Friday the 28th of May marked a special day in our school year as we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the opening of Rathcormac NS in May 1976.
The day started with a beautiful mass in St Colmcille's Church .Fr Tom welcomed all the pupils and their families, together with current and present staff members and members of the Board of Management, to the mass at 12 noon.
There was a remembrance table with a lit personalised candle in memory of deceased pupils and staff of the school. Fr Tom welcomed their relatives to the mass, and they were kept central to the prayers in the service. Fr Tom spoke of the uniqueness of each child who had attended the school over the course of the 50 years and reflected on the strong links held between the parish, the school and the wider community. He congratulated the school on its commitment to the faith and recognised the schools focus on developing each child's potential.
Following the mass, all were invited to the hall for a special assembly. Mrs Connell welcomed the large crowd to the hall and the music group under the expert direction of Moninne opened the show with The Sally Garden and Shoo the Donkey. The infants entertained everyone with their wonderful performance of Dilin O Deamhas. They were followed by a magical production of When I grow Up by 1st and 2nd class pupils. Broadway, here they come! We hope we are around in 50 years to see how they grow up!!
Mr Mc Tighe (principal from 1976 to 2005) thanked all the staff over the years for their work in the school and he recalled the state-of-the-art facilities in Rathcormac NS in 1976 compared to the three amalgamated schools of Carney, Rathcormac and Lugnagall. He told several stories relating to pupils over the year and thanked previous BOM ,the parents and school community.
Our third class was next to perform, and they did an excellent job singing The Rattling Bog. There was plenty of foot tapping and clapping along with their singing. Fourth class congratulated the school on its 50th birthday with their original poem Rathcormac. Well done -an excellent recitation 👏👏.
Mr O'Sullivan (principal 2005-2023) remembered many of the school's achievements over the years in sports, music and the arts. He thanked all the staff for their commitment to the school and also remembered staff and pupils who were no longer with us. He spoke warmly of his years in the school and the great sense of community in the area.
Our 5th class took to the stage to perform Hall of Fame, and we believe the children in Rathcormac are the greatest and best. well done on a great performance. In their final year our 6th class pupils sang their hearts out with an Irish Classic Beidh Aonach Amarach. Following Mrs Connell’s speech the whole school sang the Rathcormac Song - it was a fantastic performance and one that will be remembered for many years. Fr Tom’s speech focused on the key 🔑 the key to a new era of education . He congratulated the whole school community on the success and achievements of the past 50 years and said the future is bright with the present generation of students and teachers in the school.
Next there was a video with a song recorded by the local Folk Group congratulating the school on it’s 50 th anniversary. There were memories from representatives of different years recalling their experiences and memories of the school. A booklet superbly complied by Frank O'Sullivan displayed photographs of all the classes over 50 years together with the history of the amalgamations and snippets of school life both present and past.
Michelle Mc Nulty and Rowan O ‘Callaghan were thanked for all their work producing the excellent video. The large crowd then enjoyed some refreshments and a chat with school mates from years past. A huge thank you to Judy, Sheila and Breedge for the welcoming cuppa .
It was a wonderful day and we would like to thank the fabulous organising committee for all their hard work and support over the past few months. Thank you to Catherine ,Catriona ,Geraldine, Mary , Sheila ,Frank ,Michael ,Fr Tom for your work on this committee.
Well done to all our fantastic pupils and staff for their hard work preparing for the assembly. The art work and projects on display in the hall are all outstanding. Congratulations to all involved.
We hope the next 50 years will be as memorable and happy for all in our school community.
