Page 76 - The Gonzaga Record 1988
P. 76
the stinging lash of the biffer was to be avoided, its swiftness and finality
gave it a certain merit over more lingering punishments. One wonders if
the Jesuits of today have any regrets at its disappearance.
Of my classmates in the earliest years, two stand out - Denis Feighery
and Iorard Delaney, who were by far the strongest boys in my year. Iorard
was a bluff, good-natured fellow in relations with his classmates but he
was in perpetual conflict with authority as long as he was at Gonzaga.
He and his family emigrated to Canada after some five or six years. Denis
Feighery may well have been the strongest schoolboy to attend Gonzaga
at any time. To a lesser fellow, the enjoyment of such a massive
superiority of physical strength over his classmates, and indeed over
everyone else in the school, would have afforded an irresistible tempt-
ation to become a bully. Denis's monument was his unfailing restraint,
which he had to maintain at times even in the face of deliberate
provocation by those who knew that he would not exercise his full might.
Timothy Webb was the outstanding pupil. He was to gain first place in
class virtually every year for the ten years he was in Gongaza. He
balanced his academic pursuits by being a fine all-round sportsman. In
rugby, Tommy Eustace, David Coyle, Marcus Hunt and, until his leg was
broken in a tackle, Brian Davy made their mark.
An early attempt was made to introduce the rank of Prefect among the
boys in the top class. This led to a daily physical challenge during lunch
hour in the front field, which was then surrounded by a wire and post
railing, between the new Prefects and the entire population of the two
lower classes, and the idea was shelved.
Fr Timothy Hamilton taught Irish in the first year; later he was to
return as my first teacher in Greek, in Senior I. Fr John Murphy taught
English, Religious Knowledge, and Geography as well as taking charge
of rugby. It was in the course of his Geography class that I was first made
conscious of the partitioning of Ireland. After a year Fr Keane arrived.
Our first steps in Latin were taken with him. Soon afterwards, Fr Jack
Hutchinson, now regrettably deceased, and Fr Stephen Redmond, two of
the decentest men I have ever known, came to the College. Fr Hutchinson
sought to lighten the burden of compulsion by passing on his love of the
Irish language and all things Gaelic to his pupils. He attempted
unsuccessfully to introduce hurling into Gonzaga. Fr Redmond suffered
from the fact that hi s principal subject, History, was regarded as of
secondary importance on the School curriculum; and his unshakeable
faith in human nature made him a less effective disciplinarian than other
masters.
In addition to his teaching duties Fr Keane was in charge of rugby for
my age group; he was also in charge of the school cricket team. It was,
I think, in the Summer of 1952 that he presided, in the capacities of
cricket master and umpire, over a match which demonstrated the
disadvantage of a new sc hool starting from scratch by comparison with
an older one with an established tradition in the game. Gonzaga Under
74
gave it a certain merit over more lingering punishments. One wonders if
the Jesuits of today have any regrets at its disappearance.
Of my classmates in the earliest years, two stand out - Denis Feighery
and Iorard Delaney, who were by far the strongest boys in my year. Iorard
was a bluff, good-natured fellow in relations with his classmates but he
was in perpetual conflict with authority as long as he was at Gonzaga.
He and his family emigrated to Canada after some five or six years. Denis
Feighery may well have been the strongest schoolboy to attend Gonzaga
at any time. To a lesser fellow, the enjoyment of such a massive
superiority of physical strength over his classmates, and indeed over
everyone else in the school, would have afforded an irresistible tempt-
ation to become a bully. Denis's monument was his unfailing restraint,
which he had to maintain at times even in the face of deliberate
provocation by those who knew that he would not exercise his full might.
Timothy Webb was the outstanding pupil. He was to gain first place in
class virtually every year for the ten years he was in Gongaza. He
balanced his academic pursuits by being a fine all-round sportsman. In
rugby, Tommy Eustace, David Coyle, Marcus Hunt and, until his leg was
broken in a tackle, Brian Davy made their mark.
An early attempt was made to introduce the rank of Prefect among the
boys in the top class. This led to a daily physical challenge during lunch
hour in the front field, which was then surrounded by a wire and post
railing, between the new Prefects and the entire population of the two
lower classes, and the idea was shelved.
Fr Timothy Hamilton taught Irish in the first year; later he was to
return as my first teacher in Greek, in Senior I. Fr John Murphy taught
English, Religious Knowledge, and Geography as well as taking charge
of rugby. It was in the course of his Geography class that I was first made
conscious of the partitioning of Ireland. After a year Fr Keane arrived.
Our first steps in Latin were taken with him. Soon afterwards, Fr Jack
Hutchinson, now regrettably deceased, and Fr Stephen Redmond, two of
the decentest men I have ever known, came to the College. Fr Hutchinson
sought to lighten the burden of compulsion by passing on his love of the
Irish language and all things Gaelic to his pupils. He attempted
unsuccessfully to introduce hurling into Gonzaga. Fr Redmond suffered
from the fact that hi s principal subject, History, was regarded as of
secondary importance on the School curriculum; and his unshakeable
faith in human nature made him a less effective disciplinarian than other
masters.
In addition to his teaching duties Fr Keane was in charge of rugby for
my age group; he was also in charge of the school cricket team. It was,
I think, in the Summer of 1952 that he presided, in the capacities of
cricket master and umpire, over a match which demonstrated the
disadvantage of a new sc hool starting from scratch by comparison with
an older one with an established tradition in the game. Gonzaga Under
74
