Old C.B.S and former Fever Hospital built in 1829 by William Burr. It continued to be a Fever Hospital until 1849 when the Workhouse was built in Tyone. On the outbreak of the Crimean War it served as an auxiliary barracks for Nenagh Militia.

In my day it was a grim and foreboding school and seemed to be permanently cold. By the time you had left the reasonable shelter and safety of the National School, you were almost a quivering wreck with hearing the horror stories of what to expect in the 'big' school. You were filtered through a small picket gate into a playround surrounded by stark and foreboding greyness. There would be no 'joy' to be found here. Instintively you knew to keep quiet and not to draw attention to oneself. The buildings were old and well-used. Some of the stone stairs had noticeably worn steps which challenged many pupils on wet days. Those and the grim outside toilets left an impression of a building straight out of any Dickens novel.

Being forcefed Irish and Religion added to the overall ambience. The sight of the men wearing their black dresses with the ubiquitous "leather" tucked into their belts as a permanent reminder that violence would be visted upon you here. There were of course the legends that if you placed horsehair across your palms or fingers, it would break the Teachers stick. It never worked of course but yet the story persisted, even for leathers.

Picture also, all of the pupils lined up in the nearby Guards Field with different coloured flags, waving them in unison, in formation, mimicing something out of a Nuremburg rally. In later years, the abandoned building became a childhood playground after the Brothers vacated. The Orchard was especially prized. It was also an opportunity for payback and inherent vandalism with some graffiti added to the Brothers private quarters as my comment on their legacy.

After the symbolic march through Nenagh from the Old school in Johns Lane to the new premises in Summerhill, the boisterous and excited pupils were paused for the inevitable photo.

Nobody was allowed to wear outdoor shoes inside the new pristine school. At this time most young lads had cleats or studs in their shoes and boots, designed to make the shoes last longer and create sparks on the pavement. We had to change into slippers with the inevitable outcome of slipper fights, stolen shoes and slippers, embarrassing holed socks, and the pervasive smell of feet.

One of the odd ball projects we were tasked with was to provide jamjars full of worms so the newly created GAA pitches could be aerated. Woe betide he who didn't fulfil his duty.... !

Some of the later Secondary school teachers