A teacher like no other...
BARTLE WOODS LEFT HIS MARK ON A GENERATION OF PEOPLE, A PERSON SUMMED UP IN ONE WORD - ‘GENTLEMAN’
HOW Bartle would have loved it. The St John of God choir in full voice, musicians giving their all, and faces, old faces and young faces, all touched in their own way by a man of many parts, a man of his time and a man who inspired others to great things.
Bartle Woods passed away last week after a lifetime of dedication to others.
And last Saturday morning, many of those ‘others’ descended on St Brigid’s Church in Dunleer to say thank you for the music and the guidance, the friendship and the fun.
Bartle was truly a man of many parts and in his own way, openly gifted his talents to those around him.
Dermot McCreanor, a colleague for many years in the Monastery School in Ardee, spoke movingly of Bartle’s contribution to school life and how his teaching methods were ahead of their time.
They worked together for 40 years and Dermot found his old friend a ‘ kind, unassuming, loyal and cheerful gentleman’ - but a person of strong character who could argue his point well.
‘I’ll always remember him with a smile on his face. He had a terrific sense of humour and was extremely witty.’
He loved Irish music and culture and had a child centred approach to teaching, the welfare of the student the most important thing.
When Dermot joined the staff in 1979 as a young fella, he’d see Bartle, each Friday evening, stand as the students left, shaking hands with each one and wishing them a good weekend and hoping to see them on Monday.
He taught the recorder, tin whistle, bodhran and mandolin, got Cross Country running popular - he’d do 25 laps of the Boys Field each evening - and got involved with Billy Hennessy and the Blazing Saddles cyclists.
From 1978 to 2016, he missed just two Confirmation ceremonies at the school - despite retiring in 2002.
He organised the music group and after each ceremony, he’d bring the members down to the shop for ice cream.
Despite retiring, he kept in touch with the school and in 2016 to mark his 80th birthday, a big cake was ordered.
He was there when all the big occasions arose, including the visit of President Mary McAleese.
He was involved in so many aspects of community life, teaching in Scoraiocht, part of the Drumcar choir, involved in the historical society and the Credit Union and the INTO.
Bartle played music in Milltown Malbay, trekked up the Cooley Mountains and helped out in Lourdes and Fatima. He spoke German and travelled far and wide.
‘He touched the lives of so many people,’ Dermot added.
Fr Michael Murtagh PP, also spoke with great affection about Bartle’s life and times and how every time they’d meet, he’d burst into a few words of Gaeilge and Fr Murtagh would have to respond.
In all his dealings, Bartle ‘was a force of unity and never devisive,’ he stated.
When he first met Bartle 20 years ago, he was teaching the junior classes and down the years ‘ left footprints on the path of life that will not fade for a long, long time.’
He was deputy principal and principal at times at the Monastery and Fr Murtagh said he was ‘a treasure of the parish and the region...a learned man of the old school. but was modest and wore his learning lightly.’
Bartle was a guide at Mellifont too, his passion for history and his pride in this part of the world obvious for all to see.
As Fr Murtagh said, his death saw him ‘ trending’ on Facebook as thousands expressed their sorrow and regret at his passing.
Bartle is sadly missed by his brother Gerard, sisters Josephine (Belfast) and Frances (London), nephews Michael, Paul, Niall, Barry, Nicholas and James, grandnephews, grandnieces, neighbours, relatives and friends.