The Murray family of James and Hilda Murray and their six children lived at Portnagolan on the Cliff Path above Cushendall beach. Jim was in the Royal Navy and while on duty in New Zealand met Nurse Hilda Bond, married her and returned to Ireland. Four of their six children attended Glenann Primary School.
Memories of my school days at Glenann Primary School are in a series of flashbacks. The long walks to and from Cushendall to school at Glenann. Sitting on a long bench dipping my pen in the ink well on the desk and writing between the lines on my book. Miss Duffy whom I thought must have been at least 100 and who seemed very cross all the time. Another memory of the younger classes following her down beside the river which runs past the school, looking at the hedgerow flowers, wild roses, primroses and watching dragon flies skimming over the water. A nature walk on a beautiful Summer day.
My brother Christopher sitting with a goose quill in his hair, and smiling. Miss Duffy thought that it was a punishment to put the quill in the hair of anyone who was naughty. Christopher, always an exhibitionist thought it was great.
Answering the roll called by Master McAuley in Latin. Poetry learned and listening to my sister Ann who always had a dramatic bent, standing in front of the class putting great pathos into “I Must Go Down To The Sea Again” or “The Old Woman of The Roads”. Anne who is older and sat at the back of the class in Winter used to fill the room with the smell of toast as she stuck her lunch sandwich on her pencil and held it to the huge fire which heated the room near the fire and kept the far corners freezing. Playing in the yard, the older pupils (Ann amongst them) bouncing over the river on overhanging branches. Younger brother Christopher always climbing broke his arm for the third time in his first year at school (the other times were adventures at home) by falling off the wall.
My older brother Jim was quieter and I hear that Ann used to help him out with a swinging school bag if anyone bullied him. Our younger brother Jonathan and sister Pauline were too young to attend Glenann as we left Cushendall in 1952. We were growing older and it was coming time for the older ones to continue with the next stage of schooling. The tutoring of Miss Duffy and Master McAuley gave us a good all round start to our education. Literature, mathematics, general knowledge, geography (with a mum from New Zealand we had a head start on knowing something of the other side of the world) we had a much broader start to our learning than many children have today.
Ann went on to travel, live in Germany and she and her Italian husband worked in the American Embassy in Bonn, met President Kennedy and other lesser charismatic Presidents of the USA. Their daughter Lara is an interesting mix of Irish/Italian temperament and character.
Jim went to London University, travelled too, and in Australia also passed many exams and is a QC, Patent Law Attorney amongst other titles. The oldest of his three children born in Australia, is Dr. J. Murray of the Department of Applied Mathematics and Astrophysics at Leicester University,
I am next in age, and also travelled starting at 18, first to New Zealand, then several years in Germany working for Reuters and Time International, jobs I loved, it was an interesting time in the ‘60’s with the cold war in Europe and dramatic new stories breaking all the time. Writing is my secret passion and I have a book of short stories to be finished one day – when I have time! After travelling around the world several times I married and then settled in New Zealand where my son Matthew was born. My wish for him is to travel to Ireland with his wife and look up his Irish heritage. His allegiance of course is with the All Blacks but he supports Ireland during epic rugby matches.
Christopher also travelled back and forth across the world, spent a lot of time in the USA and he too has a love of words and his interest is in writing for movies. Pauline and Jonathon the youngest of our family who I feel missed out in not having their early schooling at Glenann, have travelled too, and live in Australia and New Zealand with their families and still travel extensively.
As with many Irish who travel far from home – Ireland has always been part of my life and with a wonderful family reunion in May last year, our ties were reconnected. It was a happy day we called by Glenann School and be given such a welcome and a cup of tea!
I will look forward to visiting the school this year when I plan to visit Ireland again, and have a look at the records of the past years of Glenann school and sending well educated young people out to make a difference in our changing world.