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Farewell bash for Leta
Allison
02.10.09
by Simon McGeady, Inishowen Independent
PUPILS past and present will gather at the Malin
Hotel this Saturday, October 3, to honour the former
principal of Donagh National School, Leta Allison.
Leta taught at the Carndonagh Church of Ireland
National School for 32 years before her retirement
at the end of the last school year.
The Redcastle woman says she had ‘hoped to go
quietly,’ but still thinks it’s nice that parents
have gone out of their way to mark her retirement.
Leta’s long career began Dublin in 1972 when, after
graduating from the Church of Ireland College of
Education she took up a teaching post at nearby
Kildare Place school in Rathmines.
Her stay was a short one as that same year a
position came up in her native county, at Raphoe
Central, where she stayed for five years before
coming to Carn.
“Back in 1977 I was the first assistant teacher at
the Donagh School. I took over as principal from Mrs
McKeague in the early 80s.”
In 1992 Donagh N.S. moved from a prefabricated home
beside Donagh Church to a permanent home building on
the outskirts of town.
“In my first year as principal the prefab was badly
damaged in a storm. We were lucky really because
that day water was streaming down the walls and just
after home that evening there was a phone-call to
say the roof had fallen in. We were accommodated at
Carndonagh Community School for a time and
eventually we moved back into a prefab, but the
parents decided it was time to have a concrete
building of our own.” |
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Leta from Tullyally,
recalls only a few problems during her time in
charge of the school but prefers to concentrate on
the achievements of past pupils such as Zoe Doherty,
who plays international football for the Republic of
Ireland women’s team, and Alanna McCandless who went
on to get the highest marks in the State in her
Leaving Cert Spanish exam.
“It wouldn’t be fair to single out any past pupils
for special praise but several have made names for
themselves in areas like business, music and sport.
It was also gratifying to see former students come
back to us for teacher |
training experience.”
Leta is looking forward to enjoying a long
retirement with her husband Heaslett.
“I decided that it was time to step down and give
the job to someone younger. I am really looking
forward to enjoying my retirement and the slower
pace of life. I was at the National Ploughing
Championship last week for the first time, I never
had the opportunity before because I was always
working.”
Ann Scott, one of the organisers of the retirement
do said she hoped for a big attendance in the Malin
Hotel. “We are gathering at 7.30pm, with a buffet
supper set for 8pm. The 37 current pupils of Donagh
National School will sing a couple of songs and
there will then be a presentation to Leta.”
Ann said she hoped to see as many past pupils as
possible at the function and added that the
organising committee were working on getting a
couple of faces from Leta’s school past to attend.
“We have a couple of things planned that Leta
doesn’t know about, but I don’t want to give
everything away at this stage.” |
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