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Wednesday 22nd June marked a day of celebration in Madden, when staff, past pupils and the wider community, gathered to commemorate education in the area. With the children of St. Joseph’s taking receipt of their new £1.5 million school in October, thoughts turned to commemorating the historical significance of the current school.
The school which opened in 1954 has offered a fantastic educational facility over the past 56 years and has been the basis of education for hundreds of families from Madden and the wider area.
Keen to commemorate the school, past pupils and staff from the past 6 decades gathered in St. Joseph’s Church Madden to enjoy a celebratory mass. Many of the past pupils read readings of reflection and the mass proved to be extremely poignant.
The singing at mass was beautifully presented by the school choir ably assisted by the past pupils choir. Many of the family names in this choir have been synonymous with music in the Madden area for generations and included the Mc Cuskers, Grimleys, Kiernans, Mallons and Smiths.
After mass, returning pupils made the short journey to the school to enjoy a photographic exhibition which documented many of the events which have made the school so special. Tales of years gone by were exchanged by many of the pupils who were able to identify class mates from almost forgotten photographs. The returning visitors viewed documentaries and interviews which had been created to commemorate the closing of the school.
The event proved to be very moving as St. Joseph’s PS prepares to close one chapter in its history, ready to begin another with the opening of its new school building.
