Weeshie Fogarty
A Golden Period of my Life
It
is said, and rightly so in many cases that your school days are
the happiest days of your life, and indeed in my case my days “The
Tech” hold nothing but happy memories for me. Indeed many
of the people who entered my life during that period left a lasting
impression on my development both as a person and as a sportsman.
It’s impossible for the present generation of students and
indeed probably teachers also to fully realise the massive difference
in the magnificent building they occupy to day and the cramped tiny
conditions we experienced back in the fifties and sixties.
Nevertheless despite facing many obstacles the Technical School
in New Street during my term as a student was to have a profound
effect on the development and financial future of Killarney and
it’s surrounding hinterland, it was the era when Liebherr(Ireland)
was established. This now massive and world renowned crane factory
was built by direct labour in 1958-59 and commenced construction
on the very first crane in Killarney at that time, and who did
it turn to in it’s plans to build for the future ‘
but to ‘The Tech’. Joe Treacy was the metal work teacher,
still hale and hearty Joe was responsible in organising training
courses for boys from the school who entered the new factory as
apprentices and so expert was Joe at this facet of his teaching
that within six months most of the boys who had two years completed
in the school commenced apprenticeships in Liebherr’s, my
own brother Geni was one of these and what he learned at Joe’s
metal work classes helped him later in life as a result of his
employment to build his own home in Muckross and raise his family
there and avoided emigration which was rampant in the fifties
and forced many a fine young man to take the mail boat to England.
I mention this as an illustration which can be held up as an example
of hundreds of cases at that particular point in time of what
‘The Tec’ did for it’s students and the influence
it had on Killarney life. I myself was unable to grasp the art
of welding/ metal work, and indeed even the exemplary Sean Russell,
Principle, and woodwork teacher was powerless in his efforts to
teach me how to handle properly the hammer, saw, wood plane etc,
a most progressive man Sean was a great friend of my father and
indeed I always enjoy meeting his lovely wife still living in
St. Ann’s road Killarney. I was a complete failure at metal
work and carpentry and still am to this day. Seamus Monks was
another teacher who I had tremendous admiration for, fluent and
fluid in his Irish speaking, I marvelled at his beautiful grasp
of our language, he always encouraged class singing, wore the
Fainne with great pride and I often regret that I did not visit
and talk to this exemplary person in later life, sadly he died
some years ago.
I often regretted also not having been given the opportunity of
doing a year in the commercial class where the late Cait Healy
ruled with an iron hand and was an outstanding teacher of short
hand and typing, my two great basketball friends Ian O Leary and
Jerry Kelleher were I recall the only two boys in a class of 35
girls. Three years ago I finally rectified this in some small
way when I attended a night course for typing in the superb Community
College and I am glad to say this little article is typed up on
the magic computer, thanks to my nights at class.
Football was the dominant sport during my years at ‘The
Tech’, Thursday afternoon was devoted strictly to football
and John Joe Banbury passed on his great knowledge to the game
to us football mad Kerry youngsters. The fifties were the golden
era of sport in The Kingdom, Kerry contested the All Ireland finals
of 1953-54-55-59, winning three, basketball began in Killarney,
Kerry won their first All Ireland in that sport, and all of this
was a huge topic at school, Kerry won the Ras Tailteann round
Ireland cycling race, Mick o Connell Tadghie Lyne was our heroes.
We had yet to see a TV set, I met my first girl friend in ‘The
Tech’, our romance was short and sweet, she will remain
nameless, and I experienced a memorable occasion when I captained
the school to a football county championship victory over Tralee
in 1959, that unforgettable day remain forever etched in my memory
as do all my hours spent at ‘The Tech’ in that golden
long gone period of my life by the side of lower New St. Memories
are made of this.
Weeshie Fogarty
