St. Comán’s Wood Primary School is officially opened
Last Friday was a very special day in the history of education in Roscommon town as St. Comán’s Wood Primary School was officially opened by Bishop Kevin Doran.
The day began with a special Mass at the Sacred Heart Church which included beautiful music from St. Coman’s Wood students as well as some very confident readings!
Bishop Doran encouraged the students to become a “circle of friends” and said that while some things may have changed at their school, the important things remained the same. He also thanked those responsible for ensuring the amalgamation went smoothly including last year’s Abbey Boys’ principal Teresa Hand Campbell and Scoil Mhuire principal Dr. Una Feeley. Dr. Feeley was announced as the new St. Comán’s Wood principal earlier this year.
The Mass itself was a wonderful ceremony for students, teachers and parents alike as the talented boys and girls came together to provide music and song for the occasion.
Following the official ribbon-cutting and plaque-unveiling later in the day, Bishop Doran said he believed “drawing from the Gospel has to be the inspiration for this school.” He added that he “very deeply valued” the partnership between Church and civil society and wished to maintain and enhance it.
St. Comán’s Wood principal Dr. Una Feeley said: “The decision to have one school unites our community. We may be on two sites but we belong to one school, one community working together.” She added that the school motto of ‘Live, Love, Laugh, Learn’ would “sit at the core of all action in the new school.”
She also paid tribute to the many people including local clergy, Parents’ Associations and the steering committee who had contributed to the creation of the new school. She included those who had been part of the two great schools which preceded St. Comán’s Wood as well as her current staff of 51.
Interim manager, Eugene Toolan, described it as a “wonderful occasion for Roscommon town and surrounding areas” before assuring those present that he was “confident that the staff and management will always put the needs of the children first.” He added that last Friday’s event was testament to all the hard work being done by staff and management behind the scenes and wished “sincere good wishes and blessings to staff and students.”
Minister for Communications, Climate Action and the Environment Denis Naughten was among a number of public representatives present on the day. He described last Friday as a “historic occasion.”
“This didn’t happen overnight, this involved a lot of dedication from the two sets of staff (Abbey Boys’ and Scoil Mhuire) over a number of years.
“We see amalgamation being forced all over the country but this certainly wasn’t the case here,” he said.
Minister Naughten added that while it wasn’t fashionable to acknowledge the role played by the Catholic Church in education, it was important to acknowledge the role played by the Sisters of Mercy and Christian Brothers in setting up schools in the area.
He concluded by highlighting the diversity which is evident in St. Comán’s Wood’s new crest and remarked that it was something “we should be proud of.”
Principal Feeley brought proceedings to a close with a look to the future.
“Albert Einstein noted that ‘A ship is always safe in the shore – but that is not what it is built for’. Our school is built to prepare our children for their journey into the future. May God guide us all on this important journey together.”
