'I remember the little shrines in the classrooms, where the children would bring flowers for Our Lady.'

'I remember the little shrines in the classrooms, where the children would bring flowers for Our Lady.'

Rosemary remembers her first teaching post. She describes the ethos of the Sisters of Mercy whom she trained with as being concerned with the 'whole' child.

Rosemary McCloskey

Trinity College Dublin

1972

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Rosemary McCloskey

Work and Employment

Life Story

Falls Road, Belfast

1970's

The principal of the school was Sr. Marie Therese Laverty, and she ran a first class establishment where everything was in order and where the pastoral care of staff and pupils was paramount. The Sisters of Mercy believed in the philosophy of the 'Whole person' i.e. that a child is not only someone who is at school to learn academic knowledge, but also to develop spiritually and aesthetically. This was demonstrated by the emphasis that was put on prayer and the sacraments, especially in sacramental preparation and religious knowledge. Morning class began with morning prayers and the school day concluded with prayers before the children left the classrooms. Feast days were honoured and marked. Singing was held in high esteem with lovely choirs, trained to sing at Mass and at any other function where it was appropriate. Sr. Mary Mercy was a great musician with high standards in everything she undertook and her choirs reflected this.The school was as well-equipped as it could be, given that it was a Catholic school, and the children were trained to take care of books etc and to cover them to make them last longer, so that others could use them the following year. It was often 'make do and mend' and a use was found for most things. We were kept supplied with white card and black and orange paper, which came with the x-ray boxes in the Mater Hospital and which would only have been discarded. This was a great gift and most useful for covering books as well as providing back grounds for displays and for the younger children to draw on. Sr M. Attracta used to collect it each morning from the hospital and leave it in the cloister for the school nuns.I remember the little shrines in the classrooms, where the children would bring flowers for Our Lady. These have been remembered by many who went through the school and the reverence that we had for our prayers and feasts etc. have helped many along the road of life when the going got tough and faith was in short supply. I worked in Mercy Primary School until 1972 when I went to Donegal for short while to a school in Drumoghill near Manorcunningham. (I believe that this episode is better forgotten but perhaps I will return another time and write about it- Who knows?)I left Belfast on a horrible January 31st 1972 with my mother in my little white Volkswagen beetle. It was the day after Bloody Sunday and my mother decided to accompany me to Derry and return home by train. I did not realise then, that since this was my first time to actually go away from home to work, my parents were very vexed and concerned. We were always very family-orientated and this has carried on through all our lives, no matter where we have been. It has always been very important for us to keep in touch with one another.Suffice it to say that I worked in Drumoghill from 1st February 1972 until around June of that year.

Irish Research Council for Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences (IRCHSS)

Dr Kathleen McTiernan (Trinity College Dublin)

Dr Deirdre O'Donnell (Trinity College Dublin)