This article is from page 6 of the 2011-12-13 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 6 JPG
HOPES that the country’s new President Michael D Higgins will visit his native Newmarket-on-Fergus this week have been dashed. Mr Higgins has been invited to attend the 50th anniversary celebrations of Ballycar National School on Thursday, but has informed the school management that he is unable to attend.
While the school has been in existence since before 1824, the existing building was built 50 years ago. President Higgins, who is originally from Ballycar, attended a previous building of the school.
School principal Noel Murphy told The Clare People that there are plans in place to invite the past pupil to visit Ballycar at a later stage. “He was invited but we got a letter back wishing us success with the event but he has a huge amount of engagements so soon after his inauguration. We didn’t think he would be able to make it at such short notice,” said Mr Murphy. “There wasn’t much time. What we hope will happen in the future is to join up with community groups in the area and ask him to visit,” he added. “We will plan it well in advance and invite other community groups,” said the principal. He said that staff and students in the school are eagerly anticipating the celebrations. “We are all very excited about it. Everybody is involved in the preparations,” said Mr Murphy.
“We are also celebrating the success of the school in developing our facilities to the up-to-the-minute standard resulting from recent major renovations and extension. As a result, we can offer our families the latest facilities. As a small school with four full-time teachers and two special needs assistants, we also give personal attention to the needs of all our families,” he added.
The evening will include the staging by pupils of a play written by sixth-class pupil Ailís Hankinson. There will also be songs, a cake and craft sale, an exhibition of photos and children’s projects and the launch of a book on the history of Ballycar School. The book, ‘Ballycar National School – A History of the School, Pupils and Teachers’ was compiled by local author Colm Liddy, whose children attend Ballycar.
The book is a full-colour, 44-page publication profiling the history of the school. It features many old photographs, including those of the President when he was in school. The book also contains profiles of all current pupils, stories of the fascinating lives of past pupils and an interview with President Higgins.