It was quite a surprise to the community of teachers, pupils and parents at St Catherine’s National School when it was announced that the long-standing and much-admired Principal, Ger Ó Sé announced his retirement in the middle of May this year.

Mr Ó Sé had been Principal at St Catherine’s for fifteen years since his appointment in 2009 and had led during a period of significant expansion for the school and established the school as a centre for music and the arts within the area. Notable achievements included the establishment of the Fingal International Festival of Voices, the opening of the brand-new school building which was completed in March 2016 and the growth in student numbers to over 330 pupils.

On 26th June, pupils, parents, teachers and former students gathered for a celebration of Mr Ó Sé’s time at the school and to wish him well for his retirement. Many students sang, performed, read poems and spoke about their memories of how Mr Ó Sé had helped them at school. One recurring theme was fondness at which the children remembered being met at the gate by the principal each morning and the many, many high-fives and fist-bumps. Some even mentioned the occasional request to perform a dance before being allowed into the school on some mornings!

Andrew Mitchell, chair of Board of Management, spoke fondly about working with Mr Ó Sé and thanked him for all his hard work, commitment and dedication – including clearing the path with a shovel on winter morning after a heavy snowfall. On behalf of parents, Matthew Semple, chair of the Parents’ Association, spoke about how Mr Ó Sé had welcomed his family into the school community when they moved to Rush several years earlier and thanked him on behalf of both families from Rush and those who have moved to the town.

Teachers at the school also spoke about their experiences and described how Mr Ó Sé had shown great leadership and inspired their teaching whilst driving up standards and attainment. One teacher, 2nd Class teacher Stephen Hegarty, also spoke amusingly about how such was Mr Ó Sé’s love of music, that some of the staff had learnt to add a musical element to any requests as a way of guaranteeing success!
During the retirement assembly Mr Ó Sé received many gifts from those wishing to express their gratitude, including a 2024 Leaver’s Hoodies that was presented by a pupil in 6th Class, who like their principal will also be leaving the school this year. A very tall cake was also presented to Mr Ó Sé by keen baker Erin Cartlidge and like the story of the loaves and fishes, such was its size that it was sufficient to be shared out to all present after the assembly.

Towards the end of the assembly, Mr Ó Sé, spoke movingly about his time at St Catherine’s National School. He explained how his Mum who had taught him to read, inspired his own love of books and learning and who took him to school on his first day in 1968. Then in a very touching moment, he introduced his Mum who was in the audience and there to see his last day at school in 2024. Mr Ó Sé thanked everyone, including all the parents for the very good behaviour of their children and explained how his job had been so enjoyable that it had never felt like work.

We are sure that Mr Ó Sé, or Ger, will be greatly missed by a large number of students, teachers, staff, parents and the board of management as well as the wider Rush community.