St. Patrick's - First Communions

Catholic Church Kilsyth

Home - Mass Times - Newsletter - Contacts - Announcements - Fr Tracey - Priests & Vocations - Photographs - Histories - Centenary of Parish - Papal Visits - Links

Parish Organisations - St Patrick's PS - St Maurice's HS - St Aloysius College - Funeral Notices - Order of Mass - Parish Hall - Children's Liturgy - SVDP - Ven. Margaret Sinclair

Feel Good Pages - Missionary's Diary - Prayer requests - Common Prayers - Special Prayers - Rosary - The Stations - Meditations - Word of life - Sick & housebound - Films

Sacred Vessels - Vestments - The Sacraments - The Saints - Life of St. Patrick - St Andrew's Convent - Places of Pilgrimage - Easter Dates - Sitemap - Archdiocesan E-Bulletins

First Communions
(Photos from the old school)
- School Life - First Communions - Pupils & Staff from years gone by - Dates unknown (1) - Dates unknown (2) -
.....
- 1940's - 1946 - 1950s-80s - 1970's - 1972 - 1976 - 1977 - 1979-80 - 1981 - 1982 - 1983 - 1986 - 1987 - 1989-90 - 1990's - 1999 -

These photos are of the first First Holy Communions in the new St Patrick’s Church from May 1967 of the 1966-67 year group. Canon McGarvie is the priest. In the background you can see work ongoing at the rear of the church to build the rear porch - that’s why we know it is 1967. In the last row of girls sits Miss Alice Melling on the LHS and Mrs Helen Smith on the RHS both teachers at St Patrick’s school. The row of adults immediately behind the girls are sat more teachers from the School including Mrs Rose Callaghan, Mr Hugh Dobbie (Head Master) and his wife and on the extreme RHS of that row the then Deputy Head Master Mr Gerry Callaghan (Husband of Rose Callaghan at opposite end of the row). Miss Alice Melling was for many year the teacher who was principally in charge of First Communion Instruction for the Children at St Patrick’s over several decades.

The Children are:

4th Row: Miss Melling, unknown,unknown, unknown, unknown, Linda Valentine, Jacqueline Kelly, Annette Crainie, Mrs Helen Smith.

3rd Row: Frances Starrs, Janie McCamley, May Cree, Kay Lang, Katrina McCann, Catherine Scullion.

2nd Row: Mary Paton, unknown, Linda Quinn, Deborah Mooney, Patricia Burns, Margaret Pender.

1st Row: Jim McCarroll, Danny Rae, Jack Kelly, unknown, Anthony McAteer.

Our thanks to Mrs Annie Crainie for identifying the children.If you know who any of the unidentified kids are please contact us.

Click on any image to get a larger picture
First Communions June 1972

Agnes McCluskey with Fr. O'Connell
and Fr. O'Brien

Preparing the offertory procession

Click on any image to get a larger picture

Class picture

Class picture with parents

The Priest who said mass for the First Communions this year was Fr Keith O’Brien. In the picture with him is PP Fr Denis O’Connell together with 2 priests, on a secondment from Ireland at the time, who were resident in St Patrick’s for about 4 months.
Miss Mary McCann the Infant School Mistress is directly in front of Fr O’Brien and Mrs Mary Richmond is to the right of the top row. Mrs Ellen Armstrong is at the top left hand side of the
photo below the priests and above the children.

Click on any image to get a larger picture

First Communions June 1973

The principle concelebrant was Fr O’Brien (now His Eminence Cardinal O’Brien) assisted that day
by his PP Fr Dennis O’Connell. Gerry Callaghan the Head Master of St Patrick’s School is in the
centre of the back row. Miss Mary McCann the Infant Mistress is in the Back row on the RHS with
a hat on. Miss Alice Melling who for many years was the principle teacher who undertook the
communion preparation classes in St Patrick’s is stood on the LHS in front of Fr O’Connell.

The Girls - can you help with the "don't knows"?

6^th row	Mary Robertson	Frances Kennedy	Mary Paterson	Don't know	Don't know	Lorraine Morrison	Don't know
5^th row	Gail Mathieson	Tricia Kelly	Catherine Kelly	Mary Macis	Margaret Dempsey	Heather Conner	Don't know
4^th row	Don't know	Ray Kelly	Yvonne Haughey	Don't know	Don't know	Don't know	Don't know	Lynne Graham	Don't know
3rd row	Catriona Cannavan	Dervella Smith	Geraldine & Patricia Angus	Don't know	Fiona Donaldson	Diane O'Donnell	Catherine Bolan	Valerie Waters
2nd row	Jane Maley	Catherine McCormack	Sharon Drain	Don't know	Yvonne Quinn	Linda Gordon	Denise Brannan	Catherine Kelly	Anne Marie Coyle
Front row	Don't know	Don't know	Elaine Lang	Ann Dailly	Carol Ann Brown	Catherine Conway	Pamel Maley	Don't know	Anne McCluskey

The Boys - can you help with the "don't knows"?

Front row	James Nash	Andrew Robertson	Charles McDonald	Don't know	Don't know	Paul Keenan	Kenny Keirnan	Michael Waters
2^nd row	Don't know	Robert McIntyre	Fraser Campbell	Steven McEwan	Don't know	Paul Sharkey	Stephen Blair	Paul Scullion	James Scullion
3^rd row	Robert Fitzsimmons	Don't know	Steven O'Neill	Don't know	Don't know	Don't know	Paul Callaghan	David Young	Brian McDonald?
4^th row	Don't know	Paul Brown	Trevor Johnstone	John Trower	Gerry Savage	Eddie Scullion

Thanks to Ann Rooney (nee Dailly) for taking the time and trouble to identify everyone.

Click on any image to get a larger picture
First Communions Parade
Year unknown - can you help?

Click on any image to get a larger picture

St Patrick's Kilsyth - First Communion late 1970's Fr Robert McGarrigle

St Patrick's Kilsyth - First Communion late 1970's with Fr Robert McGarrigle
Click on any image to get a larger picture

This group of 9 photo is from 1981

The Girls	The School Choir	The The Congregation
Fr McGarrigle, the reader is Juliette McAtee	Offertary procession	Reception of the gifts
Fr McGarrigle giving first Holy Ccommunion	Exit procession	Posing for photos

Click on any image to get a larger picture

First Communions 9th June 1979

The Priests are Fr McGarrigle and Fr O’Connell.

The Cross bearer is Pat Canavan.

The teacher to the right of Fr O’Connell is Miss Mary McCann,
the alter server beside her is Stephen Blair.
The Teacher to the left of Fr O’Connell is Mrs Valerie Donnelley
in front of them is alter server Mark Masterson.

Please contact us if you can name the children in this photo

Click on any image to get a larger picture

First Communions 12th June 1982

The Priests are Fr. Portelli and Fr O’Connell.

The Cross bearer is Jamie Donnelley.

The girls are: Denise McGrenraw, Michelle Harkins, Samantha Reynolds, Lorraine Bolan, Vivian McAnally,
Kathleen Robertson, Michelle Maxwell, Gillian Friel, Vicki McLaren, Elaine Higney, Colette McGovern, Lynn Marie Doyle, Janet Coyle, Clare Pollock, Catherine Differ, Samantha Jane Currie, Margaret Ann Cox, R M Murphy, Gillian McAuley, Lee Ann Walsh, Ann Marie Stewart, Diane Gillespie, Debbie Livingston, Lisa Mannering, Eleaner O’Raw, Alison Kerr and Joanne ?

Click on any image to get a larger picture

Canon Kruger
James Millar and James McDonald
year unknown - can you help?

1980's - exact year unknown
Can you help?

Click on any image to get a larger picture

May 1985 Fr Dennis O'Connell
and Fr Joe McIntyre

St Patrick's Kilsyth
First Communion c1986

Click on any image to get a larger picture

Primary 3
1980's - year uncertain

Fr O’Connell is the pries and standing next to him in the back row is Miss Mary McCann the Infant Mistress from St Patrick’s school. Further along the same row is Mrs Anna Devine the Head Mistress. In front of Fr O’Connell is Sister Mary Andrew who was teaching at the school at the time, to her right is Mrs Valerie Donnelly a class teacher.

May 15th 1988
The Priests are Canon Karl Kruger
and Fr George Paul

Click on any image to get a larger picture

A Historic First Communion Certificate

This beautiful First Communion Certificate was donated by Mr George Dailly and dates from 1911.

It was given to James Dailly (mis-spelled Daly) at a time when Fr. Macnamara was the Parish Priest and Fr. Edward Blake was the assistant Priest.

Click on any image to get a larger picture

OUR OLDEST FIRST COMMUNION PICTURE - c1916
This picture was donated by Mrs Annie Crainie and it shows left to right,
her Aunt Kate Brady, Australian soldier William McCluskey, originally from
Kilsyth but serving with the Australian Army and Sarah Doherty. In front is
Mrs Crainie's mother, Annie Brady aged 6. Annie Brady was born in 1910
and therefor this dates the picture to c1916. It was the First Communion Day
at St Patrick's for Kate Brady and Sarah Doherty - age wise the children
made their First Communions a little later than they do today. The girls are
beautifully turned out in their white dresses at a time when the Catholic
community in Kilsyth was very poor - a testament to the faith and dedication
of their families.

Click on any image to get a larger picture

Gallery of First Communion Photos

If you have a Fist Communion Photo of yourself or someone in your family then please send us a copy for the Parish Archive

A family photo from a 1970's First Communion	Caitlin's First Communion	Catriona's First Communion May 1979
Irene Doyle (nee O'Neil) June 1947	Jacqueline's First Communion May 1979	Jim John and Pauline Doyle at John's First Communion
Sorcha's First Communion	Individual Photos	Rhiannon and Sorcha's First Communion
Chelsea, Amy and Megan's First Communion	Megan's First Communion	Megan's First communion