ComReg Commissioner recalls her student days at the Bower

By Rebekah O'Reilly

ComReg Commissioner and former Bower student Helen Dixon was the key note speaker at the launch of Our Lady's Bower Arts Week 2024 on Tuesday night, October 22.

The Athlone native was appointed as Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner in 2014, implementing GDPR in 2018.

After serving for almost a decade as Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner, Helen moved on to her new position as a Commissioner in the Commission for Communications Regulation in February of this year.

Helen was a student at the school from the year 1982 to 1987, and shared her fond memories of her time as a Bower girl.

“It was exactly 40 years ago that I played a starring role in the pageant that opened the very first Arts Week at the Bower in 1984 to mark the centenary of the La Sainte Union des Sacre Coeurs nuns in Athlone.

“The letter that landed many months ago inviting me to be here this evening has been a real gift. It's led to much fun and fond memories for my family and friends about the great days of the 1980s when myself and my two sisters Mary and Una were still students at Our Lady's Bower,” Helen said.

Noting the impact that the nuns and teachers of the school have had on her, Helen continued in her address: “We're very fortunate for those educators who are so dedicated. Among other things the bower was one of the first schools in Ireland to start teaching computer science, showing how far ahead they were. They were ambitious and were determined that we would in a time when not everybody was so far sighted.”

Noting the wide range of enriching extra-curriculars available at Our Lady's Bower, the ComReg said: “Aside from academic pursuits, there's always lots going on. I was an Auditor in the TSU school bank, I was a school prefect, and I ran on the school cross country team. And actually my mother found a great photo of me recently from the Westmeath Independent newspaper that had me [running] in the Junior Cross Country Team.

“We were always excited when the school invited in external speakers to expand our horizons, and I recall a very memorable afternoon we spent with the late Mary O'Rourke telling us about life as a TD.”

The nuns were a huge part of the Our Lady's Bower community before the closure of the convent in June of 2014.

Helen also spoke of her experience of the nuns during her time in the school. “The nuns were a very big, important, and positive part of the experience at the Bower in my era. It was a privilege to meet Sr Denise, Sr Maria, and Sr Dympna this evening.

“Sr Christopher was the head nun in my time, and she was an outstanding role model as a person – she was a qualified lawyer, with an exceptional career, and was extremely modest about it. Sr Kathleen too was one of my favourite nuns – she used to supervise lunch. She was extremely warm hearted and kind.

“Sr Paula probably would've been a TikTok sensation if she were around today. She was an amazing, energetic sort of person and always had a great sense of humour. She did choir practice with Ms Sexton and staged the school musical.”

Helen commended the work of the teachers and principals in the school over the years, noting their dedication as the leading factor in upholding the reputation of the school.

“All in all, the foundation of education, but also the wider experience, I got in Our Lady's Bower as well as at home with my parents and family, has allowed me to thrive on my own terms in the decades that passed since I left. I have a belief in the power of girls, and am a strong promoter in my work place of gender balance in the more senior roles. I'm often told that I'm calm and collected in heated situations – and this is exactly the type of behaviour that I saw modelled at school.

“The Bower has always authentically been about excellence in academic pursuit, but also about the provision of the wider spiritual, artistic, and social development of students. The reputation that flows from the commitment of the many teachers, principals, and nuns over the years, and the pride of the pupils themselves in the uniform, and of being a Bower girl, couldn't and can't be bought with any money.”

The launch event featured a number of performance from the talented Bower students, as well as a performance from Athlone native Brendan Shine and his daughter, and Bower teacher Ms Emily Shine, and local group Athlone A Cappella.

This year marks the 140th anniversary of Our Lady's Bower, and the 8th Arts Week for the school. Principal Anne Beades said: "The aim [is] that each girl would experience a week devoted to the Arts once in their post primary school career."

Arts Week 2024 ran from Wednesday October 23 to Friday October 25, and included a number of talks, workshops and outings for each year group to highlight the importance of the arts.