Taking up Rossa’s challenge I have decided to write a memoir every month between now and October so that prior to our re-union I will have addressed our 6 years. Presumably fellow 78’ers will be too busy to review and/or respond - so I am going to take some artistic license - hopefully anyone who bothers to read will not be too severe a critic and/or be over offended, these are my memories which have over the years blurred some-what but the core hopefully remains authentic.
On the 28th August 2011 - I am driving down the main entrance to CWC, hallowed turf, in the back of the car is our eldest son Daniel. No tears of loneliness on his face, he is so excited to be going to Clongowes- just anxious to be left in boarding school. Harry Potter has glamorised the experience Hollywood style - he is totally oblivious to Dad’s final messages, you may be homesick, don’t forget to play golf it’s the only game you will use when you are my age.......he just wants in..... Clongowes is his new home. My wife Denise has heard from other Mums that she should spray her Chanel no. 5 on his duvet when she makes up his bed to remind him of his Mum tucking him in..........a world away from our entrance in September 1972 - Mum’s were not allowed in the dorms and certainly not encouraged to make school a “home from home” for their precious boys.
Daniel is assigned Brendan Rumley’s old cube..........my own cube 40 years previously was opposite. A strange moment but no time to dwell..........Daniel wants to head out as soon as possible to the new Vinny Murray 4G all-weather pitch to play football with the other new boys......I am greeted by Tony Egan Lower Line Prefect who tells Mr Wright the Elements Prefect that I was an OC......this seems to illicit some small level of respect vis a vis other Dads who are just blow-ins. There are no Jesuits - the last CWC recruit to the J’s came about 15 years ago........only Fr Moloney, Fr Bradley and Mocky Sheil remain, the latter the only OC......to man the fort
The torch has now been passed to my son Dan........Clongowes 2011 is a different country, thoughts now return to 1972 as we start our CWC journey in rudiments..........yes I was excited that first evening......I had already spent 6 years in boarding school and six or so from Killashee primary are on the Rudiments journey with me, Gerry Healy, Ciaran Hickey, Michael Dolan, Paul Moran, Sean Wong, Matthew Byrnes.......there is strength in numbers.......but also a great desire to mingle with new friends. Goodness I can’t fathom how big Paddy Lawlor is, Mark Collis, Barry Walker........these guys are giants.......and then John Hickie appears.....he is already shaving......hope I don’t end up doing tackling training in rugby with him........my worst fears are confirmed.......my partner for training is Hickey......a star on whom the U13’s would depend firmly on for the season. At this point of growing up - I am tiny and don’t grow till O Levels.
I must have done OK in the entrance exam in English I am assigned to class 1, not so well in Maths or Irish where I languish in class 3, which was probably a fairer reflection of where I should have been. English unfortunately determines that I am in class 1 for Latin where I am thrown in with geniuses like Sambo Shields and Philip Murphy..........no place to hide......I like the warrior spirit of the Romans but not their language - give me Mandarin any day having had prep school in Hong-Kong.
The boarding school routine suits well - rise at 7.20am with a reminder bell at 7.30am - on day 12 approximately I sleep through until woken by Fr O’Keefe [ein deutsches Wort wurde verwendet] - he reminds me that next time I sleep in the Pandy bat awaits..........unfortunately this happens by end of November......2 of the best.......discipline for a lifetime is being built brick by brick by the CWC machine.
Those first few weeks were a haze.......there was one entrant I remember him as John Byrne.......he cried for 7 days........his parents come to collect him and bring him back, he hasn’t settled in CWC......its’ not for everyone
One of the highlights of the day is post - great to receive a letter from parents hopefully for us non-Irish residents with some cash which we can spend in Oggy Doggy’s shop which opens at lunchtime......birthdays are known......and bumps distributed. We are all in this together.
Fr O’Keefe is a disciplinarian - we learn off by heart our bounds......”rudiments bounds include inside the front of the castle extending as far as the pleasure grounds....to the infirmary..............Joyce has written about this in Portrait of the Artist.........I can’t remember the boundaries.........just box clever and keep a look out for [_______] when I leave the main concourse. Punishment is writing the 12 lines boundary rules out over 100 times - takes days Country O’Mahony and David Tempany have already infringed. I soon learn that there is a difference in infringing and getting caught infringing.......another life lesson dispensed early in CWC.
We split into different 1st Division loyalties - I am part of the Manchester United gang, surprisingly West Ham are well represented Noddy and Tigger.....Mr O’Shea.....our Jesuit scholastic realizes how sport unites and organizes the Rudiments soccer leagues. I am a captain and try and select the best players, Greg Dilger or Freddie Browne but don’t get lucky on the draw - our team is severely depleted. The highlight of each league day is Mr O’Shea writing up a “match of the day report’ on the game he referees. In my case we get beaten 4-1 but I get written up as scoring the best goal of the game. Another learning.........self-esteem is important even when you lose.
The major sporting memory of Rudiments is the infamous “Commancheros” team. A sports psychologist could spend his entire career trying to understand and explain this phenomenon. An entire season of going beaten, a 100% record of failure - but was it. Could this be our equivalent of the “Shawshank Redemption”? On further investigation - perhaps the smartest move of all. A collection of non- sporting -smokers/hard men [Questionable reference – Editor] - having a laugh at the system. The jury is still out. With arch smoker Denis Aldritt at the helm ably assisted by TC Kelly, Tommy Owens, Titch Kelly, Rossa McDermott......perfect......an opportunity to have a few fags at leisure.......while obeying the rules. Sparrow Harte is to be pitied a potential “Messi” of his day, labouring amongst a group of misfits!
We also play rugby leagues - I am chosen by Barry Walker who uses all his main picks for forwards, our other backs are made up of C Hickey and others who are more comfortable in a canoe than on a rugby pitch - once our forwards lose the ball we are sunk...........I learn a major skill - kick to touch when in trouble.
A major humiliation comes my way in week 4........Percy Winder decides that I should become “Sacristan” .............I beg him to reconsider........this is the ultimate no-go area for a kid trying to put up a cool, sports type front. He insists. However, there is a benefit - I become a tack - we have extra time off and can indulge in indoor soccer, snooker - leisure time is extended for the tacks by no study once a week.
I try out for the swimming team with Gerry Healy, and Mike McManus - we all beat the required times and are admitted. Our privilege permits us to go swimming training - laborious, monotonous, building a skill/talent.......another life lesson.
There is a Subbuteo tournament organised - Wally Waldron and myself progress to the final.........its’ looking good till Noddy and Rory Gray annihilate us and win the prize......learning to accept defeat graciously.......another lesson.
Mr Crabtree starts the chess club and photography society, there’s even an ornithologist society and Birdie Shannon has found his vocation.........there is room for all of us, no-one is excluded. Although when a few of us tried to gate crash the cake night for the Photography society......DJ Hegarty wasn’t having it........we hadn’t been members.......Gate crashing another life-skill learned at CWC.......probably in the top 5 learnings that have stood to me in life.
The Jesuits are insistent on competition and peer pressure - after the Halloween exams a list of names is put up - we have all been graded from number 1 first, down to number 72 last, some prominent present day senior Counsel, Doctors, Engineers all fill the last 10 spots. There is nowhere to hide, not only do you know your place in academia - so do your 71 other peers!
We were blessed by a dedicated team of Carers’ in Rudiments 72, led by disciplinarian Fr O’Keeffe SJ, assisted ably by Scholastic Mr O’Shea and Br Ward........whatever we think of our Team of carers I genuinely believe they were doing their best.
One bit of early entrepreneurial spirit was Clive Waldron’s shop which he ran from his tightly locked closet in our dorm - he sold Cadbury bars, crisps and sweets at highly inflated prices - earning a nice living at the expense of constantly starving teenagers. Selling is easy if you have scarcity and a captive audience - perhaps another learning.
I was never part of Br Ward’s favourites - didn’t make the cut. I narrowly escaped a high level Pandy Bat punishment. There was pandemonium in our dorm one night - water bombs were being fired in all directions. Fr O’Keeffe came to investigate and promised severe retribution to those who didn’t own up. I decided to take my chances. O’Keeffe was certain I had fired a bomb into B Rumley’s cube as the evidence seemed clear from where the bomb landed. Brother Joe was brought in to verify and using his mammoth torch he shined same from my tap toward the ground in my cube surveying for drops of water, evidence of building the bombs. I had used very thick paper - the bomb didn’t leak.............the Pandy Bat was reluctantly put away! Another learning...........sometimes you have to take a risk and stick with it!
So, there we go - I’m in Miami 21 Feb. 2018 watching Man U (still a fan) v. Sevilla 0-0, finishing this memoir on Rudiments 1972...........till next month........remember we were born in 1960 and made in CWC 72-78!
Written and produced by Francis Fitzpatrick
*The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to the author’s employer, organisation, committee or other group or individual.Or indeed the CROC
**Some names and places have been changed or withheld. Any errors, corrections or amendments please contact clongowes1978@gmail.com
