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MY STUDENT DAYS ...
In the years
when I was in secondary school the seminary was at its zenith. There
were upward to ninety students in residence during that time. In a real
sense the secondary school was an extension of the seminary. We dined in
the refectory. There was reading at three meals at which strict silence
was insisted on, if not always kept. As youngsters the soutaned brigade
who made their way to the refectory in silence fascinated us. We were
not supposed to have any contact with them. On Sunday afternoons
seminarians or "theologians", as we called them, walked with their
younger brothers an the lay side in the corridor along by the chapel.
Much of the routine on the lay side was dictated by the seminary
timetable. Daily mass in the morning was a requisite. We went to chapel
for a visit to the Blessed Sacrament for fifteen minutes before dinner.
A long daily prayer of adoration was read by the head prefect of the
"far side" or the seminary. We joined the theologians for the Rosary at
5:00p.m. every evening. In May and October there were special devotions,
including Benediction which took place before the end of first study. On
Sundays, at 2.25 in the afternoon we heard the beautiful chimes of the
church bells calling us to the Rosary and Benediction. High Mass on a
Sunday morning was a highlight. The celebration reached a crescendo at
the end as Fr. William Gaul pulled out every stop on the organ and
lifted the roof with the Grand March of "Aida" as the procession moved
down the church.
Away from religious exercise we watched avidly, from the rails along the
handball alley, the vigorous and talented football being played on the
seminary pitch. Those of us who talked football estimated that there was
a good county football team on the "far side" at the time. Talented
names like Liam Vaughan, Brendan Doran, John French, Thomas O'Neill, Tom
Eustace, Jim Ryan, Tom Neville,
Joe Diskin, Timmy Ryan, Andy Deignan, Paddy Doherty and the McCrory
brothers come to mind.
The "theologians" also gave us great thrills from the stage. I still
remember vividly my first Christmas play from the stage in 1954. I
believe it was "My Private Secretary". A line, beautifully enunciated by
Paddy Gallogly, still reverberates in my mind, "How is your liver?"
There were other great shows over the years including a Passion Play and
"Ten Little Nigger Boys". The first Opera, "Trial by Jury", by Gilbert
and Sullivan was produced by Fr Bill Gaul at Christmas 1958. There were
some remarkable performances by John Halvin, Ben Corrigan, Sean Rogan
and Alphie Dobson from the lay side.
I had a part in the ancillary programme in a major silent drama called
"Terror by Night" produced by Ned Power who was later to become producer
in chief of many wonderful Christmas shows from the stage of the Concert
Hall.
I look back on those years with a sense of nostalgia. The grounds of the
seminary were beautiful. Behind the building were the marvellous green
terraced banks and steps up onto the 'theologians' field. The garages
and buildings that replaced them were an environmental mortal sin.
I remember with fondness the contribution of the theologians to the
secondary school in those days. Five prefects were assigned to look
after study and dormitories each year. There were a few whom we didn't
like, but in general, they were terrific guys whom we admired and looked
up to.
They took a great interest in all aspects of boarding school life and
some of them spent endless hours on the sports field helping to prepare
teams for championships. The first team success came in 1959, my Leaving
Cert. Year, when St. Peter's defeated Belcamp College in Senior B
hurling to win a first Leinster championship. It was to be the first of
many great successes, which were to follow in the sixties and early
seventies.
Life in the secondary school was enjoyable in those days because we knew
no better. As boarders
we used to supplement the college rations with cheese, jam, salmon and
other dainties.
Before the purchase of Coolcotts in 1955 sport was confined to the two
little pitches at the back of the farmyard and a rickety piece of ground
in the lower field, the location of the present Power Park. Most of the
serious training took place on the top pitch, close to the present
Sports Complex.
For the winter months it was a muddy bog. Despite the handicaps many
good teams went out from the college in those years.
Two memories stand out for me from my time as a student on the lay side.
I remember with relish the "free days" that came usually on a Monday and
in some presidential reigns as often as once every
two or three weeks. Two senior students from the seminary and two of the
Leaving Cert. class went to the President to request a "free day". If
they succeeded there was an almighty roar in the corridor and the heroes
of the day were carried shoulder high in recognition of their success.
Free days were devoted to games and to walks. Usually there was an
organised procession out to Ferrycarrig or the Reservoir supervised by
the prefects from the seminary.
The other great memory from my school days was the dash to get the
handball alley. As soon as grace was finished in the refectory there was
a sixty yard dash to the end of the corridor and whoever threw the
handball into the alley first had command of it for an hour or so.
The central focus of the school in those days as now was education. The
class that created the
most conversation was Latin with Fr Tom Rossiter. The inevitable
question was, "What is he like today?" Many stories are told of episodes
in the same Latin class. The students were concerned about the teacher.
The teacher himself had obvious concerns about the students. On Friday
mornings he is reported to have exclaimed, "Three B first and fish for
dinner".
I find it hard to believe, but theses are some of my memories from fifty
years ago. I am amazed at how time moves on. |