After 37 years, Mr Adrian Bradley has decided to retire from teaching. Having joined the staff at St Joseph's in 1989 as Teacher of Irish and English, he has dedicated more than 33 years of service to our school. During that time, Mr Bradley has contributed much to our school community.
Over the years he always endeavoured to enhance the experiences of the pupils in class and in extra curricular activities. In his early career, he and Miss Mary McManus, the Music Teacher at the time, established an Irish choir which performed on many occasions in school and the Buttercrane Centre. This eventually culminated in the choir producing a CD featuring a selection of the songs they had learned. Mr Bradley was also involved in the production of the school show 'Little Shop of Horrors' and gave up weekends and after school time to make the show a memorable experience for the many pupils who took part. He accompanied the pupils each year to the outdoor pursuits centre in Shanaghmore and on several continental trips to France and Spain with Mr McParland and Mr Rogers where the boys had the most unforgettable time.
As Mr Bradley progressed through our school the Principals, Mr Mooney and Mr Mallon recognised his professional capabilities and elevated him to Head of Year 8 with responsibilities for the induction of new pupils entering St Joseph's. Mr Bradley also oversaw the professional development of many of the new staff in his role as Teacher Tutor and was a fitting role model for any newly qualified Teacher. He also had the responsibility of looking after any Student Teachers who came to the school on Teaching Practice.
But it was his dedication to his role as Irish Teacher that Mr Bradley was fully committed. Many pupils will remember visits to the Gaeltacht courses in Donegal or indeed having completed GOML, OLA and GCSE examinations so that most pupils would have gained a language qualification prior to leaving St Joseph's.
Mr Bradley, We wish you every health and happiness in your retirement! St Joseph’s will miss your greatly!
💚❤️Vir Justus 💚❤️
