It takes a village to raise a child

I could almost hear the pipers play the ancient airs of old, as I travelled the road that cuts through the hills that lie between Gortin and the Glenelly Valley.

I was journeying through the heart of the Sperrin Mountains: A place that feels, like bog butter, untouched by time.

But, of course, this veil of continuity and permanence is nothing more than an illusion, albeit a powerful one.

For even when I reached my destination, storied Plumbridge, in the Parish of Upper Badoney, I found that the hands of the clock refuse to stand still.

Last week St Peter’s Primary School marked their 50th anniversary, an opportunity which was used to celebrate not only the current set of staff, pupils and parents, but also all those who have formed part of the fabric of school life since it first opened its doors in 1974.

“It’s that old thing: ‘ it takes a village to raise a child’,” said principal Sheila Falls, as she took me on a tour around the halls and classrooms on Tuesday afternoon.

“If you ask me what is the secret to the success of the school – how are we able to keep producing healthy, happy, well-rounded pupils? – I would say it is primarily down to how closely knitted the wider community is. Plumbridge and the surrounding countryside is a unique place, geographically, yes, but in a lot of other ways as well.”

St Peter’s was established as part of an education project spearheaded by Fr Heron back in the 1960s. The local cleric also had strong hand in opening St Joseph’s High School in Plumbridge, as well as another primary school in nearby Cranagh – a small village seven miles away from the Plum, at the other side of the Glenelly Valley.

“He was a remarkable man,” the principal continued. “At our Thanksgiving Mass – which we held in the local chapel (Sacred Heart Church, Plumbridge) on Friday – we made sure to pay a special tribute to him. I would like to name everybody who deserves a thank you, but you probably wouldn’t have room to fit all their names into this article.”

However, soon after acknowledging page space as a limiting factor, Ms Falls proceeds to cite a long list of people. While this article will only go on to name some of them, I can assure you that her gratitude to each was specific, heartfelt and earnest. If you think you got a mention, you probably did.

Youngsters

We then went and visited the youngest children in the school, who were just back from a trip to The Alley Theatre in Strabane and getting ready to go home.

“We got to go see a movie about ducks (naturally) because of our really good singing in the chapel,” explained a tiny girl called Amelia.

Her P2 friend Aoife agreed that the performance her buddy was referring to was nothing short of breathtaking.

However, as we tramped the hall towards the next classroom, I noticed what looked like a memorial.

“Yes, that is dedicated to little Matthew McBride, a pupil of ours who passed away at the age of eight in 2020. His passing was extraordinarily hard on the school; for his classmates, other pupils, staff and parents,” Principal Falls said.

“You’ll see different items and displays around the school, by which we remember and pay our respects to Matthew. He was a lovely boy and he’ll always be a pupil of St Peter’s.”

Indeed, before I left, I noticed several quiet monuments to the young boy’s memory, including a football jersey with the number eight on the back, lined with his favourite colour, orange, as well as a framed picture of him, in the staff room. Inscribed on it were the words, ‘We have a guardian angel, a star up in the sky, someone watching over us who will always be nearby.’

The next class we landed at was led by a proud man from Ballycolman, Strabane, Mr Rouse, who explained what a big year this was for the older contingent of his class.

“When are you celebrating your confirmation?” I asked one wee fella, causing him to scratch his head.

Without looking up, a young girl beside him said, “March 29.”

“It’s not hard to see which of them have the hairdresser booked,” joked Ms Falls.

We left the P6s and Magnificent Sevens, allowing them to return to their studies, and headed onto Ms Falls’s own class, the P3s.

“Say hello boys and girls,” Ms Falls said, to which the smiling chorus responded in kind.

I asked what they liked about school, eliciting a raft of solid, if not slightly predictable, answers, such as ‘learning’, ‘playing outside’, ‘my friends’, and ‘the teacher.’

Then a statement was uttered that stood out from the rest: “It is energising,” said wee precocious cub.

Ms Mullholland, the P1 teacher who at this stage was covering the class, didn’t laugh, but just smiled.

MEMORIES

As the principal and I walked towards the final classroom, I stopped to look at some old pictures that had been hung for those who wished to take a walk down memory lane after the Thanksgiving Mass the Friday before.

Grainy sepia-toned pictures showed the first pupils to populate the school in 1970s. Another captured a wee lad standing proudly beside his grandfather at the bog, small pyramids of stacked turf at their feet. There were innocent faces from throughout the ages – many of whom, as I had found out in Ms Fall’s class, are now parents of current pupils.

It turned out that the last class, we went into, Mrs Bradley’s, was full of musicians – and I’m not talking 20 tin whistlers. Although, naturally, that was the case too.

Erin told me she played the fiddle, Aoibhe was learning the concertina, and Fearghal was shaping up well on the banjo. And there were more.

“We have Comhaltas classes in the school every Monday evening, so a lot of the pupils would begin learning music there. Culture, in its many forms, is very important to us here,” explained Ms Falls.

Before I left, Ms Falls emphasised the central role that the Catholic faith continues to play in the school, thanking Fr Brian Donnelly for the support that he provides to both staff and pupils.

Citing the school motto, she said, “‘Growing and Learning Together in God’s Love’. That’s what St Peter’s is about, really. It’s not just about academic achievement. It is about giving our pupils a foundation upon which they can build the rest of their lives. It’s about resilience, respect and empathy. Those things are equally as important as numeracy and literacy skills. Those are the qualities that enable you to be happy in yourself and helpful to the people closest to you.”

As I was leaving, Ms Falls showed me a video of the pupils singing a song called ‘Glenelly My Home’, during the Thankgiving Mass. She said it was emotional. I would go one further and say there wouldn’t have been a dry eye in the chapel.

‘Glenelly, Glenelly, how lovely thou art, Where pleasure and sunshine have set on my heart. Though far away I may wander, far away I may roam, But I ne’re shall forget you, Glenelly my home.’

It would nearly make an Omagh man wish he’d been reared in the Valley.