Swords classmates retake their 1971 school photo

A CAMPAIGN to reunite the class of 1971 at St Colmcille’s Girls’ and Boys’ National School in Swords so this photograph could be retaken in 2018 recently came to a successful conclusion.

Last year, Northside People published the original photograph and asked the pupils who were pictured to get in touch with the reunion’s organisers. Social media also played a big part in bringing the former classmates back together for the novel photoshoot.

The effort paid off with many of the former pals meeting up in their former school for the occasion. Angela Rainsford, one of the organisers of the reunion, said the staff and board of management at the school couldn’t have been kinder.

“They opened up the school for us so we could retake the photo in the same place,” she said. “They also let us have a wander through our old classrooms and had tea, coffee and biscuits laid on for us too. They certainly made us feel welcome for what was a very special day.”

A real highlight was the attendance on the day of their former teacher Eileen Moore (now Flynn), who they managed to track down through social media, along with Fr Sean, who had taught them catechism.

The names of the pupils in the original photo are as follows:

FIRST ROW (from left)
Catherine McGonagle, Siobhan Ward, Sylvia McNamara, Mary
McGonagle, Eileen Murphy, Deirdre Savage, Ursula Lawlor (RIP) Elizabeth Savage and Elizabeth McGuirk.

SECOND ROW (from left)
Roisin Kelly, Kathleen Smith, Susan Garrigan, Maura Hughes, Ann Joyce, Margret McNally, Margaret Cawley, Angela Pawley, Lillian O Reilly and Christina Behan.

THIRD ROW (from left)
Geraldine McGuire, Brenda Quigley, Dympha McGuirk, Deirdre Marron, Olive Cluskey, Geraldine Smith, Rose Holland (RIP) June Daly (RIP) Deirdre Murphy, Mairead Twomey.

BACK ROW (from left)
Martina Donnelly, Margaret Hughes, Joan Pawley, Pasquelina Healey, Bernie McCormack, Fr. Sean Dwan, Maria White, Elizabeth Barnwell, Evelyn McGonagle, Susan Mulcahy, Freda Clark.

Absent that day were Carmel Bissett, Ann O'Toole, Catherine McGuirk, Bernadette Hughes, Sylvia Caul, Trudy and Barbara McCormack.

The names of the people in the 2018 reunion photo (below) are:

BACK ROW (from left)
Martina Donnelly, Joan Pawley, Bernie McCormack, Fr Sean, Eileen Moore Flynn (teacher), Liz Barnwell, Evelyn McGonagle, Barbara McCormick, Trudy McCormick.

THIRD ROW (from left)
Geraldine McGuire, Dympna McGuirk, Deirdre Marron, Olive Cluskey, Geraldine Smyth, Sylvia Caul, Ann O’Toole, Deirdre Murphy, Philomena Gregan.

SECOND ROW (from left)
Roisin Kelly, Kathleen Smith, Susan Garrigan, Margaret McNally, Angela Pawley.

FIRST ROW (from left)
Catherine McGonagle, Sylvia McNamara, Mary McGonagle, Eileen Murphy, Carmel Bissett, Liz Savage.