2007spring

4 GLENSTAL NEWSLETTER Spring 2007

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The 2006 London GOBS Reunion at the Reform Club on Pall Mall, London

Welcome to myubique.com We have all been privileged to spend some of our youthful years at Glenstal Abbey (Priory) School. For most this was a happy time, for some radiantly so; for all it was a profoundly formative experience.

What is Glenstal? ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

NEWS Photos from London Dinner in November 2006 more... Annual Golf Day 2007 more...

a place of great scenic beauty a haunted castle a House of God The Fun Capital of the world (for some people!) a centre of academic excellence a sanctuary of monastic peace and prayer a sportsman’s paradise somewhere you can truly be who you are Friendship

Scholarship Award section added to website more... Scholarship Award Information Evening more... Autumn 2006 Newsletter more... Photos from Golf Day 2006 more... Red & Grey Old Boys Tie for sale more...

Glenstal is all of these things and the unique blend of them all together. Above all, Glenstal is the people who have lived and worked there, and those who still do to this day. The purpose of The Glenstal Old Boys Society and of this site is to promote communication, friendship, sharing, and hope between all who have known and valued the Glenstal experience. Although most of us maintain contact with some of our Glenstal friends, the vagaries of personal history and geography do inevitably dispatch us in many different directions. Our aim is to facilitate and renew old friendships but also to add a new dimension to individual or year-group experiences of Glenstal by putting different generations in contact with each other. There are nearly 2,000 of us out there who have so much in common and so much that is worth sharing! We are committed to making this site more and more interactive so that it will truly belong to the members of the Society.

VISIT OFTEN AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE SITE SO THAT OUR OBJECTIVES CAN BE ACHIEVED, TO THE MUTUAL BENEFIT OF ALL. John Coyle (1959-1964) President – president@myubique.com Andrew Nugent osb, Secretary – secretary@myubique.com

JOHN OLIVER SWEETMAN (1947-1954) ohn Oliver, as he was invariably known, to distinguish him from his father, John Walter, and his cousin, John (known at school as John Ordinary) and I first met at Glenstal on our first day at school there in September 1947 and developed what was to become a lifelong friendship. We were very different in many ways but this must have been an attraction of opposites.

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golfer and a keen horseracing enthuiast. One of his boasts was that while he had played rugby for seven years he had never once touched a rugby ball! Paramount among his many interests was his love of music of which he was a total connoisseur and from which he derived immense enjoyment.

At school John was known in his earlier years as “Scientific John Oliver” because of his fascination with all things scientific. In other respects also he was very bright and invariably at the top of his class.

We were both lawyers in later life and John became one of my leading counsel, whose sound advice was always well grounded. Excellent with clients, John was meticulous and thorough. He was noted for his kindness to his young barrister colleagues by whom he was regarded as a virtual mentor.

John’s sporting interests consisted of billiards and tennis, at both of which he excelled. He was also a competent

Socially, he was the best of company, often regaling friends with stories of his experiences in practice and jousts with

judges and colleagues. John was one of the most popular members of the Irish Bar, to which the huge attendance of his colleagues at his Requiem Mass bears testimony. John was very fortunate in his married life, both in respect of his charming wife Elma and their son John Emmanuel, to whom, and to his sisters, Helen and Angela, and his brother Walter, we express our deepest sympathy. Until we meet again, John, which is quite certain: Good Night, Sweet Prince, and flights of Angels sing thee to thy rest. Bruce St. John Blake (1947-1954) Edited by Andrew Nugent osb Layout & Print by INTYPE Ltd.

t’s hard to say whether the highlight of the night was Eddie Barber (1964) wielding his gavel so enthusiastically that he broke some of the Reform Club’s finest crockery, or the passionate exhortation by GOBS president John Coyle (1964) to take full advantage of the many “Glenstal merchandising opportunities” present, but there is one thing that we all agreed on – the London Reunion was a superb idea, brilliantly executed, and definitely the beginnings of a true tradition! Hats off to both Gearoid and Eddie for all their work.

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Watched over by a picture of Fr. Athanasius, over 40 old boys gathered in the distinguished surrounds of the Reform Club (founded in 1836 by Daniel O’Connell), to a black-tie dinner, hosted by Fr. Andrew, Br. Denis, Eddie and “El Presidente” Coyle. Br. Timothy was unfortunately unable to come at the last minute and was sorely missed. What made the evening particularly memorable was not simply the effort that many made to come from a variety of locations, but also what an impressive range of years was represented, ranging from 1947 (David Minch) to 2002 (John Halton). After a champagne reception, and the distribution of pre-printed name-badges (thanks Gearoid!), we settled down to the U-shaped table, with seating arranged in chronological order. No prizes for guessing which side of the

A.G.M. GLENSTAL SOCIETY Sunday, April 22nd 2007 ■ 10.00 Mass with the School ■ 11.00 Coffee ■ 11.45 AGM ■ 1.30 Lunch COME FOR ALL – OR ANY PART OF THE DAY. PLEASE NOTIFY IF COMING TO LUNCH. We have not held an AGM for 18 months. It is important that this one is a success.

room made more noise … The dinner was to the highest standards, starting with Gravadlax, and progressing onto Filet Mignon that satisfied the hungriest in the room. As soon as the chocolate cake was polished off, out came the port and the first of the merchandising opportunities – Glenstal Liqueurs! Aided by the port, El Presidente moved the evening into a “committee meeting” to decide on similar future events. When the “kids” were accused of being unresponsive, we were ably represented by Mark Carrigan (1995) who gave a moving soliloquy. It was agreed that a small group of London based members would organise next years event around the same time again, early November 2007. The launch of the new Scholarship Award Fund was presented Br. Denis and John Coyle emphasised the importance of giving something back to the school, particularly in the form of the scholarship program, which was greeted with enthusiasm. Having started at 7.15pm., the tables started to clear by 11pm., but when I left at 1.15am., the conversation between Eddie Barber, Gearoid Bradley, Seamus Corballis and Charlie Bidwell seemed to have many hours left in it. Stopping only to purchase a high-quality 100% silk GOBS tie (bargain prices, and perfect Christmas presents!), and politely

Wedding Bells Brian Mehigan (1989) & Emily Campbell Dominic Morrogh (1992) & Tara Bedi Tom Magnier (1999) & Sophie Penfold Robin Hillman (1983) & Susan Mooney John Scott (1991) & Bernadette Wallace

JUST PUBLISHED ANDREW NUGENT

SECOND BURIAL Hodder Headline/Amazon

declining yet another glass of port from Eddie, I made my way out into the brisk London night, already looking forward to the next London GOBS Reunion. Edgar Senior (1987-1993) COPY OF EMAIL TO ALL OF THOSE WHO ATTENDED THE DINNER IN LONDON LAST NOVEMBER t is with great sadness that I have to inform you that our host of the dinner last November in the Reform Club,London, Eddie Barber, died suddenly on Wednesday

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What a night and what a character. ... Eddie, was a bigger than life character, who cherished his Glenstal years and in particular his friendship with his fellow classmates Eddy McGrath (Br. Timothy) and John Coyle, and with Fr. Mark in the Monastery. Eddie was totally committed to revitalise the Glenstal Society network in the UK and offered to assist anyone he could. We owe it to him to continue this. At this sad time our thoughts and prayers are with his wife and family and very large extended group of friends. With kind regards, Gearoid Bradley

SPORTS STAR Ian Nagle of the current VI class has been selected for the U19 Irish Rugby Team. Is he the first to wear the Green Jersey for Rugby since John Blayney V Scotland in the Senior Team (1950)? We wish Ian all the very best!

2 GLENSTAL NEWSLETTER Spring 2007

Spring 2007 GLENSTAL NEWSLETTER 3

OSWALD BARTON (1942–1948) he Barton family has a long and distinguished relationship with Glenstal. No fewer than fourteen Bartons have attended Glenstal, since the first, James Barton, who goes back as far as 1936. My contemporary was Ozzie Barton, the third of the family. He became and remained a lifelong friend of everbody in our year. The door of his house was always open and there was a welcome for any of us who called there.

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My memory of Ozzie at Glenstal is that he was an excellent student. Having said that, I don’t believe that he would have considered himself a hard worker. He was far more interested in the recreational activities at Glenstal. One of those activities was the vintage car which one of the parents presented to the school as a teaching aid for practical engineering. Ozzie took over as principal mechanic. He and the practical Engineering “Class” could be seen frequently careering up and down the back avenue. When we were in Glenstal there was a fashion for building huts in the woods. One of the advantages of having a hut was that the chances of getting caught smoking were minimal. The hut that Ozzie and Co. built would now have required planning permission. It was the envy of competitors. Although slight of build, he was a member of the Rugby Team. He was probably one of the bravest full backs that I have ever known. Besides, he could look after himself – a lesson learnt by many opponents, not least the film actor Richard Harris, one of the stars of the Crescent Senior Team in our year. Ozzie was particularly influenced by the teaching of the late Fr. Athanasius, whose motto, Formez votre caractère!, pro-

PAUL BRADLEY (1957-1962) aul came to Glenstal in September 1957 and it soon became clear that he was someone who stood apart as being a bit special. This was not just because he was a fluent Irish speaker - though his mother’s conversations with James Dillon in their native tongue on sports day proved more interesting spectator sport than interminable shot-put competitions.

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In his early days in school Paul proved to be a good sportsman. He was good at both rugby and athletics. But perhaps success came too easily to him and he tired of sport in his later years. He needed a greater challenge. Many who have dropped out of mainstream sport have found themselves to have become marginalised figures. This did not happen to Paul. This was in part due to the small size of the class (there were only twelve still standing when the leaving certificate came around). But it was also due to

foundly impressed him. They remained close friends until the death of the older man. Ozzie could have made a success of any of the professions. On leaving school, he preferred to join his father and James in running the family business, the prestigious Ever Ready Garage in Donnybrook. Within weeks of leaving school, we gazed in awe at Ozzie engaged in high finance with the great and good of the country. When, for reasons I have never fully understood, the family decided to close the Ever Ready Garage, Ozzie could live a life that others could only dream of. Fishing and golf in Summer, shooting and racing in Winter, and always his beloved garden in Springfield, a charming shooting lodge type residence in Blackrock, Co. Dublin. There Ozzie and Oonagh brought up their five children, sending their four boys to Glenstal. Ozzie spent the rest of his time sitting on various Boards of Directors including An Post. Always an active member of the Glenstal Past Pupils Society, Ozzie was elected shortly before his death to a committee which was to advise how the Society could help the disadvantaged. At the annual dinner he joined the Barton table, always a large and vocal group. Occasionally, I was able to coax him to join us. He was also regular in his attendance at the AGM of the Society in Glenstal. I remember with great pleasure the trips up and down to Glenstal in his company.

Gearoid Bradley has kindly written this short account for us of his brother’s priestly ministry Upon his ordination in December 1969, Paul was assigned to Korea where he spent from 1970 until 1982. Then he went to Chile from 1982 to 1988 and he returned to Korea in 1992 to 1999, having spent four years in the UK from 1988 – 1992 as director of vocations. Wherever he went he was always involved with the Korean community. The mix of Eastern cultures, the importance of family and the extended family life, and the meaningful respect of the elderly in the community, he found compelling. He loved Korea and the Korean people, in particular the poor, with whom he worked so very closely. From 2001 until his death in October of last year, he served in Newport Beach, Orange County in California, where he had special responsibilities for the fast growing Korean community there along with regular parish work.

his personality and capacity for friendship. In the hustle and bustle of class, matches, debates, outings, films, music – he preserved a sense of calm. He was a quiet man without being in any way taciturn. One got the impression that in him still waters were running very deep indeed. But as a friend there was a very genune warmth about him. He had time for his friends. He also had a mischievous sense of humour which, much to our approval, was visited on the teachers and not on his classmates. Academically Paul was always in the upper echelons of the class, and in retrospect one wonders if, in this field too, success came too easily and would a more demanding curriculum have suited him better. On leaving school we heard that Paul (along with Rufus Halley) had joined the Columban Fathers in Dalgan Park as a missionary priest. At one level this came as a complete surprise as it was not something which he had ever mentioned to any of the rest of the

class. But at another level it was not surprising at all. Any reflection would have led one to conclude that Paul was set for ‘the road less travelled’. School life had been too easy for someone of his calibre. He needed, and had the courage to seek out, a far greater challenge. He was not a man for the foothills. He needed mountains to climb. He certainly found them in his priestly ministry in Korea and in the United States and in his last great battle with cancer. Hindsight is a wonderful thing (provided it is not misused). It is clear now that that boy of September 1957 with his dark looks and winning smile was an embryonic giant. When we knew him he was only warming up in preparation for the major challenges which lay ahead. But it was a real pleasure to have enjoyed his company for five years and a real privilege to be able to say that we were his friends. James Nugent and Harry Whelehan (Class of 1962)

GOLF: The Annual Golf Outing has been fixed for THURSDAY JULY 19th 2007 in the Castle Golf Club Rathfarnham. Tee Times: 14.00 - 15.45. Please confirm your interest to Gearoid Bradley or PJ Crerar. Sponsorship and prizes welcome.

Paul experienced a great deal of support and generosity from the people of his parish in his last few years, which was a privilege to witness. There is no doubt in his dying he brought out the best in many of those around him. Bishop Tod Brown, of Orange Diocese paid tribute at Paul’s funeral in Newport Beach to Paul’s dedicated ministry throughout the 37 years of his priestly life. A dedicated missionary, Paul was always willing to face a new challenge. A special Requiem Mass was held in Dalgan Park, Navan in November and his ashes were interred in the community cemetery.

influenced by those of his parents at a young age and the unique culture and experience of being educated in Glenstal in the late 50’s and early 60’s for which he was so grateful, along with the support of his fellow Columbans around the world. May he rest in peace.

LET US REMEMBER Paul Bradley (1962) Donough Lempriere (1956) John Devane (1965) Eddie Barber (1964) Fr. Oliver Quirke, monk of Glenstal Tom Fitzpatrick, father of Tom Desmond Brayden, father of Kenneth Betty Love, mother of Clayton & Neill John Fennelly, father of Jonathan & William Red Gallagher, father of David

His values and beliefs were greatly

Class of 1986 – 20 Years On

Ozzie will be sadly missed by his many friends. To Oonagh and to his family we offer our deepest sympathy. Frederick Morris (1941-1948)

During the last three years of his life, Paul had several operations in the course of his long battle with cancer. Those closest to him greatly admired his faith, courage and tenacity during that time. A number of Glenstal Old Boys kept in touch with him by mail and phone and others made great efforts to visit him, which he greatly appreciated.

as it ever occurred to you that going to a school re-union is like opening a box of chocolates? You know the box contains chocolate but like those chocolates your old classmates will have different and surprising characteristics. You’ll find the nutty ones and the sweet ones not to mention ones you have to chew over a little. Hollywood moviemakers could probably run up a mock of the beautiful picture of Glenstal Abbey on the cover of the box. Even they, however, couldn’t capture the anticipation and excitement of the twentieth re-union of the class of 1986.

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Driving to the Dunraven Arms for lunch I was both delighted and apprehensive. Obviously I had kept in touch with some of our classmates but others I would be seeing for the first time in 20 years. Would they be recognisable or would I find it disconcerting to be faced with bald or paunchy gentlemen? Would old wounds be re-opened and old scores settled? What I discovered was that, like good wine, my school friends had matured and mellowed. Our trip to Glenstal that afternoon brought back bygone days. Fr. Abbot took us around the monastery and we saw in our minds eyes our younger selves as we played and studied and prayed. As adults now we were very impressed by improvements made since our time. There were plenty of questions, “Do you remember?” and “Whatever happened to?” when we met Fr. Andrew, Matron, Henry Morgan and Maree McCarthy. Maree told us she had moved to Murroe, thus, like us, finally leaving school. Br. William and Br. Luke were so enthralled by the craic and the company that they gatecrashed the tour. Afterwards some of the lads renewed their youth by going to vespers while more went back to the hotel to refresh themselves for a meal amongst friends.

It was a night of fun and laughter and questions about “What did you do after?” There were old nicknames recalled and stories that we’d never heard before as well as jokes that would mean nothing to anyone outside our class. Conor Flynn brought some photos so that we could decide who had changed and whether we could still recognise everyone on the team. Most poignantly of all Mark Dillon was of the company because Graham Farrell brought a photo of him and put it on the table. So he was very much with us in spirit that night as we wined and dined. In such good company it was no wonder we reminisced into the wee small hours and Conor Flynn and I actually flexed our muscles as in days of yore. We even did a bit of shopping because Fr. Andrew, ever the entrepreneur, had brought school ties to sell his captive market. I should like it on record Fr. Andrew that in Ubique I prefer to be called by my real name of Creagh rather than Richard! (Ed. Who ever called you Richard, huh?) I couldn’t have organised our re-union without Mark O’Driscoll using his stature to browbeat past pupils into attending. Only four of the class failed to turn up, a tribute to his detective work. His after dinner speech was witty and relevant especially as he passed a vote of no confidence in our School Captain Peter Molony and Nick Hegarty our Vice Captain for not organising the re-union. I would like to point out to him that he didn’t mention me in his speech and equally he couldn’t have done it all without me. After all somebody had to look after the food and drink! I use the word somebody deliberately because I was the only one present nobody seemed to recognise. It’s probably because I look years younger than everybody else! Creagh Downing (1980-1986)

CONGRATULATIONS to Fr. Placid Murray who celebrated SEVENTY YEARS as a monk on January 6th 2007.