Lá Dar Saol!

Sin é a bhí ann ar an 27ú Bealtaine, 2012, Domhnach Cincíse. Is amhlaidh a fuaireamar cuireadh go dtí Coláiste Ide mar bhíodar ag comóradh 85ú breithlá an Choláiste agus ag beannú agus ag oscailt trí seomraí scoile nua in áit trí cinn réamh-dhéanta a bhí caite. An tEaspag Liam O Murchú a bheannaigh na seomraí deasa nua agus a d’oscail iad.

Bhí slua mór cruinnithe i Halla Muire le h-aghaidh Aifrinn chomhcheiliúrtha.

(TRANSLATION:  This is what happened on 27th May, 2012, Pentecost Sunday. We had got an invitation to Coláiste Ide because they were commemorating the 85th anniversary of the college and blessing the opening of three new schoolrooms instead of the three prefabs which were in bad repair. Bishop Bill Murphy blessed and opened the lovely new rooms. There was a huge crowd gathered in the hall for the concelebrated Mass.)

The Bishop presided and Fr. O hEalaithe was chief celebrant, assisted by Mgr O’Fiannachta, an Canónach O’Luanaigh agus Fr. Sheehy. Chan cailíní an Choláiste go binn ceolmhar agus sheinn a múinteoir, Inion Mhic Dhiarmada ar an orgán dóibh.  (The girls from the college sang beautifully and their teacher Miss McDermot played the organ.) D’fháiltigh an Príomh Oide, Aine Ni Chearúill roimh cách agus ghaibh sí buíochas leo toisc teacht. (The Principal, Anne O’Carroll welcomed everybody and thanked them for coming.) She called on the Bishop to address the gathering. He praised the work that has been and is still being done in Coláiste Ide and especially the all-round education and training that the students get there.

Sr. Liz Murphy, Aine Ni Chearuill (Principal), Sr. Baptist Leen, Sr. Maria Stack & Mícheál O Muircheartaigh

Siobhán Ní Chorcora, a past pupil, gave a very interesting account of the Ventry family – the De Moleyns – who built and lived in Cúirt Bhaile an Ghóilín from Cromwell’s time down to 1922. Sr. Baiste, a past pupil and past teacher, took up the story then and spoke about the founding of the Preparatory Colleges to revive and restore ár dteanga dhúcais.(our native language.)  This idealism was fired by the sacrifices of the 1916 Rising and the execution of the leaders of Eirí Amach na Cásca.

Siobhán Ní Chorcora

Eoin Mac Néill and his colleagues believed that a linguistic revolution was also needed so the Preparatory Colleges were the method chosen. Pupils were selected by means of examination, to get their secondary education through the medium of Irish. Many of them came from Gaeltacht areas and the ancillary staff of the college, as well as the teachers, were all fluent in Irish which was to be the only medium of education inside and outside the school. Soon, a mini-Gaeltacht had come into existence.(a place where only Irish is spoken)

The Sisters of Mercy took over the school in 1927. An tSr. Columbán was the first Principal assisted by an tSr. Borgia mar leas príomh oide (deputy Principal), An tSr. Aquin was Múinteoir Ceoil (music teacher),  an tSr. Carrthach Bursar and an tSr Rita Cook. Three lay teachers, Caitlin Ni Bhuachalla, Sile Ni Shuilleabhain and Maire Ni Chathaisaigh were added to the staff and an tAthair O Churnain was appointed Chaplain.

Pupils from Preparatory Colleges went on to the Teacher Training Colleges and perfected their skills in Irish and then took up posts in the Primary Schools of the country and brought our native language with them into so many places.

Times and circumstances changed as the years went by and, due to pressure on the Department of Education from various groups in the country that these special colleges were no longer needed and should be closed, the Minister for Education, Pádraig O’hIrghile, announced in Dáil Eireann in July 1960 that the scheme was to be discontinued. Although the Department of Education was fully satisfied with the results achieved by these Coláistí, only one Dáil deputy spoke against the closure and the daily newspapers and “Fáinne an Lae” had only three or four lines in protest. Had the idealism petered out or had the original reason for founding these colleges been forgotten? Ní fios, (no one knows) but the last group of (Preparatory) students came to Coláiste Ide in 1960 and did their Leaving Cert in 1964.

The Sisters of Mercy bought the College and ran it as an all-Irish boarding school for girls until 1996. Due to lack of Sisters to carry on the work, it was thought that Coláiste Ide would close down but bhí ré nua i ndán don scoil (a new future was in store for the school) and Mícheál O Muircheartaigh continued the story of how “Cháirde Choláiste Ide” took up the baton and have admirably kept up the tradition, the Gaeilge and the Mercy ethos go beo bríomhar (alive and well) in this stronghold of the west, bail ó Dhia orthu! (God bless them)

Much has been achieved through their efforts and the support of the parents who still want their daughters to be fluent in their native tongue and to benefit by the dedication, expertise and training that a well-run boarding facility can offer, is very evident.

Gura fada buan iad is go maire ár nGailge slán! (May they live long and may our Irish language flourish!)

Baptist Leen rsm
Southern Province