilling teaching career I loved throughout my life.
I enjoyed the stroll down memory lane and I wish Tom Clarke, and all his staff, the very best in their new home.
