Incorp. Munster Industrial Advocate Vol. 102 (Reg. in GPO as a Newspaper) Shandon, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford. Tel: (058) 41205 / 42042. Fax: (058) 41559.
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Former Lord Mayor visits his old school ON Thursday last, Mr. Henry Dunphy, former Lord Mayor of Leicester visited his old Alma Mater, Garranbane National School and spent a pleasant hour there. Henry was born in Ballinroad in 1938 and lived his early years in a house which is now demolished on the site of Dwane Hire. As he arrived, he was met by the Deputy Principal of the school, Mrs. Mary Dunford as well as members of the staff and recalled his early days at the school over a cup of tea in the staffroom at lunchtime. Then it was time to fulfil the purpose of his visit, to talk to the senior pupils about his days in the classrooms where he first went to school in 1942 as a four year old. The school was much smaller then with just two classrooms where Mr. Tom Mulcahy, Principal and Ms. Murphy his assistant, taught ninety-three pupils in the eight classes from Junior Infants to Sixth Class. A few pupils stayed on to do seventh class before leaving to join the workforce. While he spoke, the pupils with their teachers, Mrs. Niamh
Phelan (6th) and Ms. Lorraine Hayes (5th) were enthralled with his stories which took them from the years of the Second World War to when he left the school in 1950. “Times were different then,” he recalled, “they were tougher in every sphere of life with a strict discipline. The cane was used frequently but it is a thing of the past now.We used to hide it, but there would always be another one from the hedge outside. But they were happy days overall and we got a good education.” He recalled the basic nature of the school back then, even though it had been built only three years before he joined.The yard space was small and there were four classes in each room where the teacher went through each curriculum in turn. The classes would rotate about every half hour, two sitting in the desks writing English or Irish, while the other two classes stood around the room and the teacher did maths on the blackboard. There was a half hour of religion each day and Geography was illustrated by two big maps on the wall.
“We used to go to Keane’s field over the road one day a week to pick sticks for the fire,” he told the astonished children, who must have found it a strange practice. During his years in Garranbane, Henry’s family moved to Knocknagranagh where his sister Kathleen still lives and he would walk up the main Waterford road to school passing the forge of Tom Quinn along the way. He became friends with Tom and used to visit the forge every day pumping the bellows for the fire. He was rewarded every Saturday with ham sandwiches, a rare treat in those days. “We could hardly wait for summer,” he said, “until we could walk to school barefoot along the dusty roads.” One day, a great number of planes passed overhead. His father explained that they were German bombers returning to the airfields in France after a bombing run in Belfast. After his introduction and a short talk about his schooldays, Henry invited questions from the fifty or so pupils present. There was no shortage of
Under 21s return to Grattan Square twenty-four years later THE Mayoral welcome accorded to the victorious and glorious U21 Hurling team last Sunday evening in Grattan Square by Cllr. Damien Geoghegan, Cathaoirleach of Dungarvan / Lismore Municipal Council reminded me of a similarly glorious occasion on a crisp Autumn Monday evening in 1992 when Tony Browne led his band of brothers on to the podium outside what was then Vincent Morrissey’s Meat Shop, on the Corner of Grattan Square to be met by the then Chairman of Dungarvan Urban District Council, Cllr. Nuala Ryan and, if memory serves me correctly, Cllr. Billy Kyne, then Chairman of Waterford
Joint Captains Patrick Curran and Adam Farrell arriving in Dungarvan with the Cup. [Sean Byrne]
County Council. The team was led onto a similar kind of trailer as last Sunday’s by Tony Browne, later to be named Hurler of the Year followed by Team Manager, Joey Carton,Trainer, Peter Power and the late Tony Mansfield, Abbeyside / Ballinacourty. The team were in high spirits and, no less than last Sunday, enjoyed their moment in front of the massive crowd. That year was a very busy one for the Cathaoirleach of the Urban Council as they honoured more achievements that year than any other. On the 8th May, the Christian Brothers were honoured for their 175 years of service to the town and district as they prepared to leave Dungarvan for good. On the 8th June there were four sportspeople honoured: Robert Power for selection for the Irish Cycling team for Barcelona Olympics; Liam Lannen for his outstanding contribution to Garryowen RFC which won the IRFU All-Ireland League Division I. Stephen Spratt for his outstanding achievement in win-
ning the FBD Milk Rás for the second time in May of that year and youthful boxer James Keohan for winning the Irish Amateur Boxing Association’s Championship of Ireland on 23rd April. Then on the 8th September, Brigadier General Thomas Quinlan was honoured on the occasion of his appointment as General Officer of the Southern Command and his promotion to the rank of Brigadier General, along with Commodore Joseph Deasy in recognition of his distinguished career in the Naval Service to which he was appointed Flag Officer Commanding. That was also the year that Dungarvan won three in a row County Titles, but had to wait until Spring 1993 to win the 1992 Final and be honoured a month later. Naturally, the hope is that we do not have to wait another twenty-four years before the U21s are on the podium again, or indeed any other team which would bring home an All-Ireland title to the Déise.
responses to his invitation and he was queried on all aspects of life from homework, to Summer holidays, what games they played, and the subjects they studied. After Garranbane, Henry attended the then Technical School for a couple of years before going to England to work at sixteen and a half after spending some time with CIE
on the railway. In England, he spent his years working mainly in rail transport also and became involved in politics, being elected a member of the Leicester City Council and eventually, Lord Mayor of the City. Henry showed the children the Medallion of Office with which he was presented on retirement and he wears this
when he attends the many civic events to which he is invited. The visit of a distinguished guest from England, who was born just hundreds of yards from the school, was an educational experience and, judging by the extent of the questioning, one in which the children were extremely interested and greatly enjoyed.
Pictured during a visit of Mr. Henry Dunphy to Garranbane school which he attended in his youth are from left: Mrs. Anne Coleman, Mrs. Geraldine Beresford, Mrs. Niamh Phelan, Ms. Elizabeth Walsh, Mrs. Vera Collins, Mr. Eoin Enright, Mrs. Cait Ryan, Ms. Niamh Collins, Mr. Henry Dunphy, Nicola Ui Artaigh, Mrs. Mary Dunford, Acting Principal, Ms. Lorraine Hayes and Mrs. Valerie Flynn.
The Power Clan and Norvan’s Bear DURING the recent very successful Power Clan gathering in Waterford, home of the clan and where the name is by far the most numerous one, a number of the visitors decided to come to Dungarvan to attend the World War I Commemoration. Among them was a lady from California, Joy Felkins Powers who lingered after the ceremony and with whom I struck up a casual conversation as we Irish tend to do. We strolled along by the Lookout / Harbour View which looked magnificent in the bright sunshine chatting about the various interesting buildings in view, the birthplace of Professor Walton and Abbeyside’s St. Augustine Church dating back to 1290. She spoke of her late father’s desire to come to Ireland and visit the place of his ancestors, a wish she was fulfilling through her visit. “Daddy had over a 17 year career with the Kern County Sheriff's Department as a Sergeant,” she said. “He was an original CSI. Daddy was also shot by a sniper in or about 1974
and was forced to go out on medical retirement in 1976. I had a Pastor tell me a story of how he was strung out on drugs, in the ’70s, he committed a crime, and even while my daddy had a ,357 pointed at his face, daddy let him know he could be forgiven and lead a meaningful life. “He did. Daddy even helped him get his record expunged around 2006
when that pastor was my son's baseball coach. My daddy was the best person, law man, father, husband, papa, and brother. He wanted to see Ireland with all of his heart, but never got the chance. It felt so amazing seeing it for him, but some how I know he has seen it and was there with me. He was a cowboy through and through and would have
Sergeant Norvan Powers with one of the children he saved from an attacking bear.
enjoyed the life of raising cattle and sheep in Ireland.” Joy recalled a story for which her policeman father was also famous. It was reported in the Sarasota Journal at the time: “VACATIONER OUTRUNS BEAR” Said the headline Porterville, CA. (UPI) Vacationing Kern County Sheriff, Norvan Powers, of Bakersfield, CA, ran a foot race of sorts with an enraged black bear and won. Powers Monday saw a 300 pound animal trying to shake five children out a tree house near his mountain cabin in Sugar Loaf Peak. He hurled a stone at the beast and the animal turned and charged. Powers fled around a tree with the bear at his heels then he turned and pumped six shots into the onrushing animal from his .357 magnum pistol. The animal dropped dead just a few feet, from him. "There really wasn't much to if, said Norvan Powers. He was Irish alright, today he might have said “T’was grand!”.