Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,

 Cork Independent, 13 June 2013

Technical Memories (Part 57) – Seán’s Memories

I met Seán Ó Coileáin last year during initial research for the Crawford Municipal Technical Institute. He attended the institute from 1934 for three years. He was originally from Kildorrey in North Cork and moved to Cork City at the age of 15 to live with his uncles so he could further his education. In recent years, he has penned a memoir on his own memories of the city at that time, part of which is a memory of the Crawford Tech. I publish some of his memories this week.

Seán: At the age of 15 [1934], it was decided that something in the artistic line was called for, in deference to my aptitude for drawing. We called first to Sullivan’s Quay, Christian Brothers and Nora, my sister, spoke to the head brother. The upshot was that I was to report there the following week. However it did not stop there and we went on to the School of Art and talked to Hugh C Charde, the principal. After looking at some sample drawings of mine, he said that I was more a draughtsman than an artist. So we proceeded to the Crawford Technical Institute and spoke with the principal John F King. There was no draughtsman course as such, but mechanical drawing would be part of any course. There were three main specialised courses – electrical engineering, motor engineering and building, three year courses and a one year continuation course, which was a kind of introductory course to the three specialised ones. So it was agreed that I would sign for the continuation course. There was an entrance exam, which if passed, by-passed the introductory course, gave a free scholarship into one of the specialised courses. One could save the £1 course fee. It was decided that I should enter for this exam, without any expectation of passing it. The exam took place on 3 September and consisted of Irish, English, arithmetic and freehand drawing.

In the Irish part one question one was to write an essay on “The life of a loaf of bread”, which we had done some time before in Scart NS, which was a big help. The drawing question was to draw a bucket. Next day Nora, my sister, delivered me down to the Tech as I didn’t know the way – over the next three years I got to know every inch of it – up Pouladuff Road, down Evergreen Street, along the Bandon Road, down Pickett’s Lane to Gillabbey, down Bishop Street to Sharman Crawford Street and so to the Tech. I went in the front door to the entrance hall and joined a queue for the principal’s office where on eventual arrival, I faced Mr King across the table. He asked me for my name and informed me that I had a free studentship. I accepted the motor engineering course first but then changed to electrical engineering. The standard in motor engineering was so low that not enough qualified to proceed to second year and a few of the students were transferred to first year electrical at the end of first year.

On Monday 10 December 1934, when I reported at the tech for the start of the course, I found that the whole school was gone to mass at SS Peter’s and Paul’s Church, so I decided I’d better follow. I had not a notion where the church was, and asked directions from someone and repeated the query at every turn and eventually arrived in time to meet the congregation coming out. On returning after lunch, I was directed to an Irish class in a lecture room on the first floor. I wondered what Irish had to do with electricity. Miss Lucey Duggan, a sister of Archdeacon Duggan, and later Professor of Education at UCC was the teacher.  When I gave my name, she noted my exam had gone well and remarked on my ability in the Irish language. The next class was woodwork and again I wondered when we’d be introduced to electricity. We signed on in pairs and you more or less remained paired with your co-signee for the term. One lad W H Barafather, seemed to a very decent kind of fellow, so I signed with him. I remember three clever lads from Cobh, Jim Hennessy, Bill Damery and Mill Buckley. I remember John Lee and Edward Davis, John O’Grady. John Kelleher, Jim Hill, Less than half of the 18 in the class graduated to second year and only three of us in the class managed to graduate to third year. It was a tough course.

At physical training, we used to mingle with the motor engineering class. I can only remember two of them, one with the surname Long and the other a big 6’ guy named Capithorne. I used to enjoy the physical training, twice a week, 5pm to 5.30pm, which was mainly swinging on the parallel bars and I became very agile. It used to be carried on in the yard, the high wall of which cut us off from the Protestant Bishop’s garden.  A few times when the lads were kicking football in the yard, the ball went over the wall and some of the boys went over after it- a procedure the gardener took umbrage at. The physical training instructor was T O’Sullivan who had a gold pocket watch, which chimed on the hour.

To be continued…

Caption:

695a. Seán Ó Coileáin, Mallow, 2012 (picture: Kieran McCarthy)