Workmen finishing off the job.

My Grandad
   My Grandad's name is Patrick Oliver McKenna. He lives across the road from the school at 5 St. Mel’s Road. My Grandad went to St. Michael’s when he was six years old. Master Fallon was his first teacher. Master Timlin was his second; Master Murray was his third teacher and so on.
Master Mathews was the headmaster at the time and he supplied the schoolbooks. Master Timlin, Master Fallon, Master Mathews, Master Feeney, Master Murray, Master Lee and Master Glennon all taught him but Master McKenna, Master Flannery Master Quinn, Master Holland, Master Regan and another few did not teach him.
Master McKenna had boys planting crops and flowers where the new houses are built. The school was two storeys at the time. My grandad got a stone from the demolition of the old school.
The subjects were English, Irish, Mathematics, Geometry, Geography, History, Science, English and Irish composition, Long and Short Catechism and English and Irish Dictation.
He left school in 1934.
By Oliver McKenna
5th class

A Short History of Our School
Educating boys of the parish and Longford Town since 1853.

St. Michael’s Boys’ National School, situated at St. Mel’s Road, Longford, was opened as a National School in 1853. Rebuilt in 1967, it was given a further four-classroom extension in 1975. It now comprises eleven classrooms, a G.P. room, a staff-room and a Principal’s Office.

The original St Michael's Boys' National School
being demolished in 1967.

An article entitled "Everymans Schools" in Templemichael Parish, the author Liam Mac Gleannáin, himself a former Principal of the school, states: "on the 6^th January, 1860, a school for girls was opened on the ground floor of St. Michael’s school and was called St. Michael’s No. 2. The nuns taught the girls here until their own school was built. After this the junior boys were taught in No 2. Mr. Plunkett was principal of St. Michael’s No. 2 in 1879 but was transferred to the senior school, St. Michael’s No. 1, in 1881. Mr. Harry Dunne was principal from 1881 to 1918 and was an outstanding musician. He was succeeded by Mr. M.P. Fallon who retired in 1953 when Mr. M. J. Timlin transferred as principal from the senior school and remained until the amalgamation of the schools in 1967.

In the senior school, Mr. Plunkett became principal in 1881. He was succeeded by Mr. Thomas McKenna in 1899 who retired in 1926. Mr. Charles Matthews was principal from 1927 and Mr. M. J. Timlin from 1941 to 1954.

Since the school was opened in 1967 there have been the following principals, Mr. B. Regan, Mr. W. Glennon, Mr. S. Cahill and the present principal Mr. P. Walsh.

The St. Michael’s school staff at present reads: Mr. P. Walsh, Principal, Mr. M. Reilly, Deputy Principal, Mr. S. Moran, Mrs. P. Kearney, Mrs. B. McLoughlin, Mrs. P. O’Byrne, Ms. Horan, Mr. N. Gannon and Mrs Mary Sorohan.

Patrick McCabe

The award winning author started his teaching career here in St. Michael's before moving on to Balbriggan, London and fame. Pat wrote his first masterpiece, SHAY MOUSE, THE MOUSE FROM LONGFORD, while in St. Michael’s, and in fact he dedicated the book to the then Principal, Sean Cahill. Pat will always be an inspiration to anyone interested in reading or writing.

See our own budding writers in our STORIES & POEMS section.

BIG STEPS
( By a Past Pupil.)

Oven 20 years ago the distance between the Convent and St. Michael’s was not the short walk it is now, or so it seemed to me at the time. I was almost seven years old and amongst about forty boys just finishing first class in the Convent and can remember the apprehension involved with the thought of moving to second class in the Boys’ school.

My mother escorted me by the Boys’ School every morning on the way to the Nuns. The yard seemed full of very big boys playing with a huge ball that thumped against the wall when someone scored a goal. Sometimes the ball was sent flying like a rocket over the wall and into the field. The big boys would scale the wall like warriors and the game would resume in seconds.

I remember well the day we left the Convent to make the long journey down to our new school. Our new teacher collected us in the Convent to escort us to our new classroom. Leaving the sheltered Convent grounds, through the Cathedral Car Park (did my companion bless himself in the shadow of the Cathedral?) past the entrance to St. Mel’s, ( a school for very old boys) along the high wall down St. Mel’s Road, and into the yard of the Boys’ School.

Retirement

He is missed by all the staff and will be fondly remembered for his many anecdotes and words of wisdom. Have a good retirement Mr. Corkery.