Some schools are old and some schools are new ,
St Gabriels was established as the numbers grew .

Some schools are opened and some schools are closed ,
Now the day has come for St Gabes to close its doors too .

Before they close the doors of my old school ,
I thought I’d sneak in for one last final look .

I go up the stairs then past the bats office into the library
To open up a book .

The book I’ve found is all about Saint Gabriels and the things
that have happened through the years .

It’s a gem of a book so take a look through the pages
You’ll find you’ll be fighting back tears .

The book came alive for me and I could see things how they used to be ,
back when I was young

Outside I heard the whistle blow on the front Taramac pitch
where five a side had begun .

I saw some old photos of Wheatfield House
and spoke to some lads who once played with hurley sticks .

I hear Mr Boyd’s voice scream out again
“All of you line up , you are going to get six “

We escaped behind the woodwork room for a smoke .
The bamboo cane we didn’t want to know.

Mc Laughlin and Coconut were ok .
Mr Mc Pharland pretended he didn’t know .

Our teachers at Saint Gabs didn’t make a fuss about things that much
That’s just the way it was .

As boys we walked together up and down the Crumlin Road .
Some followed , others broke the laws .

Some went on the beak ,
Some stayed home .
Some went to school to talk as well as to listen and learn .

To do and to teach was the school motto ,
and we all had time to watch the wheel of life turn .

We put on plays in the assembly hall opposite the gym .
School dinners were served there too .

Then St Gabes youth Club started up and there we were
doing Judo , boxing and football too .

We didn’t care if the classroom was freezing cold
because we could adapt to that at school .

One day my teacher he said to me ,
Here its success for all
Don’t you be nobody’s fool .


We were taught to sing in French and German ,
And Mr Mulvena was an inspiration .

Adding it up and finding the remainder ,
Then what we had left was an education .


We had fun being young at St Gabes and in time we
worked it through until it all made sense .


To sum up how I feel about life at St Gabes ,
I’d say it was a great experience .


By Paul McCann