‘Modest’ Rose retires after 30 years as school secretary
By Aura McMenamin
A TALLAGHT school’s long-time secretary bid farewell to the “wonderful” children and staff after decades of years serving Scoil Chnoc Mhuire. Rose Foley began working in the Killinarden school in 1987 and continued there until her retirement in December.
School principal Orla Hanrahoe described Rose as ‘modest’, saying: “Rose is a lady. She knows all of the children in the school by name. She’s a really special person, and she’s so modest.”
It’s no wonder that Rose received a fitting send-off on Friday, December 22 with a special celebration in the school hall.
Rose recalled: “Oh my god, the celebration in the school. On the morning, they called everyone in for assembly. They called me up at the assembly where the students presented me with a memory book, they had lots of little memories of me.”
The school’s choir, one of Rose’s favourite aspects of the school, sang ‘Somewhere over the Rainbow’. Rose said she was “totally overwhelmed” during the assembly.
Rose, a long-time resident of Kilnamanagh, said she was taking cherished memories of the school with her, such as the area of Killinarden, the school’s choir, dance group and the generosity of the students, parents and staff on her last day.
Ms Hanrahoe said: “There were parents coming in with gifts, in tears and crying when they were saying goodbye to her. Rose, who has no children of her own, said that she considered the school’s ever-changing population of 177 children as ‘her own children’.”
After doing secretarial work for 50 years, first in a business and then in Scoil Chnoc Mhuire, Rose said she is looking forward to taking some time off. She said: “Maybe I’ll go on a few holidays. But I promised faithfully that I would attend the confirmation ceremony. I will call up to the school in the future.”
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