50th Anniversary of St. Patrick's N.S., Clara.
1974 - 2024
There was great excitement around the rural village of Clara last week in the run up to the celebrations to mark the 50th academic year of St. Patrick’s National School. The school’s Parent Body led the organisation of events as the school started to fill up with old photographs that were dug out of the attics of past pupils and parents.
A large crowd assembled in Clara church for a special Mass to mark the occasion. Symbols that represented school life were placed on the altar. Fr. John Flanagan led the celebration, assisted by a past pupil of Clara – Fr. John McKenna. Fr. Flanagan gave a brief history of the school outlining the formation of Clara N.S. and building of a new building when Killybrone, Bragan, & Amackalin schools closed. He also commented on the warm and welcoming atmosphere that he has always experienced when he visits the school. Chairperson Damien Treanor and Principal Matthew McArdle both outlined the tremendous sense of community around Clara and how this positively impacts on the children. Throughout the Mass, the school choir added beautiful music to the celebrations – through both songs and instrumentals.
After Mass, the sizable crowd walked together up to the school. The sky looked ominous and the wind began to swirl, but almost miraculously, the weather calmed to allow the celebrations to continue. Inside the school, we were treated to a nostalgic trip down memory lane. In the first Classroom, there were photographs and other memorabilia of the school years between 1974 -1999. In the next Classroom, it was obvious that the use of cameras had become more fashionable, or at least more common, between 2000-2024 as the room was adorned with photos. Inside Mrs. McGuigan’s Junior Room, there was a video playing on the Interactive SmartScreen of Well Wishes and Memories from former staff and pupils. In Mr. McArdle’s Senior Room, there was another video on display, this one was a slideshow of photographs from school days past.
The Parents were busy serving tea and buns to everyone throughout. The buns were certainly of a high quality and were very much in demand. With the weather holding up, the current pupils started their own games outside to allow past pupils and the wider community to relax indoors and argue over different memories (versions) of the same event! Suddenly, music hit the air. The local musicians started a Seisiún Ceoil. This really added to the party atmosphere as the crowd flocked around them. The only break they took was to allow former Principal Brian Deery to recite the poem that he composed to mark the occasion.
All in all, a great day was had by all. Many thanks to everyone who came and of course special thanks to those who helped to organise the events. It was again proof of the special school that Clara N.S. is – providing a personalised learning journey for each pupil, working in collaboration with all of the other amenities in the area.
A large crowd assembled in Clara church for a special Mass to mark the occasion. Symbols that represented school life were placed on the altar. Fr. John Flanagan led the celebration, assisted by a past pupil of Clara – Fr. John McKenna. Fr. Flanagan gave a brief history of the school outlining the formation of Clara N.S. and building of a new building when Killybrone, Bragan, & Amackalin schools closed. He also commented on the warm and welcoming atmosphere that he has always experienced when he visits the school. Chairperson Damien Treanor and Principal Matthew McArdle both outlined the tremendous sense of community around Clara and how this positively impacts on the children. Throughout the Mass, the school choir added beautiful music to the celebrations – through both songs and instrumentals.
After Mass, the sizable crowd walked together up to the school. The sky looked ominous and the wind began to swirl, but almost miraculously, the weather calmed to allow the celebrations to continue. Inside the school, we were treated to a nostalgic trip down memory lane. In the first Classroom, there were photographs and other memorabilia of the school years between 1974 -1999. In the next Classroom, it was obvious that the use of cameras had become more fashionable, or at least more common, between 2000-2024 as the room was adorned with photos. Inside Mrs. McGuigan’s Junior Room, there was a video playing on the Interactive SmartScreen of Well Wishes and Memories from former staff and pupils. In Mr. McArdle’s Senior Room, there was another video on display, this one was a slideshow of photographs from school days past.
The Parents were busy serving tea and buns to everyone throughout. The buns were certainly of a high quality and were very much in demand. With the weather holding up, the current pupils started their own games outside to allow past pupils and the wider community to relax indoors and argue over different memories (versions) of the same event! Suddenly, music hit the air. The local musicians started a Seisiún Ceoil. This really added to the party atmosphere as the crowd flocked around them. The only break they took was to allow former Principal Brian Deery to recite the poem that he composed to mark the occasion.
All in all, a great day was had by all. Many thanks to everyone who came and of course special thanks to those who helped to organise the events. It was again proof of the special school that Clara N.S. is – providing a personalised learning journey for each pupil, working in collaboration with all of the other amenities in the area.
Video: Well Wishes & School Interviews
Video - A Trip down Memory lane
A Selection of Photos taken on the Day
Thank You
A huge thank you to our Parents who organised the celebrations so splendidly and to all of our Community who are always so supportive towards our school.
"It takes a Village to raise a child"
"It takes a Village to raise a child"