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Mourne Road church, image © Michael Keane and reproduced by kind permission. | ||||||||
< Expats 6 [Tony's story no. 2/1] | Expats 8 [Tony's story no. 2/3] > Tony's story (part 2, page 2) The most imposing building on Mourne Road was the rather large and very ornate Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel. It was known by all in Drimnagh as Mourne Road, with its large front gates and equally large entrance doors. I made my first Holy Communion there and later my Confirmation, two Catholic ceremonies that both excited and frightened me as a young boy. The latter was when I got to wear my first pair of long trousers (‘oh joy!’), as you were classed as a young man and then ready for anything. All the girls would look at you in a different vain because you were wearing your ‘longers’ (a favourite name for the long trousers in those days). Our school Masters, or as they are known now, Teachers or Tutors, were a mixed bag coming from such diverse places as Roscommon, Cork, Galway, and on occasion from Dublin itself. They tended in those days to swap people around - if you were from Dublin and when you had done your teaching training they would transfer you to the Country or some other remote part of the Republic. I have great affection for anyone who takes up the noble art of teaching as later in my life I would become one. To this day I still impart my knowledge to many students - not just learning but things about life itself, knowledge that I learned over many years of struggle with ones inner self to know what you want to achieve in your life. My fondest memory to this day was meeting Queen Elizabeth 2nd at St. Patrick’s Trust in Hove Sussex in March 2001 when Brighton got its City status and Her Majesty came to visit my classroom which was situated within the trust. St Patrick’s Trust is a large homeless complex, housing and educating people less fortunate then us. | ||||||||
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