Educational visionary and community activist with Gaelic football honours

OBITUARY: John Holland, Dunshaughlin

JOHN J HOLLAND

Dunshaughlin

The death occurred unexpectedly on Christmas Eve last, after a short illness of sme months, of John J Holland, who was the founding principal of Dunshaughlin Community College when it opened in 1978 as the first educational establishment of its type in the country. Aged 94, he was an educational visionary who was also involved in many community organisations and activities throughout his time living in Dunshaughlin.

John - or JJ as he was also known - was a Mayo native, born in Enniscrone on the eastern side of Killala Bay on 3rd August 1930. His father, William 'Sonny' Holland was a west Cork farmer, who was deeply involved in the War of Independence from 1919 to 1921 as an Old IRA Volunteer with Tom Barry's West Cork Flying Column.

Sonny was involved in the kidnapping and imprisonment of the Deputy Viceroy of Munster, the Earl of Bandon, and was arrested, surrounded by Colonel Percival's Essex Regiment, and sentenced to death in Bandon Jail, only to be released as part of the truce, but not after losing his left ear after brutal treatment in jail, when he was struck by a rifle butt, and thrown down stairs blindfolded. As part of the Flying Column, he ended up on the run for a period, sleeping in ditches to avoid capture.

When the hostilities were over, Sonny, who was a potato expert, was employed by the Department of Agriculture to certify seed potato exports from parts of Mayo and Sligo, meeting Sligo woman Lena Hanley who was a telephone exchange operator. They married and settled in Killala, where she took over a postmistress. Sonny ran currach races, plate diving, and Irish dancing feiseanna during the summer, and recounted his epic cycle from North Mayo to West Cork at the age of 39, when his mother was auctioning off the home farm.

His father died on May Day 1950, succumbing to the effects of sleeping in ditches, and the farmers of East Mayo and the Ox Mountains, whom he worked with, had a whip-around, gathering money to send young John to study agriculture in Athenry following his schooling at St Muirdeach's College, Ballina. Following this, he received a scholarship to study agricultural science in University College Cork. He then trained as a teacher, securing his first job as principal in Nobber Vocational School in 1957. He returned there for the sod-turning of the new O'Carolan College in May 2023.

In 1958, John Holland was appointed principal of the old Dunshaughlin Technical School, which stood where the county council offices are now located, succeeding Gerry Cummins. It was here that he met domestic science teacher, Patty Brady from Elphin, Co Roscommon, and they were soon to marry, living initially in Skryne, and eventually at 'Belrose' on the Drumree Road, beside the school in 1960. This was the beginning of a long involvement in Dunshaughlin community life, starting with Macra na Feirme and the Civil Defence.

In 1958, there were just 58 students in the school, and Meath had the fourth worst uptake of secondary education in the country. John had far-seeing ideas, and with his successor as principal in Nobber, John Finegan, he went to England to study the comprehensive state school system in the early 1970s. His vision was for a community college in Dunshaughlin, a State-run school open to all denominations and none, and fully accessible to the community for night classes, adult literacy, sport, drama, and housing the practical vocational subjects, and early re-employment courses. He lobbied local TD, John Bruton, than a young junior minister, and Minister for Education, Richard Burke, and in 1976, a site of 18 acres were acquired on the Drumree Road.

In 1978, the new school was opened by the then Minister of State atthe Department of Education, Jimmy Tunney, with a capacity for 510 students over a catchment area from Ardcath to Ashbourne to Ratoath to Dunboyne, to Kilcloon, and halfway back to Navan.

John developed a good team of teachers and the school, which continued to grow over the years, now facilitates some 1,200 students. John's passing came just over two weeks after the death of his neighbour and former teaching colleague, Vincent Lane.

When he retired in 1993, to be succeeded by Dan Toole, he was the longest serving principal in the country at the time.

John was involved in many parish and community activities, and in 2017 was the recipient of a SuperValu Community Hero Award at the Tidy Towns Awards at the Helix in Dublin, nominated by Paul Healy of the Dunshaughlin store, having spent many years as chairman of Dunshaughlin Tidy Towns after his retirement. He was a local voluntary community representative on Meath County Council's community forum, and worked on projects such as the Dunshaughlin Heritage Trail with Dunshaughlin Historical Society, the development of the local park, Pride of Place competitions, and earlier, the construction of the new Roman Catholic Church in Dunshaughlin in the 1980s.

John Holland played Gaelic football for Killala, and in 1949 was part of the team that decimated Ballina 4-12 to 0-5 in a county semi-final, but going on to lose to Crossmolina in the final. He played at minor level for Mayo, and went on to play for UCC, winning a Sigerson Cup Medal in 1952,beating UCD in Belfast. He also played with St Finbarr's in Cork, and for a short time with Nobber.

After his arrival in Dunshaughlin, he joined the GAA club there, and continued to play until the mid-1960s, almost always in the full-back position, where his high fielding, ball-winning ability and good judgement made him a priceless acquisition.

He combined those abilities with a tough, steely determination which enabled him to master the best of full-forwards. As a former player described him: "The bus to Dublin wouldn’t get past him." He also contributed to the club off the field. He was vice-chairman in 1960 and 1961 and soon after his arrival he organised the planting of trees around the playing field.

He retained his interest in the club’s fortunes throughout his life and was a regular attender at the club grounds up to the recent past, always eager to follow the progress of the teams.

Before arriving in Dunshaughlin he was one of the selectors on the Meath Vocational Schools’ team which won the All-Ireland Vocational Schools championship in 1956.

He ensured that Gaelic games were always promoted while he was principal in Dunshaughlin, and he was extremely proud of the achievements of past pupils.

Retirement saw John enjoy many visits abroad to grandchildren, to France and Canada, and to Ethiopia to see work being done by his daughters, Elaine and Denise.

John's wife, Patty, is a member of a well-known Roscommon GAA family which included former goalkeeper and Roscommon GAA Team of the Millennium honoree, Aidan Brady.

He is survived by Patty and thair family, Denise, Ronan, Elaine, Shane and Aveen; his sister, Gretta Donohoe and daughters-in-laws Carol and Shelley; grandchildren, Joe, Louis, Hugo, Enora, Danú, Toraigh and Altan; the wider Donohoe family of Killala and Bradys of Elphin. He was predeceased in 2014 by his sister, Eileen.

The current principal of Dunshaughlin Community College, Bridget Bennett, said: “It is with a very heavy heart that we have heard of the sad passing of John Holland, a much loved, respected and valued member of our DCC community.

"John was the founder and former principal at Dunshaughlin Community College; a man of educational vision and we will always remember him for his dedication, determination and vison. John was the foundation of our school, and we sincerely thank him for that. His legacy will forever be remembered in our college."

The chief executive, directors and staff at Louth Meath Educational and Training Board, said: “John Holland contributed so much during his career with the former Meath VEC including as principal at O’Carolan College, Nobber and founding principal of Dunshaughlin Community College.

"When we think of John, we think of a much loved, respected member of the leadership team who was vibrant, competent, committed, visionary, loyal, empathetic, creative and talented. We will never forget John for his care for his students and staff and his support and insightful and informed guidance and advice for all."

John's funeral, celebrated by Fr Sean Henry, PP, Dunshaughlin, and Fr Derek Darby, CC, Mullingar, took place from the Church of Ss Patrick and Sechnall, Dunshaughlin, to the local cemetery, where Shane Holland delivered a eulogy.