Shortly after the end of World War II, Lord and Lady Headfort gave thought to the future use of Headfort House. Family and economic changes made it impracticable to run the Georgian Mansion as a private home. Various ideas were considered and even tested before a decision was taken to found a school based on the English Public School system.

Plans were made to open in September '48 or Jan ' 49; in fact Staff were engaged. Romney Coles from Carmel College Newbury was appointed Headmaster; half a century later the present pupils remain indebted to him, for he designed and constructed the heated trolley that is still in use for carrying delicious hot food and plates to the Dining Room !

Peter Ross, a Trinity graduate who returned to schoolmastering after a distinguished war record, was appointed Senior Master. Peter served in the El Alamein campaign where he won an M.C. His pupils can read the citation in Ulick O Connor's Foreword to Peter's Book " All Valiant Dust ", published by Lilliput Press, run incidentally by an ex-Headfort pupil, Anthony Farrell. Bill Stuart-Mills was made Head of Classics and his wife Kate was in charge of Music - one can almost hear the choir singing sea-shanties. This talented pair served Headfort for over 25 years, earning the love and respect of their pupils.

A young and enthusiastic Matron, Eileen Williams, was to play a vital role in the success and rapid growth of the school. She married a local auctioneer and farmer, George Armstrong, and they live just outside Kells.

Riding has been a factor in the popularity of Headfort. The first Riding Mistress was Elizabeth Clark, a daughter of Lady Headfort by her first marriage. In Mr. Wild's early days, some Staff served both Lady Headfort and the school. Such a one was Joan Gaitskill (a relation of the Labour Party Leader, Hugh) who acted as Mr. Wild's secretary. At a humbler level, Bill Kirwan, Lady Headfort's chauffeur, did maintenance work before joining the school on a full time basis. This versatile man mended electrical equipment, painted, mowed the lawns and sports grounds and in winter lit the classroom fires; each class was allowed a bucket of coal each day and limitless logs.

In the 50s other interesting personalities served Headfort. Edith Morton arrived in January 51 to assist Matron. She was known as Nurse, and so began an association that was to last for over forty years. Matron and Nurse both worse full nursing uniform, a practice that was continued for may years before giving way to the more informal white coat. Tom O Donnell, later to become a TD, government minister and finally an MEP, taught Maths for a short period. Michael Gardiner, a former Gate actor, a man of great charm and ability, taught English. When he took "off games walks" he told stories that caught the interest of children and made walks popular - hard to credit. He died recently in Looe, in his beloved Cornwall. Jim McAleese, a fine teacher, will be remembered for wonderful sing-songs on winter evenings; his future wife, Jill Fisher, was an outstanding Riding Mistress. A popular Junior Mistress was Miss Mary Simms ( a niece of Archbishop Simms) who had survived the sinking off Donegal of the liner Athenia, carrying refugee children to Canada. Pupils of the late 50s will no doubt have many amusing memories of Miss Rooney (a former governess) who took Form I on an "off games" walk. Some of her guides (she never mastered Headfort's system of drives and paths) led her to the middle of one of the largest fields then scattered, warning her it was the bull field. Fortunately as always she had her umbrella which she used to wallop the bold and prod the slow. She was a caring, much-loved figure.

Guiding the school through those early years was David Wild, who had taken over from Mr. Coles in April '50 and planned its future as a preparatory school with membership of the IAPS. He taught at the well-known Neville Holt before the war and returned there after serving in the RN, reaching the rank of Commander. At Headfort he personally set a high standard and expected the same from all around him. In his early days, his attention to detail and planning were vital in quickly establishing the reputation of Headfort, His interest stretched to every aspect of the school. One felt that, like a good referee, he saw everything. This kept us all on our toes, but often he praised little things which other "leaders" would not have noticed.

In 1950, about 10 or 12 of our pupils came from England; Bill Stuart-Mills would travel over to escort parties met in London and Liverpool, before travelling overnight on the B & I steamer to Dublin and hence by public bus to Kells. Irish pupils were met at the main Dublin stations and travelled to Kells in a hired bus, carrying all the cases on the roof. A small number came by private car. Before the end of the decade a change took place with the increased use of private cars and the minibus replacing the large hire bus.

At first the school occupied the West Wing (classrooms) and the entire top floor of the main house (dormitories and Staff rooms) plus a few more rooms on the first floor, one being the Headmaster's Study, which overlooked the circle. The Sewing room from which Matron operated, was on the top floor at the head of the stone staircase. The dormitories were given historic names - Greeks Romans, Danes Vikings etc.

Much of the daily routine has remained unaltered over the years; rising 7.30. breakfast 8.00, Break 11.00 Rest & bedtime for the Seniors 8.30. Mr. Wild took breakfast every morning and his "Good Morning" was echoed by a loud "Good Morning Sir". All resident staff were expected to attend. After Prayers Mr. Wild watched the boys filing past on their way to class; this practice often enabled him to spot a boy who needed help or encouragement. At Break Mr. Wild usually poured out the steaming cocoa which arrived in large enamelled jugs. According to weather conditions, his instructions varied, "Pitch","Lawns","Wood Walk", "Drive" & and on wet days, "Stay In".

At lunch each table was provided with a menu with the words "Manners makyth Man". There was always an alternative dessert - each table was allowed a maximum of 4 alternatives. This was served by the Staff sitting at the other end on Matron's table.

In Rest, the boys read and changed their books; a senior boy (librarian) entered the borrowing in an exercise book. Also in Rest, boys queued outside the Study to seek weekend leave or perhaps to explain their disciplinary errors, as listed on a " Report Form". Punishment was recorded: "Warned " "Bed Early" "Slipper".

The rest of day has changed little except that originally the routine was formal. At bedtime Seniors collected their books, checked their classrooms and lined up in the corridor; then the Master on Duty gave the order to go upstairs. The Matron and Duty Master urged boys to wash. Mr. Wild strolled round the dormitories chatting to the boys about their books or some aspect of their day. Lights Out followed at 9 o'clock, when Matron and the DM went round all the dormitories.

During the first year, normal games were limited by numbers. Keen adults, such as Mr. Ross, and the school chef O Donoughue, helped to swell numbers. When on duty, O Donoughue wore full chef's uniform, including the hat! He left in Dec. 1950. In the first summer, cricket was played on the estate pitch, situated near the old boathouse, not far from the main entrance. A strand of wire kept grazing cows off the wicket. Late in the 40s the Headfort Butler , Murdoch, was highly regarded as a fast bowler. Later when " Steward " in the RAF club, he featured for some years in Dublin cricket. By the summer of 1950, an area in the middle of the modern sports field had been reclaimed from sheep pasture. The playing area was approached by a grassy patch, flanked by tall grass. A great oak tree which shortened the square leg boundary, was cut down about 1952. In certain weather conditions, the site of its former existence can still be seen close to the circle on the modern hockey pitch.

Among the original pupils there were many natural games players; to this group was added the entrants of Sept. 1950 who included Nick and Jonah Barrington, Mike Chamberlayne and a boy from the Isle of Man, Wise, who was to move to brook House with Mr. Ross. So from the start we had a strong rugby team. The game flourished and by 1953 we were able to compete against the U13 XVs from Belvedere and St. Mary's as well as fulfilling Prep School fixtures.

In the summer of 1951, very few knew much about cricket ; many were playing the game for the first time, so not surprisingly our first match was a painful affair. Quickly our daily games improved and by the next season, we were able to give a good account of ourselves. MacLachlan was to become our first player to score a century and D Cant took all ten wickets in an away game at St. Stephen's. This feat won him special mention in " The Irish Times". The school quickly established a fine academic record. Brian Thompson and Alan Jones won scholarships in 19 52, the former to Leighton Park the latter to St. Columba's. The next year Hardy Jones did likewise. Later in the decade, awards were won by Adrian Shears, Andrew MacLachlan and Andrew Davidson. In the early years, probably almost 50% of our pupils went to English Public Schools.

In the 50s, the common diseases of measles, chicken pox, mumps, and scarlet fever were regarded as very serious - for example measles resulted in an isolation of about 3 weeks, part of which was spent in a darkened room. School matches would be cancelled. Polio and tuberculosis were dreaded and, resulting from the work of Dr. Noel Browne and others, mobile X ray units visited the schools including Headfort. We were only too well aware of polio as among our own pupils were 2 very plucky boys, Alistair Jones, who loved to join our soccer games, and Timothy Jackson, who triumphed over his disability and qualified as a doctor. The latter wore a hearing aid which he switched off when given an order he did not lie. His spirit and charm protected him from any consequence. John Bryce Smith, David Patton and Christopher Evans - Tipping were successful amateur jockeys. David Cornwall is a director of Punchestown racecourse. The link with the equine world has been significant in Headfort's success.

Many pupils of the 50s have enjoyed great success. Nick and Jonah Barrington both became squash internationals, Jonah going on to be World Champion. Nick, a versatile sportsman, represented Cornwall in several sports. Jeremy Speid-Soote has a short but successful as a NH jockey in England. Neville Callagahan, based at Newmarket is still turning out winners regularly.

Three pupils of the 50s captained the St. Columba's cricket XI- Alan Jones (1957) Leslie Jones (60-61) and A.J. Davidson (62-63). Business success is represented by Eddie Wilson (Ulster Carpets) and David Patton. Service careers were followed by David Cant(seconded to the navy of Brunei), Mervyn Lougher-Goodey (RCAF) and brig. Adrian Naughten, former military attaché in Ottawa, now serving in Southern Africa. Kevin Tierney, based in New York is a silver expert. Dan Minchin and Niall Herriott are two of Ireland's nest know marine biologists, the former won great respect Among his peers when his grandmother;s horse, Quare Times. won the 1955 Grand National. It was in all the Sunday letters. Frances Stuart-Mills stood in a recent general Election. Her transfers enabled another member of her party to win a Dail seat. Jonah Barrington's achievements brought about an amazing upsurge in the game all over the world. Jeremy Parkinson-Hill has retired from Transatlantic flying and runs his stud farm. Robert Hall is well-known as a racing and showjumping commentator on RTE. Guy Williams has distinguished himself in may areas. He has been a racing official in England; he has trained an Irish Grand national winner, Daletta, and produced several books on racing. His recent book on "The Curragh Lodges" is a collector's item. Mention must be made of the Rev Dr. Peter Blackwell- Smyth who is obviously a very busy man. He lives in the St. Austell area of Cornwall. At the very end of the 50s names like Dreaper, Moore Lanigan-O Keefe Newell Patton Searle Amoore and Naper appeaerd on the school list but their contributions relate more to the early 60s. Another career followed the above pattern; he was a keen cricketer and on the rugby field his small stature deceived many an opponent. This blend of skill and courage won notice and praise from colleagues and rivals. In 1959, he entered Upper VI at a very young age, in 1960 he topped the form and in 1961 won a scholarship to Ampleforth. He was Peter Lawrence. The qualities he showed at Headfort were part of his life and death. He will be remembered forever by all his contemporaries.

Changes and progress were part of the 50s. As the numbers increased, the school took over more of the main house. Mr. Wild moved to the present "Headmaster's Study"; Lady Headfort's suite became a much-needed sickroom and surgery. Cricket nets were moved to their present site. Tennis, first played on the Headfort courts, moved to its modern position. In the early years, swimmers had to go all the way to the pool in the river above the New Bridge. For a time, a metal pool was erected on the lawn; this enabled swimming to be enjoyed in Break etc. Changing rooms, originally on the South side o the house were moved across the corridor to their modern location. This entailed a the creation of a new Carpentry shop. Facilities used from the start included the playroom(now a girls' dormitory), the squash court and the gym equipped by Lady Headfort). A former stable (where the laboratory is now) was used for rifle shooting, which was supervised by Mr. Stuart-Mills. The outbreak of the IRA campaign (1969) ended this activity. A feature of summer evening playtimes was s croquet on the circle; Ofherwise only Mr. Wild walked over grass! There was an exception. Headfort teams and their visitors played on the sacred turf before the visiting team departed.

In the early days our supply of milk came from the Headfort dairy. It was delivered twice a day in large churns. Each day fresh vegetables came from the gardens and in the summer several fruits including strawberries, which caused much excitement. In autumn apples appeared so often that they produced both "crumble " and "grumble" ! The gardens also provided flowers which Mr. Wild used to brighten halls and passageways. A single orchid in a cut glass vase was usually to be seen on the oval table in the Main hall.

Quite early on, the Headfort family moved out to the modernized East Wing, which was named "Headfort Court". For a time, Sir Christopher and Lady Musgrave were tenants and this enabled them to take a great interest in the school. In fact Lady Musgrave and her great friend Mrs. Lowe once came to the aid of Matron when Nurse was absent for a considerable time due to illness. The family have been wonderful friends to the school over the years.

Forty years on, one wonders what has happened to the many with whom touch has been lost. It would be wonderful to hear your stories at this special time in Headfort's life. In the name of one such pupil who always seemed his happiest at school, surrounded by his friends, can I invite you to get in touch

"Your laughter and your fun,

Your shadow in the sun;

Where are you Roddy Shaw ?