St. Malachy's RC School
Back to the past
After almost fifty-six years myself and a couple of class mates, Tony Massey and Brian Donnelly with permission from Ms Miles the present Head at St. Malachy's junior school, returned to see what the years had done to what was the only school we'd ever attended. In those days St. Malachy's was both a Junior and Senior school, a place where we spent most of our childhood, we started school between four and five years of age ‘til we reached fifteen, the memories our visit brought back was full of nostalgia and a little sadness.
It was a big school with three floors, I remember the juniors, boys and girls were all mixed in the same classrooms, believe me no fooling about, time to learn respect and discipline.
At that time St. Malachy’s Church was in the Basement of the school and a lovely church it was. Each Sunday we would go to the nine-o'clock mass and sit beside each other on the bench with our class teacher at the end.
If, the next day, a pupil said they went to a later mass and didn't, they'd soon be caught out by being asked; what colour vestments the priest was wearing, what the gospel was about etc. If they'd lied, no playtime for a week.
Some time later a large prefab was built just outside the girls play area, on what was called the fields, one half for the boys the other half for the girls. we boys did Chemistry there, then there was woodwork which we also had to learn, I remember making a Sea Grass stool for my mother and a Coffee Table, believe me I was very proud when I took these items home. This work later transferred to Pollard Street. One half day a week we would go to Smedley Lane School to learn how to cook and bake.
In the late forties, we had a very good football team, and in 1947/1948 won both the Cup Final and the Paynton Shield, we were all so proud of this wonderful achievement.
A few years later a committee made up of Teachers, Parents and pupils along with the support of the parish priest decided to form our own band, which after a lot of hard work became a reality, not only a pipe band with Mr. Jim Sampey teaching the pipers, but also a flute band which was taught by two lads from Corpus Christi, George Dee and Norbert Hinds and a hard working committee man Frank Kennedy, (RIP) but after some very hard work and regular practise we became a success.
One band led by Drum Major Tommy Gorman, were, I should say two bands in one, a pipe band and flute band. The pipe band in front, followed by the drums which was taught by a Mr Humphrey, and the flute band behind the drummers. If ever one part of a band worked hard it was the drummers, the minute the drums stopped playing for the pipers they would start off again for the flutes, my brother Bill Dooley helped to teach the tenor drums. Later I joined the pipe band and became a drummer myself; I loved every minute of it.
The pipe band went on for a number of years but the flutes finished, they just seem to disband. At first the uniform of the pipe band was made up of old jackets from the Irish Army and old kilts, until we could afford to buy new ones. We started off with concerts, engagements, and anything else we could do to raise the money and in the end we got our new uniforms.
As far as charity work went, one that was very important to us was each year at Christmas we would go to Booth Hall Children's Hospital and try and bring some cheer to the young boys and girls there, it was a very special day for all of us. Many a smile was brought to a lot of the children, which made, not only them feel good but the band members also.
Going for our dinner as a class from school, it was a ten minute walk from Erasmus Street, (where the school was sited) to Churnet Street Hall, Collyhurst. The food wasn't good in those days and the sweet course even worse. Semolina pudding or Prunes with custard, If lucky you'd get Rice Pudding once a week, but not like Mam used to make.
In the late forties a young girl at St. Malachy's school Margaret McCarthy became the May Queen and her job was to crown the statue of our lady, a wonderful honour to have, that young girl looked lovely standing behind the statue in her long white dress and long flowing train. It was said she was a very lucky girl to receive the honour of crowning our lady, she was, and so was I, because yes, eventually I married the same girl. Yes I was a lucky man, a very lucky man.