"It will always be a part of me": says retired principal

“I answered a box number – ‘Midlands school seeks religion teacher.’ I didn’t know where it was. It could have been Portlaoise, it could have been Tullamore, but I applied for it,” is how the recently retired principal of Our Lady’s Bower Noel Casey describes getting his foot in the door of the school.

“A few weeks later there was a woman looking for me in college, Sr Christopher, who was principal at the time. She was passing by and I had a preliminary interview with her. Then I came down to Athlone in the last week of May 1983, and was offered the job.”

However, there was always a link to Athlone. Having been a student of Moyle Park College, established by the Marist Brothers, Noel says he was down in Athlone a lot as a student.

“The Marist Brothers would have had retreats and youth programmes where they combined the three schools; Marian College in Ballsbridge, Moyle Park and Marist College in Athlone. They’d bring us all together, so from fifth and sixth year I was down here mixing with other Marist lads. Never did I ever think that I’d end up living and working here.”

Education was always the career of choice for Noel. His father Dominic and his mother Francis met while working in a cigarette company, but they were determined to send their children into education.

“My father definitely regretted never having gone through secondary school, but he was a hard worker. He read voraciously and was big into crosswords. He’d have gone far if he was given the opportunity. They really drove us.”

Noel loved school, remembering those who influenced him in deciding on his career:

“I don’t ever remember not enjoying going to school. I enjoyed school life. Obviously, like every child, exams would torment the life out of me, but I enjoyed the sporting and academic sides as well.

“I had good teachers. In my office in the Bower, I have a photo of Brother Peter Hegarty on the notice board. He was principal of Moyle Park when I was there, and he was a key influence on my life. He was a great educator, and had great focus on making sure that young people got the best out of school. Another Athlone connection, Brian Ganly, taught me Leaving Cert English and Geography, and he made me think about teaching.”

Entering Mater Dei in 1978, Noel was part of a small cohort of 30 students in his year. He took one year out of college, graduated in 1983, and soon joined the Bower as a Religion and English teacher.

Early on in his career, Noel travelled to Grenada in the West Indies.

“There had been political upheaval there in the 70s, and the left-wing government was overthrown. An American fleet had taken over one day, and they needed professionals; teachers, doctors, nurses, anybody really. In 1985 we were fundraising for Live Aid, and the whole thing really lit a fire under me. So I spoke to Fr Shay Casey, our chaplain at the time. Next thing I knew I was on a plane to Grenada.”

He worked in a government school on the island for two years just outside the capital of St George’s, but always remained in contact with his colleagues in Our Lady’s Bower. When he returned, he resumed his teaching life.

Remaining in one school for 37 years, a teacher will undoubtedly see many changes to the school environment. Noel witnessed the extensions added to the school in 1985, the building of the current school in 2008, and the closure of the boarding school in 2014.

“Summer 2006 was when the construction started and it was fabulous. The building is state-of-the-art, and it really brought the school into the 21st century. If you walk the corridors even now it’s still kept in pristine order.

“But like that, the closure of the boarding school was a blow to the school. It added an international aspect to the school community, and we knew things were going to be substantially different after that.”

No career is plain-sailing, and like everyone this year, Covid-19 brought challenges to Noel and the whole school community. A staff meeting was held and just a few days later all schools closed on 12 March.

“I was thinking about the bird flu and the swine flu, and you think it’s going to be something similar, but it wasn’t. We had to get everyone up and running with emails, both teachers and students and we were forced to adapt quickly. Everyone bought into it though, even in September when all these alien protocols were introduced.”

His own daughters with wife Linda, Hannah and Sorcha, were both pupils of the school. Seeing the uniform hanging up in his home for the first time was an “emotional experience,” but he did not worry for them.

When asked about the highlights of his time in the school, Noel struggles to limit himself, mentioning presidential visits, arts weeks, achievements in Junk Kouture and school trips, as well as last year’s RTÉ documentary 'Leaving Limbo'.

“I really hope that every girl leaves the school having been nurtured and looked after,” Noel says. “We’ve had a Rose of Tralee, a Data Protection Officer, football stars, everything really. But when they all put on the uniform, they’re treated the same and given the same opportunities.”

Looking towards retirement, Noel says he has to get out of the habit of saying “we” when discussing the school.

“I like to think I got on with everybody in the school, colleagues, and students. When the final day came, I was half-tempted to turn around and drive home. I didn’t want to go in, but they gave me a great send off.

“I laughed, cried and enjoyed successes in that school, it was my whole life,” he finishes. “But I like to think my relationship with the school is simply changed, not severed. It will always be a part of me.”