The year is 1874. In America, the Great Chicago fire rages, destroying 47 acres of the windy city. In Hungry meanwhile, the soon to be world famous magician Harry Houdini is just being born. While in Boston, in the heart of the Burren, Boston National School is officially being opened.
Over the past 150 years, thousands of young Clare people have taken their first steps in education in Boston National School.
Next Sunday, May 5, the school will mark this great milestone with a day of celebration while also officially opening its new, state-of-the-art extension.
A day of festivities will kick off at 2pm with the celebration of mass, followed by refreshments, family fun and games, live music and entertainment and the sharing of old school photographs and memorabilia.
Over the past few weeks the level of excitement and anticipation among the students has reached fever pitch.
“Everyone is very, very excited. All the students are getting very wound-up about it and the pressure is really on all of us to keep the cool,” said school principal, Áine Ní Dhochartaigh.
“We have many families who have seen generations of students come through the school.
“We have mammies, daddies, grannies and grandads who all attended the school, generations upon generations.
“But we also have a lot of families who are new to the school and the area as well. They have a great sense of belonging to the school and the community and they are getting very excited as well.”
The school is keen to bring the whole Boston community together for this celebration.
This includes local people who may have a generational connection to the school, North Clare people who no longer live in the area and people from other places who have made Boston their home.
“It is an open invitation to everyone who has had any connection with the school over the past 150 years. We didn’t want to go down the route of sending out formal invitations because there is always a chance that you would miss someone, so it is an open invitation to everyone,” said Áine.
“If anyone is available on that day, we want them to join us and enjoy the craic. We really want to bring the whole community together. We really hope that this will attract some people who don’t live in the local area anymore as well as those who are still in the community.”
The celebrations on May 5 will include a number of events to remember the past 150 years, along with fun, games and plenty of music.
“It is a combined 150 year celebration and the official opening of a new school extension. We are lucky enough to have a brand new classroom and learning support room with a wheelchair accessible toilet,” said Áine.
“We are going to have a mass to bless the new room and to remember everyone and everything that has happened here for the past 150 years and we will also be unveiling a plaque in our new extension.
“We will also have a host of local musicians coming to us to entertain the visitors to the school while we all look at old photographs and talk about old times and exchange old stories.”
Boston National School currently has 26 pupils, three teachers and one shared special education teacher.
The addition of a new classroom for the school has already made a massive difference to the everyday life of the students in Boston National School.
“We have a new state of the art classroom and a learning support room which also has accessible toilets and showers. It is a great addition to the school, it is really fantastic,” said Áine.
“We got into the room in March and have been using it a bit, but it will be fantastic to officially open it now that everything is fully tidied up and ready to go.
“But it is a great addition to the school. The kids don’t know themselves with all the space. They can enjoy all of this indoor space that we didn’t have before. When it is a rainy day, it makes life so much easier.
“It is such a bright and lovely building, overlooking the Burren. We are lucky enough that all of the windows are looking straight out onto the Burren landscape and the mountains.”
Andrew Hamilton is a journalist, investigative reporter and blogger who has been working in the media in Ireland for the past 20 years. His areas of special interest include the environment, mental health and politics.