What's Happening?

Kieron Delahunt: Great web site, I came across it recently. I have lost contact with all but a few people.

I went to College of Commerce , Rathmines and subsequently became an accountant.

I married in 1978 and worked in a label business in Ireland until I moved to Los Angeles in 1988 with my wife Mary, 2 kids Andrew and Julie-Anne. All the family are well and happy with our lot in life.

I bought a label business in Los Angeles in 2004.

My brother David ’76 lives in Greystones with his wife Margaret and their 3 daughters.

We visit Ireland probably every couple of years. Hope all is well at the school. [May ‘07]

Tom Gormley: After finishing at St. Laurence's, I repeated my Leaving (can't remember why ) and went to work in RTÉ. After over 25 years there, and a few more as a trade union official for SIPTU, I gave up working and started to do a PhD in Industrial Relations at UCD . I then took on some lecturing work, teaching Employee Relations to Second Year Students at the Quinn School of Business. See http://www.ucd.ie/indrel/tg.htm

I married Nuala and we have a fantastic son and daughter. James, another St. Laurence's past pupil, has just graduated from the National College of Art and Design with an honours BA in Fine Arts and plans to make his career as a painter. Aoife is in her Leaving Cert year at Newpark so my sympathy goes out to all this year's final year students. It is a tough time for them (tougher than it was for us, I think).

My years at St. Laurence's were some of the best of my life. My mentor, friend and hero was/is Madeleine O'Shea who also encouraged the questioning approach that Ken Rush attributes to Brother John. As I read Ken's recollections I remember it was a fairly revolutionary school all right! Bro. John had this thing about clocks - "the first thing they destroyed in the French Revolution" I think - but that didn't matter if you arrived late in the morning. One teacher (better not mention names) gave us the choice of writing an English essay or joining a protest outside the US embassy against the Vietnam War. He was an American, though, so that was OK (to my shame, I think I wrote the essay).

I hope they're still learning like that in Loughlinstown. It certainly seemed to work for my son - he challenges everything!

All the best [Nov. 2005]

Nicholas McGrath: I was in the college from the start in 1967.

When i see all the names here it brings back a lot of memories of people i had forgotten. I often think i would like a walk around the school to see what it’s like now.

Since leaving the college, over 30 years ago, I’ve married, have 4 children, living in Delgany and working as a building services engineer.

Any chance of a diamond jubilee this year as its 40 years since it all began? [Feb. '07]

Kevin Mooney: I came across your site rather indirectly – out of the blue Kieron Delahunt contacted me and, having established that he had the right Kevin Mooney, we wondered about others who would have come to Laurences for the first intermediate cert class from CBC Monkstown. Justin and Matthew Tuite were two and I think James O’Keeffe another. So I said I’d ‘Google’ the names and lo and behold I came to the past pupils site.

The names on the list are great to see because I have lost complete touch with all the guys.

I am very sorry to note that Alan Connaughton has died – I remember the rock-band practices after school where he did his best to teach us some basic chords – we practised a lot but never actually played anywhere but it was great fun.

I laughed when I read Ken Rush’s contribution because my hair was waist length by the time I left – I had to get an estimate before I had it cut. I remember Ken as one of the ‘125’ motorbikers.

I have fond memories of Nick Walsh our geography teacher and Brother Widmer who was brilliant both as a maths teacher and a piano player, which confused the hell out of me. Also, Mr. Kavanagh the science teacher who we gave such a hard time to but who was (and hopefully still is) one of life’s genuine nice guys. I’m afraid I cannot remember more names of teachers.

I am lecturing in the Dublin Institute of Technology, married to Fionnuala and have three grown-up ‘kids’ aged 28, 26 and 22.

I’d love to hear from others in the class – I remember Ben Finley, Christy O’Sullivan, Gerrard Owens and more

Best regards and congrats on the website. [May ‘07]

Ken Rush: I was one of the first students at the College. Brother John O’Connor was both my mentor and friend. I was a total flop at school although I did win the first Best all around sports award. Since those days I have been married for 25 years, have 3 wonderful children. One is on the way to Ireland as the Mitchell Scholar Award recipient. We live in the USA and own some small business companies employing about 60 people.

I’d love to hear about how Brother John is getting along.

We have just been hit by a Category 3 Hurricane and been blasted, to say the least.

A quick story. In Religion class, Brother John and I used to have long debates. During one of these debates, I asked why, based on what had just been discussed, was it necessary to impose a maximum length of hair for boys. At the time he replied with a quite outrageous (before its time) comment, that he agreed.  Shortly afterwards we were the first school where the lads were allowed to grow their hair.

After I left school, I hitchhiked to Africa and India and went through many places on the way, so I had little contact with other past-pupils.  Besides Africa and India, I spent years in Nepal, China, Australia and another 100 or so countries and I think I have referred to Brother John in conversations in all of them. I am sure he has no idea how important and how significant an impact he had on my life. He taught me to question everything and be arrogant about nothing and that the older we get the more we know what we don’t know. To learn that at 16 (or at least have the concept presented with meaning) has changed my life.

Many thanks, I now have got to get back to cutting trees down and such stuff.

Joseph Tighe: Ken, do you remember the time we were in the Library, when PE teacher, Mr Heaney walked in and called out three names? Yours, my brother, Hilary’s and mine. I did not know what was in store for us. We were led outside to the front of the building (now a soccer pitch) to throw the javelin. You won the contest and I still have the medal for coming second (and by the way, I still have my school tie). I’m sure I saw Mr. Heaney in town some years ago.

I remain a bachelor and live in Stillorgan. My brother married a Cork girl and lives in Mallow.

Since leaving in’72 I have had a variety of jobs and am presently doing a course in computers, just across the road from the old school.

I remember going to see Martin Carolan, the Mittens and the rest of their band play in Mt. Merrion back in the 1970. I wonder what has happened to them. And Bro. Kelly, Fr. Hickey, Firmin Widmer and John O’Connor [ [ed. note: Kelly is in Dayton in the Marianist Care Centre – still laughing about his “baby dumplings,” Fr. Hickey has since died, both Firmin and John married and are living in the States].

I am sorry to read that Alan Connaughton and Ciaran Hayden have died.

Slan leat go foill [May ‘06]