|
Post by rose5mcdonaghtce on Nov 8, 2008 22:15:12 GMT
Miss O'Brien taught me in second and third class, was unfortunate, always was in for the long haul with teachers. Miss O'Brien moved to McDonagh when the new school opened, she lived next door to O'Briens (Mick) at the top of our block. Every morning before sus I would go down to Mrs O'Brien and collect a flask of coffee for Miss O'Brien. Loved this job, O'Briens kept budgies so would get the chance to have a chat with them and get a biscuit off Mrs O'Brien. Often went down and hung around in the back yard with the birds if the cages were out and would say she was'nt there when I knocked. Mrs O'Brien brought me into Miss O'Briens house once during the school holidays while she was away, remember being delighted to be in a teachers house, but it was no different to anyone elses.
|
|
|
Post by rose5mcdonaghtce on Nov 11, 2008 9:53:22 GMT
Left out Tereasa Reilly and Philomena Sweeney from the girls in my class. The day with Peggy consisted of: 9.30 The morning prayers and then tables. 10.00 Irish for which we all stood around the class in case we fell asleep 11.00 Sus 11.10 Arithmetic or known to us as sums 12.00 The Angelus is said 12.30 Catechism lunch 1.30 The afternoon consisted of English and depending on the day Singing, History, Geography or Sewing. We did'nt get homework we got Exercise. We had no homework notebooks, you just marked the six sums in the aithmetic book and whatever else you had to do was also marked in the book. Parents signed nothing to say the exercise was done under supervision, you just would not take the risk of going in without doing it. We did'nt write essays we wrote compositions. No workbooks everything was done in the copies. We wrote with pens that you dipped into the ink, I think around 5th and 6th class you were allowed use a fountain pen for the exercise. All copies were 3d and a new nib for your pen 1d ( next to impossible to take the old nib out of the pen, rusted usually ) a new pen was 3d. A new sheet of blotting paper was 1d, all of these supplies you got from Mrs. Collins unless your copy ran out doing the exercise then you got one in the Canteen. There were no parents nights, if you fell sick during the school day you were just sent home sometimes a girl from a higher class sent with you. If you got slapped you did'nt announce it when you went home. Getting out to the toilet during class was hard work twenty questions about why you did'nt go during sus etc., kidneys were supposed to function according to the timetable. No supervision in the playground, except for the babies think I can remember Mrs. Collins out in the yard with them.
|
|
|
Post by carol28mcdonaghtce on Nov 30, 2008 21:30:47 GMT
Hi Rose Glad to read about old school days and the green gingham aprons, and the boiled beef and parsley sauce. Good days in the Curragh would love to hear more memories!
Carol.
|
|
|
Post by rose5mcdonaghtce on Dec 1, 2008 0:26:21 GMT
Hi Carol,
Lovely to hear from you. Am sure you have a few stories to tell about McDonagh and the school.
Rose.
|
|
|
Post by rose5mcdonaghtce on Dec 16, 2008 12:46:02 GMT
Just looking at the posts again about school and preparations for First Communion and Confirmation and Helena saying how innocent we were, my granddaughter made her First Communion last May twelve months, she attends an Educate Together school, no religion taught, so had to attend Sunday school to prepare for the Sacrament. We certainly don't eat the rails out of it, to use an old expression, but we do acknowledge our beliefs, I was concerned as to how much she knew about the faith and said to my daughter she had better have a chat with her before the classes started and not have her making a show of us on front of the priest. So the discussion was had and it turned out she was more tuned in than we thought, and so the style was next on the agenda, i.e. long or short dress etc., coming near the end she reminded her Mam about the medal and Hannah said we will have to get you some ear rings, little silver crosses would be nice to which the reply was "don't get carried away you don't want people to think I'm a catholic do you" Hannah told her she was of course catholic and she wanted to know did they know anyone else who was. She then spent about ten minutes looking at herself in the mirror and saying how she could not believe she was catholic when she did'nt look any different to other people. Was talking to a woman from Kildare who had a grandchild preparing for the big day at Sunday school as well, the priest asked why they were there, expecting to hear because we were Baptised, not a sound, but one little hand went up with the words " Coco Pops", the priest "Coco Pops" and the voice said " I hate this, its boring and my Mam said if I came to-day she would buy Coco Pops on the way home, thats why I'm here". We made ours in first class they now wait until second class so they will have more understanding of what is going on does not appear to be working, the innocence is still the same.
Rose
|
|
|
Post by tommyhetherington on Dec 16, 2008 16:12:14 GMT
Hi Rose Maybe second class is better as they will have their Teeth, interesting slant on the kids beliefs, if that was said in our day it was straight to hell.
|
|
|
Post by rose5mcdonaghtce on Dec 17, 2008 11:38:59 GMT
Hi Tommy,
Your right about the teeth, no fear of us being under any delusion about our denomination, no fear you would be wondering or looking in the mirror for signs. In fairness to Miss O'Brien she used to say that not all Protestants were bad a lot of them went to heaven too. The only other religion discussed in school at that time was that of the Protestant faith.
Can remember coming home from the old school one day and the Protestant church was open, there were lads in painting, there was myself, Monica and Ellen Bolger, they asked could they go in for a look, waited outside for them was not taking any risks can remember being terrified they would be struck dead the minute they got inside, but of course curosity got the better of me and in I went, can remember being amazed at how like our own Church it was, to this day I don't know what I expected to find. Now it was on my concience for a long time and I eventually told the priest in confession, that day I acutally did not have to spend long making up ones to tell him, the ususal used to be I disobeyed my mother, hit my sister, cursed. Was waiting for him to get up and start shouting at me, but he did'nt, told me it was ok to look, but not to go to Mass there.
Canon Knowles was a gentleman kindly and friendly and part of the facade of the Camp at the time and I liked him, but used to feel sorry for him when I was small, thought he had no chance of heaven not being catholic.
Rose.
|
|
|
Post by rose5mcdonaghtce on Jan 23, 2009 11:42:11 GMT
Hi,
Anyone out there remember this:
CORPORAL TIM
CORPORAL TIM HE LOOKED SO TRIM
HE THOUGHT THEY WERE ALL AFRAID OF HIM
BUT STRANGE TO SAY
THE VERY FIRST DAY HE HAD A FIGHT
HE DIED OF FRIGHT
AND THAT WAS THE END OF CORPORAL TIM.
That was the very first peom I learned in National School, I think it was first class, most of the kids on the camp had it off by heart. when we fell out with one another on the blocks and I speak about the girls in particular, it rarely if ever came to slaps, but plenty of name calling going on, "you think your great just because etc.," on occasion rank would come into it especially if your Da was a rank above the enemies Da, and the returned insult would always be "yeah and he's like Corporal Tim" When we were kids going over the the garrison or up to the school, while waiting to cross the road any adult around would tell you to be careful and to watch you did'nt get a belt of an army lorry, we were told the same leaving the house, don't remember being warned about cars, it seems that only an army lorry could inflict serious or fatal injuries in the sixties on the camp.
Come to think of it there were'nt too many cars about, but no shortage of the green lorries.
Rose.
|
|
|
Post by mag k on Jan 24, 2009 11:43:31 GMT
Hi rose,
I had completely forgotten that rhyme, but the minute I read it came back to me. I keep humming it to myself.
Cheers Mag K
|
|
|
Post by gercollinsfurlong on Aug 4, 2009 22:44:36 GMT
hi all
I also went to the girls school on the curragh from about 1967, to 1976 ,I had some good times and bad times,well the bad times were all my fault thats what mrs lawlor always told me,[you have no one to blame only yourself].My god the cane was bad enough but when she got the duster out your knuckles would be sore for days and on a cold morning they would not be long warming up.One of the nicer teachers was mrs.Kavanagh a tall lady she always had her hair up in a bun.[Any one rem her]MRS Rowley was also lovely.Loved it when we got into the higher classes 4th 5th and 6th then you got to do the big girls jobs like when it was our turn to ring the bell at break time and did i shake the hell out of that bell,Anyone know if they still use it.Then on friday's you would get to go around each class collecting money for the ..... babies one of the other names [correct me if i;m wrong ]was it pooka or something like that can;t rem ,and you thought you were great if you got to make the cloths for it, if you had the money to give you would let everyone in your class know you had it and the days you had not got the money there would not be a word out of you and to be honest on the rare days i did have it it would be spent in maguins on the way to school after all the crying to my mother the night before that i did not want to go into school and not have any money if only she knew.I dont think i was the only one that shop always had a crowd on a friday morning.
Buy for now geraldine.
|
|
|
Post by maryb51 on Aug 5, 2009 17:22:42 GMT
Hi Geraldine, I went to school from 1956 to 1966, i remember well the doll going around on a friday, her name was boo, boo, (pronounced bu bu), and when you went around with her you had to make up a story, such as she need money for clothes for her first communion, or her mammy was sick and going into hospital, or any sad story that would bring in some money. mary
|
|
|
Post by gercollinsfurlong on Aug 5, 2009 19:32:01 GMT
Hi Mary, Thanks for that i went to bed last night trying to think of that dolls name and it was driving me mad and even in work today i was hoping someone from the old school would walk past but no chance,and thanks to you i can sleep in peace tonight.I feel guilty now spending her money hope she got to make her communion, and hope her mam recovered,i dont think the kids today would fall for them stories like we did.
Thanks geraldine.
|
|
|
Post by Mary McGrath on Sept 26, 2009 16:26:47 GMT
Hi Everyone
Loving this website. Bringing back many memories. My name is Mary McGrath. I now live in Belfast. I come from a family of 13. I would have been in the girls school in the Curragh between 1957 and 1963 and then moved to newbridge school. A few friends I remember from then were Breda Quinlin, Helen O'Neill, Maura Daly and Helena Furlong. If anyone remembers me from then I would love to hear from you.
|
|
|
Post by maryb51 on Sept 26, 2009 17:31:14 GMT
Hi Mary, Where did you live on the Curragh, would you be related to Kathleen and Don McGrath. Is McGrath your maiden or married name. Bye for now Mary Byrne(Dolan)
|
|
|
Post by Helena on Sept 28, 2009 18:28:58 GMT
Hi Mary,
Going on the information you provided in your post, I take it that you are Mary McGrath that lived first on O'Higgins Road and then moved to O'Higgins Terrace. Lovely to hear from you and hope all is well with you and yours. I dread to think how many years it is since we would have seen each other. Get in touch again. This is a fabulous site which Matt has set up and gives us the opportunity to make contact with old friends.
Helena F
|
|