‘Lucky to start my career with such great teachers, pupils and parents’

Congratulations to the school community of St Oliver’s on reaching this 50th Anniversary of a very successful school where I spent 20 years having joined in 1978, my first teaching position straight out of college.

In Oliver's I met a team of highly motivated innovative teachers led by John Howard and it was team of teachers I learned a lot from which stood me in good stead as I moved schools later.

Sadly we have lost some of our colleagues. Ar dheis De go raibh a nanamnacha. I moved to take up the post of principal in Rathfeigh and later moved to Drogheda as principal of Fatima School and later the newly built St Mary’s Parish Primary School. In Oliver's I enjoyed coaching school teams and participation in sport added a lot to the school experience for both pupil and teacher.

Notably in the early years the attire of choice for after school training was the Liverpool shirt but green became the predominant jersey colour following Meath’s breakthrough in 1987. Indeed it wasn’t long until some of my past pupils joined me in the Simonstown colours.

I was always interested in music and formed a wedding and pub band with fellow teachers Peadar McCarthy and Michael Fox which performed locally for a time. If memory serves me correctly it followed on from our work together on the school performance of Oliver in the Community Centre down town. As the seanfhocal says “Tús maith leath na hoibre” and I was lucky to start my career with such a great group of teachers pupils and parents. Caoga bliain ag fás, guím gach rath ar phobal na scoile sna blianta ata romhainn.