A canteen of cutlery, old desks and the benches from the common room. The contents of Our Lady’s Bower Convent laid bare for hopeful Antiquers looking for a piece of history, or even, dare I suggest, a bargain.

This weekend, three years after the boarding school, which was once my home, closed down it’s contents are up for auction. The sisters have moved on, the building will soon have another name and in time it’s original purpose forgotten.

As I scroll through the catalog of contents, I get an unexpected glimpse of Sr Christopher’s desk, solid and formidable to this day, the memories flood back.

I still remember my first meeting with the Matriarch of the boarding school. At the time I remember thinking how much the scene reminded me of Maria meeting with Mother Abss in the Sound of Music and “How do we solve a problem like Maria” plays in my head.

Regal and imposing Sr Christopher was a woman to be respected and impressed by. She had studied law but dedicated her life to the education of Bower Girls. I wonder what she’d make of the school being separated bit by bit this weekend.

A set of china for £40 pounds a box of cameras for £100, the artefacts from one of the oldest Boarding schools in Ireland are making their way to new homes. They carry with them the stories of young girls and women struggling to find their place in the world, but who for a short time found solace in the sanctuary of Our Lady’s Bower.

2017 saw us pay our respects to Sr Christopher and it seems, the school she cared so much for.