Past pupils return to share their memories of St Peter's NS

St Peter's NS took a trip down memory lane on Friday morning last, as a group of past pupils returned to share thoughts on their schooldays with the current attendees of the Athlone school. Deputy Mary O'Rourke, Senator Nicky McFadden and Cllr Gabrielle McFadden were among the seventeen who fielded questions from current pupils about their time at the school, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. Small groups of past pupils were assigned to different classrooms where the well-prepared pupils had a number of questions ready to put to them. During the discussions Athlone's two Oireachtas members stated that, overall, their memories of the school were not happy ones. "I wasn't happy here. There's no point in saying otherwise," stated Deputy O'Rourke. "I know I got a good education but it was all very different then. You never saw a picture on a wall. The hall was painted a terrible green colour - green on the top and a dirtier green on the bottom. "There was nothing on the walls, no bright, gay colours. There was a map alright but that was to show where all of the Irish Missions were. It was all pretty grim. Now I see you have these bright young teachers, such as your own teacher and all the other lovely teachers I met in the staff room," the Fianna Fail TD told Ms Hannon's fifth class pupils. Senator McFadden told Ms Kilgannon's sixth class group that one of her happiest memories was when - as a sixth class pupil - she and her classmates finished their classes a few days before the other pupils. "We were 'king of the hill' for a few days," she said. "I didn't like national school, so for me it was a relief to be finished, but I loved secondary school." "I was the opposite," said her sister, Cllr Gabrielle McFadden. "I loved national school but I didn't particularly like secondary school." Deputy O'Rourke stated that there were 40 pupils in her class, "so when I hear the complaining on television or radio about having so many in a class I think 'Well, I had 40.' It wasn't ideal, but we all learned. Boy, did we learn." When asked what games were played during their schooldays, Deputy O'Rourke, Katie McKay, Catriona Quirke, Lizzie McKay and Ethel McKay recalled playing chasing, hopscotch, red rover, ring-a-ring-a-rosie and dodgeball. The TD said to the pupils: "Do you know where you come down that road called Abbey Lane? Well we used to call it 'Babby Lane' because of all the little children going to school.Cllr McFadden stated that the school's heating pipes would sometimes freeze in January. "After Christmas we used to all pray for really cold weather because if the pipes froze it meant we got an extra week off school." Confirmation day was a big part of the national school experience and Cllr McFadden said one of her standout memories from the day was of going for chicken and chips in the Shamrock Lodge Hotel. Noreen Feyne added: "there wasn't the same emphasis on money around it that there is now."Deputy O'Rourke recalled two teachers in particular - Sister Concepta and Sister Dympna. "Sister Concepta was a lovely, sweet nun but then there was Sister Dympna, Lord rest her soul, and she used to murder us. She was in charge of sewing and singing. I couldn't sew - still can't - and I couldn't sing - and still can't - so I got murdered!" St Peter's NS is to celebrate its 75th anniversary with a mass at the Church of Saints Peter and Paul at 10.30am on Sunday, December 6, and this will be followed by an Open Day for past pupils at the school.