Historic handover was a milestone event for a Tipperary school marking 125th anniversary

 An exhibition charting the story of the CBS High School Clonmel  is currently running at the Tipperary Museum of Hidden History in Clonmel.

This year the High School is celebrating the 125th anniversary of the foundation of the school.
The exhibition will remain open until June 7.

The historic handover from the religious to the lay was a milestone event in the story of the CBS Clonmel High School.

The transition from the Christian Brothers to the voluntary secondary schools sector was underway throughout the country since 1987/1988 before it occurred in Clonmel in 1991.

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Shay Bannon (pictured below) was appointed principal of the High School in 1991 taking over from Principal Brother Pat Madigan.
A short time before Shay Bannon arrived a Board of Management was appointed for the first time and it consisted of four trustees appointed by the Christian Brothers, two parent representatives, and two lay teachers.
Brother Craven and Brother Peadar Gleeson served as Chairman of the Board of Management before Aidan Barlow took on the role.

After the handover, two Brothers remained on the teaching staff, Brother Turner and Brother Devaney. “It meant there was continuity, their presence was a link to the past,” said Shay Bannon. Brother Michael Devaney, a native of Galway, finished teaching at the High School in 1998. He was the last Christian Brother to teach at the High School.

“He was a brilliant Irish teacher and was accomplished at debating. He was involved with Harty Cup teams with a number of schools. He died while living at the Monastery in Carrick-on-Suir in 2000,” said Shay Bannon in tribute to Brother Devaney.

Soon after the handover students were consulted on uniform policy and a major change was brought in with differentiation introduced with the creation of a senior and junior jumper. Soon after long hair was banned. “Teachers could not see the faces of the students as the hair was over their eyes and there was also a health and safety consideration concerning the science labs,” said Shay Bannon.

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“I was appointed in April and I came down to the Monastery and had lunch with four of the Brothers. There seemed to be an understanding among them that change was coming and it was about moving on. They were very welcoming and friendly to me,” he said.