When I was in Junior Infants we were in the old school. I remember the toilets were outside and we had to have a partner if we wanted to go to the bathroom. I remember on my first day, straight away we were all lined up to go to the toilet. I also remember that I was very nervous to ask to go to the toilet. My teacher at the time was Ms. Blackwell and I walked up to her and asked as politely as I could with all the words I had heard my parents use when they were talking to someone important. I can remember as well, having to be moved to a different seat once, because me and the person I was sitting beside, (I can’t remember who) were high fiving too much. That year we went to Bunratty for our school tour. There was a circus there with lots of different people and things in it. I thought it was amazing and I can recall one of the clowns throwing a big inflatable ball into the crowd and it went right over my head. Han Ming was sitting beside me and he was picked to play with the clown. The next day at school I remember we all had to write a story about our day out. By the end of Juniors we were in the community centre as the new school was being built.
For most of Senior Infants we were in the community centre. At break we played at the community centre and for lunch we went to the GAA field. I remember there was a pile of gravel in one of the corners of the car-park and we always used to play superheroes there. That year we were learning Irish dancing in school and I got picked to go to a competition. Amazingly, I won a medal for coming seventeenth (I think). I also remember, that Spring there was a big storm and it was very hard to get home from school because there were trees blocking the roads. I remember that year, a man from Ethiopia came to our school. Unfortunately I can’t remember his name. He told us all about what he does and where he lives. He was very tall, fast and strong. I remember Timmy Dillon wanted to race him, so we all went outside to watch. I think Timmy won but the man was only jogging. Three weeks before the end of school that year we moved into the new school, and I can remember nobody was allowed to slide there hands on the railings because there could have been nails in them.
When I got into First Class, we began going home at 10 to 3, instead of 10 to 2. I can remember thinking would it be a big change but I felt a small bit surprised when it didn’t phase me at all. I was on the bus anyway so we just played for the extra hour. I was nearly happy to work for another hour but times have changed and for the last few years, I have envied the Juniors and Seniors as they walk out the door ahead of everyone else. In First Class we all got to play with the toys before we started our work and I can remember that there was always a crowd around the sandpit. It was everybody’s favourite. I can also remember a few extra Green and White magazines made their way down to our class room that year. A lot of people were eager to get one including me. I had never seen one before but it was about GAA and that was enough for me to know. I can recall calling “Teacher, Teacher, Teacher!” and waving my hand around in the air in the effort to try and get Ms. Hourigan’s attention. I was picked and I was extremely pleased with myself, impatiently waiting for the end of school, where I could have a good look at it.
At the beginning of Second Class, I remember everyone was very excited about moving on to the big yard. I also remember that some of the soccer matches during lunch that year got very tense, and after break there was nearly always some problem, or someone telling on somebody else that Ms. Farrell had to sort out. I can recollect myself scoring a goal over my head to win a match and I was proud as punch. For my First Confession that year I did the first reading and I was the first to confess to Fr. Burns. I remember there was lots of sweets and biscuits and tea in the hall beside the church afterwards and I remember we were playing and running up and down the 12 stations of the cross. Also that year I remember seeing the GAA team coming back to school in all their gear and the Nicker jersey. I thought they were very lucky and I really wanted to play too, I couldn’t wait until I was old enough. I made my First Holy Communion in Second Class and the day before, I had to be collected from school early because I was going to an Ireland soccer match in the Aviva Stadium, in Dublin. Ireland were playing the Netherlands and Pallas soccer club had got us all tickets. We went up in a bus but my Dad wanted me to come home in the car because it might have been quicker, so me Cathal and my Dad got a lift home. I think we got home at around 1:00 am and I can remember thinking would I fall asleep during the communion. I can recollect myself trying to get some sleep in the back of the car and then waking up the next morning in my bed. I was very excited for my communion because I was playing “my Shepard is the Lord” on the fiddle and I was reading a prayer in Irish. It was a great day and I really enjoyed myself, but I can remember being very bored as I was writing the same message over and over again on the thank you cards a couple of weeks later.
In Third Class I can remember whenever the soccer ball from the Fifth and Sixth Class yard came down onto our yard, we would always kick it back up to them as quickly as we could. I don’t know why we were in such a rush because when our ball ever goes down the yard the younger kids usually don’t get it for us. But I remember once, the ball came down onto our yard and I hurried over to kick it back up to them, but I accidently kicked it into the garden and they couldn’t get it back. I got a few angry comments after that but I probably deserved it. I also remember once I was messing with a rubber band in class and by mistake, I let go of one side and it fired straight across the class where it hit someone on the forehead. I remember the look of confusion on their face and me mouthing “sorry, please don’t tell on me” to them. That year, I was alter serving for the Confirmation. I remember at one of the practices I was told to put the identical little jugs for water and wine on a table. As I was putting one of them down it tipped to its side and broke. Fr. Burns wasn’t very happy about this and to this day the jug for water doesn’t match the one for wine. To my great satisfaction, that year I got to take part in the indoor hurling competition. I can remember the night before, checking if I had all my gear over and over again. I can recollect all of us waiting impatiently for Ms. English to let us get changed into our gear. I was really excited and I played very well. We had a good team and we got through to the final but unfortunately we lost.
In Fourth Class I can remember heading off to the Science Fair and I can recall that we were all eager to tell the people passing by about our project. That year I took part in a drama about Cu Chulainn and Fionn MaCuaill, I played Cu Chulainn. We got to perform in UL and I really enjoyed it. I remember thinking it was a very professional set up because we were in a dressing room backstage, we got to perform on a big stage in front of a big audience and we met a lot of different people all performing different things. I also remember that our music wouldn’t work and a live band had to play instead, they were very good. This was my first year playing Cumann na mBunscoil and I scored the flukiest goal ever. It was a really wet day and we got a free. I was called to take it, but my grip was all wet and it didn’t have much grip. I was going for a point but just as I was hitting the ball, my hurley flew out of my hand and I didn’t strike the ball well. It looked as if it was going over the bar but it dropped short and lobbed the goalie. I couldn’t believe my luck but it turns out my hurley had ended up just missing Shane Pearse’s head. That year we went to Ballyhass Lakes for our school tour and in my opinion, it was the best school tour I have ever been on. It was so fun! We went on Ziplines going over the lake, a big climbing frame made out of lots of different things and a massive bouncy castle on the lake that had everything you could think of.
In Fifth Class I made the Sarsfield Cup Team and to my surprise I started the match – at corner back. I had never played corner back in my life and I was pretty lost. I had to be taken off after a couple of minutes because my marker was running rings around me. I was put on as a wing forward later on in the match, but we didn’t get to the final. Another memory from Fifth Class is the Spelling Bee. To be honest, I shouldn’t have got through to the counties at all. Me and Fergal were the last two remaining competitors in school and Fergal got a really long, hard word (I dought either of us had ever heard it before) – and I got “banshee”. Fergal is probably much better than me at spelling anyway. Anyway, I got through to the counties and I had been practicing a lot. I had practiced in the car, in bed, at dinnertime, at breakfast and in the evening for nearly every day leading up to the competition. First there was a practice round, and everything was going fine until the real thing. I was asked to spell “attend”. “Attend” is one of the easiest words a person could spell. But when I got the microphone I could feel everyone’s eyes turn to me. I began to spell the word when I had forgotten if I had said 1 or 2 “t’s”. I went with my gut but my gut was wrong. Also that year I got my first taste of debating. I had wanted to be on a debating team since I had first seen it when the Third and Fourth got watch. I was very pleased with myself when I was made captain for one of the topics. I practiced that speech so much that I had it off by heart and I think I did okay but unfortunately we lost. I can remember being a bit nervous and my legs shaking under the table. I also remember before the hurling and football matches that year some of us were passing notes with different teams on them for the upcoming match. I made the Mackey Cup team that year and we won. It was played on an awful day and I was a sub. I remember chatting with the other lads as my legs were shaking with the cold. I came on at the end and a few weeks later we were presented with medals in Cahercolish Community Centre. I made my Confirmation in Fifth Class and it was a very enjoyable day. I read a prayer and played music on the day and afterwards we went to a restaurant. The food was delicious but my favourite was the cake. I was also on the Active Flag committee and because of this I missed out on a good bit of work (I’m not complaining). I also enjoyed the school sports day. My favourite event was definitely the obstacle course. I also made the Primary Game in Fifth Class. It was brilliant. I got to play at half time in the Munster Final, I got on TV and I got up really close to all the county players.
In Sixth Class I was very annoyed when I couldn’t play in the football matches because I had a knee injury. I had the role of umpire for most of it but I really wanted to get out there and play. We also had a Halloween sports day and that was great fun. The Active School committee had to set everything up and explain how to do the different stations. Me being part of the committee didn’t do a spot of schoolwork for the whole day. We also had a Grandparent’s Day in school where all the Grandparents came and saw us perform. I was very happy that my grandparents came all the way from Tipp. We also sang at mass in the Nursing Home. I think the residents there really enjoyed it. Every year when we go to the Nursing Home the staff always have sweets for us. And then March 12th came and we were all delighted that we had no school for two and a half weeks. Who would have thought that we wouldn’t be in a school again until September. Since then, I have been home schooling. My favourite thing I have done during home schooling is making a boat for a sink or float challenge. This year has been a bit of a roller coaster ride and all in all the past eight years have been very enjoyable. I am now getting ready for secondary school and looking forward to the years to come.
