Following on from the success of last year’s events to commemorate Drogheda-man Liam Ó Buachalla who was Cathaoirleach of the Seanad for fifteen years, the commemoration committee decided to distribute their surplus funds to two worthy causes last week.
Liam Ó Buachalla (1899 – 1970) from George’s Street had attended St Vincent’s school in Fair Street, before he transferred to St Joseph’s CBS Primary School at Sunday’s Gate.
He left school for work at twelve years of age but later attended night classes and successfully completed a degree in Economics and Commerce at UCD, before being appointed Professor of Economics at NUI Galway.
As chairperson of Galway Vocational Education Committee he was a great believer in second-chance education and lifelong learning.
For this reason the committee presented a cheque for a thousand euro to the Boomerang Club in Fair Street, which is a youth club but is also home to ESLO, a project that offers educational opportunities and other supports to early school leavers.
Liam Ó Buachalla loved the Irish language and was elected Uachtarán of Conradh na Gaeilge in 1940. It was therefore appropriate that Liam’s alma mater, St Joseph’s CBS Primary, would be presented with a 1,000 euro gift voucher to buy books, posters and other resources for the school library from the Conradh’s Siopa Leabhar.
Stan Buckley, with other members of the committee, Shirley King and Fergus Clarke, presenting a cheque for €1,000 to Seán McCluskey, a youth worker at Boomerang.
