"SMART IN THEIR UNIFORMS"

There isn't much information with this photograph.  All we have is that it was taken in the 1960s, and that it could be a class of Grade VI or Grade VII students looking "smart in their uniforms".    I think it is too small a group to be a whole class because in the 1960s classes consisted of at least 30 girls and very often up to 40 students.  However, it certainly is a smart looking group and if anyone can name any of the girls or tell us anything about the group, it would be enormously helpful.  You can email us at mcallistersmith@gmail.com or leave a comment in the comments section of this post.  So very many of you have been extremely helpful in the past and I am confident you will be just as helpful with this little puzzler!   So, I thank you all very much and I look forward to hearing from you.

UPDATE:  I never give up hope that someday, somewhere, someone will supply us with a name or a snippet of information about a photo.  Well, it has been a long time coming (4 years!) but we now have some names to add to this photo.   Only ten more names and we will have everyone so come on now, have another look at the picture and see who you remember.  You can send any names or information to me at mcallistersmith@gmail.com.   Once again, thank you all for your help.
FRONT ROW, L-R: ?, Barbara Parsons, Bonnie Beck, ?, ?, Lucy O'Keefe 
MIDDLE ROW, L-R:  Connie Jackman, Betty Broderick, ?, Patricia Roche, Sharon Horan
BACK ROW, L-R:  Sheila Carew, Patricia Ann Power, Marie Carter, Fay Murphy, Patricia McCarthy

A group of St Patrick's Girls, looking "smart in their uniforms"

ST PATRICK'S DAY, ONCE UPON A TIME

Once upon a time,  St Patrick's Day wasn't St Patrick's Day in our parish without the annual play put on by Miss Kay Hayes and the St Patrick's Dramatic Troupe. Years move on and tastes change and now those wonderful plays are just a happy memory.  Thanks to my sister-in-law, Pat McAllister, I have been given an opportunity to stroll down memory lane with the help of an old programme from one of those magical nights.  I know  many of you also remember those plays so I am posting excerpts from the programme.  There are also some adds that will bring back fond memories because the companies and products they advertise are no longer with us.  Anyway, I hope you enjoy this and the memories it evokes.

 

The cover of a St Patrick's Day Concert Programme

 

Setting the scene

The synopsis

 

 

Love the ads!

Meet the cast
(Remember Marty's?)

The cast, continued

 

Did Mary Downey play two parts?



Sometimes multi-talented George also acted in the plays

Did you, or your mother, shop at the London?



With all of this amazing talent entertaining us between acts,
we certainly got our money's worth!

The final "thank you" and the last page of the programme

For those of you who, like me, have had the very great pleasure of listening to "THE BIG 6" on Saturday mornings, here's the tune that still brings me back to those lazy, carefree Saturdays. 

 

 

HAPPY SAINT PATRICK'S DAY!

SR CARMELITA'S CHORAL GROUP

We have another interesting picture for you. 

 

St Patrick's High School Choral Group
(Right click the photo to enlarge it)

 

This priceless picture is another from the Presentation Archives.  There isn't a lot of information but we know it was taken in front of the stage in the Auditorium and it is the St Patrick's High School Choral Group.   The Music Director was Sr Mary Carmelita Meaney and it was in the 1950s.  Sr Carmelita spent just a short time at St Patrick's, somewhere around  1955 - 1957.  Sadly, she died on 20th February 1958.

 

Please get in touch with us at mcallistersmith@gmail.com if you are able to name any of the girls in this photo.  Perhaps you are even in it.  Any information you can supply would be very much appreciated.  I hope you enjoy this little look back at the way we were and thank you for all your help.

MEN'S MISSION, 1953

As you know, today, Ash Wednesday, marks the beginning of Lent.  What some of you younger readers may not know is that, in years gone by, Lent was the time for Parish Missions.  In St Patrick's Parish there was always a Men's Mission, a Women's Mission and a Mission for the School Children.  Sometimes there were two Men's Missions and two Women's Missions! There would be a Mission for the married men and one for the single men.  The same applied for the women, a Mission for the married women and one for the single women.  The Mission was given sometimes by Redemptorists, sometimes by Jesuits and I remember one given by Franciscans. 

The Men's Mission, St Patrick's Church, Lent 1953

This amazing picture is copied from St Patrick's 100th Anniversary Book and it shows how well attended were those Missions of yesteryear.  Just look at that crowd!  Even the aisles are blocked with men.  We know such scenes could never take place today, and not only because of health and safety rules either.  What would it take today to get this many men, after a hard day's work, to turn up for a couple of hours praying and preaching?   

MORE FIRST COMMUNICANTS

I am so pleased that people are sending their First Communion photographs.  The pictures are always so lovely & First Communion and Confirmation Days are such an important  part of our childhood memories.  For these beautiful pictures, I have to thank Cynthia Murphy Downey.  The pretty little girls are Cynthia  and her cousin, Marie Madden. 

 

Cynthia Murphy and Marie Madden, before
going to St Patrick's Church to receive
First Holy Communion

 

First Communion, Cynthia Murphy
 

 

 

Cynthia has also sent us a photo of the Holy Cross First Communion Class of 1955.  Cynthia's husband, Ted Downey, is on the extreme left in the back row.  Have you ever seen a more angelic looking group of boys?

 



First Communion Class, Holy Cross School, circa 1955

 

 

Thanks Cynthia for this beautiful addition to our St Patrick's Convent School Blog.  Contributions are always most gratefully received.

FIRST COMMUNION CIRCA 1958

This beautiful First Communion picture has been received from LIZ FINNEY CROFT.  She said it was 1958 and she was in Grade 2.  Liz is in the front row, far right.  While Liz remembers the day well, she cannot remember the names of the other girls in the picture.  Do you recognise yourself or anyone else on this picture?  Let us know if you do because Liz, as well as the rest of us, would love to be able to put names to the young faces.

First Communion, St Patrick's Convent, circa 1958
(Right click any picture to enlarge it)

Thank you very much, Liz, for sharing this lovely memory with us. If anyone else has First Communion or Confirmation photographs to share, please send them to us at mcallistersmith@gmail.com and we would be glad to post them on the school blog and facebook page.