Sheila ROLAND-CUNNINGHAM

RIP Ms Roland.
An amazing teacher and so quick with the one liners.

Today, I was speaking to my best friend in Paris, a Mexican girl. She told me she had an idea for a project, and I jokingly told her: "si tuviéras una idea, moriría de soledad," thinking back to one of the many great catchphrases of my beloved Spanish teacher at Saint Paul's Colle. The year I sat the Junior Cert was the year she retired, and I gifted her a bottle of Esmerelda white wine and a fan for her days in sunny Spain. I was deeply saddened when I looked her up, as I had done so before, to get in touch, having left my number for her at Saint Paul's college. I now live in Paris, working in the Directorate for Education in the OECD, having studied Spanish and French at college, thanks to the marvellous wonder for languages Ms. Roland inspired in me. The day she left school, she gifted me a book, "A Short History of Linguistics" and signed it Sheila R. She gifted me the international life and group of friends I have today, and I will be eternally thankful. Que descanse en paz. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam. You will be missed. Thank you, Ms. Roland (Sheila R.).

Dear Martin. Phil and I wish to send you our sincere condolences. We are so pleased we reconnected with you fifteen years ago and had the opportunity to get to know Sheila.
We always looked forward to catching up with you both. Sheila was was such a lovely, kind and thoughtful person. Such a great loss, we will miss her.

Many condolences on your loss of Sheila. You are in my thoughts and prayers Martin. I only met Sheila once at your Silver Wedding party in Sunderland. She was beaming with happiness and so gentle and kind to my ailing Dad. I can also clearly see what a wonderful lady she was from all of the other condolences. May she rest in peace.

Martin, our sincere condolences to you. We are so sorry to hear of Sheila's passing. I have such fond memories of her from my time in Gaudete. May she rest in peace.

Martin, my deepest sympathy and condolences to you on the loss of your beloved wife, Sheila.

So very sorry for your loss, Martin. I have fond memories of Sheila from my time with the Gaudete Singers. Although I wasn’t free to follow her funeral online, please know that I was with you in spirit, and will keep you in my thoughts and prayers at this sad time.

We were very sorry to hear of Sheila's passing, please accept our condolences at this sad time. I have very fond memories of Sheila from St.Paul's College. Our thoughts are with you, Martin and your extended family

Dear Martin,
I was very saddened to hear the news of Sheila’s death. There is an expression of condolence in Chinese - 音容宛在 - roughly, ‘the beauty of her features and her sound will always be with us,’ that sums up who Sheila was for me. Despite not seeing you both for many years, I still have vivid memories of her bright, lively smile, her quick wit, and, of course, the soaring beauty of her voice! May you be consoled in your loss, Martin, as you look forward to a time when you will sing together again. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a h-anam dílis
A virtual hug from Taiwan

Sincere sympathy to Martin and Sheila's extended family on your sad loss. Sheila was such a lovely person, compassionate and full of fun.She was a wonderfully supportive colleague to me and many others in St Paul's College and an inspiration to so many students who had the privilege of being taught by her. May she rest in peace.

Sheila was a constant everyday figure throughout my childhood and teenage years. She will never know the solace and joy I found in her madcap summer outings which always culminated with a picnic in the inevitable rain. We would dry out again while listening to her singing songs in the car on the way home. She could weave a magical story and she had an infectious laugh. I really loved her.

I carry her in my heart, which goes out to you Martin.
I wish you strength in the days, weeks and months to come. She surely was a good one.

Martin, I was so shocked to hear of Sheila's death. We sang together in the St. Stephen's Singers and she was a lovely person. I send you my deepest sympathy. May she rest in peace. Emer

Pay Fay rang me this morning letting me know that my favourite Spanish teacher from St. Paul's had sadly passed away. Sheila, or Ms. Rowland as we knew her, inspired me to go on and study Spanish at university.

My enduring love of Spain and the Spanish language was fostered by her.

A fantastic teacher she will be sadly missed.

Taken far too young.

Jonathan Quinn and also on behalf of Rosemary Quinn

Sheila y Martin eran amigos de mis padres desde mucho antes de que yo naciera, así que les conozco de toda la vida. Recuerdo a Sheila como una persona risueña, entusiasta, llena de vida y absolutamente encantadora. Era una de esas personas que dejan su huella en aquellos que la rodean y aunque ahora nos duela su partida, todos los que la conocimos, aunque fuera brevemente, podemos considerarnos afortunados por haber podido pasar tiempo con ella.

Descansa en paz, Sheila. Dejas atrás muy buenos recuerdos.

I was saddened to read of Sheila's untimely passing, she thought me Spanish at St Paul's College (Class of 1976) she was a passionate and engaging educator wanting the best for her students. Happy memories. To Martin and extended family, please accept my condolences on your great loss

To Martin and family. I send you my deepest sympathy on the death of Sheila. May she rest in peace.Tom Garvin

Cara dílis imithe uainn. Sonas na bhFlaitheas dí. Is mór é do chaill , a Mháirtín.

I am so, so sorry to hear of Sheila's passing. It was a big shock. My deepest sympathy to you Martin and to all in your families and many friends. I have many great memories of Sheila in St Stephen's Singers and later both of you in Gaudete Singers. I'll be with you in spirit tomorrow morning. May Sheila rest in peace. Codhladh sámh.

Hoy hemos recibido la triste noticia de tu partida. Aún no nos lo podemos creer. Un montón de buenos recuerdos se agolpan en este momento para fijar en nuestra memoria tu paso por nuestras vidas, desde aquel día en que nos conocimos en Salamanca, a finales de los años 70, tú tan pelirroja y risueña. Nos contagiaste la alegría de vivir y la capacidad para sorprenderte de cosas que a los demás nos pasaban desapercibidas, nos enseñaste a mirar con tus ojos lo que la costumbre no nos dejaba ver. Hoy descansas en paz al tiempo que tu recuerdo se queda con nosotros hasta que nos volvamos a ver en otra vida.
Hasta siempre querida amiga.

I am very saddened to hear of Sheila’s passing and would like to extend my condolences to Martin, and her family and friends.
I was very fortunate to have Sheila as my Spanish teacher in St. Paul’s for six years. She was a wonderful teacher and I have many happy memories of my time there.
She was so dedicated, and inspired in me a real love of the language and all things Spanish that still endures nearly thirty years on.
May she Rest In Peace.

Sheila taught me Spanish in St Paul’s and the fact that it was one of my favourite subjects was mainly down to her wonderful teaching skills. My sincere condolences to her husband and other family members, may she rest in peace.

It is heartbreaking to have to say goodbye to my beloved friend’,Sheila.

Sheila was kind, talented, brilliant and the very best of fun.
A problem shared with Sheila made it disappear and the fun times we had were just the very best.
She brought out the best in everyone in St Paul’s and commanded respect, admiration and huge affection from all who worked with her and the students who were fortunate to be in her class.
She loved all gardens and anytime she visited I knew I had to patiently wait until Sam and herself had toured the garden.

Martin, we offer you our most sincere sympathy.
We will miss her so much but we are all the the richer for knowing her and having her as our beloved friend.
May she rest in peace.

I have been heartbroken to hear the news that my beloved Aunt Sheila has passed away. Sheila, also my Godmother, was always so warm and kind, so gentle, with a great sense of humour. I will always remember her being full of chat, full of energy, so positive and cheery. I never heard her speak an angry word or negative thought once. I wish I’d had more time to spend with her, Covid made it impossible for the last year although we kept in touch by phone. There were so many questions I wanted to ask, I thought we had more time. I’m devastated for Martin, all of my love and condolences to you, losing such a special person as Sheila having faced this world together as a team for so long, soulmates. Sheila was blessed to have you by her side. All our love, Emma, Fionnuala, Joe, JJ, Holly, Ruby & bump xxx

I am very saddened to learn of Sheila's passing. I was lucky to have been taught Spanish by such a kind and dedicated teacher for each of my six years in St. Paul's.
May she rest in peace.

Bean uasal,ghealghaireach leannta

Deepest sympathy. She taught me history for the leaving cert and it was my favourite subject thanks to her. One of the few 'double' classes students actually looked forward to.

I am so sorry to hear the news of Sheila's death. My thoughts are with you, Martin, at this difficult time.

She will bring cheerful memories to all who knew her. With condolences to her family and to Martin; wishing him sympathy, courage and strength at this moment of sudden loss.

Such is the disruption in communications because of Covid restrictions, that I have only now become aware of Sheila's death. Martin, I offer you my deepest sympathy in this most difficult of times.

Sincere sympathy to Martin and to all of Sheila's family on such a shocking and terrible loss. Sheila was a wonderful person-kind, warm-hearted, sincere and humane. She had a brilliant sense of humour and was a gifted and dedicated teacher. She will be greatly missed by all who had the privilege of knowing her. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam uasal.

Every sympathy and condolences to you Martin on the sad passing of Shiela.
Fondly remembered in Gaudete.
Descanse en paz.

My heart goes out to you Martin on the death of Sheila. I will always remember her for our shared love of singing and books.

Am very sorry to learn of your sad loss, Martin. Sheila will be deeply missed by you and by her wider family and friends. Thinking of you all at this sad time.

Sincere sympathy to you Martin on the untimely passing of Sheila. She was such a special person and will be greatly missed.
May she rest in peace.

Deepest sympathy, Martin, on the passing of Sheila. May she rest in peace.

We were shocked and saddened to hear of Sheila's sudden passing. She was a beautiful, warm hearted woman who inspired generations of students. Sheila had a great sense of fun and was a treasured colleague for many years. Our deepest sympathy to Martin and all of her extended family.

Sincere sympathy to you Martin on the death of your beloved Sheila. She was a true friend and it was a pleasure to have worked with her doing the Spanish Leaving Certificate orals over so many years. May she rest in peace.

Sheila has been part of our lives since we met in 1971 - a true friend down all the years. Our hearts go out to you, Martin and to the family with deepest sympathy for your great loss.

A chara dhilis ar gcroi, i liontaobh De go gcaster sinn.

le gra agus comh bhron

Shocked and saddened to hear of Sheila’s death. She’s always been in my life throughout time and distance, since we both started work together in St Paul’s. We were privileged to have her sing so beautifully at our wedding in 1978. Our sincere condolences to Martin and her family at this sad time. May she rest in peace.

I am very sorry to hear of Sheila's death. She was a wonderful charismatic teacher and a tremendous supporting colleague on the staff of St. Paul's College. She enriched the education of so many students and the lives of all who came in contact with her. Geraldine joins with me in extending our sympathy to Martin and all Sheila's family.

Our deepest sympathy Martin to you and all the family on the sudden death of dear Sheila. She was a wonderful, kind and generous person. In addition to being a gifted Spanish teacher, she also had a beautiful singing voice and we were delighted when she offered to sing at our wedding, which made the occasion all the more personal.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a h- anam dilís

Patricia and I were shocked to read of Sheila's passing, and we offer sincerest condolences to Martin and all the family on what must be for them a terrible loss.
I remember Sheila very well indeed from her student singing days with the St Stephen's Singers to her involvement (together with Martin) in many singing and educational activities.
A truly delightful person who radiated warmth, goodness and real talent, - may she Rest in Eternal Peace and Joy.

My sincere sympathy to Martin and all the family on the passing of dear Sheila. I had the enormous pleasure of working with Sheila for many years in the Spanish Leaving Certificate Oral Examinations. Sheila’s wisdom, support and gentle presence as an Advising Examiner is still evident in the dozens of young Spanish teachers she trained to become exemplary examiners. Her wisdom, sense of fun, passion for the Spanish language and delightful company I will always remember. Sheila was a legend in the Spanish teaching world and the legacy she has left behind will remain with us all. May Sheila’s gentle soul Rest In Peace.
Descansa en paz y que Dios te tenga en su gloria.

We were deeply saddened and shocked to learn of Sheila’s illness and death. Our deepest sympathy to Martin, Emma and Nic.

I was so sorry to hear of Sheila's passing. I have very fond memories of her vocal talent and ready wit which were very enjoyable during my time with Gaudete. Sincerest sympathies to you, Martin, and and Sheila's wider family and friends.

My deepest sympathy to Martin and all the family on the death of Sheila
I recall many happy years working with her in St Paul's College.
May Sheila rest in peace.

Sheila taught me Spanish in St Paul's for 6 years. As an educator, she was passionate, creative and caring.

I was very sad to hear of her passing. My prayers and thoughts are with her family at this very tough time.

Heartfelt sympathy to you Martin on the passing of your much loved wife Sheila, and to Maurice’s family as together you grieve. May her gentle soul Rest In Peace.

I was very shocked to learn of the death of Sheila. She taught me History in St Paul’s in the late 1980’s, and was a gifted teacher. She was blessed with understanding, compassion, and a sense of humour which made her classes enjoyable and memorable. I always have, and will, remember her with gratitude, and with a smile. May she rest in the loving arms of the ‘Great Teacher’, and may all who mourn her be consoled. Rest in peace Sheila, and thank you.