Bit nerve racking when you enter competition, will it be lost with the thousands of entry's. Regardless I love what I do and I wouldn't be doing anything else, best of luck to all, huge amount of talent out there
To see my entry selection click here​ 
I called it 'In death only,  will we under life in its entirety ​

​Gaigue National School Ballinamuck County Longford
It was a photo in a national paper online version, that got this cat first curious and then , the cream.

Upon seeing a image of a school that was, but now no more, within County Longford intrigued me, why I didn't i know about this gem of photographic worth.

I met the owner's brother by chance, and told me it was first built back in 1888. a school he went to being form the area, and not only that but his grandmother also taught him.

Brian McQuaide, Gaigue Ballinamuck County Longford, a famer as was his parents, Franck and Ellen both also form the same area.

I wanted to find out more about than a quick couple of photographs, and he not only indulged me, but brought me to friend and Neighbour, PJ Connolly, whom had also being to that same very school.

Gaigue national school was much like any school of its era, they both told me about the normality of school during them times.

Not all history is one you can look back in with rose tainted glasses, if you fell fowl to either teacher or principle and fellow pupils, it was the worst place to be in the world.

Pj recalled going to a local  for a swift pint one xmass eve, when there was an elder gentleman their, upon which the barman commented to Pj and another regular watch this, il get himself started, the man was in his 70's at the time, but when the barman asked him about what school he went too, well, expletives, and aw and many sighs were out pouring. It geos without saying said PJ, that if you fell fowl, it never left you, to still have such a strong hold of you, in your old age, i think that explains the cruelty of it.

But in saying that, that was only in some rare cases, but tough all the same, but I never had that, and I remember My friends dear Grandmother whom taught there lovely lady. Mary McQuaide, she gave me once a Florence two shilling  piece, with a salmon on it. Many fond memories of the school, another teacher Miss Murphy, who was married to a Garda, stationed in Arva, always was trying to teach us proper English pronunciation , special our T's and H's. Chuckles as he remembers, even when i had finished school or was helping my family on the farm, i could hear Miss McQuaide trying to teach the kids how to pronounce  Thunder, and some kids would say it like thun dear haha.

The School had no water, and on our land just literally across the road form school, used to fetch the water from here in a large white pale.

Id say roughly schooled 120 to 130 pupils,  there was 6 classes in total, started at 4years of age, everything was done proper as Brian was saying, there was no messing, there was no excuses like there is today, you couldn't miss school, and you were in serious trouble if it was told to yer parents, ye were spoken too for bad behaviour, something I believe in strongly, and there was a positives form the side of the church with many parish priests also. The principle was a master Duignan Peter Duignan, form Gaigue Crossroads, was a firm strict principle, also few other teachers Miss Quaide, miss Murphy, Miss Meagher. Was in the late 50's when I went to school there, also have a famous student that schooled there, Mick Flavin the singing sensation, in one of his videos , did it in the school yard there. Unlike most that went to school, they had the benefits of oil heating,  we and whatever pupils parents had Turf, brought turf to the school, and sometimes we also wen tin our bare feet not that we hand'nt shoes, but it was said to toughen our feet, only during the good warm weather. There was one job, that a back in the day a tinker wanted to do, was muck out the toilets, only a days work in it, if i remember correctly he lived on the road no to far away. But school back then, unlike today, you wore proper clothing, was a mixed school, girls had proper dress, and the boys trousers,, but as we have said already, we were no different to any other school of its day. During the summer Pj recalls, Cousins use to visit form Dublin, now they were wild bucks compared to us, and they would lead us astray, the shape on the roof the v shape, we used to get on roof and run up and own it, now we never did huge damage, but loosen the odd tile, that a local builder was ever always grateful for, Paddy Ginty.

Id say roughly schooled 120 to 130 pupils,  there was 6 classes in total, started at 4years of age, everything was done proper as Brian was saying, there was no messing, there was no excuses like there is today, you couldn't miss school, and you were in serious trouble if it was told to yer parents, ye were spoken too for bad behaviour, something i believe in strongly, and there was a positives form the side of the church with many parish priests also. The principle was a master Duignan Peter Duignan, form Gaigue Crossroads, was a firm strict principle, also few other teachers Miss Quaide, miss Murphy, Miss Meagher. Was in the late 50's when I went to school there, also have a famous student that schooled there, Mick Flavin the singing sensation, in one of his videos , did it in the school yard there. Unlike most that went to school, they had the benefits of oil heating,  we and whatever pupils parents had Turf, brought turf to the school, and sometimes we also wen tin our bare feet not that we hadn't shoes, but it was said to toughen our feet, only during the good warm weather. There was one job, that a back in the day a tinker wanted to do, was muck out the toilets, only a days work in it, if i remember correctly he lived on the road no to far away. But school back then, unlike today, you wore proper clothing, was a mixed school, girls had proper dress, and the boys trousers,, but as we have said already, we were no different to any other school of its day. During the summer Pj recalls, Cousins use to visit form Dublin, now they were wild bucks compared to us, and they would lead us astray, the shape on the roof the v shape, we used to get on roof and run up and own it, now we never did huge damage, but loosen the odd tile, that a local builder was ever always grateful for, Paddy Ginty.
in photographs Brian outside school and to the right of the photograph with Pj Connolly