ALMA MATER

In some ways I was the black sheep of the family. I was the one who didn't get into the A stream and who mitched from school. In those days people in Ballyfermot didn't have a lot of money. You'd heat up the water, fill the bath and take turns to bathe in the same water - but I was considered so dirty that nobody would take a bath after me! Although I was second youngest, I was always last to get into the bath.

At one stage I was one of the biggest mitchers going and was a continual embarrassment to my family. I remember one occasion, when Mr Herbert, the school inspector, called to the house. The next day when I left for school with my friend, Johnnie, we turned left towards the shopping centre instead of right to school - De La Salle.

When we got up to the corner, there was my poor mother wanting to know where we were off to. She frog-marched us down the road and was still behind us when we entered the classroom.

My mother was a quiet reserved woman and I felt that I had brought shame on her. I didn't give up mitching completely but I started to knuckle down and attend school more regularly.

I loved history - I had a good memory, so I could rattle off the dates. I was top of the class. I hated drill, though, for which we paid a penny a lesson. I had round shoulders and stooped and always felt useless and awkward. When I was 14 I left De La Salle and moved to the technical school on Kylemore Road.

Once you got out of primary school you were a big man. I couldn't wait to get into technical school where, instead of being slapped, you were given lines for misbehaviour. The atmosphere was much easier. You could talk to the teachers and they'd listen to you.

I disliked all the technical subjects - I was never any good with my hands and wasn't cut out to be a craftsman. I did, though, take a shine to maths - we had an excellent maths teacher, Mr NcNamara, who was extremely patient. As a result I managed an A in my Group Cert. I was also the only person in my class to pass Irish.

I used to get into terrible arguments with the priest in religious class. The issue of divorce was coming up. To me God was an exceptional person. I felt that he wouldn't want people to stay in marriages if they were unhappy.

I remember one incident in the school that really shocked us. We had new teacher who came from New Zealand. The word was that she was an atheist, which to us was a dreadful thing. During assembly I was always watching to see whether she blessed herself, but I never managed to find out!

At school I developed good relationships with the cleaners. Because I was in trouble regularly - for smoking in the yard or playacting - I was often put out of class. I'd waddle down to the cleaners' room for a chat. I still meet some of them around Ballyfermot and we reminisce about those times.

I was sorry to leave school. I was 17 and just beginning to understand what it was all about.

Tom Hyland is co-ordinator of the East Timor Ireland Solidarity Campaign. He was in conversation with Yvonne Healy.