After 130 years the position of Principal of the Secondary School passes from a member of the Presentation Sisters to a newly appointed lay principal.
Sr. Anne Nevin bids farewell to Presentation Secondary School and the local Ballingarry community after nine years of dedicated service as principal of the school. She had a previous three-year teaching appointment at the school in the late 1980’s. She is wished every success and happiness in her new appointment in her native city of Dublin.

Mr Tom Fennessey, a native of Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, who has taught at the school since the late 1960’s, has been chosen to uphold the long and illustrious educational and caring tradition established at the school by the Presentation sisters with the assistance of the lay staff. He took up his new position on the 1st September 2001.

Apart from being a teacher of English and Geography, Tom has been involved in every aspect of school life including school tours, field trips, Transition Year, Evening Study, the School Development Plan, and the new building project. He has also served on the Parents’ Council and Board of Management.
Mr. Fennessey is well known in the area and nationally because of his involvement in many sporting organisations including rowing & rugby.
Staff, Parents, Past and Present Students and Local community welcome him and look forward to the continuation of the long, proud tradition which began in 1871 when the first Second Level School was set up in Ballingarry to serve the educational needs of the area.

PRESENTATION BALLINGARRY 130 YEARS AGROWING

“The old order changeth yielding place to new and
God fulfils himself in many ways” Tennyson

When one looks back at the 130 years history of the religious and educational establishment known affectionately as ‘the Convent’, one realises how true Tennyson’s words were. Since its foundation on 22nd August 1871, the school has developed from being an elementary school at the outset to a renowned boarding school throughout the 1900’s and an ultra-modern voluntary secondary school of well over 300 pupils in the New Millennium. While the population in the area declined over many years, the current economic boom has stabilised the number of people living in the school’s vicinity. Changes in Religious Life have led to fewer nuns being available to dedicate themselves to teaching. The Presentation Sisters are no exception to this trend and the decline in their numbers has resulted in the closure and sale of the convent. Fortunately, they remain with us, living in the midst of the community in the village of Ballingarry.
The one thread of consistency through all this change has been the presence of the Secondary School promoting Christian values and providing education to the community. In effect, it is the largest service industry in the Parish employing 25 teaching staff, 2 full-time and 3 part-time non-teaching staff, who together provide a well-rounded education to 350 boys and girls.
2001 has been a momentous year in the history of the school with the appointment of the first lay principal, Mr. Tom Fennessey, who had been a member of the teaching staff for over 30 years. He replaces Sr. Anne Nevin who had given 9 wonderful years of commitment and service to the school and the community. The trustees of the school have also appointed the first lay Chairman to the Board of Management namely Mr. Henry Britton. Mr. Britton succeeds Sr. Alice Blackwell who has retired after many years of dynamic leadership to the school. Both the Principal and Chairman of the Board readily acknowledge the huge legacy of commitment to educational and Christian Living that they have inherited from the Sisters.
The Convent was established under the direction of Archbishop Leahy of Thurles. When the P.P., Dr. Fitzgerald died in 1868, he bequeathed his house and land to the Archbishop with a request that a branch of a teaching order be established in the Parish. Thus to fulfil Dr. Fitzgerald’s wish, the Archbishop arranged with the Presentation Order in Thurles for the foundation of a school. On August 22nd 1871 Rev. Mother Aloysius Greene accompanied by four members of the Thurles Community; Mother de Sales Ryan, Mother Regis Croke, Sister Patrick Butler and Sister Magdalene came to Ballingarry. These Sisters endured the trials and hardships of any new religious foundation but were buoyed up by the fact that more than 100 children were enrolled for the Elementary/Primary School that they had established.
The succeeding years brought developments and extensions to the Convent. There was the building of the Primary school, the establishment of a Boarding School in 1887 and the erection of a Chapel, which was consecrated by Archbishop Harty in 1916. The Golden Jubilee in 1921 saw great celebrations of Thanksgiving for five decades of progress and expansion. The Golden Jubilee of the Boarding School in 1937 brought messages and greetings from parishioners and past pupils at home and abroad.
In 1940 a substantial extension to the Convent resulted in the provision of classrooms, a study room and dormitories. In 1961 the first ever Pre-Fabricated school building in Ireland was erected. This is the present St. Patrick’s Wing, which has recently been refurbished for the Transition Year Programme. The other Pre-Fab wing of St. Joseph’s and the Old Hall were added, by degrees, in the 1960’s. The Old Hall has been extensively refurbished to mark the 130th Anniversary.
The 1960’s also saw great change with the introduction of free education by Donagh O’Malley in 1967. The Presentation Sisters encouraged by Canon Noonan saw the growing need to consider co-education. This they embraced with great enthusiasm, thus answering the needs of the time in the Community of Ballingarry and its environs.
The centenary of the foundation was celebrated. His Grace Archbishop Thomas Morris concelebrated the Mass of Thanksgiving. Among the numerous messages of congratulations was one from President Eamon De Valera. Many of the present lay staff were in attendance at this event thus underlining the loyalty that they have to their school. The 1970’s saw further expansion and development culminating in the opening of the present school in 1983. This was made possible by the most generous response of the local community to the fund raising drive which was spear headed by Sr. Rosario, Sr. Regis, Sr. Leo and Sr. de Ricci.
In keeping with the Presentation vision of justice and sharing, education was democratised and made more accessible by the establishment of a Parents’ Council in the 1970’s, a Board of Management in the 1980’s and a Student Council in the 1990’s. All of these bodies work in harmony and partnership with the staff in providing a well disciplined atmosphere and a happy working environment for our pupils. The contribution of all the people who give so freely of their time to these committees is immense and much appreciated.
Sadly the 1990’s was marked by a decline in the numbers entering the religious orders. Despite the best efforts of the Sisters, the Boarding School was forced to close in 1996 and this was eventually followed by the closure and sale of the convent in 1998. The Secondary School however remained vibrant and buoyant with numbers increasing, new staff members being appointed and exciting new curricula added. Foremost of these was the Transition Year which has become a major attraction for students with its wide range of subjects, work experience, production of a musical, swimming, civil defence, First Aid and the annual visit to the Adventure Centre at Delphi in Co. Mayo. The School prides itself in its role of providing a holistic approach to the education of the students. The school is renowned for its excellent results at both Leaving and Junior Certificate and takes great pride in the friendly and warm atmosphere that exists between parents, pupils and staff. All this is proudly celebrated at our Annual Prize Giving Day which has been graced by many illustrious guest speakers, namely John Lonergan, governor of Mountjoy; Dr. Tom McGrath of Maynooth; Senator Brian Crowley; Con Hogan, chairman Tipperary County G.A.A. Board; Professor Triona Clutterbuck and Mary Wilson(R.T.E.).
The year 2001, the 130th Anniversary of its foundation, was marked by the celebration of a Mass of Thanksgiving in the Parish Church, Ballingarry. Ambitious plans are afoot for the development of a new block of specialist class rooms, a reception area and entrance. The building of a new ultra-modern sports hall will cater not only for the needs of the school but also for local needs. The School Community marches proudly into its third century serving the needs of the people of Slieveardagh. In the words of our most illustrious and much respected former teacher Sr. de Ricci, we say “Ad multos Annos”.

Tom Fennessy