Mary I Alumni

dambarude

Hello and welcome to all Boards posters who are former students of the college! If you're passing through the forum, please be sure to post here and tell us about life was like in Mary I when you were a student. Mary I is often thought to be a bit backward, as you can see:


SIZE="1"]See the Facebook Mary I memes group for more[/SIZE

... but what was it like for you? Have you visited since you were here? Do you dream of your days in the Foundation Building, the library, or later, the prefabs?!

Nostalgia most welcome!

D4RK ONION

Oh sure back in my day it wasn't even a college. It was a collection of fields where the nuns used beat us with whatever they found lying around. Sticks, nettles, sticks wrapped in nettles etc.

They were tough times to be sure, walking FIF-TEEEEEN miles to college and back but ah to be sure twas worth it.

dambarude

D4RK ONION wrote: »

Oh sure back in my day it wasn't even a college. It was a collection of fields where the nuns used beat us with whatever they found lying around. Sticks, nettles, sticks wrapped in nettles etc.

They were tough times to be sure, walking FIF-TEEEEEN miles to college and back but ah to be sure twas worth it.

Mary I has obviously come a long way since 2010.

byhookorbycrook

Spent 1st year in the famed res-block, like a little worker bee. We had to polish the floors before each holiday.We also had to sign out if we were going to be out past mid-night and the rumour was if your name were to be in the book too often, you'd fail your year.:D

Girls had to buy, according to the list we got before we went in "two pairs of navy knicker shorts, heavy quality" which we had to wear under cullottes for PE-which for girls seemed to be endless dance with the odd (
(very odd) game of basketball thrown in.

We had to use the spirit duplicator, so you did your worksheet on something like a purple carbon paper and then put in into the machine and turned the handle. The smell of the spirti had us all half-stoned by the timne you'd do 2 sets of 30!!

(And we left in 1989!)

The best thing about Mary I was the friends we made, 7 of us are still
great friends, we go away together at least 2 times a year.
I'd meet most of the gang a few other times as well and we all keep in phone contact at least once a fortnight.

byhookorbycrook

Oh and Damba, that first picture isn't a million miles away from the Pioneer pilgrimmage to Knock,we used to stop on the way back and dance a set in Gort. Sr. Redempta was head of Gaeilge at the time and used to organise the trip, so lots of Pioneers for the day used to take the trip.

dambarude

Brilliant byhookorbycrook! I was waiting for you to say you graduated in 1970... but 1989? Wow.

Freiheit

I was really disappointed at the powercut at the graduation ball of 2000. It wasn't even a bad night so I couldn't understand it. Think it was the Fitzpatrick,think we only got the first course of our meal. They actually knew in advance that the power was going to go,so there was a free bar for a half/three quarters of an hour as some compensation (it was none!) before the whole venue fell into darkness. We were in our turn evacuated into town and 'the globe'.

There was a vote as to whether to hold another ball,it was rejected,disappointing as I didn't get to say my final goodbye to a lot of people,including a girl I liked,turns out she had a boyfriend though,so just as well I was spared the rejection!:)

stakerwallace

dambarude wrote: »

Brilliant byhookorbycrook! I was waiting for you to say you graduated in 1970... but 1989? Wow.

Let's say I was there in the early 1970s and the French Lit. section in the library was advertised simply as French Letters. Wonderful innocence!

mordeith

Freiheit wrote: »

I was really disappointed at the powercut at the graduation ball of 2000.

I went to Paris instead of the grad ball. Pissed rain the whole time :rolleyes:. Would have preferred the free bar and dark hotel

sparklyEyes111

I finally decided to rejoin after months of innocently reading the threads! It would take a Mary I thread to get me to rejoin wouldn't it ha. . .

I'm also an alumni, newly so as I only left last year. . .B.Ed class of 2011 anyone ha?! I wish the jobs situation was better at the moment, I'm just subbing away most of the time.(Clearly you can guess I'm off to-morrow being on at this insane hour ha - I've a flight at 8 so decided to just stay up late!) Still, as much as I loved the social life, I don't miss the college at all!! Delighted to be out of there!! So many things to hate and love in the place. . especially T.P. . how I loved T.P(ha), and the college using examiners who have never thought a primary class in their lives. . I will never truly understand that one ha! Happy to be out now though, the 4 year B.Ed doesn't sound as appealing to me as when they first talked about it for the ones only starting this year. . 3 was enough for me any way!!

I do miss the college life though big time. . bring back trinners on a thursday night, it's mad to think it's gone. . .even if it was only a mary I standard of college life with the big workload ha!

Broadsider

Hey ..
I haven't many posts as you an see , but had a giggle thinking back on my time in Mary I .. '84/87 ..
Too many crazy and quirky stories to even begin to relate but ,
I remember HAVING to go to an organised trip to Knock (Not doing this pilgrimage would automatically have you fail Irish for some bizarre reason..) .. We stopped off on the way (I think it was Gort) to do an Irish set (No, really!) ..

Then one of my pals filled a plastic bottle with holy water , only to have it taken off him by "Sr. Pot plant" (she seemed to have the onerous job of keeping all things potted alive in a corridor affectionately known as Siberia) , apparently she wanted the bottle for her own personal use ..

Having arrived in Knock a group of intrepid explorers sneaked off and had a pool tournament in a local pub in Knock .. Pictures were taken of us standing triumphantly in front of crossed cues, that later appeared in the Student Union Mag .. Unsurprisingly, my Irish exam marks suffered as a result. ..

Great great times though .. I've not taught in over 20 years , but still look back to those three years in Mary I with great fondness .. Ah the naivety!!!

Anne Other

I was there in the 1990's, sometimes it felt like the 1890's.

Poxyshamrock

Have you seen the campus in recent years? It's not too bad these days. There are some really nice parts. If they could do something with the areas by the computer labs, we'd be flying it!