Scoil na gCruach 1907-1971

84 SCOTL NA gCRUACH 1907-1971 The classroom was bright and airy with a turf fire and the cloakroom provided space for us to have lunch and shelter from the elements as need be. Water was sourced from a spring nearby. Life was easy, friendly and basic on the outside but inside was a hive of1earning activity from start to finish with everyone working at their respective levels simultaneously. The boundless energy and enthusiasm of the teacher was remarkable and it continued well into the evening doing housework for her beloved father and brothers. En route back to Glenfin we were treated to a gripping folklore story! Goldsmith springs to mind . ... "The more we gazed the more our wonder grew that one small head could carry all (s)he knew" . .. we learned in spite of ourselves. Mickey the Post was a welcome breather as he delivered the mail and the news. After school Rose Mc Loone and I were left in the school for an hour or so to do our homework. We had great chats and my first move was to take off the de riguere wellies and warm my feet. The biting cold wind of the Croaghs were getting to me as I lacked the flannel underlayers to cope. Rose gave me a pair of homespun socks she had knitted and my qua li ty of life was much better, Highly inte lligent Rose's beautiful English earned her first prize in the Harvest Fair of Glenties essay competition. Thanks to expert tuition my Irish improved enough to scoop the "aiste Ghaeilge" prize and it was a pleasant surprise when Fr Furey landed to present us with our prizes of five shillings each. Croaghs culture was rich in folklore, stories, music, great social in teraction and the purest Irish. Living there demanded resilience, hard work and amazing selfaufficiency. Wool was carded , spun and knitted; hay, corn, potatoes and vegetables were grown in challenging conditions;milk was churned, hens were kept as well as cattle, goats and sheep and the turf was saved from the hill. That clothes were darned or patched, sometimes beyond recognition, did not detract from their dignity, p ride and kindness but enhanced it. Despite all efforts many were obliged to emigrate and that they fared so well abroad over the years owes no small measure of credit to the school that equipped and inspired them. Last year my husband 's cousin from the States, Eugene Mc Loone , spent a few days with us. His father Peter and uncle Owen had emigrated from Croaghs way back, settled and did well. Peter conceived the "Mc Loone Graph" in mathematics. Our unassuming guest was a retired university lecturer and had worked in the White House as an advisor to John F Kennedy. At first uneasy, I apologised for the shortcomings of our abode but the ta ll dark bespectacled man turned around and whispered "You know, I spent ten days in the Croaghs thirty years ago!"