Having been one of the founding members of staff of St. David's in July 1968, it was a great honour for me to create a little bit of history by becoming the first lay principal of the school in September 1977, when the Christian Brothers ceased an involvement with Primary Education in the Artane area.

I saw the whole area being transformed from a rural suburb of the city with it's green fields to a built up area, over the years. The parents and pupils at St. David's were exceptional and I felt they were with me at all times with their support and goodwill.

As a teacher, my motto was "keep them laughing and problems will diminish". To be able to talk to kids at their own level and be concerned about them all individually was the secret of success.

St. David's B.N.S. played a major part in my professional life and while glad of the opportunity to retire in 1981, I look back on my time in St. David's with great affection.

My wish for St. David's is that it will go from strength to strength in the years ahead and while saluting all those associated with the Silver Jubilee, I recall happy memories of my own fifteen years in the school as a teacher and later as principal. Jim McGinley.