As the saying goes: the cream always rises to the top. A small team of boys under the wise direction of Conor O’Reilly mounted an informative project as a small part of a wide-ranging exhibition and a series of talks on Easter Week 1916. In the press release for this two-day commemoration we read the following:
On 16 January 1916 the last meeting of the Supreme Council of the IRB took place in Clontarf Town Hall (now St Anthony’s Hall, Clontarf Road). At that meeting a date was set for the Rising which was to take place a few months later. Clontarf Hall was also one of the first places that Peadar Kearney’s “The Soldier’s Song” was performed which went on to be adopted as Ireland’s national anthem. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of this occasion a two day event will take place in this hall. On Saturday 16th January 2 -5pm the Association of the Relatives of 1916 will organise music, talks and lectures from historians and relatives of those who fought in 1916.
St Joseph’s received an invitation from the Association of the Relatives of 1916 through the Clontarf Historical Society to mount our own small stand commemorating our past pupils who were involved in the 1916 Easter Rising. Many people read the project mounted by St Joseph’s. Teachers present included the following: Mr Tim Quinlan, Mr Joe Murphy and Mr Gerry Cullen, school principal. Our featured photograph shows from left James Morgan (6th Year Student & Prefect), Mr Seán Ó’Connell (President of the P.P.U.), Stephen Moran (6th Year Student & Prefect) and Conor O’Reilly (6th Year Student, Senior Student Council Rep, Main Organiser of Joey’s Exhibition and PPU site administrator).
One can only but be proud of these boys who gave up their Saturday to represent our school. Many thanks, lads!