st anthonys parish east belfast

[marty1953]

Wow Ronnie that is some story,yes some of the teachers,and teaching methods were cruel too say the least,vinty mulhall,dick treacey ,liked using the strap& cane,the school was a relic from the Victorian era.

[olelad]

Never fails too  amaze me even tho we were burnt out,shot at,people murdered,a lot of people have fond memories of the east

my own opinion on the east or wherever you once lived is the memorys. like how many people spend there whole lives in the one area ?! not to many . people move for all loads of reasons. the thing we all have in common is the suddenest of been put out. no goodbyes fleeing for our lives. thats the big differance. like the place or not its were are childhood memorys lie. going to school for the first time. first fight. first fag, first kiss the list is endless those memorys we take with us forever. as i said that wee dander the other week sparked aload of memorys mostly good. im proud to be a belfast lad born north belfast but spend most of my time in the east. 

[marty1953]

Yeah I agree,have a lot of fond memories of the east,and still a soft spot for the glens,tho when I followed them they never flew the  union. Jack  in a corner of the pitch,but will probably end my days there,St  Bernadette's,the ranch,Malone,Rosario ,..great

[smith19]

Right oh folks. It was nice to see the photographs of harry hart and Miss Kennedy the only two teachers from 1945 to the mid 50's
and I lived in number 9 Willowfield Drive ten yards from the school. I have still to know something about my father who no doubt is playing a harp somewhere seeing I am 72 now. So if anyone out there has any news of my father, his name was James or Jim Carleton and though he worked on the railways he lived in the Ballymena area and Belfast. I was born on the 5th of January 1941
and went to St Anthonys. Now about the school.Now not good memories of any sort except for the two fine teachers I mentioned above.  I lived with my grandmother Kilgannon in Willowfield and she was a mother to me.
For some reason I still do not know about I did not have any education at that school except for art and religion, the religion beaten into me by Miss McCarthy, Mr McManus the head master,  later Mr MaHall who was headteacher who used a leather strap and was brutal with it. In the end I stole that strap and threw it onto to the flat roof above the girls class room. So my education at that school was washing the boys toilets, picking crusts out of the play yard and taking them in a bucket to the local convent for the nuns hens, taking milk in bottles around the class rooms for students and in winter, stoaking the boiler with coke and under ground. When I left at 14 I was handed a blue card to say i had reached 7th Standard which was a lie of course because I could not read, write or do any form of maths. I knew meli, and the smiths, duffy, the Morgan brothers who I liked.
Though retied I have studied Forensic Anthopology in the past and archaeology as well as being a wildlife officer. So all in all by education started when I left school 

Well,well, well, then is this not a welcome cry from the past, and a past which coincides exactly with my own? I remember you well and you have admitted to and solved a mystery which eluded us for all these yerars. The sudden disappearance of Finty's leather strap. I can recall when he had it made and used it on us poor feeble pupils with great relish.   Those who you say you knew would include me in "the smiths" for there I was in 19 the Crescent and attended St.Anthony's during your years. I remember we always puzzled about yourself being called Carelton and living with Mr. and Mrs. Kilgannon. Did not your grandfather look after the plot of land behind the church where was built the parochial house and now built over with housing? I recall those days with great fondness, for Willowfield was a happy and contented place and thankfully we were of a time before The Troubles came upon us. You certainly had a rough time at the school and I would not have known that you were kept until you were 14. I hope life has been kind to you and you have been rewarded for your endeavours. So I am  the middle brother of us three - Brian and there were - and still are - twin sisters.    Keep well.

[Wee Winnie]

Here are more names to add to this list, all of whom are in the photograph below (kindly donated by Winifred Braniff
Carmel Ward
Margaret Connolly
Josephine Tohill
Irene Brown
Ann Benson
Doreen Toner (RIP)
Betty Turley
Jean Lundy
Ann Joyce
Ann Smith
Linda Groon
Philomena Kelly
Gertrude McCarthy
Patricia Agnew
Elizabeth Ferry
Aine Morton
Geraldine Toner
If anyone would like to get a copy you can send me a pm with your email address.

[Wee Winnie]

. Re class photo.  Just a name amendment.  Linda Groon (not Jones).

Does anyone remember Miss Curran (used to scare me to bits)?  Miss Edwards, Sister St Francis, Sister Mary Frances.   Remember going to the shop a few streets away to buy fiz, Indian liquorice and bubble gum??  I am 72 so there may not be too many of us left!!!  Left St Anthony's 1950 to go to Fortwilliam Dominican College. Lived in Dublin for 34 years now in beautiful Newry.

[smith19]

. Re class photo.  Just a name amendment.  Linda Groon (not Jones).
Some people have it all - Belfast, Dublin and Newry!! I do remember them all but they did not teach me. Mr. Harte, Mr.Mcmanus and Mr. Flinty Mulhall had that distinction. You may remember my BIG sisters, Marie and Stephana twins. There are a few of us left.

Does anyone remember Miss Curran (used to scare me to bits)?  Miss Edwards, Sister St Francis, Sister Mary Frances.   Remember going to the shop a few streets away to buy fiz, Indian liquorice and bubble gum??  I am 72 so there may not be too many of us left!!!  Left St Anthony's 1950 to go to Fortwilliam Dominican College. Lived in Dublin for 34 years now in beautiful Newry.

[olelad]

marty did u ever get a butchers at the scrapyard site ?

[Rose8]

Does anyone remember Miss Curran (used to scare me to bits)?  Miss Edwards, Sister St Francis, Sister Mary Frances.   Remember going to the shop a few streets away to buy fiz, Indian liquorice and bubble gum??  I am 72 so there may not be too many of us left!!!  Left St Anthony's 1950 to go to Fortwilliam Dominican College. Lived in Dublin for 34 years now in beautiful Newry.

Well, Wee Winnie, there are still some of us alive and kicking. Kathleen Howard, Colette Coulter, Sheila Toner, Kay McCartan, Kathleen Lundy (from Ravenhill Rd),Eileen & Phyllis Williamson, Patricia Agnew, Anne McCarroll, Breda Magee.
 
Yes, Miss Curran got married late in life (well we thought she was very old but prob only about 40 then ). She became Mrs McAvoy, I remember us being told that we had to call her by her new name! She ended up a few years ago in a nursing home where my daughter-in-law worked and her wee devoted husband sat with her every day until she died.
 
Miss Edwards lived to a very old age - I met her in the Bank one day when she was about 90. She had become so tiny and bent over but still had all her faculties. She only died a couple of years ago. She was great at school, although strict she was totally fair and taught us a lot.
 
Was that shop called "The Imperial"? We got a penny every day to spend there and we got so much for that penny . What would the grandchildren think today if you handed them even a new penny!!

[Rose8]

75th CELEBRATION MASS
 
On Wednesday 16th October St Anthony's Parish Willowfield will celebrate 75 years of the opening of its church.  Concelebrated Mass will take place at 7pm with Bishop Noel Treanor and clergy who have served previously in the Parish. The Mass will be accompanied by music and song from St Anthony's Parish Choir.
 
Light refreshments will be available afterwards in the school.
 
All past parishioners or those associated in any way with St Anthony's are welcome to attend this celebration Mass.
 

[olelad]

75th CELEBRATION MASS
 
On Wednesday 16th October St Anthony's Parish Willowfield will celebrate 75 years of the opening of its church.  Concelebrated Mass will take place at 7pm with Bishop Noel Treanor and clergy who have served previously in the Parish. The Mass will be accompanied by music and song from St Anthony's Parish Choir.
 
Light refreshments will be available afterwards in the school.
 
All past parishioners or those associated in any way with St Anthony's are welcome to attend this celebration Mass.

Im very tempted to attend this event. we went to one 10 years ago ? which was on a sunday. 4 of us went and enjoyed the ocassion.
unfortunalty its unlikely ill make it this time around.

[olelad]

how did the night go rose ?

[marty1953]

Hi olelad,the night went very well  the old church was almost packed,members and ministers from local Protestant churches came along,and quite a few went up at Commuion to receive a blessing ,would have liked Father Stephen to say more on how the church was attacked,and the Catholic population dispersed through East Belfast,but maybe not the proper time ,Joe Hendron was there lived in the east and went to St Anthony's ,never knew that.had to use side entrance and noticed the police had a car,parked were the old Parochial  hall sat.spoke to jim dobbin and had good chat with Jackie Fitzpatrick,Jackie retired from  la salle recently .

[bjay]

Marty, there were Dobbin's in Clonduff. i think they moved to Finaghy in the early '70's.   Was Jim from that family?

[marty1953]

Yes the very man ,when he left  Finaghy he  moved  out to Greenislamd