The Life and Tragic Death of Edward Keys
The Life and Tragic Death of Edward Keys.
A century ago this week, on the morning of Saturday 12th March 1921, a poignant ceremony took place in the Chapel of St. Malachy’s College. It was a Requiem Mass for Mr Edward Keys, a young and brilliant Mathematics teacher and former student whose life and career had been cut short by TB. The President, staff and many students of the College were joined by Bishop MacRory in a packed congregation before interment at the family burial at Aldergrove.
But Edward left a unique legacy to his ‘alma mater’. His little leather-bound diary of the year 1914, the gift of the Meighan family, resides rather appropriately in a cabinet in the O’Laverty Library of St. Malachy’s College. In tiny, neat writing Edward has left us an intimate record of a schoolboy’s daily life of lessons, games and relationships in and out of school during the first year of the Great War.
From Hillman St in the New Lodge area, Edward entered the preparatory grade of St. Malachy’s in 1911 at the age of 12. He won a First-Class Exhibition in Mathematics, coming sixth in Ireland and yet he had an awkward relationship with his Maths teacher John A. Conway, known as ‘Kruger’. There is much talk of this in the diary. Teacher and students were often at loggerheads. At one point Edward’s class ‘went on strike’ and refused to do any work. Oddly, after taking his degree in Mathematics at Queens, it was Edward who stood in as substitute teacher for Conway when the latter stood for Parliament (for the South Derry constituency in December 1918.) In 1919 Edward’s teaching post became permanent.
Even though Edward makes disparaging comments about his own ability in Latin there is ample evidence of an exceptional talent. There are a couple of quotations from Greek drama accurately transcribed with careful attention to breathings and accents, phrases in French and references to English literature – all from a prize-winning Mathematics specialist.
Football Mad!
When not in school, visits to the ‘Picture House’ and Oldpark Library are frequently mentioned but like most of today’s teenage boys, football was a huge part of Edward’s life. He played a game most days and was a fanatical supporter of ‘the Stripes’ - Belfast Celtic. Several games are described with player performances and chances missed; the result would affect his mood for some time afterwards. One of his school friends, Arthur Ryan, also a Celtic supporter, accompanied him to matches. Academically gifted too, Arthur would later become a priest and famous theologian, teaching for a short time at St. Malachy’s.
Working from Home!
For a star student, Edward is reassuringly normal. Throughout the pages of the diary he grumbles about many issues including bad weather, teachers, boredom and excessive homework. He enjoyed his Maths, but he was far from a fanatical zealot. During a period of illness at home, a classmate arrived with a consignment of sums sent by ‘Kruger’. Edward is disgusted at ‘the cheek of the man’.
A Tragic Family
In an article for the 1989 edition of the Collegian, Dr Eamon Phoenix examined in some detail the background to the Keys Diary. He discovered that the family suffered appalling tragedy; ‘within six years of the last diary entry’ both his parents and a sister had died. Then, almost exactly a year after Edward’s death, at the height of the sectarian pogroms, his sister Sarah was killed by a sniper when crossing Annadale Street (no longer existing) off the Antrim Road. James Keys, Edward’s brother, who also attended the College thus lost a father, mother, brother and two sisters in a few years.
Even though this is a sad story and St. Malachy’s College was robbed of a talented teacher, there can be no doubt that this young man left behind a unique gift. Extracts from his diary have been selected and provide a local history resource for Year 8 students. His determination, love of sport and sense of fun shine through. In a sense Edward goes on teaching!
G. McN
