Ardrossan Academy

Post about your old school - ask about old school pals
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morag
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Re: Ardrossan Academy

Post by morag »

lol!
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down south
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Re: Ardrossan Academy

Post by down south »

Thanks for the extra information, George and Meg. I'd remembered there was a list of names but I wasn't sure about them, so I left that bit out. There may even have been another list in a second verse.

If your brother remembered me , Jane , his memories DEFINITELY wouldn't be very flattering ; so we might do best to leave that one lie... I was certainly far from being the pretty little girl you mentioned; wonder who that was. If the truth be known,I'm always rather relieved that nobody who knew me back in those days is active on this site ( though I daresay there may be a lurker or two out there raising their eyebrows ).

I was another who went to the lunchtime recorder lessons; crammed into one of the little rooms along the Parkhouse road front, with scarcely enough room for us and a few music stands.We played at a concert too,though I don't remember what; nothing so entertaining as your Z-Cars certainly. Our most memorable concert triumph was in Primary 7 when Mr McGrath, who replaced Mr Tait and who we had instead of Mrs McDougall that year for some reason, formed all three remaining primary classes into one huge choir and we sang a selection of Spirituals.When all 120 or so of us gave out a rousing chorus of the likes of " Go Down Moses ":

Go down Moses
Way down in Egypt's land
Tell old Pharaoh
To LET MY PEOPLE GO !!

it made quite an impressive sound, to say the least.

Susan





Susan
jane
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Re: Ardrossan Academy

Post by jane »

Donald wheres your trousers was sung by Andy Stewart in the 60's, who used to be on the White Heather Club on the TV. Fancy it being taught in school now!
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Re: Ardrossan Academy

Post by jane »

I think the little girl my brother liked and took to the cub party was Lilias McVicar, she lived at the top of Glasgow Street. I was told all the boys in the class liked her. we moved down south when my brother was 10.
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Re: Ardrossan Academy

Post by JammyDodger »

JammyDodger wrote:
down south wrote: I've been hearing it said in another topic that there isn't much traditional Scottish music learned in school these days , but we certainly did with Mrs McDougall around.

Susan
I know it's not quite the same as the traditional music referred to, but my daughter, who is in P4 at St Peter's in Ardrossan has been learning 'Donald Where's Your Trooser's' to sing at their assembly this week. Donna
There's hope yet, on enquiring further with my daughter about what other classes did for their Scottish assembly, she told me a class sung that other great classic, 'The Jeely Piece Song!' Donna //perfect
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Re: Ardrossan Academy

Post by John Donnelly »

down south wrote: Our most memorable concert triumph was in Primary 7 when Mr McGrath, who replaced Mr Tait Susan
Susan,

that wouldn't be Joe McGrath with the glass eye?

JD.
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Re: Ardrossan Academy

Post by down south »

i think his name WAS Joe McGrath, John, but no glass eye as far as I ever knew...can hardly think I wouldn't have been aware of such a thing. He was too young anyway to have been a teacher in your era; he was a youngish man with wavy hair and glasses, maybe thirtyish back then ( around 1967 ). Could possibly have been a relative I suppose.

Not too sure about what you said, Jane; the classmate I knew who lived at the top of Glasgow Street was Sheila, who fits the bill perfectly...very attractive and popular girl. I never met Lilias McVicar, though I did know of her and remembered her unusual name.She was the sister of someone else who was in my class, and must have been two or three years younger than us, because she wasn't at the Academy primary. No idea where they lived. I did see in an earlier post that you had younger sisters about that age who were at Winton, so maybe she was someone they knew there.

Not to worry anyway , I wasn't really asking seriously .

Susan
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Re: Ardrossan Academy

Post by John Donnelly »

Hi Susan,

Joe and I were at school together, so the age is about right. He came from Dalry, - might have been Kilbirnie.

Might not have been a glass eye, but I'm sure he was blind in one eye.

JD.
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Re: Ardrossan Academy

Post by jane »

The only girl my sisters keep in touch with is Evelyn MacIntosh from the Winton and they are still in touch with her in Ardrossan. They were only 6 or 7 when we moved away.
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Re: Ardrossan Academy

Post by down south »

Apologies for misinterpreting , John. Unlike in so many other cases I haven't got a photo of him, alas. BUT I had the brainwave of looking in the St Michael's class photos, and if he's the Joe Mc Grath in this one from 1959:
https://www.threetowners.com/school-pho ... -michaels/

then he could well be him, because he's not unlike him except for the glasses. There's a John Donnelly in the other one of the same date, so I take it that may be you ?

Can't really tell you that much more about him if he is the right one; he was still teaching at the Academy whem I left, but when we'd reached the secondary he usually took the boys' singing classes while Mrs McDougall had the girls ( until she left to become head of music at Irvine Royal ) , so I don't have many memories of him apart from that one from primary days.

Susan
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Re: Ardrossan Academy

Post by John Donnelly »

Hi Susan,

That's the Joe McGrath I'm talking about.

You have not noticed that there are 2 John Donnellys in that photo, and I am neither of them. This was 3B, and I was in 3A.

On our first day at St. Micks, classes 1A and 1B combined for music with Sr. Mari Callista, and there were 3 John Donnellys in the class. Remember the routine with new classes, - 'stand up and say your name and I'll get the face and name together?' The first two caused great consternation, and when she said 'next,' that was me. It took me ten minutes to convince her I wasn't taking the Michael.

JD.
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Re: Ardrossan Academy

Post by jane »

Hello Susan

I have just been speaking to my sister, she says Lillias was in her class at Winton and also the sister of Sheila was in her class (Joyce) - we think the surname was Kirwan. They all used to meet at the top of Glasgow St and go to school together.

Do you remember some of the other boys in my brothers class - Alistair Campbell, he lived round the corner from us and also Don McCall (he had bright ginger hair and the family moved up nearer to Glasgow).

Jane
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