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The Interview Claremorris man Denis O’Boyle reflects on a career indelibly links with teaching.
Teaching to the converted
Claremorris man Denis O’Boyle reflects on a career indelibly linked with teaching
The Interview Michael Duffy ANOTHER batch of ‘thank you’ and ‘best wishes’ cards lie freshly opened on Denis O’Boyle’s desk. There has been a steady stream of deliveries to the Mayo Education Centre in Castlebar since their Director announced his retirement recently. He leaves his job of ten years on September 1, but he’s been involved at the coal-face of education in Mayo and Ireland for much longer than that, and he admits it was hard to walk away. “It was a tough decision to make, but I felt the timing was right. I was the first full-time director here at the Mayo Education Centre and it has been a hugely rewarding ten years.” Before going any further, it is probably wise to inform everyone what the Mayo Education Centre actually does. Essentially, the centre is one of 21 strategically-placed centres throughout the country with responsibility for the training, development and support of teachers and the wider education community. In a nutshell, the Mayo Education Centre is responsible for ‘teaching the teachers’. They up-skill the hundreds of teachers across the county so they can carry out their jobs to the best of their ability. And it has been Denis O’Boyle’s job over the last decade to oversee the implementation of this training. The role of the teacher, both primary and post primary, has evolved since Denis himself plied his trade in his own native Claremorris, in his alma mater, St Colman’s College. “Yes, the role has changed immensely but I think the key is not to be afraid of change. That is essentially our job here. I think that is why we have been successful because teachers have never been afraid to approach us with their problems and we have never been afraid to deal with them.” Denis was born on the Ballindine Road in Claremorris, son of the late Bernard and Maureen, and he still lives less than a half mile away from his birthplace. Having been educated firstly in the Convent of Mercy National School and then the Claremorris Boys’ National School, he moved on to secondary education in St Colman’s in 1967. He would return there as a teacher just ten years later. “I really enjoyed secondary school. Colman’s was, and of course still is, a great place to be educated and it was a huge privilege to become the first Physical Education teacher there in 1977. The implementation of PE was a whole new departure for education in Ireland at the time and I suppose the aim today is still the same as it was back then – to provide students with an outlet outside the classroom. It is important to note that PE is not just about games – it can be outdoor education, dance, gymnastics. Everyone should be involved.” Thomond College is still one of the most recognisable educational institution names in the country, although it has now been subsumed into the University of Limerick. Denis was part of the very first class to enter its hallowed halls, along with some distinguished names who went on to make a name for themselves in the sporting world. “Fellas like Jimmy Denihan, Brian Mullins, John Tobin and Tony Ward were part of the first two classes who had commenced a teacher education course in Strawberry Hill College, near London, but our year was the first ‘first year’ to start at Thomond.” One of the ‘freshers’ to enter Thomond with Denis in 1973 was Pat Spillane. Denis admits that the nine-time all-star and now controversial TV pundit hasn’t changed much since his college days. “Pat was Pat. He was always very competitive but he was a marvellous footballer, an athlete. He was captain of our team at the time and I have to say I always got on well with him.” The ‘team’ which Denis casually refers to was no normal team. The Thomond team of ‘77 swept the boards at colleges level in Ireland and went on to win the Munster and All-Ireland Club Football Championship. “We had some year, everything went right for us. The team that played the year before us with Thomond was laden with inter-county stars like Brian Mullins and John Tobin. Our team hadn’t as many stars but we gelled brilliantly. I was left half-back on the team and Pat Spillane played at full-forward that time, mainly I think because he had difficulty with his vision – but he was still some player. Winning the All-Ireland Club Championship was some achievement – one we will all always treasure.” Mayo men like Martin Connolly (Davitts), Leo Golden (Ballycastle), James Heaney (Claremorris) and the late Richie Bell (Carramore) were also part of that squad and Denis recounts a story which illustrates how times have changed for the country’s footballing elite. “I remember during that year Richie and I were both working in Claremorris after graduating but we still trained with the team in Limerick. We used to train in the evenings on a muddy pitch in Garryowen because they had floodlights there and I remember one night Richie and I had to thumb home. I remember getting a lift from the Gardaí in Tuam but they could only bring us as far as Ballindine as Claremorris was outside of their area. It was probably five or six in the morning when we eventually got back. I don’t think I went to bed – and I had classes that morning in Colman’s.” Having achieved so much as a footballer (playing at minor, junior, Under-21 and senior level for Mayo), Denis was, naturally, hugely involved with sport during his 20 years in Colman’s, but he gradually broadened his horizons and became involved in other aspects of education in the school.
“I was 20 years altogether in Colman’s, and I enjoyed my time there immensely, working with great teachers like the late Michael McDonnell and TJ Farragher. “PE was always my main subject but I had been the co-ordinator of the old Leaving Cert Applied exam and I was also co-ordinator of the Transition Year programme when it first started. “A few years before I left Colman’s I was contacted by the Department of Education to see if I would become a regional co-ordinator, which meant liaising with CEOs of the VECs from Galway to Monaghan to put in place a programme called ‘Be Active, Be Alive’. I worked with people like Joe Langan and Pat Stanton at that time. I then lectured on a new Sports and Recreation Course in Sligo IT while teaching in Colman’s, before my wife Róisín saw my current job advertised. I decided to go for the job because I felt my experience meant that I ticked a lot of the boxes.” Nowadays, the Mayo Education Centre is housed in a state-of-the-art complex that was officially opened by President Mary McAleese in 2005. However, the centre grew from very humble beginnings. “The idea of establishing a local education centre was first mooted at a meeting of the Castlebar INTO Branch in October 1982, and kept alive in general terms for some time thereafter. However, it wasn’t until 1991 that a letter from the Department arrived to confirm that a Teachers’ Centre could be established in Castlebar. A temporary premises was obtained in the De La Salle Sports Hall, and on October 17, 1991, the first AGM of the Teachers’ Centre was held. In March 1997 two important events occurred. Firstly, it was decided under the new constitution that the Centre would be known as Mayo Education Centre. Secondly, it was announced that approval had been given by the Minister for Education for the appointment of a full-time Director, and I was lucky enough to be chosen.” During the last ten years, Denis has seen many changes take place. Technological advancements have meant there is now a host of what Denis terms ‘tools’ available to the primary and secondary teacher. The delivery of these Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools has brought about major challenges for the centre. The use of ICT is now an integral part of education across the country, but Denis feels this in no way diminishes the role of the teacher. “The reality is that a science course in Dublin can now be done by teachers right across the country through conferencing facilities. You can get your lectures on your iPod, you need not be physically present. There is nothing there to stop people learning differently but it’s important to understand that all the technology is there is complement the work of the teacher. Everything is a tool, the smartboard down there in one of our lecture rooms is the same as chalk and a blackboard. People should not be scared of technology.” One of the achievements during his time in the MEC of which Denis is most proud is getting the go-ahead to locate the Junior Cycle Physical Education Support Centre in Castlebar. “Mary O’Flaherty, the national co-ordinator of the scheme, is located in the office next door to me. The aim of the service is to provide on-going support and professional development for all junior cycle physical education teachers. In pursuit of this aim we are involved in development work in a number of areas. It’s marvellous to have come from a PE background and see a course of national significance being based here in Mayo.” And the O’Boyle family tie with PE is not about to disappear any time soon. Denis’s son Joseph has this week been offered the same course his father started out on 30 years ago. If he makes half the impression his father made on the profession, he’ll have done a good job. “I’m lucky that I am in the position to take early retirement. For the last ten years I have worked with brilliant staff here in the MEC and it was the same throughout my own teaching career in St Colman’s. Throughout all that time I have also received tremendous support too from my family Róisín, Cathy and Joseph.” Denis admits he has ‘had a few offers’ but he does not fancy another ‘nine to five’ job. He would prefer something flexible – allowing him to work on his golf handicap, stay involved in his coaching capacity with the GAA and maybe do some writing. “I hope to be able to play more golf. I saw Seamus O’Malley, the captain of the 1936 Mayo All-Ireland winning team, he played golf into his nineties. That convinced me: now there’s a game you can play all your life. It’s a chance to get out in the fresh air and we have a lovely club in Claremorris.” Members of Claremorris Golf Club better watch out because if Denis puts as much work into his golf as he did into his career in teaching, then the Captain’s Prize is heading in only one direction.
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