St. Mogue's former principal pays tribute to school
The vocational school is the subject of From Workhouse to College: St Mogue's College 1932 - 2006, a new book by James McGuinn a former principal of the school. The book lists all the names of the students who enrolled in the school down the years to 2001.
In the introduction, the author describes the efforts of Horace Plunkett to introduce technical education into Ireland and mentions the setting up of the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction in 1899. Within a few years technical classes were held in Swanlinbar, Corlough, Bawnboy and Ballyconnell.
When Bawnboy workhouse closed in 1925 it appeared to be only a matter of time before it was knocked down. However an enterprising local committee under Mr. Patrick Prior as chairman, lobbied to have a second level school opened in the building. In 1932 the Minister for Education agreed and granted permission to open a vocational school in the workhouse. The building served as a vocational school up until a new school was built in 1966.
The school also catered for night classes and secretarial classes and names of some of these classes are included. Project work was very important in the school especially in the 1970s when the school swept all before it in competitions. The school catchment area straddles the Fermanagh border and a number of projects studied the impact of the Northern troubles on the area. Some photographs from this project are included in the book and give a harrowing insight into the violence of the time.
There are some excellent photographs of classes, football teams, camogie teams (the school won the All-Ireland senior schools' camogie championship in 1982), quiz teams, school tours, staff and many more.
• The 164-page book is available from Tierneys', Bawnboy and Realta Centre, Ballyconnell. It is priced at €15.
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