ST. PATRICK'S DE LA SALLE B.N.S.

Subjects 
There was quite a few surprises in the subjects covered in those days. Here is a snippet of just a few:

• Latin

• Agriculture 

• French 

• Mathematics

• Geography 

• English 

In August 1889 St. Patrick’s School had their first visit from the inspector of the National School Board. This inspection lasted four days and every single subject was examined. One of the Brothers teaching in the school at that time noted down the questions asked by the Inspector.

The children had to know:

 

Geography:
6th Class: England, Scotland, Wales
5th Class: Geography of Ireland in detail, All the Counties and their principal towns and industries
4th Class: Geography of Ireland, Islands , Headlands, Chief towns 
3rd Class: Asked to point out principal towns, mountains and rivers on the map of the world

English

• Parsing

• Spelling

• Meanings of words.

Agriculture (4th,5th & 6th)

They were examined about agriculture orally and in writing. 
It is important to note that the teachers were paid according to the results of their class and if a pupil failed any of the subjects then the teacher’s salary was lowered accordingly. The first record of salaries is from April 1889, six months after the Brothers started in the school. The entry indicated that the salaries of 5 Brothers amounted to £105:9:10 for the period 4 September 1888 to 31 March 1889. 


Problems Encountered in the Early Days 
An interesting fact to note is that when the school first opened in 1888, it was not compulsory and parents were not obliged to send their children there. There was a reduction in attendance of pupils in 1896 which coincided with the introduction of "The Compulsory Education Act" parents kept pupils at home in protest of this new Act. It is said that this lasted nearly a year because in October 1897 one of the Brothers wrote " The Compulsory Education Act is a Complete and signal failure". By 1898 everything went back to normal and classes were once again full. 

School Closures 
The school had to close on a few occasions and for a variety of reasons:
Outbreak of typhoid - Closed January 1934
The Big Frost- Closed for two weeks in 1947
The school fire- Closed from 28/2/57 to 3/4/57 

Burning of the Old School
The alarm was raised at around 3a.m. during the night of the 28 February 1957, a fire was raging through the building burning the contents of the school. It was not until the following day that the true impact of the inferno could be assessed. The building was destroyed and much to the delight of the pupils classes did not resume until the 3 April 1957. There are, however, accounts of some pupils who went back to school the following week in another building up by Pavilion Rd. 
One of the few surviving items was the school bell. It was slightly damaged and was repaired and used again up until the 1990’s.
The exact cause of the fire was never officially known but speculation suggested an electrical fault.
A new site had to be found for the school and on the 3 April 1957, the school was temporarily transferred to the Military Barracks, Blocks G and H.
In 1959, building commenced on the new school located on a sight overlooking the remains of the old and it was officially opened on the 9 November 1961.

Interesting Facts 

• One Brother who attended the school in 1922 shared a few memories that really show how things have changed throughout the years. 

• They had the less fortunate lads seated near the fire and the well heeled on the outside.

• The average contribution for the turf was 2/6 for the poorer lads and £1 for the better off.

• In 2nd Class the classroom was heated by means of a stove and when the wind blew from a certain direction they were smoked out and the classroom had to be vacated.

• When the school first opened they mainly used slates for writing. 

 

 

Previous Principals 

There were numerous principals throughout the last 133 years and it is only in relatively recent times that a lay principal was employed.

Brother Michael          1888-1896   8 years
Brother Stanislaus      1896-1900   4 years
Brother Joseph           1900-1915  15 years
Brother Felix                1915-1916    1 year
Brother Michael          1916-1921    5 years
Brother Albeus            1921-1927    6 years
Brother Florence         1927-1933   6 years
Brother Patrick            1933-1937   4 years
Brother Thomas          1937-1941   4 years
Brother Nicholas         1941-1950   9 years
Brother Cassian           1950-1957   7 years
Brother Augustine       1957-1969  12 years
Brother David               1969-1975    6 years
Brother Ailbe                1975-1989  14 years
Brother Stanislaus       1989-1995   6 years
Dr. Vincent McHale     1995-2012   17 years.
Mr. Joe Carty                2012- present

Centenary of the De La Salle Order

In 1988, the town celebrated the Centenary of the de La Salle Brothers arrival to Castlebar. The people from the town thanked the Brothers for their hard work and dedication in the education of the young people. The school has since built on an extension to accommodate the rising numbers of pupils attending. At present, there are 417 pupils, 29 teachers, 8 Special Needs Assistants, a full-time secretary (Mrs. Eva McIntyre) and a full-time caretaker (Mr. Paul Nyland) in the school. The first lay principal Dr. Vincent McHale was appointed in 1995. It is interesting to note that, to date, he was the longest serving principal ever in St Pats, serving in the role for seventeen years. Congratulations, Vincent.