On January 15, 1827 two Patrician Brothers, Paul O’Connor and James Walsh, took up residence in Lombard Street and set up the Monastery School. The attendance on that first day was 300 boys, many of whom had little interest in learning because they were poor and hungry. So the Brothers set up The Poor Boy’s Breakfast Institute in May 1830. It continued seven days a week, 365 days a year for many years after the founders' time. The breakfast consisted of porridge with molasses or treacle, and during the Famine, they fed 1,000 boys every day. The ‘Old Mon’ became a vital cog in education in Galway.
In 1862, the Brothers took over a house on Nuns Island and converted it into a school which provided national and secondary education. Some of the funds for this ‘Middle Class Seminary’ were provided by the Bishop so the school became known locally as ‘The Bish’ and 'The Sem’.
The Shambles Barracks was purchased from the British Army by Fr Peter Dooley, PP of St Patrick’s. It functioned as a tenement for some time and then, between 1952 and 1954, St Patrick’s School was built on this site by Messrs James Stewart for a cost of £120,000. On February 1, 1954, it was blessed by the Papal Nuncio and officially opened by Minister for Education, Seán Moylan. On March 31, the boys from the Mon and the Bish national school marched from their schools to the magnificent new St Patrick’s. There were 20 teachers and 941 boys.
The principal was Brother Louis O’Sullivan, the teachers were Brothers Killian, Cuthbert, Luke, Brendan, Aidan, Raymond, Christopher, Maurice, Alexius, Edwin, Alphonsus, Fabian, Linus, Rembert, Finbarr and Camillus with Messrs Cyril O’Mahony, Connie O’Donoghue and Ned Carroll.
For the Mon boys in particular, it was exciting to leave an old building which was uncomfortable, dusty, drafty, with appalling toilets, a tiny yard for such a large number of pupils; and yet they had eked out a great education in terms of bookwork and education for life. The Nuns Island boys had operated in conditions that were not so primitive but were still old and cramped. So what a contrast St Pat’s must have been when they marched in that morning, a huge yard, huge hall, lots of windows, shiny timber tiled corridors, long blackboards running the length of the top wall, rows of radiators, pristine toilets and cloakrooms, everything bright and beautiful.
The school quickly settled in to imparting sound education and also became involved in extra-curricular activities, hurling, football, swimming, athletics, drama and music. Many endured long after-school hours practising singing with Brother Cuthbert, especially Plain Chant. They appeared on Radio Éireann and a disc was made of some of their music, and in 1963 a choir from the school sang for President John F Kennedy. Brothers Aidan, Alphonsus and Luke directed plays and choral recitations. Brother Maurice got a gang to prepare the stage for these occasions. Jimmy Cranny taught swimming and many teams and individuals brought trophies back to the school. Membership of the school band introduced hundreds of pupils to music.
St Pat’s continues to thrive and to change, today it caters for pupils of many nationalities and in the recent past it has become co-educational. Next year, the school will be 70 years old and when you think of it, they have made an incalculable contribution to the quality of life of thousands of Galwegians and to the city of Galway since.
Our first photograph shows the St Pat’s team, inter-primary schools champions for 1958. They are, back row: Michael McDonagh, Murt Coleman, Jimmy Brennan, Walter Mannion, Seamus Kelly, -----, Brother Alphonsus. Middle row: John Flannery, Martin Ryan, Nicholas Barrett, Pat O’Shea, Pat Walsh, Paul Cheevers. Front row: Murt Greaney, Paddy Hickey, Michael O’Connor Castlegar, Maurice Peters, Pat O’Toole, Seán Kilkelly.
Our second image is of a choral speaking group from c1955. Back row: Danny Donoghue, Jimmy Greally, Jimmy Brennan, Cathal Walshe, Liam Ryan, Pat Cantwell, Gerry McNamara, Paddy Barrett. Third row: Pat Burke, Tom Hehir, Paddy Flannery, Pat Mullen, Paddy Rabbitte, Joe Riddell, Joe Flannery. Eugene Flaherty. Second row; Brother Aidan, Seamus Brophy, Seán Noone, Johnny Grant, Henry O’Connor, Mike Kavanagh, Eamonn Doorley, Eamonn Hartmann, Brother Alphonsus. Front row: Gary Hartmann, Mike Waldron, Finbarr O’Shea, Joe Lally and Padraig Conneely.
All of the above comes from James Casserly’s History of St Patrick’s School. Finally, we have a note from Willie Henry who is currently completing a new book on Woodquay. He is asking for help, so if you have any photographs, stories, news clippings relating to the area, he would love to hear from you. Everything will be cared for and returned. He can be found at [email protected] or at 086 870 7405.
