AVS Teachers retirement

There were two retirements of senior long-serving teachers in the Abbey Voc school recently.
Dave Murphy, Deputy Principal, and Dermot McCarthy, Assistant Principal, between them had 70 years service in the old Vocational and new Abbey Voc schools. Pictured are: Colman Lee, new Deputy Principal, Kate Murphy, Dave Murphy, Mrs Mary Anne Kane, School Principal, Dermot McCarthy and Irene McCarthy.

Dermot McCarthy,

Assistant Principal

Dermot McCarthy, recently retired Assistant Principal in the Abbey Vocational School talked to the Times about his journey through life. In an interview we trace Dermot’s background, his formative years in Bere Island; St Augustine’s, Dungarvan; O’Connell Schools, Dublin; his time in London before returning to Trinity College to further his education and his arrival in Donegal Town as a teacher in 1971, at the invitation of Donegal V.E.C.
The very popular Corkonian’s teaching career, over four decades, had a positive influence on the thousands of students who passed through the doors of Donegal Town Vocational School and the Abbey Vocational School, and the local community where he served on many voluntary committees. Speaking with Dermot we get a sense of his great depth of character and humour and how much of a loss his retirement will be to the present and future student population in the Abbey Vocational School

DT: What are your childhood memories?
‘I was born in Bere Island, Co. Cork, an island at the mouth of Bantry Bay. The island was of strategic importance during the war years. A British army garrison was kept there from the early 1800s until the handing over of the ports to the Irish Government in 1938. Thereafter the Irish army used the island as a base. Football was the game we played and, from the age of four, I was in the thick of it, so that by age six I was equally competent with left or right foot which, in my opinion, is an unconditional necessity in Gaelic football. I went to Lawrence Cove National School on the island where the discipline was firm but fair - and I loved it. I left Bere Island and went to Bantry when I was nine years. There I captained the local minor team aged fourteen. I loved both of these places and visit them regularly.

DT: Where did you receive your further education?
I got a scholarship to St. Augustine’s boarding school, Dungarvan, Co Waterford. I loved every minute and played football and hurling there. I got my first Munster medal with them. Then, when everything was going well, my mother died suddenly – some adjustments were necessary and I had to leave Dungarvan and join my sister Carmel in Dublin. She was national teaching there so I did my Leaving Certificate in O’Connell School, North Richmond Street. I was the only Corkonian amongst the Dubs. I found them very witty, loyal and great company. I liked the Dubs – I liked them a lot. My university education was at Trinity College, Dublin, where I graduated with a Masters in Economics and Political Science. It was during my time in TCD that the first mass was celebrated there since the Reformation. So you can see that bans were quite common - even in the hallowed halls of Trinity.

DT: Now that you’re educated did you go straight to teaching?
No, after I did my Leaving Cert, I went to work in the British Civil Service in London. I spent three years with it before leaving to take up a position with Joe Murphy, Cable Contractors. I liked Joe. He allowed me take a day off per week to attend the West London College of Commerce, and from there I got a scholarship back to Trinity College. That was 1967, I was 28 years of age, and for the next four years I had the life of Reilly. During that time I spent a summer vacation in Washington D.C. - three months working in Basin’s exclusive restaurant in Pennsylvania Ave, down the road from the White House – a brilliant time. The American’s were very open, hospitable and endearing people. I gave them the blarney, the brogue, and the Cork roguishness – I couldn’t go wrong.

DT: Why did you come to Donegal
In 1971 I came to Donegal at the invitation of Mr. Gibson, the then C.E.O. who rang and offered me a position in the Technical School in Donegal Town. The first gentleman I met in Donegal Town was a Mr. McGlanaghey who introduced me to the Abbey Hotel for ‘light refreshments’ and we remained good friends over the years as we shared an interest in equine investment. Mrs Anderson conducted a boarding house business in Bridge St. She was a very kind and motherly person and made us all feel at home. It was there that I met my pal Dave Brennan and we had many escapades - but they might be better not told. I taught economics and business and, in my early years, english, history and geography also.

DT: Have you witnessed many changes over the years
The first change I witnessed in education was the increase in numbers attending as a result of the free education initiative by Donagh O’Malley. The next change was the setting aside of the Group Certificate in the Vocational sector. I thought this was a mistake, because in certain disadvantaged areas, students left after two years, which meant they had no certification at all to show for their years in school. Group Certificate examinations were well structured and a lot of aspects pertaining to them were copied by ‘Committees’ and ‘Review Bodies’ in later years, though they would not be the first to admit it. Thirdly, study of the classics declined as students concentrated on modern languages and the technology orientated courses. Fourthly, the management of schools became more democratic as parents were allowed increasing influence on what was happening in schools, with consequent changes on how subjects in examinations were marked, and the introduction of the appeals system

DT: Is teaching a satisfying career?
The greatest satisfaction in my teaching career was seeing weaker students achieving results beyond their dreams through sheer hard work and dedication. It is a pity there is not more recognition for these students. It seems to me that gradual and continuous progress is never highlighted. I also liked to see the top students excelling in the national competitive arena. Finally, of course, it gave me great satisfaction to see a former student of mine, Mary Anne Kane, coming back to do an excellent job as Principal.

DT: Let us deviate a bit - tell us a bit about yourself?
I married Irene Deffely, a nurse and midwife from Castlebar, Co Mayo. She did her training at Sir Patrick Dun’s and later at St. James. She has put up with me all these years, so patience has to be one of her virtues – but she is mighty fun to be with - and we have great moments together. She is a tonic. We have three sons – Justin who is a marketing manager with a bank in Madrid, having been previously with MBNA in Dublin, Carrick-on-Shannon, Chester and Madrid. Olan is an accountant in Dublin and Finnbar who, having got a degree in computers, decided not to pursue that line and is now studying for a degree in horticulture in which he was always interested.

DT: What were the greatest influences on your life?
My parents had a great influence on me. I had a very happy childhood filled with fun but a certain degree of hardship too. My mother was a great churchgoer and she nurtured me along these lines - and I am very grateful to her. My father was a building contractor and nothing pleased him more than to leave a good job behind him. I tried to copy that aspect of him as best I could.
Christy Ring was my sporting hero. He was inspirational and he instilled in those he knew a ‘never say die’ spirit. They can say what they like about the Mackey’s, the Kehir's, the Doyle's – they doubtless had good skills, but Ring had all the skills. He created records that will never be broken and, of course, his eight All-Ireland medals are part of a chalice in St.Augustines Church in Cork City where he was a daily communicant.

DT: Any humourous moments you recall?
I was correcting an honours Economics paper of a very good student. The question asked ‘Define the accelerator principle’ to which he answered – ‘a headmaster on speed’—I liked it. In the early days when I taught English a student queried my judgement on her test, saying ‘you can’t blame me for making a mistake - after all, none of us are human’. I was trying to work that one out, when she added thoughtfully ‘I may be wrong, but I’m not far from it’

DT: After 30 years in education what advice would you give to young teachers?
Have a good sense of humour - even if sometimes the joke is at your expense. Prepare well - as soccer hero Roy Keane says, ‘fail to prepare and you are preparing to fail’. Attend at least one training course annually to sharpen your knowledge - and keep up to date. Get your discipline right from the start – fair but firm. Finally, try to make each class an adventure.

DT: Are you involved in any groups or organisations outside school?
In the 1980s I set up the Donegal Business Teachers Association. In recent years I was, and still am, a member of the N.C.V.A Economics Committee which is devising the new Economics Syllabus for the Leaving Cert. I have been a member of the local Credit Union for the past thirty-two years, during which time I filled most positions on the Board of Directors. The Union had savings of £32,000 in 1973 - these not amount to approximately €12 million.

DT: What does the future hold for Dermot McCarthy?
In recent years at the local St. Patrick’s Church I help at weekends selling the ‘Irish Catholic’ to try to have the Catholic view on modern issues presented fairly. I would like to travel more, abroad and in Ireland. We have a holiday home in the West and we hope to spend more time there. I would like to get involved in helping the homeless, particularly the homeless Irish in Britan. I would also be interested in doing something for the aged, somewhat similar to what Dr. Gerry Cowley, T.D. has done in the Mulrany area of Co. Mayo.

DT: Is there anyone within the school that you would like to mention?
I feel I could not finish up without mentioning three gentlemen who did Trojan work for education in Donegal Town. Mr Paddy Rooney, who had great vision and energy and was great to work for, Mr Oliver Plunkett, whose forte was meticulous attention to detail and whose investigatory skills would have been envied by Scotland Yard. Mr J.J. Harvey, who was an excellent teacher/administrator and whose negotiating skills ensured that a state of the art school complex was put into Donegal Town. If kudos were being handed out, they should be foremost amongst the recipients.

Dave Murphy, Deputy Principal

David Murphy, the recently retired and very popular Deputy Principal in the Abbey Voc. School, spoke recently to the Times about his background, career, teaching philosophy and numerous happy memories of the teaching profession in the second level institution.
Described by teaching colleagues and students ‘as very approachable and helpful’—‘every student should be taught by Mr Murphy for a period’ - ‘he was a believer that education was about lighting and encouraging the flame and not filling the bottle’.
David spent the first ten years of his life in Dublin with an added two years in Offaly, before his dad, Sean, who worked for the E.S.B., and mum, Mavis, settled in Ballyshannon. He attended the local De La Salle Secondary school where Sean Daly, a teacher of English, had much influence on his future career. David, influenced by Mr. Daly, studied English, Irish and Geography before graduating with a successful Arts degree from U.C.D.
A career in teaching spanning thirty six-years started in Ballyshannon Vocational School in 1969. The following year David moved to Donegal Vocational School and speaks in glowing terms of then colleagues Paddy Rooney, Principal; Oliver Plunkett, Vice Principal; Aine Hegarty, Ellen Lafferty, Grainne Cunningham and Eamon O’Connor - and of students of the time, now members of the teaching staff in the Abbey Voc. School, Brid Duane, Mary Keeney and John Gallagher.
The early 1970s was a period of great change in Irish secondary education. The Leaving Certificate became universal and the curriculum in Vocational schools became comprehensive. David recalls ‘When I started teaching in Donegal Vocational School we had two hundred and fifty students attending. Over the next ten years the school population more than doubled, the local Four Masters Secondary School amalgamated, and plans were put in place for the new multi-denominational Abbey Vocational School’.
In 1974 David married Kate Cassidy - ‘she straightened me out and had a very positive and influential effect on my life’. They have three grown up children - Sarah, an architect in Glasgow; Ruth, a national teacher in Dublin; Aonghus, a technician in Buncrana.
At times, according to David, teaching can be a very difficult and unfulfilling career if you don’t ‘maintain a good sense of humour and do not take yourself too seriously. See the good side of the students - respect, encourage and appreciate the positive in all students and be an optimist’ David’s sense of humour shone through when he related numerous funny incidents he experienced during his teaching career. ‘It was during my 2nd or 3rd year in teaching. I came out from the school at the end of the day to find my car, – it was a Renault 4 - with all the wheels removed and propped up on four blocks of timber. Four lads who happened to be passing by gave me a hand to put the wheels back on again’. The following day David found out it was the boys who assisted him that had earlier removed the wheels.
During his teaching career David always had a special place for the weaker student, he was always on the side of the underdog in society and was a champion of the natural rights of workers. That he would serve as Branch Secretary and chairman of the Teachers Union of Ireland naturally followed. ‘For all teachers who amalgamate into the one union’ is his wish. Other professional and community involvements over the years included treasurer and board member of the local Credit Union, Member of Geography Teachers Association, local Gun Club and angling clubs.
Retirement will allow David more time to develop his love of the outdoors. Farming, more time in the garden – he grows his own vegetables, bee-keeping and fishing are but a few of the benifactories. ‘The breeding of falcons is an area that I would also like to give a bit of time to’
David enjoyed his teaching years and indicated that he will miss the inter-action with students and the sense of wonder young pupils often experienced in geography classes.
He wishes to thank the school social committee for organising a very enjoyable retirement function and the numerous colleagues and past pupils who sent him best wishes.