To mark the coming together of Scoil Eoin and Scoil
Mhuire as one school later in the year transition year students from the former
Christian Brothers Secondary School have embarked on a publishing project. Their intention is to publish a book to mark
the ending of almost 146 years of Scoil Eoin, formerly the Christian Brothers
Secondary School as a boys school. They
are looking for help from past pupils willing to write a remembrance piece of
their days in the Athy school, or anyone with photographs or any form of
memorabilia relating to the Secondary School, it's pupils or events connected
with the school. If you can help in any
way might I suggest you contact the Principal, Tony O'Rourke at Scoil Eoin,
Rathstewart, Athy who will pass on your contributions to the transition year
students in charge of the project.
It was a happy coincidence that within the past week
I was given an old scrap book compiled between 1900 and 1906 with newspaper
cuttings relating to happenings and events in Athy. One press cutting caught my eye. It was dated 21st April 1906 and
under the headline “Athy Exiles Touching Tribute” it gave an account of
a letter written by John J. Bealin, formerly of Athy, following the death of
his former teacher, Brother John S. O'Flanagan.
The newspaper spelt the name Bealen but I'm aware from school records
that the correct spelling was Bealin.
I had previously came across John Bealin when I had
access to some years ago the house annals of
Athy's Christian Brothers Convent.
Bealin was born in Athy in 1854, the son of Mark Bealin and Margaret
Brewster who lived in the house at the corner of Leinster Street and Stanhope
Street which is now the shop premises Xtravision. Mark Bealin had a successful bakery business
at 2 William Street and the Bealin family included John's brothers William,
Mark, Thomas and Francis and two
sisters, Margaret and Mary. Their father
died in 1866 and on the re-marriage of their mother the three older Bealin
brothers William, John and Mark emigrated to America, arriving there in
1868. John Bealin was just 14 years of
age at the time, while his brother Mark was a year younger and the eldest,
William, 16 years of age.
Brother O'Flanagan was the first director or
principal of the Christian Brothers School in Athy which opened in St. John's
Lane in 1861. He died at North Richmond
Street, Dublin in 1906, aged 76 years and his passing prompted John Bealin to
write a letter which appeared in New York's “Daily News” from which the
following is extracted.
“It
was my good fortune to meet Brother O'Flanagan when I was but a boy. In the early sixties the Brothers opened
their schools in my native town Athy.
The Reverend Brother O'Flanagan was the Director. Associated with him were Brothers Holland and
Clarke. Brother Clarke was the first of
that great trio to go to his reward. He
died many years since and sleeps the peace of the just in the neighbouring town
of Carlow.
Brother
Holland after spending many years in Athy was sent on a mission to St. John's,
Newfoundland to lay a foundation of the Institute there. He was recalled from St. John's to Ireland
where for years he served as assistant to the Brother General. He died at the Novitiate Marino, County
Dublin on 5th January 1900 ... ... ... I remember the day well when
my father brought me and introduced me to Brother O'Flanagan. The good Brother was then in the prime of his
life. He was a tall man, pleasing to the
eye, one to whom we would naturally take ... ... ... he knew how to gain the
children's' confidence and respect.
During recreation hours he joined in their sports. He showed us how to spin our tops, started
and umpired our foot races, settled all disputes occurring in our games. Even now in my minds eye I can see him
standing at our school door pitching a ball into the air to have us romp after
it and return it to him. Our school was
divided into two sections, one being known as the “Greeks” and the other
as the “Romans”. The boys who
earned the greater number of merit marks were rewarded the keeping of the
school banner at the end of the week.
Brother O'Flanagan would walk down to the end of the room, make his
hands into a telescope, view the results of the merit marks indicated on the
blackboard on either side of the room and in the manner, peculiarly his own,
would jest the losing side and give the banner to the care taking of the
victors ... ... ... He was an educator
of the first order, eager and anxious to know the latest and the best methods
of imparted knowledge. He was on the
mailing list of nearly all the educational institutions of America.
I
left Ireland in the fall of 1868 and since then I have kept up a correspondence
with the good Brothers. Why is this
so? Simply because like begets like and
love begets love. His first letter
reached me during the Christmas holidays after I had arrived here. It contained a Christmas remembrance
consisting of a religious picture and a miraculous medal. In the letter he told me how he had missed me
and how I was missed in the class by my school mates. He advised me to keep on saying my prayers
and that he himself would pray for me every day. His last letter to me was dated February 6th
1906 and in it he said – “My Dearest John, I pray for you twice or trice a
day”.
John Bealin then concluded his letter by asking the
question. “Who could not help loving
such a kindly nature?”
John Bealin enrolled in the Christian Brothers School
in Athy in November 1862 when he was seven years old. He was the 168th pupil to register
in the school which opened on 19th August the previous year. Also enrolled with John Bealin in November
were John Sherlock of Moate Road, Michael Moore of Ballylinan, Laurence Murphy
of Leinster Street, Thomas Watts of Barrack Street, James Murphy of Cardenton
and Edward Myles of Barrack Street.
Incidentally the first student to enroll in the newly
opened Christian Brothers School was 9 year old John Anderson of Rathstewart
whose father was a boatman. 52 other
youngsters also joined Anderson on that first day in August 1861, including
four from an address which the Christian Brother who compiled the school roll
noted as “Shrew Lane”. Presumably
this referred to Shrewleen Lane. Another
interesting feature of the first days student intake in the Christian Brothers
School was the occupations noted for some of the parents of the students. A tin plate worker from Leinster Street, a
sawyer from “Shrew Lane” and a nailor from St. John's Lane were some of
the more unusual occupations to be found side by side with boatmen, millers,
malsters, masons and shoe makers. The
sawyer of course was a wood shed worker involved in sawing wood, while the
nailor was a nail maker and the tin plate worker made metal items from tin
plate. One parent living in Stanhope
Street gave his occupation as a bootbinder which indicated that he was a worker
employed in binding soles to the uppers of shoes and boots.
No doubt there are many more former pupils of the
secondary school in Athy with happy or perhaps not so happy memories of their
school days. If you would like to share
those memories of school days in Athy why not put pen to paper and write to the
Principal of Scoil Eoin who will pass any material received to the transition
year students for possible inclusion in the book planned for May of this
year. They would like to hear from you.
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