The Christian Brothers and their religious colleagues the Presentation Sisters have long since departed the town of Doneraile, however, their educational legacy lives on and on Saturday last it was the turn of St Joseph's Christian Brothers National School to celebrate its 50th anniversary.

The school's Board of Management weren't prepared to let such an important milestone go unmarked and they set up a committee whose remit was to plan and oversee the celebrations.

Like any significant undertaking there was quite a bit of groundwork to be done and they can take considerable pride in how last Saturday's programme of events unfolded.

The most notable feature of the day was the huge crowds who turned out. There was a steady stream of visitors to the school through much of the afternoon - the majority of them past pupils who were more than willing to be taken down memory lane.

Old roll books, photographs from yesteryear, classroom memorabilia, school reports and inspectors' observations were all available for viewing. While the 'old boys' were intrigued by this material it didn't mean much to the present crop who were more than delighted to partake in field games instead - those that found that a bit too demanding had the option of the bouncy castle, which was of the ex-large variety.

The aforementioned board of management, parents' association, local clergy, current staff members and supporters of the school combined forces to make the day an unqualified success. Obviously anticipating the crowds, copious amounts of refreshments were available with visitors having the option of making a contribution to school funds.

Overseeing the entire operation was long-serving principal, Brendan O'Connor who was wholesome in his praise of the hardworking volunteers.

"It was a real team effort today, everyone has done a superb job and things have run exceptionally smoothly, great credit is due to everyone who helped out - it's very encouraging to see" Mr O'Connor told The Avondhu.

While we weren't around for the evening part of festivities reports were equally favourable concerning the special anniversary Mass.

With 5 decades of service under its belt, St Joseph's CBS, Doneraile has contributed enormously to the academic, sporting and social fabric of the town - having marked the half century, it's a case of 'onward Christian soldiers' for pupils, parents and its dedicated team of teachers.

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