Mary’s road to principalship at CBS Primary
The story of how Mary O’Callaghan came to be principal at CBS Primary in Mitchelstown, really began in secondary school at Coláiste Chríost Rí, Cahir.
Among the many things she can attribute to her time there, including a lifelong love of choirs, singing and Cadbury’s mini rolls and a genuine appreciation of a good sense of humour, Mary also has the Mercy nuns to thank for her career as a teacher.
An accident in her sixteenth year, during the big freeze of 1982 (involving a head-on collision between a car and her bike while singing an ABBA song), determined the course of her life. Unable to attend school, the Mercy Nuns brought Mary’s CAO form to Kilcreene Orthopaedic Hospital in Kilkenny, for her to fill in. They also advised during that visit, that she apply to Mary Immaculate College to become a primary school teacher, a decision that she has never regretted.
Mary always loved to work to make a few bob to buy clothes. She worked throughout her teenage and college years in O’Gorman’s Pub in Clogheen, where the craic was always mighty.
In 1985, Mary qualified from Mary Immaculate. As we all know, the 1980s were a time of terrible unemployment in Ireland. Many peers emigrated to get employment, some never returned to teaching and a few never returned to Ireland. Fortunate to secure a post at Killinarden, Tallaght, teaching one of six classes of Junior Infants, Mary travelled to Dublin to begin her teaching career. The school in Killinarden was operating a co-operative teaching model, where two teachers taught together in a shared area, with a base area for each class grouping.
Principal at the time Concepta Conaty, was the main driver nationally of the Home School Community Scheme, believing parents should have a central role in the school community. Believe it or not, this was considered revolutionary at the time!
Mary got her H-Dip. in teaching at this school and, while beyond challenging at times, she learned much there which has guided her beliefs to this day.
In 1986, Mary decided to try her luck to secure a teaching position near to her home at Clogheen, as at this stage she was engaged to be married. She left the surety of employment in Dublin and hitched around South Tipperary doing subbing for approximately two months. In Autumn 1986, she was again fortunate to secure a permanent post at Kildorrery NS. She worked here for three years with principal David O’Flynn, deputy principal Maria McInerney, Gaye Bowman and Margaret Coffey – who made up the entire team at Kildorrery NS at the time.
Mary loved her time at Kildorrery, the people were so welcoming and she still meets the pupils she taught there often. One past pupil, Miriam O’Keeffe (nee O’Flynn), daughter of David O’Flynn, now teaches with Mary at CBS.
Mary and Eamonn married in Clogheen on April 25th, 1987, on her birthday. In 1989 – due to falling numbers at Kildorrery NS, Mary was placed on the Cloyne Diocesan Panel.
At this time, a special class for children with mild level of learning difficulties was being established at CBS Primary in Mitchelstown, under the guidance of Department of Education inspector, Peadar McCann. This was based on the ‘Helios’ programme, which promoted the inclusion of children with difficulties into mainstream schools. Mary was invited by the principal of CBS Primary, Brother Tony O’Dwyer and the board chairperson, Brother Treacy, to join the staff of CBS. Her new role was responsibility for setting up the special class.
During these initial years at CBS, Mary completed what was then the course on ‘ Remedial Education’. She worked with Peadar McCann and the inspectorate on the Helios programme. This presented opportunities to visit schools in Denmark, Holland, and, of course, Ireland and to speak at conferences on integration. One such trip was with inspector Brendan Murphy (father of Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy – small claim to fame!).
Mary also got very involved with the INTO at local and district level, serving as Mitchelstown Branch Secretary, and represented the branch at District level for some years. Like many teachers, she learned a lot from INTO conferences and seminars.
Mary was invited by the Professional Development Section of the INTO (led by assistant general secretary, Catherine Byrne), to become one of twelve designers nationally, of the Professional Development Intiative Service for Teachers on ‘Learning Difficulties Literacy’.
The design of the course and training for delivery, began in the summer of 1994. Over the next few years, Mary travelled the length and breadth of Ireland, delivering these face to face courses to teachers. At this time, she was also teaching a variety of senior classes at CBS Primary.
APPOINTED PRINCIPAL
There had been much talk locally about the Christian Brothers leaving
Mitchelstown. Every effort was made and petitions were signed in an attempt to keep them resident here. At this time, Brother Healy was principal of CBS Primary and continued in this role until the Brothers’ departure in 1998, including the much-loved Brother O’Brien.
Mary applied for the post of principal and relays that there was nobody as surprised as she was, when she was appointed to the role. Thus began the last twenty-two years of this tenure.
Continuing with her belief in ongoing Professional Development, Mary availed of many such opportunities through DES, INTO, PDST and IPPN, which have been invaluable to her in her career.
She was nominated as District 16 representative to the INTO Principals and Deputy Principals National committee, where she later got involved with the design and delivery of courses for newly appointed principals. Previously there was no structured training for any leadership roles, unlike now with the welcome establishment of the centre for School Leadership (CSL), based in Ennis.
CBS Primary and all primary schools have seen many changes – improvements to physical layout and buildings and improvements to staffing. When Mary started at CBS Primary there were seven staff members – now there are forty! When she first came to CBS there was no phone at the school, the phone at the monastery served both Primary and Secondary Schools. In Kildorrery (back in 1986), the public phone booth on the main street served as the point of contact for the school during the school day - it was pot luck whether you got a staff member or just the closest passer-by!
Fifteen years ago, in 2005, Mitchelstown Musical Society (MMS) was founded. Mary has been there from the beginning, taking roles and being part of the chorus and organising committees. MMS has been a huge part of her life and she has made great lifelong friends, who, like many in the town, have been a great support to her over the years.
Mary’s children and family have been part and parcel of life at CBS throughout the years. They have lugged and pulled and dragged in preparation for various events and have waited patiently for a lift home on many an evening, sometimes walking the two miles home when it was obvious there was no hope of getting out of the place! It must not have put them off too much, as two of them are now teachers themselves and her son is hoping to make it his career also.
Next year her grandson will be coming through the same doors inside which she herself has spent so much time. We wish her all the best for her next adventures in life.