Niall Spain, Writer, contributed his memories of Stratford for the 60th Anniversary book, '60 Years A Growing', which was launched in November 2014.
I’m writing this piece from Canada, a long journey not only from Ireland, but from my time in Stratford College. It’s 5,247 kilometres, five years, and one degree away, to be exact. It still shapes who I am at times. It’s hard to know where to start. I learned to really love writing while I was in Stratford. From the passion of my amazing English teachers to the stories and myths lovingly given in Classical Studies class to the amazing history we saw in Art class, my dream of becoming a writer flourished. I went on to study a Joint Major in English and Classics as a result. I have since graduated, been short-listed for the Best Original Short Story in the Listowel Writer’s Week competition, and also been short-listed for Travel Writer of the Year in the Student Media Awards.
My degree was an International BA, and I spent a year in Canada to complete this. I loved my time there so much that I moved there shortly after graduating and live here still. I’m not sure I could have packed up my stuff and gone here alone if it wasn’t for what I learned in Stratford; where we travelled to Rome, London, New York (no one will forget that trip) and to various parts of Ireland. We hiked, we flew and we drove. We saw the world and we grew independent. We were friends with people in the years above us and in the years below us. We learned how to relate to people who were different from us. We are still connected to Stratford too as these pieces demonstrate. Many teachers are now friends, and hopefully will remain so in the future.
Niall Spain
Read the 60 Years A Growing eBook for more Stratford memories.
The 1st years completed a zombie lab today where they used their scientific methods and thinking to identify patient zero from the zombie suspects. Using measuring skills, pH, observation skills and much more they successfully identified the source of the outbreak!
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The TY Horticulture class were out in the Autumn sunshine planting Spring bulbs using the chaos planting method. This is when a multitude of different spring bulbs (Hyacinths, Daffodils, Tulips, Crocuses, Narcissi) are mixed together and randomly planted so that we have a mixture of flowers and patterns emerging in the spring. It mimics nature and so is more enticing to pollinators and native insects that need the food in Spring.
Stratford is celebrating Maths Week 2026 (12th - 18th October) with daily activities around the school, at breaktimes and in Maths classes! The tutor-time daily quiz is proving to be extremely competitive as each form group tries to solve it and then run to find Ms Matthews in order to win the box of chocolates!
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