Two pupils of Mary Help of Christians G.N.S. interviewed their mothers, who are past pupils of Scoil Páirc an Fhionn Uisce.

Interview 1: An Interview with Harriet - a Past Pupil of The Phoenix Park School 1962 -1969

Sinéad: How did you get to school ?

Harriet: I walked to school.

Sinéad: What age were you when you started school ?

Harriet: I strated in 1962, so I would have started when I was four.

Sinéad: Describe your classroom.

Harriet: It was a small room. It had a stove with a chimney going up into the ceiling.

Sinéad: Were the classes mixed grades?

Harriet: Some classes were, but mine wasn't.

Sinéad: Describe your teacher.

Harriet: She was very strict. If you didn't know yur lessons she would take out a ruler and smack you on the hand.

Sinéad: What games did you play in the yard ?

Harriet: We played ...(thinking)...hopscothc, chasing, skipping. We were allowed in the park to play and in the autumn we used to gather leaves and make little rows to form the walls of playhouses. In the summertime we used to do gym displays with flags.

Sinéad: Did you like it there?

Harriet: Of course I loved being beside the park.

Sinéad: Were you there for long?

Harriet: I was there for two years befor we moved to the new school on the Navan Road.

Sinéad: Why did you move?

Harriet: The park school was too small for all the new houses so a new school was built in the new parish.

Interview 2: An Interview with Mary - a Past Pupil of The Phoenix Park School 1962 -1969

Eimear: When were you at school in Scoil Páirc and Fhionn Uisce ?

Mary: Between the years 1963-165 approx.

Eimear: Did you wear uniforms ?

Mary: Yes, they were the same as now.

Eimear: Did you have a yard or could you play anywhere ?

Mary: We had a yard and we would get in trouble if we went out of the yard.

Eimear: Were there teachers on duty?

Mary: Yes there were, same as now.

Eimear: How many classes were there in the park school ?

Mary: There were two classes to a room and four rooms.

Eimear: What did you have for lunch ?

Mary: Jam sandwiches on a Friday and small bottles of milk not cartons. We were allowed to warm the milk over the fire and toast our bread.