“The leading sportsman was Harold Downey from Bessbrook. He could run the length of a hockey pitch with the ball on a stick, and slam it into the goal. Bertie Priestly, also from the `Brook, would travel in a posh Aston Martin saloon, while Ray Rowland took a dozen of us to a wild party at McCracken’s in Hilltown, with the road covered in snow and ice. I doubt if he had a licence!”

Kathleen Hosey (nee Irvine) who was a prefect in 1938/39, described the school as being “bare, with long corridors and noisy footsteps. I sat beside Gladys Whitten and we became firm friends.” After becoming a teacher, she went to live in Co. Sligo, and reported that, when the headmaster, Mr Clarke had retired, he had gone to reside in the same county.

Sport has played a major role at the school, dating back to that historic occasion in 1950, when the premier trophy in hockey, the Burney Cup, came to the frontier town, twice in three seasons. In fact, the team won 15 out of 16 games, scoring 68 goals and only conceding five. When the final whistle sounded the pitch was invaded by jubilant supporters.

Captained by Dessie Wilson, the team consisted of G. Morrison, A Lyons, E. Barton, C. Richardson, I. Dougan, D. Baker, H. Morrow, R. Aiken, J. Arlow and J. Wylie, with EF Agnew as coach and team manager.

Over the years, Newry High School has collected various trophies, including the Richardson Cup in 1972/73 as well as the Burney Cup and the Irish Schools Cup in 1978/79. Players such as Geoffrey Hosford, Noel Mears, Fred Martin, James Crawford and Marshall McConnell represented Ulster and Ireland. Also, President Mary McAleese praised those players, who represented Ireland in winning the Under-16 and under-18 European Championships at Rotterdam.

And the trophy cabinet also contains cups and awards from the General Consumers Council; Queens University History Competition; Van Dessell Choral Trophy; a Cross-community Award; First in the National Schools Challenge for 1995; a massive Golf Cup, won on 1980; the Robinson Perpetual Cup; the Hoose Cup for hockey; and the major Silverwood Hotel Cup.

Meanwhile, music has been to the forefront, especially in the decade with Ms McCarthy in charge. Many honours were brought to the school at Ashgrove, especially by choirs competing at Newry Feis and Portadown Festival. They also reached the finals of the Granada TV School Choir Contest of 1983. School productions are staged every second year.

And, of course, past pupils like George McKee, Heather Caldwell, David Cunningham, Margaret Mulgrew, Irwin Major, Billy Cowan and Trevor Whitten, along with Wesley Livingstone and his daughter, Gladys McCague have entertained audiences for decades in Newry Town Hall, as well as bringing international glory to the frontier town.

A top accolade came to Newry High when the Royal Society Award was presented to the school in 1986, for its “achievement in extending links with industry.” And the same year it became the first school in South Down to establish its own bank, which provided easy access for savings accounts, with personalised cheque books. Professional assistance was given by the Northern Bank.

On the Arts scene, Dr A.W. Rodgers was in charge from 1957. Many of his pupils followed a career in art and graphic design. Mr Rodgers, who held exhibitions of his work in Dublin, also played soccer for Belfast Celtic and Linfield, cricket for Cliftonville and hockey for Newry Olympic. He would have starred at rugby, but the out-half position was held by the legendary Jack Kyle!

Tragedy struck headmaster, JM Clements, who had presided over the amalgamation of Newry Grammar and Newry High in 1966, when the Senior certificate was replaced by the GCSE. Retiring in 1976, he died just a year after the premature passing of his daughter, who had been a gifted and popular teacher at the Belfast Road school.

Mr Clements had stated at the Annual Prize-giving: “School exists for children, not to provide teachers with jobs. But educating children can only proceed through the efforts of teachers. School buildings, books and bus-services are insignificant. Clearly it is the teachers who lead pupils to vision and greatness.

“The Newry district has a fair distribution of able, dedicated teachers. Schools are concerned primarily with intellectual development. But there are many kinds of excellence, and schools should set out to recognise them. Schools should also provide a wealth of out-of-school activities, organised by an enthusiastic staff,” added the headmaster.

At present, students at Newry High School can engage in a wide range of activities such as Horizon (a cross-community project), sport, music, ski-trips, school magazine production; Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and charity fund-raising. Students from Newry High and St Paul’s at Bessbrook part in a joint skiing holiday in the French Alps.

As the principal, Mr Ronnie McVeigh articulated: “I hope that parents will appreciate the importance of having such an uniquely inclusive school, to which they can send their young people, confident that their educational and pastoral needs will be well provided for.

“And I hope that the community will support the school, helping it not only to survive, but live up to its motto, and provide a `quality education for all.` A thriving Newry High School is essential for the health and well-being of the Newry and district community.

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