A RETIRED teacher has penned a book about a Greenock school close to her heart.

Margaret Brennan was a pupil and teacher at St Mungo’s and wanted to share her happy memories, as well as stories from other former pupils.

The 72-year-old from Union Street was looking for a project after finishing another history topic at South West Library.

She said: “St Mungo’s was the very first school I attended when I was five. My father Jim Mount was the school janitor, so we lived nearby.

“So I was in and out of the school before I started.

“I had all these connections with the school — other people’s dads worked in the yards and their children didn’t know what they did but my dad always brought his home work with him.

“He would tell us that the youth club would be on or the girls were playing netball.”

Margaret left the school in 1954 when her father got a promotion to become the janitor at St Columba’s in Peat Road.

But she retained a fondness for St Mungo’s, so much so that when she went on to train as a teacher, she couldn’t wait to go back.

She was delighted that this was her first teaching job.
The school was built in 1932 and its name disappeared in 2003 when it amalgamated with St Laurence’s and St Kenneth’s to become All Saints.

Margaret stayed in touch with some former pupils and interviewed them for the book, including Liza Dow, former head teacher Betty Glancy — who led the school for 19 years — and ex-teacher Gerry Maguire.

Margaret says she wants to dedicate the book to the achievements of the people of the east end.

She said: “There were so many really good people who came out of the east end and have done really well.

“One former pupil, Kevin O’Donoghue, is the principal teacher of music at St Stephen’s High. He moved to Pennyfern while he was in primary six but loved the school so much he took the bus every day into St Mungo’s as he didn’t want to leave.”

‘Oor Wee School’ costs £5 and is available by emailing Margaret at theweewumman@yahoo.co.uk