Ted Garvey - Teacher - Togher Boys National School

On Monday 5th August 2024 at the Lough cafe , Billy O'Brien of the Togher Historical Association met with Paula and Fiona Garvey , daughters of the late Ted Garvey , Teacher at Togher Boys National School. This Teacher has commanded the respect and reverence of generations of school boys throughout his career and the meeting only cemented the sentiments of all.

Ted Garvey

1929 - 2017

Ted Garvey was born in Clonlara , Co. Clare in 1929. His father Seamus was a Stationmaster and his mother was a Post Mistress. The siblings were as follows: Máire , Ted , Clem , Séamus , Brian and Frank. His father's work necessitated moving the family on a regular basis depending on the posts. One notable and historic moment in Ted's father's young life was the fact that he was present in Croke Park the day of Bloody Sunday in 1920!

Ted's father

Seamus Garvey

At Croke Park Bloody Sunday 1920

Seamus ( 2nd from left )
West Clare railway
Inspired the song " Are Ye Right there , Michael "

" Are Ye Right , There Michael "
by Percy French
sung by Brendan O'Dowda

Ted started his school days in Clonlara National School in Co. Clare and would remain a proud Clare man all of his life. His association with smoking began at the tender age of 11 and he was rarely seen without a cigarette or a pipe. He would often cut plug tobacco to make a rolled up cigarette. The family next moved to Limerick and lived in Singland ; Ted attended the CBS in Sexton Street before the family moved again, this time to Tralee. Here he attended Tralee C.B.S. opposite the Post Office in Edward Street. The school has since been demolished. Ted was awarded a County Council scholarship to Coláiste Íosagáin in Ballyvourney ( This was a preparatory school for St. Patrick’s Teacher Training College in Drumcondra. ) ; he spent four happy years in Ballyvourney and won a scholarship to study Engineering in U.C.G. He didn’t pursue this , however , choosing instead to go to St. Pat’s along with his classmates. In the late 50’s , he did a B.A. by night in Irish and History in U.C.C. His own siblings would follow similar career paths : Máire became a Primary and later Secondary School Teacher as did Clem who went on to teach at Glasheen School near Togher before moving to the newly-built Shannon Comprehensive Secondary school. Séamus joined the Franciscan Order to become Fr. Colin ; Brian went into Psychiatry and younger brother Frank became a Primary school teacher also and served as Principal in Ballyheeda N.S. and later Ballygarvan N.S.

Ted Garvey ( Front Row 2nd from left )
Clonlara N.S. Co. Clare 1940

Upon graduation , Ted's first post was in St. Marys C.B.S. in Limerick from 1949 to 1954. It was in 1953 however and spurred on by his love of motorbikes ( he eventually owned 18 in total! ) , that he and his brother Clem undertook a trip to Rome on a BSA , with Clem riding as pillion passenger and acting as navigator ( see image below ). It was while tenting out in France that they encountered other travellers from other countries and joined in a campfire singsong. Ted was greatly
impressed by the guitarist and this fostered his own lifelong passion for playing and teaching the guitar. When visiting the local Post Restante to collect mail from home , Ted was informed of a teaching post in Cork which he duly accepted. They finally arrived in Rome for two days of sightseeing before returning to the family home in Tralee. He then moved to Cork to teach in Blarney St. from 1954 to 1958. 

 

Ted & Maureen
Wedding Day
20th September 1958
Honan Chapel

Honan Chapel , U.C.C. modern times

 

 

Maureen & Ted in Wedding car

 

It was at a Polio Benefit night at City Hall in 1956 that Ted met Maureen and they would be wed in 1958. They set up home in Ardmanning Avenue in Togher ; the following year in 1959 they moved across the road to the new estate of Earlwood which was still under construction. They would go on to have 3 children , Jim , Paula and Fiona ; and all attended Togher National Schools for their Primary education with both Paula and Fiona going on to become Teachers in later years. Fiona recalls Minnie's Orchard which backed onto their house in Earlwood and the many forays into the grounds in search of apples. Ted's next post was at Turners Cross from 1958 to 1964. Ted studied Special Education at St. Pat's ( 1964 –1965 ) whilst also teaching at Scoil Bernadette ( Cope Foundation ) from 1964 to 1972. Fiona recalls : " We took a trip to Germany in the summer of 1972. While staying in Wangen in Algau , mum and dad took a trip to trip to the Olympic Village with their friends Irmgard and Larry O'Donnell. Larry was in Coláiste Iosagáin with Ted. " Ted's final move was to Togher B.N.S. in 1972 where he taught until his retirement in 1993. 14 years after first arriving and settling in Togher , he was now going to be teaching its children.

 

Maureen & Ted
Jim , Paula & Fiona
1966

Ted late 1960s

 

From the outset , Ted's tenure in Togher Boys National School was marked by his unorthodox approach to education. He frequently deviated from the curriculum when he felt he had a better system of teaching. When challenged by the Authorities on the topic he stated that it was his way of imparting knowledge and that was the end of that! His love of engineering led him to improvise a way of teaching chess moves by using the side panel of an old washing machine to create a giant magnetic chessboard. The pupils were given the task of carving separate chess pieces. He would lead many classes to glory in chess championships. His classes always had practical applications in hand-eye coordination , numeracy and problem-solving skills. He sought to bring out the best in everybody regardless of academic ability , stating that everybody possessed talents which were needed in society. His guitar could often be heard along the hallway accompanied by his bass voice. He brought many classes to perform in the annual Cór Fhéile in the City Hall over the years. He sought to promote life skills through a range of activities, whether it was woodwork/metalwork ( practical skills ) , chess ( numeracy/problem-solving ) or Music/Guitar ( expression/confidence ). The school was divided into two factions ; those who were taught by him and those who wanted to be taught by him. His legendary status was so much so , that even those who never sat in his
classroom were affected by him. It has been said of him that his leatherwork was exquisite, making beautifully crafted wallets. His party piece was showing the children how to ride a bicycle backwards. His desk was always full of clutter and his ever present pipe and tobacco took pride of place! His personality dominated the classroom and provided for a safe , nurturing environment. Pupils who attended his classes throughout the 1970s and 1980s recall with fond affection their time
spent under his tutelage. Below is a selection of photographs of Ted and some of the classes he taught down through the years

Clem ( on left ) and Ted ( 3rd from left )

Ted with Togher Boys National School
Mid 1970s Cor Fheile

 

Denis Irwin , Denis Noonan , Ken Moloney ,
Stephen O Keeffe , Kieran Allen & Sean Coleman
with Ted Garvey. Winning schools chess team

 

 

Ted's personal life was virtually indistinguishable from his work life in that he maintained the same pursuits. His garage at home was his own version of the modern man cave; this was where he used his lathe for woodturning. In the kitchen, T.V. was tuned into sports ; Lyric F.M. would be playing at the same time on the radio ( he had a lifelong passion for classical music ) and he would be
cutting his pipe tobacco and rolling cigarettes. As well as playing the guitar he later in life took up the Ukulele! As previously mentioned he taught and played chess to a high standard. He would discover the singer Billy Joel and " Lullaby " would become his favourite song. He loved tinkering with electronics and embraced new technology as and when it presented itself. He possessed an
iPad but decided against getting a smartphone, relying instead on his trusted Nokia. A lesser known fact is that Ted as a youngster was Connaught Champion in Table Tennis! He enjoyed pottery and even turned his own snooker cue out of wood! He in later life rode an electric bike and could be seen on occasions riding it down to Lidl ( site of old Five Star ). And of course photography was a
pet passion of his , so much so , that their landing at home was converted into a dark room!

 

In the 70s , he built his own boat , a Cresta , promptly nicknamed ‘Ted’s Folly’ by his wife Maureen. He also loved handball , hurling and played full back in Coláiste Íosagáin’s football team. He played the violin as a child and all his siblings played one or more musical instruments. Family singsongs were a regular occurrence. He always took a great interest in people and had a wide circle of friends from all walks of life and of all ages. Family was very important to Ted and he absolutely adored his five grandchildren ( 4 girls , 1 boy ). In later life , Ted unfortunately was diagnosed with skin cancer , resulting in an operation to remove the tips of his ears. When noticed by a young pupil in class and trying to explain what had happened , he came up with the famous story of how he had wrestled a bear! Since starting his teaching career in 1949, Ted would go on to teach in an official capacity until retiring in 1993 , amassing a total of 44 years in service ; however he would go on to act as an occasional substitute teacher for another 10 years.

He was a staunch member of the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation and served as Chairman and later Treasurer of the Cork City Branch. He always encouraged young teachers to join the union and attend branch meetings. He was awarded honorary membership of the INTO , of which he was very proud , and continued to attend branch meetings after his retirement. He retired on his 64th birthday ( Jan 7th 1993 ) but continued to go on many holidays , including trips to Canada to visit his brother Brian in Nova Scotia. Sadly he passed away unexpectedly on St. Stephen's Day himself in 2017 just shy of his 89th Birthday. Having suffered with dementia for many years , Maureen was moved to a nursing home in 2020 and passed away in 2023. Fiona now lives in the family home with her own family.

Ted and Maureen

Maureen and Fiona

Ted Garvey in later life

Fiona & Paula at Lough Cafe
with Billy O'Brien Togher Historical Assoc.
4th August 2024
 

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B.S.A. magazine
Ted Garvey interview.

 

 

Ted Garvey - 1929 ~ 2017

 This song is for you.

 

Lullaby by Billy Joel

Ted Garvey's favorite song
 

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Togher Historical Association would like to thank most sincerely Paula & Fiona Garvey for their generous time and fantastic assistance in compiling this life story of Ted Garvey who contributed so much to the local community of Togher. His legacy will never be forgotten.

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From 2011 in an interview with Dave Hannigan: “ I felt that it taught them how to think and plan ,” Ted Garvey said when asked why he once supplemented the curriculum at Togher national school with chess. “ It was a great mental discipline for them because it taught them how to lose , which I felt was very important , and to be sporting about the losing. ” In learning the taste of defeat , none of his pupils developed as magnificent an obsession with winning as Denis Irwin. 

 

Testimonials from past pupils.

 

Eamonn Pearse : Always remember the lovely smell off his pipe tobacco, I used to be fascinated watching him meticulously cutting it up and put it in his pipe , those days you could smoke in class , also the magnetic chess boards we made out of the sides of old washing machines and each of us had to make one piece out of plywood for our homework. What a guy! I remember he had a lovely Swiss army knife and he used to spend a lot of the time chopping up his block of tobacco for his pipe. This man was probably my best teacher ever , what a gent , taught me electronics ( building old radios ) , carpentry ( making timber chess pieces ) ,  how To play chess , cycling , and many more , basically how To think outside the box and if you were not very good academically he showed us ways of exposing our talents.

 

Elizabeth Leahy : One of the best , he treated all children with respect.

 

Mike Batt : I remember the bicycle training course. A gent.

 

Jonathon Moore : Remember we beat him in chess on his magnetic chess board and he gave us 100 lines "I must not beat the teacher in chess. " hahahaha a great teacher and a lovely man.

 

Mark Cotter : A gent of a man real old school teacher , happy days fixing bikes and making chess boards. Always loved to get out his guitar for a few songs rip Mr Garvey. He thought me in third class. I remember when he be just about to check the homework if I didn't have it done I'd just start singing a Paddy Reilly or Fureys song , he'd get out his guitar and forget about the homework.

 

Phillip O'Callaghan : What a wonderful man , great teacher , ahead of his time , worked on the creative side with his pupils , music , chess , leather work and radio.

 

Pat O'Houlahan : I was in the class for Cor Fheile in the city hall. I couldn't be bothered learning the words so mimed with the rest of the class. Ole Ted says " right boys as you know Pat Houlihan has a lovely voice so listen to him sing it then you can all sing like him and sound lovely. "  The rest is history. Suffice to say I got caught out. 

Aidan Horan : Mr Garvey taught me in 3rd class , learned to play chess , woodwork but also he was involved in teaching the first safety course for kids on bikes. Didn't really mean much then but he was was a pioneer in road safety for kids traveling to school by bicycle. Still have that cert. His party piece was showing us how to ride a bike backwards!!! What a legend of a man. Nearly 40 years have passed and I can still recall the kind hearted man he truly was.

 

Jerry O'Donovan : Ted Garvey was a lot more than your average school teacher , he taught us chess , leather work , guitar lessons and music. The only teacher that had my full attention when he spoke. May he rest in peace.