In 1948 at 14 years of age I finished with the Irish National school system without regret having little aptitude for the Irish language , and no liking for the dark intensity of religious instruction, there is no memory of enjoyment in any subject.  ’ Sin ’ was everywhere; the mantra of ’thought, word, deed or omission ’was ingrained.  It was a time of want and little ambition. The value of hard work was part of our culture. The local farmers provided seasonal work for the willing youth and were very fair in their dealings.  Most parents had hopes of their Children securing an apprenticeship in a trade.  A two year course in the ’Tech’ in Balbriggan might help matters. Some sniffed about ’real’ education. But any other type would require means and brains; the former being more important than the latter. I enrolled in Balbriggan for the two year course. The pupil number was then less than one hundred between boys and girls.  The ‘Tech’ was a plain building on the side of a hill in Clonard street. 

The Tech building is now Hugh Burrows

The head master  Mr Sean Coady made us aware of the rules and the operation of the school .  The girls section was a strict no-go area . Mr. Coady taught woodwork, geometry and drawing.  He was a very good teacher being firm and fair. He was also a proud Irishman. Mr Keating was the instructor in metal work, science and mechanical drawing. He was a bright sturdy man who could read everybody’s mind and could spot a ‘messer’ in a flash. A few ‘smart-alicks’ in time, tasted his caustic wit, to the amusement of the rest.of us .Mr  Duke taught Irish. He was  oldish but very erect and vibrant. He had such passion for all things Irish. He talked about Gaelic games, war hero’s, Irish music and dancing, He was very disappointed that none of us knew of Seamus Ennis the piper who lived in the Naul.  Miss Mc Donnell and Miss O’Driscoll taught English and maths to both boys and girls.

At first Miss Mc Donnell found it difficult to get attention when teaching poetry. The delicacy of ‘Wordsworth’ Daffodils and the buzzing of the bees of Yeats did not excite the lads, she changed to “The Wreck of the Hesperus” and soon had every-ones imagination fired with the action packed lines. She was great. The caretaker was Mr. Peter Hurley a humorous footballing man who had the respect of everyone. He was a great backup for the teachers. He kept the materials and equipment in good order with great attention to safety. The man who wrote that ‘the hand is the extension of the mind’ may well have had the old technical school educational model in mind. Another’s quote is ‘I hear and I forget’ I see and I remember, I do and I understand ‘.

The doing was the most enjoyable for most of the lads. The hand dragged the head along. The woodwork classes were popular as most of the lads had some skills in the use of tools. However the refined and accurate use took some time to master. A simple jointing of two pieces of wood would be a typical project .Firstly a drawing wood be required to give an exploded picture and the measurements of the joint. The discipline of exact use of the geometry set, the try square ect to produce a decent picture, produced many furrowed brows and a lot of rubber use a straight line was difficult enough, an angled projection was a torture. The prospect of making a better attempt in wood kept most of us going. Ours was an action class. The metal work class was grate, everybody was all attention. Mr Keating would have everyone supplied with a length of flat made steel strip about an inch wide. He would instruct us to shorten the strips to a given length working from both ends.

Two scribed and punched dotted lines marked the length. The hacksaw cut was a bit of a gamble ; how close to cut on the waste side of the lines? After this the pieces had to be filed square, your effort was then checked for accuracy by your ’ friend’ at the hear side bench. Most of us were more critical of each others work then being honest about our own. The qualities and uses of  the different metals were explained to us and the different melting points. The exercises in heat aided metal shaping and hardening, the compositions of solder and its use, and the welding processes all got rapt attention. The instruction in the drilling of different metal’s the drill speed, the cutting angle of the drill bit and lubrication would last a lifetime .The necessity of using the appropriate diameter of drilling when cutting a thread, male or female would also register. In the science class we were introduced to magnetism and the great men of science, the inventers, the men who were the giants of the plat form upon which today’s technology rests Mr. Keating had the magic of opening the eyes, ears and minds of those who would wonder for the rest of their lives.

When our 2 year stint ended in the summer of 1950, jobs were thin on the ground .Eventually I got a semi-skilled job in a car assembly plant. That job saw off the teenage years until stagnation descended  once again. I joined the multitude who had to emigrate for work. Much of what was learned in Clonard street found greater use away. These few lines are a much delayed tribute to the Balbriggan ’Tech’ teachers, to those who were class mates and finally to the good humoured sports mad people of Balbriggan who put with us for two happy years. The passage of time can dull the accuracy of some memories and make others more colourful. The help of Matt O’Glesby in reversing down memory lane is greatly appreciated.

John Kelly July 2009