STUDENTS, staff and former pupils of a north London school are mourning the loss of one of its longest serving teachers.
Patrick McSharry died this month following a battle with cancer, leaving behind a large family and network of friends – many made while working as a teacher at St James’ Catholic High School in Colindale.
Having attended the secondary school as a student, Mr McSharry went on to join the teaching staff as a Law teacher and later as head of Sixth Form.
He spent the whole of his teaching career at St James’ - where his brother Kevin McSharry was also a headteacher – teaching A-level Law, Sociology and Government and Politics, before becoming a clerk to the school’s governing body in more recent years.
In a statement issued last week, the school remembered a man who made an indelible mark on the institution.
"Patrick was steeped in the history and ethos of the school he loved so dearly," it read.
"Patrick's years as an educator have registered a permanent presence in the lives of countless students fortunate enough to be taught by him," they added.
"He inspired a love of both law and politics in so many young people. Ultimately though, it was not what he taught but who he was that had the profoundest impact on all whose lives he touched."
Described by his brother Kevin as having “a lifelong passion for learning”, Mr McSharry completed his first degree at Leicester University before spending some time at the Allen Hall seminary in London.
He went on to take an MPhil degree at the University of Bradford, an MA at the University of Buckinghamshire and a PhD at the University of York in 2010.
The teacher, who lived in Hendon, was also a member of the Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn, one of the four prestigious Inns of Court in London.
Mr McSharry, whose father hailed from Co. Leitrim, leaves behind brothers Kevin, Brendan and Michael, nieces, nephews and many cousins.
His body will be received into St William of York Church in Du Cros Drive in Stanmore at 7pm on Wednesday, May 13. A funeral mass will be held at 11.30am the following morning.
