An old photo of the 'Round House', a former prison that was used as classrooms by the Sisters of Mercy from 1914 to 1980.

Centenary gathering at st marys secondary school nenagh

Published: Thu 2 Apr 2015, 11:22 AM

Last updated: Thu 2 Apr 2015, 12:28 PM

Past pupils and past teachers of St Mary's Secondary School, Nenagh are invited to a centenary gathering at the school on Saturday May 16th.

Last November the school celebrated its centenary with a Mass at St Mary of the Rosary Church. The Mass, celebrated by Bishop Kieran O'Reilly, was attended by the school's present pupils, teachers past and present, and the general community.
The event taking place in May is intended as a reunion for past pupils and past teachers of St Mary's. As well as a chance to chat and catch up, the gathering will be an opportunity for visitors to view old photos of class groups, choirs and musicals. There will also be clips of videos from former years, which should bring back lots of memories.
Visitors will also be shown more recent developments at the school, includng the new extension and state-of-the-art gym facilities that opened in 2008. Refreshments will be provided.
The Governor's House (now Nenagh Heritage Centre), which was known to students as the 'Round House', will also be open for visitors on the day. The historic three-storey octagonal building, a former prison, was used for classrooms after the Sisters of Mercy moved into their new convent in 1913. An intermediate school opened there for the 1914/15 term with 14 girls enrolled. The school got sanction from the Intermediate Board in 1915. The Governor's House was used as a school up until 1980.
A committee has been set up to organise the 1914/15 centenary celebrations and is hoping for a large attendance on May 16th, when the gathering will take place between 2pm and 5pm, concluding with a Mass of Thanksgiving.
Sr Patricia Greene made the point that many past pupils have moved away from the Nenagh area. She hoped that local people would spread the word about the upcoming event.
Sr Patricia also asked people interested in attending to contact the committee so that numbers can be catered for. Interested parties are invited to email centenary@stmarysnenagh.ie before May 1st. Further information will be posted on the school's website and Facebook page.