AN OUTSTANDING RECORD Catherine O’Reilly, the longest-serving primary school principal in the country, pictured with her huband, Vincent and family on her retirement as Principal of Brackloon National School. Pic: Michael McLaughlin
Brackloon principal retires
Neill O’Neill
FRIDAY last brought the end of another year in schools across the country, but in the small community of Brackloon, outside Westport, it also heralded the end of an era with the retirement of Catherine O’Reilly – Ireland’s longest-serving primary school principal.
Born in the locality, Catherine enrolled in the school as a pupil in 1948 before returning there as principal in 1976. Prior to this she had been the principal at Bouris National School in Kilsallagh since 1963 – leading to a career as principal spanning 44 years.
After a Mass celebrated by Fr Denis Carney last Friday, which was well-attended by pupils past and present, their parents, and members of the local community, presentations were made to Catherine which included a painting of the school by Hilary Costello, a former pupil, and a leather-bound copy of ‘Schooldays in the Shadows of Croagh Patrick’ - the book compiled to celebrate the 150 year anniversary of the school in 1999, of which she was editor.
Addressing the crowd, Catherine said that time was the most precious gift anyone could receive and thanked everyone for giving her the gift of time in her retirement. She traced the recent history of the school, saying that there were dark days when the school was close to being shut but that they had survived and faced a very different outlook today.
She paid tribute to her family, seven of whom she said ‘made up part of the jig-saw that is Brackloon National School’ and said she was both heartened by the progress at the school and humbled by the day which was being hosted in her honour.
“I was always at the centre of organising everything that happened at this school,” she said, “so it is surreal that this is all happening for me.”
She spoke of the great tradition and relationship between her family and the school, noting that her father’s first cousin had taught there as far back as 1911, and admitted that she would miss the children immensely in her new life.
She also paid tribute to the school’s many loyal boards of management, the Kelly family who had willed the expansion of the school through the provision of land, the restoration committee, her wonderful teaching staff over the years, and the countless pupils who had brought life to the school during her tenure.
She concluded by saying that working together in harmony is what achieves everything and that all these people had worked together over her time as principal to help bring Brackloon National School to where it is today.
The new principal of the school, Mr Brendan Tunney, said that Catherine had an an ability to embrace change and adapt to it, which made her unique. He said that without her foresight and belief the school would not have survived. He said the last ten years had been a golden era for the school since it was rebuilt and expanded and that this was Catherine’s lasting legacy to the school. He also paid tribute to Catherine’s mother, Mrs Bridget O’Malley, who is 103 years old and was unable to attend the celebrations.
Mr Paul Bree, Chairperson of the Board of Management, said that the school had grown to serve a much wider community in recent years and was very much a victim of its own success. He said that society has become different, diverse and demanding, but Brackloon National School remained a special place for pupils of all abilities thanks to Catherine’s emphasis on community value.
“Her stewardship has been wide and she leaves the helm with the ship in top shape and the course well set for the new captain. We all owe her a lot,” he said.
With that Catherine recited a poem from ‘Schooldays in the Shadows of Croagh Patrick’ and hoisted the Green Flag which had recently been bestowed on the school.
