'I was nine when I knelt for a funeral cortege — 35 years later I learned it was for Seán Ó Riada'

Poet John FitzGerald recalls a school day when he had to kneel with the rest of the pupils on a street in a Cork town as a display of respect by the boys of Macroom NS for Seán Ó Riada and his family. He tells Helen O’Callaghan how it wasn’t until years later that he fully understood what the moment meant

Poet John FitzGerald at his home in Lissarda, Co Cork. Pictures: Jim Coughlan

October 1971, De La Salle boys’ national school, Macroom. I was nine. The headmaster, Brother Stanislaus — figure of terror who wielded the strap and stalked the halls — came into our classroom, spoke in Irish to our teacher, Brother Paul, and left the room.

Brother Paul told us to form an orderly line. Going out to the schoolyard, we thought: Maybe a dignitary coming, the bishop, monsignor. Or maybe we were going to the church for confession — that happened once a month.