Who were they indeed? Those individuals who stood in front of our classrooms, instructing us on various subjects, were not just teachers. Beyond the confinements of the school, they had different lives, which were alien to us unless you resided in a compact, insular town where gossip spread like wildfire. There, everyone knew everyone else’s children intimately.
In a city or larger town, however, these educators could maintain their invisibility. It would often come as a shock to discover them carrying out mundane tasks like ordinary people, such as visiting local shops with children in tow. I recall my fellow students and I were always thrilled to encounter our own teacher casually, after a game perhaps, less restrained and more jovial than we were accustomed to seeing him with a piece of chalk in his hand.
It wasn’t half bad, that glimpse into his world. But what about those religious figures who once played a significant role in educating the country’s youth, only to be replaced by secular teachers? What did they engage in after school hours? Did they harbour personal dreams and ambitions like the rest of us? Who were these individuals truly? What were their childhoods like? Did they relinquish all pre-existing interests and pastimes to enter consecrated life? Did they ever question their commitment to their austere lifestyle? Could they visualise an alternative existence?
Their austere, monotonous attire was no aid in our understanding of them. It dismissed the notion that a person’s unique character should be reflected through their clothing. But despite their appearance, they were still individuals, revealed through their speech and conduct.
The Presentation Brothers played a key role in my agricultural development, they were not the same Christian Brothers who generate controversy in contemporary accepted history, rather than the history of previous religious times. Despite their common roots with the Christian Brothers, they had a different bond with the local Bishop, symbolised by the distinct collar they wore.
In contrast to the Christian Brothers who retained their original family names, allowing anyone to identify their roots – like being able to guess that Friar Mac Cárthaigh hailed from Cork or that Friar de Paor hailed was of Deise origin – the Presentation Brothers adopted entirely new monikers, potentially concealing their backgrounds. This distinction wasn’t shared by the Presentation Brothers, who opted to take new names, possibly masking their origins.
Some of their chosen names carry significant meaning, such as Friar Pius, presumably named after the various Popes, or Friar Bonaventure in homage to a 13th-century Italian Saint. However, not all names were so transparent – the reasoning behind Br Borgia, a name associated with the Borgií, a family one would hardly associate with the Christian faith, remains a mystery. The same can be said for the likes of Br. Baltasar or Sergius – would anyone know their whereabouts?
Many of the brothers could not be considered saints, whilst a select few may be seen as ‘blessed’. Despite this, the vast majority of them were undoubtedly kind and demonstrated great enthusiasm in their teaching. Concepts taught by the brothers remained with us, with their teachings being perceived differently by different individuals. Such is life, isn’t it?