Last Friday, October 25 was a historic day for the whole community of Rathcormac as the state-of-the art new primary school was officially opened by Fr Neilus O’Donnell PP and blessed by the Most Reverend William Crean, Bishop of Cloyne.

The new multi-purpose hall was packed to capacity with invited guests, local councillors and public representatives, former teachers, former and present board of management members, parishioners, parents, current staff, past and present pupils, representatives from the community and local businesses and friends who all gathered to celebrate this very special occasion. It was a landmark day in the history of education in Rathcormac.

The poor weather conditions in the morning did not deter the many guests who started arriving shortly after 10am. They were greeted by the wonderful sound of the uileann pipes and some beautiful traditional Irish music played by  talented musician and past pupil, Fiona O’Flynn.

At 11 o’clock the rain stopped just in time for the ribbon cutting ceremony and the unveiling of the commemorative plaque. In the company of invited guests, parents and pupils from Rang 1 and all the infants, Denis Howard, Peggy Kearney Maria Barry (past pupils) and Dineth Dias (youngest current pupil) cut the red ribbon as a huge cheer erupted from all present.

With the ribbon cut, Fr O’Donnell unveiled the commemorative plaque much to the delight and cheers of all those present. Then it was back inside to the hall for the official blessing of the school by Bishop William Crean. This was a beautiful ceremony with pupils from Rang 3, 4, 5, 6 actively involved in the singing, procession with symbols representing life in the old school and the new school, the scripture reading and psalm and leading the prayers of the faithful. Bishop Crean blessed the school and all present. Katie Browne (past pupil) then sang the Ave Maria and the blessing concluded with the pupils singing 'Circle of Friends'.

Following the blessing there were a number of formal speeches by Cllr. Noel O’Connor (Mayor of County Cork), Margaret Howard (principal), Siobhán Buckley (parents’ association), Katie Quirke (Rang 6 pupil), David McCurtin (deputy principal) and Fr Neilus O’Donnell who formally declared the school open.

The pupils then entertained a captivated audience with a selection of poems and songs which the children had prepared for the occasion. Congratulations to all the pupils on a wonderful performance.

TIME CAPSULE BURIED

After the celebrations in the hall it was time to bury the time capsule in front of the school. Over the past two weeks each class in the school prepared and selected significant items for the time capsule. Some of the items selected included letters and other work from pupils, a small hurley signed by the staff, school tie, DVD of ‘A day in Junior Infants’ photographs, current and old coins, a new €5 note, crayons, an all-Ireland ticket and programme, The Avondhu newspaper, an Alive–O book, some toys, Rosary beads, copies of the invitation to official opening, commemorative bookmark, a list of current pupils and many other items. The time capsule will be opened again in fifty years time on the next significant milestone day for the school. There was a great splash and many cheers as Rebecca Walsh (Rang 5) dropped the capsule into place.

The final element of this wonderful celebration was the planting of a special commemorative tree in front of the school. The tree was planted by John Buckley (Rang 5). Then it was party time for all the pupils and home early, while the invited guests were treated to refreshments upstairs.

After a long epic journey and an arduous campaign over the past 13 years by principal Margaret Howard, Fr O’Donnell, consecutive boards of management and parents, the official opening of Scoil Bhríde was a wonderful occasion of joy and celebration for the whole community of Rathcormac.

TEAMWORK

In her speech principal, Margaret Howard, paid tribute and thanked the Department of Education and Skills, members of the different boards of management, parents, pupils (past and present), the local community, public representatives and everyone who contributed in any way to making the new school a reality in Rathcormac.

She also paid tribute to former teachers and the current staff, saying that “it is a privilege to work with such a wonderful team”. She thanked Fr O’Donnell for his dedication and commitment to Scoil Bhríde down through the years and it was very fitting that he was asked to formally open the new school.

Kevin Murray (chairperson of the current board) and MC on the day, thanked the organising sub-committee, the staff, pupils, parents, Bishop Crean, Fr O’Donnell and all who helped out in so many different ways to make the official opening of Scoil Bhríde a fantastic occasion of celebration and joy. It was a momentous day for all associated with the school, a wonderful day when the dreams and aspirations of the whole school community were finally realised.

“Ní neart go cur le chéile”

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