Greek gold eluded young Snowball

DURING his visit to Clare, President Michael D Higgins met with some of his former classmates and recalled tales of the days when “Snowball” was working towards a gold medal in Greek.

President Higgins was heartened to meet with some familiar faces from St Flannan’s College at a reception held at Clare County Council’s offices in Ennis this week where he revealed his nickname at school was Snowball.

Explaining where the nickname came from, President Higgins said, “I was very pale and I had lots of curly long blond hair, I’ve lots of photos to prove this”.

While sights were set high at that time in St Flannan’s, President Higgins primary goals at school, besides getting results, was to win the Harty Cup as well as a gold medal in Greek.

“In my year, you wouldn’t win the gold medal in Greek if you had missed two or three marks. I got a very good Leaving from St Flannan’s but I wished at times in many ways that the teaching had been a bit softer. Very few people were going to university. I don’t regret learning Latin and Greek but it did take me a good time afterwards to read the history of science for instance,” President Higgins said. While the President admitted most of his class would have a 90% average in several subjects, the gold medal in Greek eluded him.

“I was in about third place for the gold medal, I got 394 out of 400 but that wouldn’t put you in the running,” he said.

Speaking about those who had turned out to meet with him at Áras Contae an Chláir, the President said it was “just wonderful to see neighbours, my brother, John, from Ballycar, sister Kathleen, from Shannon and some people, who had been at school with me in St Flannan’s, Joe Moloney and people like that. As well, it was very important that I came down to think about the various connections with Clare.”

He spoke of his love of soccer and his relationship with handball recalling “one of the most humiliating half hours” of his life – being drawn against Tuamgraney native, Pat Kirby, in the first round of the Gael Linn handball competitions.

“I think he lost his service once and I was just praying for it to be over, he was wonderful. I have very positive memories of Clare. It was on the late Donnie McMahon’s Honda I went to the Market’s Field in Limerick for the first soccer game I attended,” he recalled.

Former schoolmates and Ennis-based solicitors Liam Cahir and Joe Moloney spoke with President Higgins after the civic reception where they recalled their recent 50-year school reunion as well as their days in St Flannan’s.

Mr Cahir was in the same class as President Higgins, when he was a day student in St Flannan’s, the class was known as the scholarship class or schol class.

“It meant you should get a scholarship out of it. He would have been near the top of the class,” Mr Cahir said.

He recalled learning Latin and Greek with Mr Higgins under the tuition of Professor Paddy Gallagher, who he said was noted for having students who got the gold medal in Latin and Greek most years. Professor Gallagher’s late son, John Gallagher, used to sit beside the President at St Flannan’s, Mr Cahir recalled.

“We mentioned recently we had a reunion a few years ago, which he was at and he had declared himself for President at that stage. I followed his political career and he was exceptional. He is a great ambassador for the county and country and a top-class intellectual. I wish him a very successful seven-year term in Áras an Uachtaráin. He’ll do Ireland proud, his speeches are exceptional,” Mr Cahir concluded.

Meanwhile, Mr Joe Moloney also recalled President Higgin’s being a very bright student.

“He was a very nice young man, very studious, very intelligent and popular. I thought he was a really outstanding nominee for the President. We had our 50-year reunion a few years ago and he spoke at it. I would know his family and I met his wife, Sabina, on Thursday who is a lovely lady. I think he will certainly do the country proud. He has the ability and is very witty and very genuine,” Mr Moloney said.

Following the civic reception, President Higgins attended the East Clare Community Co-op in Scariff marking their 25th anniversary and thereafter he attended the Irish Seed Savers’ Association, where he officially opened the country’s first seed bank.