We walked to school each morning , frightened of guns on the street .
But no one said a word , it was a sign of being weak .
St Gabriels Secondary intermediate school ,
Hard men and boys , cool customers as a general rule .
At St Gabes we stood up tall and answered
Here , at roll call .
Happy to be present to do our best for one and all .
We lived through the unpleasant years with bomb blasts in our ears .
God knows how much we had to put up with ,
The tears ,
the fears .
The news each day was all the same .
A list of names to add .
The daily roll call was shorter .Not here sir it was sad .
A prayer for those absent friends was said ,
As their names were read .
We were missing a few players in the football we played .
We sung Faith of our fathers and rung the bells on Sunday .
And prayed our friends would be at school the following Monday .
Going to school in the troubles from Ardoyne to the gate ,
Was a walk that you could very easily get to hate .
But with Gods help we did it ,
We went to school and shut out the rattle and hum ,
the beat of the drum , the screams and shout .
Saint Gabriel's the school playground is quiet now at last
and the way of life has changed in the streets around Belfast –
With reconciliation we hope peace will never end .
St Gabriels my old school you will always be a friend .
The roll book is closed now but memories never die ,
from each side of the Crumlin Road we've come to say goodbye .
On the ball , up the wall , walk or crawl ,
Success for us all .
Goodbye , my school is no more and they've closed over the door -
Now a new day has dawned and the message of peace is strong .
The future generation can live and peace will live .
Thank God for all of those the teachers who made it all worthwhile ,
leaving St Gabriels and we were doing it in style .
When ever we look back , I hope it can make some sense ,
St Gabriels life with you was a rich experience ,.
By Paul McCann
Originally Posted On Site: 2009-03-06 08:21:26
Last Login: 05.24.12
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