Big celebration as principal in Offaly with ‘incredible service and open heart’ retires

The Principal of St Mary’s NS in Cloghan in Offaly, Valerie Daly, retired from that position recently.

A special Mass to mark her retirement was offered in St Mary’s Church earlier in the morning, followed with entertainment by the Army band from Athlone, presentations and speeches back at the school.

Fr Pat Kiernan said, “Valerie went to college in St Patrick’s College Maynooth and trained as a secondary school teacher. She worked in lots of schools in Offaly and Westmeath, both in Secondary Schools and Primary Schools. She also worked in St Joseph and St Saran’s Secondary school in Ferbane and then worked for a time in Lumcloon National School and the Girls National School in Ferbane. However, it was during this time that she fell in love with teaching in Primary Schools.”

Valerie made a big decision then and went back to studying - retraining with Hibernia College and got a permanent job in St Cynoc’s National School in Ferbane where she stayed until 2012. Later that year she took up the Principal position in Streamstown National School in Westmeath. However, when the Principal's position was vacated in her adopted village of Cloghan, in St Mary’s school, eleven years ago, Valerie’s application and subsequent interview was successful and she commenced work there as the new Principal on September 1, 2014.

Mrs Daly read a poem which she titled “The Journey” and which she composed herself for the occasion. She mentioned and thanked everyone who has supported her down through the years as well as including a little bit of religion “thanking our Lord who brought us here”.

Chairman of the Board of Management, Pat Walsh mentioned how Valerie Daly drew great support from the local community, from the members of the BOM and in particular from the Parents Association. He also mentioned the many changes that she made in the school over the last eleven years, with the financial support of the PA committee.

“Members of the PA committee,” he said, “arrived in the school one evening and installed toilet roll holders, hand towel and soap dispensers in all toilets. Cloakrooms and storage rooms were changed into classrooms to make way for the growing numbers enrolling in the school. New books, laptops and interactive boards to support teaching were added.”

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He outlined the items like fridge, microwave, kettle supplied by the PA committee for the Nurture Room developed in the school. Vegetable and flower boxes were introduced outdoors and last year the Sensory School Walk was created and will be finished this year. He went on to mention how the Principal had introduced the idea of a “junior infant teddy” for all new pupils “which is now a tradition in the school and how much that means to the young pupils”.

Pat Walsh said it was an absolute pleasure to serve as Chairman of the BOM with a person of ambition who fostered teaching and creating a learning environment that has inspired, encouraged and supported pupils and staff. “She has built a partnership with the parents, parents association and the locality,” he said as he encouraged the parents committee to keep up their great support.

Marie Cassidy on behalf of the PA association said “as parents, we entrust our children to the school each day with the hope that they will be safe, nurtured and challenged to grow. Under your leadership Mrs Daly, that hope has been fulfilled for the past eleven years”. She then thanked the Principal “for your incredible service and open heart and we wish you the very best in this next chapter, whether it be travelling, relaxing, spending time with family, knitting or simply enjoying mornings with no early bell.”

She congratulated the Principal on her retirement and said “you will be greatly missed and always remembered”.

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