Teacher Frank was big part of the community

THE news of the sudden death of Frank McGee recently sent a wave of deep sadness through the entire Tubbercurry and South Sligo community.

Frank had retired in recent years from his primary school teaching career that spanned over 40 years, but that was only one facet of a man who was a cornerstone of Tubbercurry community life over the last five decades.

Having qualified as a Primary School teacher in the early 1970s, his early postings included teaching at Curry and Ballymote before joining the staff in the Boys Primary School in Tubbercurry in 1983, and in due course he became Principal of the School.

When the boys and girls’ schools amalgamated in 1995 to form the Holy Family Primary School, Frank continued on the teaching staff there until his retirement. A compliment to his teaching methods made by many past pupils over the week of his funeral was that “Mr McGee always made learning fun”.

His novel teaching practices for reluctant students included general quiz questions, crosswords, and Countdown, a game based on the TV programme. He also developed Treasure Hunts for children, where he posed the questions and his students had fun finding the answers. For this, the town was his classroom and many academic disciplines were exercised in working out the answers.

Frank had a great interest in young people and this interest stretched way beyond the confines of the classroom or playground. His interest in sport of all kinds was well known, and his ground breaking work in developing and establishing Cumann na mBunScoil for both Gaelic Football and Hurling has established this great organisation and event on the annual calendar of Sligo GAA and Primary Schools.

Small and large schools can have equal success due to Frank’s great work in this sphere.

In his Funeral Homily, Fr. Pat Lynch spoke of Frank McGee as a wonderful Treasure for any community or school. He was a man of great faith and became involved in all aspects of School, Church and Community life. Choirs for Mass or Funerals did not just appear – they were taught and organised by Frank, and often times during holidays they were physically collected by Frank.

As a human being, Frank was humble, and he realised his gifts were given to him to share with others for the betterment of all. He was extremely witty, an expert of the “one liners”. It was often said that if you met him early in the morning you had a smile on your face for the day.

Outside of his school work, Frank was immersed in the activities of the community. He was the go to man of organisations wanting to run a Treasure Hunt either on foot around town, or by car throughout South Sligo. This involved many hours of preparation work including putting the clues to rhymes. Setting quiz questions in school or community quizzes was also his gig.

A regular reader at Mass, he also thoroughly enjoyed reading The Passion at Easter.

Sport of all varieties held his interest, as did his love of the Irish Language, Music, Songs, Stories and place names.

He was immensely proud of his three children, and of their achievements in sporting, music and career fields.

Tubbercurry GAA Club owed Frank an immense debt, as he worked tirelessly as an Officer of the club in various spheres, including Secretary for many years. No job was too big or too small for him, and he was as happy parking cars at Kilcoyne Park on big match days as he was doing Secretarial duties. He also put many years into running bingo at St. Brigid’s Hall, and he could always be relied on for stewarding work for any occasion.

Frank was of great help to the Athletics club of Tubbercurry and South Sligo for many years. Along with his great friend, Anne Killoran, he spent many a cold and wet Saturday morning on the old Show field on Mountain Road organising Inter Schools or Inter Club Cross Country events, and he was ever reliant to help at the St. Patrick’s Day Road Race.

As an INTO member, he served as Secretary of the local and District branch for nearly a quarter of a Century and sat on the National Arbitration Committee, and attended the Annual INTO conferences for many years.

Frank’s remains reposed at his home at The Rock, Tubbercurry where the crowds that called to pay their respects showed the esteem in which he was held. Guards of Honour were formed by Tubbercurry GAA Club, South Sligo Athletics Club and Sligo INTO at his removal to the Church and to Rhue Cemetery to his final resting place. While being a wonderful person, Frank also had personal challenges, and when finding these personal challenges too difficult, it was great that he had some great friends to help him get back to the wonderful person he was. The community knew that Frank’s road of life was not always smooth, and his wonderful work in and for the community was appreciated all the more because of Frank’s great efforts to always do his best. His work for others went far and beyond the call of duty.

Frank is survived by his wife Kay, sons Anthony and Colm, daughter Jane, daughter- inlaw Brooke, grandson Colm, whom Frank unfortunately had not got an opportunity to meet( born in America), brother Eamonn, cousins and many close friends, all to whom sympathy is extended. May he rest in peace.

Ar dheis De go raibh a anam dílis.