Retired teachers group ‘back with a bang’
Retired primary school teachers in Westmeath are set to come “back with a bang” as Covid restrictions lift. Mary Frances Cox, secretary of the Westmeath branch of the Retired Teachers Association of Ireland, has outlined some of the plans for the coming months.
The RTAI have branches in all 32 counties offering social outlets and advice to almost 10,000 members. They provide a social network for retired primary teachers and give them a voice as well as advise on pensions and social welfare entitlements, benefits and facilities.
The Westmeath branch has 144 members. The chairperson Padraig Flynn, who taught in Rathowen, treasurer is Willie Geraghty, formerly of St Colman’s NS, Bellview, Mullingar, and Mary Frances, formerly of St Brigid’s School, Mullingar, is the secretary. They met recently and decided it was time to “get back in the game”.
Their first engagement will be Mass in St Paul’s, Mullingar, at 9.15am on November 8, which can be viewed online by any members who are hesitant to travel or meet up. Mass will be followed by a social gathering in the Mullingar Park Hotel, in a well ventilated room with access to an outdoor area.
They will hold their annual general meeting in Bloomfield House Hotel at 1pm on December 13 when national chairman, Billy Sheehan, will attend, followed by lunch. They will also be holding their annual Christmas raffle, always popular with members, and Willie Geraghty, “question master extraordinaire”, will be hosting a fun quiz.
They meet on the second Monday of each month in Bloomfield House Hotel at 11am.
Mary Frances said that the branch intends holding a series of events and outings next year, among them a trip to the Bloom garden show. It will all depend on what members want, as they respond to requests and go to whatever the members want to go to. They all meet up at the Park Hotel and travel by bus, she said. They also supports the Mullingar Arts Centre and regularly attend plays and other events there.
In addition to going out, they have speakers in to their meetings to talk about issues that interest the members. “We have a lady that gives instruction on physio exercises and we had a speaker in to advise us on internet security,” Mary Frances said.
They also pool their own talents and skills. For instance, the former branch chairman, Danny Dunne, is an historian and gardening expert and he shares his gardening knowledge and know-how with fellow members.
Mary Frances joined the RTAI when she retired in 2017 and she would encourage all retired national school teachers to do likewise. It is a stress-free social outlet and a support network – “because we are all retired teachers we understand the background people are coming from and the difficulties they may be experiencing”, she said.
“If you are part of the RTAI you are part of an organisation that has headquarters in Parnell Square, Dublin, where you can get support and advice at any time,” she said.
The organisation also publish a magazine, Comhnasc three times a year. It provides the most up-to-date information on issues of immediate interest to retired teachers, including pensions, salary, social welfare, health and changes in taxation and budgetary matters as well as articles by local members.
Mary Frances invites any retired primary teachers who are interested in joining the association to call her on 0876556872 or email her at mfcox@live.ie.