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DESSIE BARRY
The Jesuits boasted
"give us the boy and we’ll give you the man".
We all know how Dessie Barry the man has turned out. In my opinion, he is, and has been for quite a while, Longford’s outstanding football talent. Suffice it to say that at club and county level, the opposition’s main preoccupation was to ‘hold Dessie Barry if we are to win.’
Dessie, the boy, was equally outstanding. He starred for St. Michael’s School team as a pupil in 4th, 5th and 6th classes. But his class work, co-operation and behaviour were even more remarkable. This was brought home to me recently when I discovered an old homework copy of Dessie’s, dated Dec. ’72. It is a model of neatness, perfection and showing complete dedication to the task in hand, in fact displaying all the attributes which Dessie currently applies to the cause of Longford football. He would surely have been our Pupil of the Year (an award since won by his brother Oliver) if there had been such an award then.
Unlike the Jesuits, we won’t claim to be the cause of Dessie’s
success. The qualities he has today were always there. However, unlike many, he maintained
and developed them, and long may he continue to give pleasure and hope to Longford’s
frustrated football fans.
( N.Corkery.)
Ray Flynn’s success as an athlete has been remarkable. He has scaled
the dizzy heights to become one of the world’s top middle distance runners.
A European indoor silver medal in Prague in 1978; Ireland’s representative in the 5,000 metres in the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow; and Irish record holder in 1500 metres.
These glittering performances has made Ray one of the elite corps of international athleteswho top the bill all over the USA and such leading European meets as Brussels, Oslo, Crystal Palace, Rome, etc.
Ray’s athletic career began initally with the Community Games and this was followed up by success as a young teenage runner with St. Mel’s College.
Not surprisingly, his talent won him an athletic scholarship to East Tennessee University in the USA, from where he began to make his impact on the world scene.
Ray, from Dublin Road, Longford, was wed in August 1986 to American girl Jan Clements in a glittering ceremony in St. Mel’s Cathedral. Olympic champion, John Walker, was Ray’s best man.
Ray now lives in Tennessee from which the Longford athlete and past pupil of St’ Michael’s has competed all over the world, mainly at 1500 and 5000 metres distances.
Padráic Colum was born in Longford workhouse on 8th of December
1881. He was the eldest of the eight children in his family. He was enrolled in St.
Miahael’s in 1888 in the infants class. His father, Patrick Colum, was a former
teacher and master of the workhouse.
When Pádraic was still a young boy his father resigned his position in the Workhouse to join a goldrush to Colorado. Referring to this incident, Colum said "My father is the only man I’ve known able to cross America twice without finding any work". Because of his fathers travels the family moved back to his mother’s family home in Co. Cavan. Later, after his fathers return, they moved to Glasthule in Co. Dublin’ where he attended the local national school.
He joined the Gaelic League soon after its foundation and got to know Yeats, George Russell, Lady Gregory, Synge and Arthur Griffith and his friendship with Griffith could possibly explain his involvement with the movement toward Independence. He took part in the Howth gun running in 1913.
By this time he had married Mary Maguire from Collooney, Co. Sligo. Times were hard for them financially and when an aunt offered to pay their fare to America they accepted. This was 1914 and from that year on they were never to live permanently in Ireland again. One could also say, without fear of contradiction, that many of his well known poems and plays had been written by this time.
Much of his life in America was devoted to lecturing, collecting folklore as well as writing childrens’ stories. He also published a biography of Arthur Griffith in 1959.
He died in 1972 in Enfield, Connecticut and his body was brought back to Ireland for interment in St. Fintans Cemetery Sutton.
Shortly before his death colum stated, "I have always tried to use the speech of the people of Longford in my work". This "speech" he first heard from the waifs and strays and tramps that congregated in the Workhouse. He also heard it in his travels throughout North Longford and Cavan. One of his collections of folktales was "The Big Tree of Bunlahy". His poems include, "The Old woman of the Roads," The Poor Scholar of the 40’s", "The Drover" and perhaps the most immortal of all, "She moved through the Fair". His plays include "The Fiddlers House", "The Saxon Shilfin", "The Land" and Thomas Musterry".
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Dessie Barry |
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Pupil Of The Year Winners A rundown of the winners of the coveted plaque over the last years with some fond memories from the prize students themselves. more.. |
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St. Mel's Road, Longford, Co. Longford, Ireland.
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