Billy Gallagher
Page Four
School in Strabane was the Convent (5-6 years old) and Barrack Street Boys’ Primary (7-14 years old). In Northern Ireland you had to pass the “11 plus” in order to access 2nd level (St Columb’s in Derry). The standard of education in Barrack St was poor, with 60 in a class and primitive conditions. The Master held the cane in his hand most of the time as keeping order was a big part of his job. In one year (3rd class 8-9 year olds) there were no desks but benches like choir stalls from high up at the back. We wrote with pencils on fold up jotters but when we had desks used pen (to be dipped) and ink (from the inkwell on the desk). Less than 5% of our boys passed the 11 plus whereas 60-70% of Protestant boys succeeded. We were always told it was a fix but in retrospect I think Catholics wanted to be martyrs and even sacrificed our own in pursuit of this.
The one major class was Catechism and often the local priest would come to hear the progress. Fr Hearne was tall, grey and ghostly (and possibly quite mad?). He was reputed to go to the picture queue on Sunday nights (second house) and pull his parishioners out of the queue with the end of his umbrella and send them to Devotions. What is remarkable about this is, if it is true, is that people would heed what he said and go. Going to late film on a Sunday night was sinful.
In school Chapter 24 of the Derry Diocesan Catechism concerned “The Capital or Deadly Sins” (i.e. pride, covetousness, lust, gluttony, envy, anger, and sloth) with a fully incomprehensible explanation thereafter. Mr McWilliams announced one Friday that we would be doing next week and anyone who got a wrong answer on Monday would get 2 of the best, on Tuesday 4 of the best, and so on to Friday where 10 of the best would be administered. There was one chap (Donkey Doherty) sitting at the back of the class for as long as anyone could remember. Donkey would not know these answers yet if he were asked, so he got 10 of the best. It was quite pointless hitting Donkey, he didn’t even seem to notice. (He was called Donkey because his two ears stuck out, straight.)
The rest of us in 3rd class were terrified and even if we knew the answers couldn’t give them out for fear.
An example of same catechism’s answers is :
Question: “Who is excused from attending Mass on Sunday”.
Answer: “Sick people, women with child and old people with a languishing constitution.”
