St Thomas’ Secondary Intermediate School was opened in September 1957. In April of that year, I remember the muscular caretaker, a local man, showing me around the empty, gleaming gymnasium and the new-smelling, loud tiled corridors. All the sounds of walking through an empty school that has no thumbprints feel oddly spooky. A cement mixer […]
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Literary geniuses side-by-side in staff-room of local school
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Celts’ Bohemian rhapsody found in dusty archive
101 years after it was taken, an historic photograph of Belfast Celtic while on tour in Europe has emerged from the archives. Painting a fascinating picture of the club’s 1912 tour of Bohemia – now the Czech Republic – the image [opposite page] was uncovered this week by the Belfast Celtic Society. Celtic’s official touring […]
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Man who left his mark on the Falls
The architect behind some of our most stunning buildings, including St Mary’s Dominican Convent on the Falls Road – now part of St Dominic’s – has been celebrated this week with the launch of his complete works of poetry. The poetry of Pádraic Gregory, who served as a Falls Road councillor for many years after […]
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Hardly a fleg to stand on as Mr Haass moves in
A SINN Féin motion condemning the loyalist attack on Lord Mayor Máirtín Ó Muilleoir in Woodvale last month was opposed by the DUP on Monday night. They argued that a hell of a lot of things have gone on over the summer and it would be wrong to concentrate on a single issue like a […]
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A genuine master in all senses of the word
I attended St Joseph’s Training College in Belfast in the early 1960s (then known as the Ranch). One of our English lecturers was Seamus Heaney. After graduating from Queen’s University he taught briefly in St Thomas’ Secondary School. The headmaster was the acclaimed short story writer Michael McLaverty who encouraged his writing. He was appointed […]
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Hotel tragedy a tale of luck and bad luck
Just after 5am on July 26, 1910 Constable Shilvey was making his way along Donegall Square North towards the Black Man statue. He was heading to College Square RIC barracks to write his report, as he finished at 6am. Just as he reached the statue he noticed smoke billowing from the Kelvin Hotel in College […]
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