Harry Browne

After I got out of hospital I went to school in St Francis Xavier National School in Dorset Street. This was a feeder school for both St Canices and O'Connell's Primary boys Schools located in North Circular Road. The teacher's name there was Mrs Dignam and she lived in a grand house next door to the school, although she was not the Principal whose name was Mrs Keegan, my brother Brian tells me she was something of a disciplinarian.

 I think I was brought to the school on my first day by an older sister though I have no recall of this. I do know that on crossing Dorset Street to get to school I was struck by the huge numbers of people, mostly men, travelling on bikes. It seemed as if there were hundreds of these cyclists. Also prevalent were numerous Horse and Carts.

 St Francis Xavier’s School was situated in a large building and served three classes, junior infants, senior infants and first class. Junior infants were situated in a conservatory type building in the playground, situated at the rear of the school building proper, this was known as the Grianan. Of the lessons taught there I have no memories. We received a small bottle of milk and a sandwich, the fillings of which varied from day to day, at lunch time. We wrote with chalk on a mini blackboard called a Clairin, the big blackboard was a Clar Dubh, meaning literally black board.

Advancing to senior infants we moved into the main school building, which was two stories high, I don't think I was ever upstairs in that building. It may have served as a Primary school for girls after we moved on after First Communion.

Some of the girls in the school were from the Sacred Heart Orphanage on Drumcondra Road, they were regarded by us a strange and somewhat to be pitied group. We did not know how or why they might deserve our pity but there was a strong aura about them which probably came from our parents.