EVENTS REPORTS

Life is a perpetual jubilee for the class of 1958

The sun shone for the informal 55th jubilee reunion of the class of 1958 on 13thJune. We had lunch in the Royal Irish Yacht Club, Dun Laoghaire, with the large bay windows leaning over the harbour and the ever-active and colourful marina. Our eventual gathering came to 36 compared to the 52 who attended the more formal 50thafter which many said we should do this more often. The total class of 1958 numbered more than 120 boys of whom some 36 are deceased, including most recently Jimmy Bradbury, Aidan Dalton, Denis G Cullinane and John C. Ryan. All were remembered at our lunch.

Thanks to Rockman / Commodore of the Yacht Club, Paddy McSwiney, for his very special support and to his staff for their excellent service. Thanks to Rita Murphy for helping us to track down old friends and supporting us with publicity through union circulars and website. Several friends, who had not been to previous jubilees, met again for the first time. Funny thing. Close your eyes. Listen to the voices. Little seems to have changed.

Some favoured the inclusion of wives and partners but that idea did not gel this time. There was a view that they would be bored by all our talk of such pre-historic times as the 1950s. One said he would bring his girl friend, regardless, and we assured him she would be welcome. He declined at the last moment and came on his own, enjoying it so much that he proposed we meet every year, with or without her.

Jubilees are now a way of life for the Class of 1958. We have one every month. Members of the original committee for the 50thwere Tony Keane, Myles OReilly, Fr Cormac O Brolcháin, Eugene Greene, Sheridan Kenny, Alan Lennox and Francis X. Carty. We enjoyed our regular coffee meetings at Café Rica in the Glenalbyn sports ground in Stillorgan during the year-long build up to the event. So, why drop a good idea? We continued after the 50thto meet informally on the last Monday morning of every month. And so it has continued. Café Rica is now The Village Café and we are well-known to the management and staff. The original group of seven has expanded to 14 and all others are welcome to join us. We have Fr Brendan Hally (Rockwell), Bill Kealy (Cork), Fr Dermot Fenlon (Waterford) and Bishop Donal Murray (Limerick) and they make their long journeys with remarkable frequency. We have made several trips to their home territories including a memorable one to Rockwell. Others in the group include Brian Gardiner, Joe Saul, Michael Goss and our most recent addition, Michael Wogan. We are in regular touch with Kevin Bligh in Western Australia and Desmond ORourke in Washington, DC.

The response was enthusiastic and genuine, with many phone call, letters and emails expressing happiness. Everybody seems to have enjoyed the food and drink, the ambience and the excellent service. Nobody chased us away and we were able to enjoy fully and savour the fun of the occasion.

What next? The 60thcould be everybody in the Village Café as one full gathering. However, somebody has suggested it might be an idea to get together in 2016 because of the symmetry of 1958 and another 58 years on top of that.


Photographs of this event can be viewed here.