Denigrating the contribution of religious congregations is fashionable nowadays, but a nun’s wise intervention helped me secure a scholarship, writes Liam Lally
My first contact with ‘the nuns’ occurred on a Saturday in June 1964 when, along with a crowd of 6th class boys and girls, I sat an entrance exam to gain a place in the Sisters of Mercy Secondary School, Belmullet, Co. Mayo. With a quarter of an hour still to go I was sitting back, feeling quite pleased with myself, when a nun who had been patrolling up and down the exam hall announced in a clear, not-to-be-disobeyed voice: “If you are finished, don’t just sit there looking around you, check over your work.” On checking over my work I found that I had one sum totally wrong. That nun’s wise intervention helped me secure a scholarship, thus opening for me the door to post primary and third level education. The staff of that school – nuns, priest-chaplain and lay teachers – prompted, coaxed, cajoled (and sometimes threatened!) us to work hard so that we might become the best that we could be.
Fashionable
It is fashionable nowadays to denigrate the contribution that religious congregations have made to the development of this country. The criminal sexual abuse of children by some members of religious communities is a shameful chapter in their history. The sexual abuse of a child by a member of a religious order deserves to be highlighted, condemned and punished but in doing so we must not fail to acknowledge the enormous good that most members of those religious communities have done during their lives.
The contribution made by the religious orders/congregations to education in general in Ireland, and the involvement of the Sisters of Mercy in the poorer areas of our country in particular, ought to be acknowledged publicly and proudly.
In 1894 three sisters arrived in Belmullet in North Mayo; one became matron in charge of the workhouse, another a teacher in the workhouse school and the third acted as housekeeper. The occupants of the workhouse were the poorest of the poor. With the closure of the workhouse and the outbreak of the civil war, the sisters withdrew to Ballina but such was their concern for the impoverished people left behind, that they returned later to open a Commercial School for girls, followed in 1943 by a secondary school.
Let us never forget that the Sisters of Mercy and other religious congregations were offering second level education for ridiculously low fees for many years prior to the O’Malley initiative”
Up to that point there was no opportunity for the children of Erris in northwest Mayo, an area the size of Co. Louth, to receive post primary education to Leaving Certificate level in their own neighbourhood. Only the children of parents who could afford to send their sons/daughters to boarding school in Ballina, Tuam and elsewhere, and appreciated the value of education, had that privilege; few were in a position to do so.
Initially Our Lady’s Secondary, Belmullet, was for girls only at first, but in 1959 boys were enrolled and for the first time thus opening the door to the treasure of full post primary education for all the children of Erris. In recent times, various politicians have promoted co-education – the Sisters of Mercy were well ahead of them.
Brave
Donagh O’Malley as Minister for Education announced the introduction of free post primary education in the mid-1960s and is rightly lauded for that brave decision. But let us never forget that the Sisters of Mercy and other religious congregations were offering second level education for ridiculously low fees for many years prior to the O’Malley initiative. The sisters also offered scholarships – many of which were gained by children whose parents could not afford even the small fee charged at the time. The Sisters were able to keep fees low because their salaries as teachers were ploughed back into the school’s funds. A nun teaching all her life, for example, would have contributed to the school’s funds well in excess of one million euro on present day valuations. Those of us who benefitted directly from such generosity, and society in general, ought to acknowledge our indebtedness to the religious orders.
As well as helping to keep school fees at an exceptionally low level, the salaries of the sisters were also used to acquire/erect the school buildings. Voluntary secondary schools were not in receipt of building-grants from the Department of Education until the mid-60s. Those sturdy buildings that one sees at the heart of many secondary schools were paid for out the congregations own funds, augmented sometimes with parents’ contributions.
I hope they can smile as they recall the youngsters that passed through their hands; the rascality they witnessed and often ignored”
In many instances those buildings were later surrounded by a rash of prefabs and featureless extensions provided by the Department of Education. In fairness to the department many of their recent school buildings are of exceptionally high quality both functionally and aesthetically, the recent extension to the convent school in Belmullet being a good example.
As the Mercy Sisters reflect on their contribution to society and to education in particular, I hope they can smile as they recall the youngsters that passed through their hands; the rascality they witnessed and often ignored; the high achievers as well as the success of those who struggled academically; the fulfilled lives lived in different circumstances around the world; the annual drama productions; the successful sports events and many more.
The nuns possessed that unique and precious gift – the ability to see the well concealed beauty and potential in often taciturn, recalcitrant teenagers, nourishing and challenging them to bring that hidden talent to fruition. For that, and much, much more, I say: “Thank you sisters!”
Liam Lally is the former Safeguarding Officer for the Spiritan Congregation in Ireland. Liam also worked as a teacher and principal, and a counsellor and supervisor, for more than 30 years and has been involved in many voluntary organisations.