45th Reunion

Another landmark year was passed in recent weeks when the Rhetoric 1978 reunited in Clongowes for a tour,  mass and dinner which started in the Boys Chapel with Michael Shei

The gathering coincided with the 50th anniversary of the 1973 boys who went on to enjoy hospitality in the Castle and dinner to mark their special occasion.  

The day started with a tour of the school moving from the former theatre, now the James Joyce Libray, through what was the top open dorm for Third Line in our day, now kitted out with comfy seats, pool tables and table soccer. 

Many of the old  single cubes now joined so as to facilitate 2 or 3 boys into a more. Communal atmosphere. Then the new sports facilities with pool, gym and weights room firming part of a new workd to us old boys, as is the all weather pitch stood where once we would have scaled walls to raid the orchard

The name of playing field behind the gym commemorates one of schools great teachers of our tuner, Vinny Murray. A kind man of great teaching ability in realms of economics and PE and who went on to m scale great heights  as a rugby coach. Notwithstanding his Westmeath roots in soccer and GAA 

In a mass celebrated by the evergreen ‘Mocky‘ we were joined by formerThird Line prefect in 1973, John O’Keeffe SJ and a headmaster in his day, Liam O’Connell SJ.  as well as former Deputy Headmaster Martin Nugent.

The photographs in the Serpentine Gallery recorded the presence too of others teachers of our time Brendan Cullen, Margaret Doyle, Patrick Finan and Hugon Simm. 

With no room available in Castle Wogan Brown for the young 78ers we relocated to the Westgrove Hotel in Clane for pre and post prandials and a superb dinner.  

Yet again these Reunions prove that the joint time together in Clongowes still retains unique bonds even forty five years laterwhen the Rhetoric 1978 reunited in Clongowes for a tour,  mass and dinner which started in the Boys Chapel with Michael Sheil

The gathering coincided with the 50th anniversary of the 1973 boys who went on to enjoy hospitality in the Castle and dinner to mark their special occasion.  

The day started with a tour of the school moving from the former theatre, now the James Joyce Libray, through what was the top open dorm for Third Line in our day, now kitted out with comfy seats, pool tables and table soccer. 

Many of the old  single cubes now joined so as to facilitate 2 or 3 boys into a more. Communal atmosphere. Then the new sports facilities with pool, gym and weights room firming part of a new workd to us old boys, as is the all weather pitch stood where once we would have scaled walls to raid the orchard

The name of playing field behind the gym commemorates one of schools great teachers of our tuner, Vinny Murray. A kind man of great teaching ability in realms of economics and PE and who went on to m scale great heights  as a rugby coach. Notwithstanding his Westmeath roots in soccer and GAA 

In a mass celebrated by the evergreen ‘Mocky‘ we were joined by formerThird Line prefect in 1973, John O’Keeffe SJ and a headmaster in his day, Liam O’Connell SJ.  as well as former Deputy Headmaster Martin Nugent.

The photographs in the Serpentine Gallery recorded the presence too of others teachers of our time Brendan Cullen, Margaret Doyle, Patrick Finan and Hugon Simm. 

With no room available in Castle Wogan Brown for the young 78ers we relocated to the Westgrove Hotel in Clane for pre and post prandials and a superb dinner.  

Yet again these Reunions prove that the joint time together in Clongowes still retains unique bonds even forty five years later

Portraits of Clongowes

Portraits of Clongowes  

A podcast series on alumni who went to Clongowes and their recollections of those days looking back now as adults. In seeking balance some of the expected names are absent.

Yet everyone who has shared their story reflects on the formative influence being a boarder in CWC has had throughout their life, careers and lasting friendships. 

The unique commonality of each story is striking and developed unknowingly at the time in the school. A man for others is a common theme for many.

The series is devised and created by Rossa McDermott, an alumni from 1978. The podcasts are recorded and produced at Dublin South Podcast Studio,in Dundrum

A third series is recording in January 2024 with an array of contributors already committed including Patrick Coveney. 

In Series 2 a number of former headmasters and teachers have spoken, as has the first parent to contribute, Liz O’Kane. 

In addition, Bidemi Afolabi an impressive Alberto Hurtado scholarship student now running his own business, who shared his story in Series 2.

“It was a real trip down memory lane. Amazing how much you still remember” Richard Bruton

“Seems a long time ago now…. and overall I enjoyed it very much “ 

John Oxx 

“I thought I had sneaked in at the back late noticed  for a Leonard Moloney year meeting.. when I was asked how my day had gone at Cheltenham? Of course that day I had a winner and had been on TV …. Undeniable evidence!”

Patrick Mullins 

Portraits of Clongowes is available on all podcast platforms

The Gathering of 1972.....

@franphoto

The lynchpin of this 40th reunion was Michael Sheil SJ, who back in 1978 was in his first season as Higher Line prefect, and thankfully still remains such a vital part of Clongowes. As the enabler ten years ago, when we were invited to have dinner in the Castle, this time he invited us to mass in the Boys Chapel. For our gatherings returning to the school and a mass are keystones to the Reunion with a number in our group not having been back to Castebrown in the four intervening decades. So, it proves a real walk back into history for them.

@franphoto

But then history is intertwined with the 1978 year, given we were the first group to suffer the schism and that option to sit a fourth year or O’Levels. A change which was to become Transition Year in the late 20th Century. Then 1978 Rhetoric year was also remembered for winning the Leinster Schools Senior Cup, after a losing streak of some 52 years. Although a much more common feat this millennium, in those days it was rarer than hen’s teeth and a cup run was usually just the one cup match with a Late Leave. That year was also the only time the Gollymocky Grand National was run, and in 1978 was won by local Mainham colt, James Kelly. 

@framphoto

Our Reunion dinners are rather unique as they are open to all who started in Rudiments 1972, and this time we were joined by a supporting cast that included Martin Nugent, Margaret Doyle, Brendan Cullen, Liam O’Connell SJ, Brian Brosnan, Hugon Simm, John O’Keeffe SJ, Paddy Finan and Deirdre Murray, wife of the legend that is Vinny. Not forgetting the current Third Line Prefect, Tony Egan. Lest we forget, the Reunion also remembers those who taught us and have been lost along the journey, along with three from our own ranks; Joe Prendiville from Killorglin, Brendan Rumley from Ballymacoda and Cathal Ryan from Celbridge. 

@franphoto

This time the starting point for the 40th was Friday night at The Cellar Bar in Dublin, then moving to The K Club on Saturday morning for 18 holes of golf, followed my mass at CWC and dinner for 70 at the Westgrove Hotel in Clane. It was truly memorable and fruit of the hard work of the Organising Committee of Greg Dilger, Chris Guckian. Anthony O'Berine, Ambrose O’Sullivan and Cormac Lucey. Also made the more possible by the generosity of David Kelly (OC78) with our printing needs, Ned McQuaid (OC77) who donated the golf trophies from Dublin Crystal; Peter MacCann (OC79) at The Merrion Hotel and Dr WM Smurfit KBE (OC55) at The K Club. 

It was truly one of those moments when we were all men for others. 

Rossa McDermott

Brendan Rumley SJ Remembered

Whenever I read the name Brendan Rumley with Fr in front of it and SJ behind it, it always makes me look twice. This is a night of memories and everyone has their own memories of Brendan. I remember his great sense of fun.

I remember the night the two of us got chased around the streets of Rome by a crowd of angry Italian communists . The school had organised a pilgrimage to Rome for the Holy Year in 1975 , and we landed in the middle of a bitterly fought election campaign between the two main parties who cordially detested each other...the Communists on the left and the Christian democrats on the right . We were very taken with the Communist posters...big, red , hammer and sickle jobs , really well-designed. This wasn't anything to do with the merits or de-merits of Communism...but coming from a very sheltered and conservative Ireland of the mid-70's , these were novel, eye-catching, radical and ...oppositional. Brendan turned to me and said 'Gosh, I'd love one of those for my cubicle'. I replied that it'd annoy the J's. It'd annoy our parents. It'd be perfect !'

So out we went one evening after dinner to peel off a few posters . Whatever about us annoying the J's and annoying our parents, we sure as hell managed to annoy a group of Italians on the other side of the road who followed us as we walked quickly away from our half-peeled posters , and then ran after us as we legged it as fast as we could .

Brendan wore his faith lightly. i was gob-smacked when he told me , two years later, that he was thinking of joining the Jesuits. And later, when i visited him in the Novitiate in Manresa, I was amazed at the depth of his spiritual life. At a time when my own prayers were remarkable a ) for their brevity and b) for their self-interest, he was telling me how the high point of his day, every day, was the hour he spent in silent adoration, and how much he was looking forward to doing the largely-silent 30-day Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius Loyola .

He was Gerry O'Beirne's sole Spanish student and his Spanish was put to good use when he was sent in 1986 to Latin America . He was stationed at a Jesuit school, the Colegio Christo Rey in a place called Tacna, in Peru. Peru was not a safe place to be at the time. And it took great courage to accept this assignment at a time when the country was locked in a bloody conflict between the Maoist Sendero Luminoso guerrilla group which controlled large swathes of the country , and the Government. Neither side much minded how many eggs they had to crack to make the omelette each desired . The Jesuits were popular with neither side. But they were popular with the people .

We live in a selfish and a faithless age . How sad then, that Brendan...so full of faith , and so selfless, a true man for others...should be taken by his illness only a few short years after he was ordained a priest of the Society of Jesus . But how great it was that he was able to do all the good he did , in the time that he had . My youngest son is the same age now as we were when we were chased about the streets of Rome. I like to think, and i dare to hope , that as my children embark on the great adventure of their lives, that in Brendan, I have a friend in Heaven who i can call on from time to time to help me keep them safe and keep them on the right path. 

Ar dheis de go raibh a anam .

Eamon Doohan

Nebuchadnezzar went mad.....

"Too whit- too whoo, a merry note while greasy Joan doth keel the pot”

The sight of Harry Clifford brazenly jigging on the lockers after lights out in the 3rd line open dorms; the extraordinary pace (and hairy chest) of Johnny Hickie at age 13; all of us meekly queuing for our weekly shower at the pool, butt naked, clutching a facecloth to shield our modesty in Rudiments (Tony, more generously proportioned,required a hand-towel); Bertie Brereton, the legend that he was, writing “work hard and be happy” on the blackboard; Brian Lennon (a.k.a. Ronnie Drew), through gritted teeth and with justification, telling me after yet another transgression,”’you're the worst bastard I have ever met, and MacManus, I’ve met a lot of bastards…”; 

The 8pm mad dash for the old gym to play indoor soccer after study in Grammar - sweaty, competitive, exhilarating - 10 a side, if you were too late, tough luck!

That crazy OPEC oil embargo in 1973, with no electricity and the ensuing mayhem at evening study; the juddering, shaking, pock marked hands of the Infirmary doctor as he administered cholera injections; Wally was called “Gaston” in Eimer McDermott’s French class; Who did you prefer-Miss Ruane or Mademoiselle Bachelerie?(verdict-they were both gorgeous); Shadow-boxing with Oggie-Doggie (my uncle Tom) in the lunch queue; Ned McQuaid’s lavish moustache age 15; the fleeting, intense obsession we had with bridge in Syntax; Kevin O’Connor’s rise and rise as an incredible tennis player of national stature, yet so humble and understated; Mickey O’Dowd’s kind, twinkling eyes and infinite patience; ELO, Supertramp,10cc, Pink Floyd, Genesis, the Eagles, Bob Marley, Earth Wind and Fire, Billy Joel. 

Marty Coyne crooning along with Bill Withers after the Mt Anville social ”lovely day, lovely day, just a lovely day…” (yes, he was in love again), and he wasn’t the only one. Sadly, I was dumped a few weeks later); 

The mountains of mouth-watering fresh bread and spuds we ate. Bob Kryger’s arrival, with his broad NY accent and American warmth; Tigger concussed, unconscious and hospitalised v Blackrock, a chilling, visceral memory. The hot girl working in the ref when we were 17 (come on, you remember her), Martin Moloney’s vast intellect on all matters historical; Jono, Paulie and Jack’s band performance that brought the house down and blew us all away; trying, and failing (after a day), to maintain silence on the Manresa Mouse retreat; Barry’s gentle giant/monster hulk off pitch-on pitch persona; Gucko absolutely hammering full tilt into the unpadded upright on the senior pitch one wet, cold training session-and getting up unscathed and running on ( they breed them tough in Ballinrobe); 

The classic Howick-Shanahan comedic duo in Coriolanus;  Doggo Bolger being awarded the “Alo” trophy in Rhetoric to universal approval; Greg’s immense strength of character as he sealed victory with that 60m kick at Lansdowne Road. Finally, the seismic shift that took place in CWC ethos with the arrival of Philip Fogarty and the unique force of nature that is Mick Sheil.

Flute-flute-pipe, flute-flute-pipe, zith-zith-zither, zith-zith-zither…Nebuchadnezzar went mad, mad-mad, fell down in a rage, mad rage…

written by Mike Mac Manus    #MauraCrannyRIP

Cathal Ryan Remembered

Cathal M Ryan Brussels May 1987
@@rgmcdermott

It's an honour to say a few words about our dear friend Cathal Ryan. 

Ironic that it be here ....we were once caught playing cards in row 13 and were on the verge of expulsion. Fortunately, on that occasion, Paddy Crowe relented and let us off the hook!

Cathal shared our laughter, our meal table, our sadness, joys and failures. He cribbed our homework and we cribbed his (if we were desperate-lets be honest!) Most of us, myself included, never knew him during his adult life. But we knew him intimately during a time in his life that was formative. That he cherished, that was filled with promise and the close bonds of friendship and shared experience. A joker and a wit, we were all the butt of his pranks! In the current era, he'd probably be a YouTube sensation, dispensing advice on full body waxing and how to survive online dating !! 

His unique approach life maybe characterised by his German exam in the Leaving Cert. He studied hard, arrived well prepared that afternoon for the paper, only to discover....it was a morning exam. He was 5 hours late!! Yes, that was Ryan!

He loved life, he loved the ladies and he loved his friends. And that was us. If he were here now, he would not be mournful, he would definitely not be listening to me, in fact he'd probably be shuffling the cards for the next game in row 13!

Mike MacManus

Amsterdam 1987 

Funky Fennell - Two E's, Two N's and Two L's

Up until the time John Fennell arrived in CWC, my striking memory of biology, was a quoted ‘fact' from Mrs. Miller (RIP), that “Pigs fed on the cardboard boxes that Kellogs cornflakes were packaged in, and put on more weight than the pigs who were fed on the cornflakes themselves.” 

Oh, and in a rigorous scientific experiment conducted in Mrs. Miller’s laboratory, by the class of that time, extremely severe evaporation can take place when fermenting apple juice in a biology lab…..In particular when the large glass container is left close to a (slight ajar) window. Remember, there were no hosepipe bans in those days! 

And one final one from Mrs. Miller’s class, when TC pricked his finger to do the blood test to identify your blood type, and said blood emerged from his index finger, he promptly fainted and fell in a heap on the floor. Thankfully he didn’t consider medicine as a career. 

Although he did take a case of sexual discrimination against UCD when he was denied entry into Physiotherapy in UCD, which he won. Much to our dismay, he decided not to take up the offer of the place in the end. But I digress…….. 

Returning to Mr. Fennell, on his first day in Clongowes in biology class, he swaggers up to the blackboard. Then picking up a piece of chalk, he writes his name on the board, turns around and addressing the class, announces, “My name is Mr. Fennell. Two e’s, two n’s, two l’s.” Here was this new teacher staking out his turf, with some amount of bravado. I liked him instantly. He wasn’t known as Funky Fennell for nothing. 

On some Saturday mornings though, he didn’t as much swagger as stagger.

 

From memory, biology was our first class on Saturday mornings, and on more than one occasion one of his earnest students was dispatched to the refectory to get some oranges for a 'biology experiment'. The experiment involved squeezing the oranges into a glass, and the juice promptly consumed by Mr. Fennell, thereby illustrating the point of the experiment. Friday nights are not supposed to be followed by Saturday mornings in school. Particularly when you are the teacher. 

At on the St. Patrick’s Day SCT victory celebrations, Mr. Fennell introduced some more than willing students - all over 18 and legal I hasten to add - including myself, to Harvey Wallbangers. How sophisticated I felt. However, whatever imagined sophistication didn’t survive to the following morning. Some oranges for a biology experiment would have gone down well then. 

Looking back, it’s worth remembering "Funky Fennell" wasn’t that much older that we were; his 25 years of wisdom in comparison to our callow sheltered 18 years. He was one of the most engaging and fun teachers I had and biology was always a subject I enjoyed, even on Saturday mornings. 

He instilled a lasting love and interest in all things biology….and your minds can wander wherever you wish with that one! We’re all adults now, although some may set out to prove differently on the reunion weekend. Here's to Mr. Fennell: 2’es, 2 n’s, 2 l’s. 

Some other snippets: 

Week 2 in Rudiments in CWC in the top open, Paddy Digan - in the bed next to mine - and I were playing chess. Silently. Whereupon on discovery, we were summoned to Mr. O'Keeffe's room, and given 4 of the best with the leather pandy bat. Ouch! It wasn't as if we were disturbing anyone. 

In Latin class, our teacher Murtagh O’Shea gave me 100 lines: “I must not demonstrate cousinly affection in class.” The reason? I was sticking the pointy end of a compass into John Donnelly’s bum. 

On one late leave in Dublin after a cup match, having borrowed a pair of glasses to make myself look older, I was refused entry into Soldier Blue (who remembers that X rated movie of the time? not me anyway) as I was underage. I was mortified.....but I don't think I was the only one. Sparrow Harte & Dan Farrington too? 

But probably not as mortified as when in Madigans after a cup match, I was nominated to go to the bar to order pints. Slinking up to the bar - not the best strategy when trying to portray confidence - and in the deepest voice I could muster, I demanded “2 pints of Smithwick's and 2 pints of Guinness.” The barman looked at me, smirked, and asked “Where’s your mother son?” Mortified, I retreated to the laughing mob, to lick my wounds. Naturally they gave me plenty of help with that! 

Ned Carroll giving some of us a life to the races on a Saturday afternoon. Racing regulars would have been Morgan Mooney, John 'Conor Pass' Moore, Fran Fitzpatrick. "Puff' Carroll was such a kind man, who was given a terrible time in the Big Study. 

Remember the Stink Bomb episode, which I think occurred during Ned's Big Study watch? Poor Ned was picked on mercilessly. Paddy Crowe, Headmaster at the time demanding "I want the boy, and I want him now." I believe the boy responsible for said Stink Bomb episode may be one of boys the named above? 

 

Grattan Donnelly

The opinions expressed published works are those of the author and do not reflect the opinions of Clongowes 1978 Blog or its Editors.