St Anne’s Reunion
As the students attending St Anne’s school prepared to leave the school on Friday afternoon, September 22nd , a group of glamorous older ladies gathered in the yard outside.
The Leaving Certificate Class of 1973 were about to take a journey back in time to reunite with classmates they hadn’t seen in a long, long time. For some they hadn’t met since they left St Annes’ others have remained in close contact in the intervening years.
A small group of seven from the class of ’72 came along, also organised by Mary Walsh originally from Oola.
The reunion was organised by a small committee – Geraldine O’Brien, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Rita Hayes, Catherine Ryan, Mary Alice Fitzgerald including one of the teachers from 1973 Ms Nancy Leahy. In fact, two teachers attended to meet their students from 50 years ago – French teacher Maureen Gleeson (nee Hegarty) & Nancy who taught English & Geography.
The gathering was full of greetings, smiles and embraces as the former classmates met – the current principal John Cullinane met the class of ’23 and invited them to step inside – most for the first time since 1972/73. One of the ladies had doubts about attending the reunion – the last of her six daughters finished in St Anne’s in 2021 – she felt she had never left! Like many of the class of 1972/73 a “Commercial Course” led to employment in the Civil Service and work in Dublin. Nursing was another option with very few going to college in those days. Many moved back to Tipperary to raise their families – because of the “quality of life”.
The first offering on Friday afternoon was tea and coffee and a chance to meet with the current students – who confessed to delight at seeing how well and glamorous their antecedents looked in 2023.
Those attending included people travelling from other parts of Ireland and the UK. Many say they use social media to keep up with Tipperary news from a distance.
As the school day ended the class of ’73 were given a tour of the building – then the memories flowed. People learned things about their classmates that they didn’t know at the time, the ladies also appreciated the school of 2023 – the new facilities such as a mediation & computer rooms, the first alumni to be an Olympian, Aimee Leigh Crowe – expected to play a big part on the Irish Rugby Team at the Paris Olympics next year, a current student, Éabha Byrnes, in the World Finals of the Junk Kouture Competition.
Gleefully the ladies recounted how the addition of extra buttons meant the school uniform (gymslip) could be adjusted from below the knee to miniskirt style in a moment – alas one student forgot to let hers back down after a trip home at lunch – the nuns, Sisters of Mercy, did not approve! Religion did have a strong influence – the students knelt and prayed at morning assembly and again in the afternoon, trips to St Michael’s for Confession were a regular event. A nun’s funeral was a big occasion in the 70’s – the ladies remembered going to Ms O’Deas to purchase white berets for the guard of honour. 12 retired nuns currently reside in the adjacent accommodation at St Anne’s.
On Friday the ladies walked along the corridor that connected the school to the Church, much brighter now than in the past when one small window gave a glimmer of light to the “Creepy Corridor”. May Day Processions in the grounds between St Anne and the National school were recalled on sight of the green space – memories of the orchard and asking for apples and the Tin whistle band in St Joseph’s with their red Dickie bow uniform came flowing back.
The class looked at the space of the former lunch hall – the girls from town went home for lunch in 1973 as the one hour break allowed this – some coming back with sweets from shops such as Purcell’s on St Michael’s Street.
No boys were ever seen in St Anne’s in the 70s’s – for dance classes a girl assumed the part of a male – leading, presumably. Sr. Philomena looked after the lunch time students and supervised the dancing. Principal Cullinane shared that now the school offers jive classes for students from The Abbey and St Anne’s in addition to offering collaboration in Leaving Certificate subjects and an annual school musical.
How does Tipperary feel to them – feels like home but it could be better – one lady spoke of being 12 years old, standing near The Plan when some American tourists sought directions to someplace to eat – they had travelled up from Killarney – she could not make a suggestion – wanted to bring them home for tea but knew it was not possible. In 2023 she feels the potential of the town with a global profile has not been developed for the inherent economic benefit. Another visitor spoke of feeling aggrieved at the addition of a stairs to the Motte in the Tipperary Hills.
Some could not be in Tipperary for the school visit but travelled to Tipperary Golf Club for a meal at 6pm. Over the intervening 50 years the young ladies had many experiences on the roller coaster of life – travel, careers, relationships, illness, children, loss and friendship. Summed up by one as the “magnificent resilience” of people. Over a few hours these experiences were shared as the St Anne’s girls celebrated and consoled each other – they spoke of the school saying it was the friendships that mattered not the learning. A neat observation considering the The Abbey boys won the BTYSE this year for researching the importance of secondary school in an adolescent’s development.
The women most in their mid to late 60’s left the school thanking the Principal Cullinane and Deputy Principal Jan Dowling for their hospitality and wished the very best to the St Anne’s class of 2024.
