Waterpark College

My memories of Waterpark primary - in my recollection, it was a free school at the Cove. It was only when it moved to Park Road circa 1985 that it became fee paying.

I remember a Mrs. Cassidy teaching me at the Cove in second babies. She had a thick bota she kept behind the radiator. There was a lovely woman called Mrs McNamara who taught me in 1st class. I remember FX Keegan well. All the brothers are a bit of a blur.

Agree with what was said about the grounds. They really were fantastic, and I loved breaktime in the Orchard or up at the back in the big trees.

jimbojazz wrote: »

no bolkie it was thrasher tracy whose brother played for ireland - ray tracy, thrasher was the head so it war probably him that whacked you. Mcgrath or maygray as he was known taught 5th and was also the rugby coach....he was a bit odd as well. By the sound of it you were a year ahead of me

Of course Jimbo, you're right, it was Tracy. I remember he went with a lot of pupils to see a match in Dublin (I didn't go, can't remember why). You wrote about the gardens behind the school, they were brilliant. Wasn't the orchard turned into a playing ground at the back of the school? Remember playing in the school soccer team. Years later when I visited Ireland I went to see the school but it had moved to the main school (where my brothers were then). The front gardens were large weren't they with the driveway? After school I would always walk or take a bus to Bridge Street where my Grandmothers had a newsagent. From others threads I understood that Keegan is still teaching? Is that correct? Thanks for all your replies. :-)

I went to Waterpark College from 1966-1974(I think) I remember going to the main school amd then the primary moved to Dunmore Road across from the "The Cove Store". I remember the following teachers Br.Lyne with his bottle "islassa", Mrs O'Really/ Mrs Red. Mrs Sharkey, Sir Keegan, Br. Mcgrath, and the worst teacher of all Br. Tracey. Man was he visious and mean. His brother is Ray Tracey, who played soccer for Rep. of Ireland. Some of the guys I went to school was Peter Brophy, Ronan Mulligan, Colm O'Connor, Terry Murphy, Richard Morrrisey. Anyone know where Bernard Phelan is??? Last I heard he was in Australia???? I miss Waterford please reply.....David Quane

[quote=[Deleted User];60717963]It was Mrs sharkey was the aweful one i had her! Mrs O Reilly was nice she died there 3 years ago[/quote]

Thanks! Sad to hear Mrs O reilly died. Yep, Mrs Sharkey was aweful. I had her two years in a row for some reason or another I think. One of her expert tortures was to slap your hand with the ruler edge, instead of just flat. No wonder I turned into a psychopathic murderer...:-)

I was in Waterpark Junior on the Dunmore Road 72-79. I'm glad, if that's the word, to see that my memories of Brother Lyne's revolutionary educational practices aren't all a product of my imagination. In my day he called the rows of desks the Castles, the Mansions, the Bungalows, and the Cottages. The kids who did well were in the Castles, the ones who struggled were in the Cottages. I don't remember him using a stick on kids ("the stinger" rings a bell, though), but he was very committed to humiliation. Even if he never did it to you, seeing it done to the others was enough to terrify you. He had a pink desk for the bad kids who didn't know their spelling or catechism or tables. He called it "the doo-dah desk". Now that I see it mentioned, I vaguely recall something about a dress, but I definitely remember a pink ribbon. I won't even go on, it gets worse. He ruined school for me until I was about 16, and I wasn't even one of his victims.

Senior Infants (2nd Babies) was a kind young woman who played the accordion, Miss Hutchinson. Kind, but too late to undo the trauma of Junior Infants. Mrs O'Reilly in 1st and 2nd, Miss Stapleton, former Rose of Tralee entrant, in 3rd, Mrs Cassidy (decent woman) in 4th, Mr (Sir) Keegan in 5th. Weekly Top Ten, harmonium in the corner, handing out liquorice, coaching rugby... I was a bit in awe of him, and he could be tough, but he did try to give kids confidence - everyone got a go at being number 1 in the Top Ten. And once, the whole class adopted an alsatian pup who we christened Ally: we kept him in the classroom for about a week. Maybe he belonged to one of the kids. Mr Keegan made out it we had to keep the dog secret from the Head, and for all I know he meant it. When a guy called Widger kicked a football through the class window, he made a joke of it and ran a fund-raising campaign to cover the repair - he called it the Widgery Window Collection, after the Bloody Sunday Widgery Report. He ran a boxing tournament at breaktimes in the Orchard. My handwriting is still influenced by his teaching. Great guy.

I remember a brother with glasses, who was either Brother Tracy or Brother McGrath, and later a Brother Leen. There was also a dude by the name of Brother Cross (not this guy).

The brothers of a couple of the people mentioned in this thread were in my class: Brophy, Bowe. And I remember the name Alan Quane, but I think that wasn't from Waterpark - maybe from my playgroup.

It was quite a building for a primary school: you can pick it up for 2.5 million at the moment. Some of these pictures bring back memories, especially the wrought-iron arcade where we used to play Free.

johnbo,

Thanks for the photo. Those kids would have been well ahead of me: in 1975 I was in 1st going into 2nd. I remember Br. Tracey alright, now that I see him.

It was Carl Bowe who was in my class - is he a brother/cousin?

jmcc, if you click on the photo, then click on the next copy of it, you get a decent-sized version.

jmcc, you wouldn't have a copy of that annual you're talking about, would you?

Interesting - can you tell me more about Annie Brophy, the collection and the documentary?

Edward Bowe was also in my class. His brother Raymond was a year ahead. Their Father is Carl Bowe, my first coucin. I think Carl Bowe (Junior) who was in your class, is Carls son / Edward and Raymonds brother.

There are 13 in the family, so it hard to keep track of all of them! I did however see Carl (cousin just a couple of weeks ago at my Mothers funeral ... I hadn't seen him for perhaps 25 years before that!