The Teachers' View

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The whole event was excellent. Both the Taoiseach and Prime Minister were very friendly people and were easy to deal with. Formalities were kept to a minimum. I would love to see both of them return to the school in the near future for a further Questions and Answer session, where a large number of students would be able to debate issues with them. I felt that it was a great day for staff and students. It was an historic occasion. It is a visit that we will cherish for years to come. We can be very proud of our school. Br Cashel
	As former teachers of our Taoiseach, Mr. Bertie Ahern, we were delighted with yet another visit by him to his Alma Mater, which he has never forgotten over the years. We were particularly pleased that he should honour us so much by bringing his friend, Prime Minister Tony Blair, who was a great success with both students and staff. We will long remember this historic day, which will go down in the annals of our school and of our country. We wish them success in their continuing efforts to bring about peace and reconciliation on our island. Mr. Gilbert Hughes (Deputy Principal) Mr. Michael Coffey 27^th Nov. 98.
Visitors come and go but yesterday's dignitaries were the crême de la crême. We would have been nervous, excited overawed if even one of the entourage had visited us before; The Taoiseach, the British Prime Minister, the British Ambassador to Ireland, The Irish Ambassador to England, the Minister for Education and Science, the Minister for Public Enterprise. Not to mention Mr Dell himself and Mr Telecom! Just as well we were unaware of the depth of dignitaries in our days of preparation, or nerves would have been frayed! Questions, answers: "there are three" not "there is tree". 'Head up, speak up, feet on floor, don't fidgit'; Shirt clean, tie straight, shoes polished, don’t be late. What if? Don't worry. Take your time, no hurry On the day, fuss and flap; hours of waiting Suits with mobiles congregating. Students patient, calm and dignified Articulate and intelligent, watch with pride. Phew! A.O'Driscoll
	If major events are measured by the extent and intensity of the preparations which take place beforehand, then the visit of the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, accompanied by its eminent past-student, An Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern was a very important and memorable occasion! As was fitting such an historic visit, no aspect of school building or life was left unaffected: premature spring cleaning all round, plant life was treated to extensive tender loving care; students acquired new skills of window cleaning and vacuuming; major decisions concerning floral arrangements, furniture positioning and guards of honour, were made after prolonged deliberations. For days beforehand, the school population increased as technicians, personnel from security, protocol, media and other public sectors mingled with bemused students and teaching staff. Excitement and anticipation was in the air - always welcome at this late stage in the term! Up to moments before The Visit, even technical and inevitable delays simply added to the excitement, so that it was with a spontaneous and heartfelt enthusiasm that the school community welcomed its very distinguished guest - Mr Tony Blair, on Thursday, 26^th November 1998. Mary Brannigan
Guards of Honour! While we waited in the half drizzle for our guests we kept ourselves amused eyeing the security men for suspicious bulges which showed 'they were packing' as one knowledgeable student informed us. Suits with mobile phones kept up a running countdown - 10 mins ….. 5 min……2, and the cars finally arrived. Bertie came down one side of the line shaking hands; Tony took the other. One of the guards on the "wrong" side was heard to mutter, "You can get Bertie anytime." Word flashed from outside to inside the school ahead of the visitors, and they surfed out of sight on a wave of clapping. A kind of silence. And then a student asked a nearby teacher "Do we have to come back to school at 2 o'clock?" Life moves on. The show is only starting for those in the school hall. For us the job was done. Milo Connolly
from "Cnucha - A History of Castleknock" by James O'Driscoll (privately published:1982) We understand that this is not covered by copyright. If we are in breach of copyright please tell us and we will change or remove as is fit.	Victoria Regina sets Honourable Member Good Example The historic visit of British Prime Minister, Tony Blair to an Irish secondary school on Thursday 26^th November 1998 was almost unprecedented - but not quite. For right at the beginning of the 20^th century another notable British dignitary paid a courtesy call to another Irish secondary school. On Sunday April 22^nd 1900, with just a few days notice, Queen Victoria herself, accompanied by her retinue, paid a short but welcome visit to Castleknock College (just west of Dublin City) where she was received enthusiastically by staff and students alike. The president of the college, Fr Joseph Geoghegan, welcomed the imperial monarch and thanked her for the high honour she had conferred on the College by her visit. The Queen expressed her pleasure at being there and asked some questions about the number of boys in the college and about the history of the old castle in the grounds. The queen seemed much interested in the history of the school and its site. A few minutes later the royal party departed in their carriages, "amidst another salvo of rousing cheers", in the words of the College Chronicle of June 1900. Kieran Casey
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