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4 GLENSTAL NEWSLETTER Autumn 2010
SABBATICAL Down Under A
fter 28 years working in the school and in particular, the previous seven as Headmaster, I got to take a year’s sabbatical in St. Augustine’s College, Sydney. As the name suggests, this is an Augustinian school: 1,200 boys, over 140 staff, it boasts state of the art facilities. I felt at home straight away in St. Augustine’s. I was made welcome immediately and included in all aspects of school and social life. The combination of Augustinian and Australian hospitality is unbeatable. The downside, however, was a rapidly expanding waistline, as I was invited to an unending series of barbecues and dinners by boys, staff, and parents. The Headmaster, Tim Cleary and his wife Liz, with their two sons, opened the doors of their house to me, and have become dear friends. St. Augustine’s became a home from home and will always have a very special place in my heart. Australia is a marvelous country and the Aussies have a very special welcome for the Irish. As a consequence of the recession at home, many young Irish are moving there. I met
quite a number of Glenstal Old Boys in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane. It was such a pleasure catching up with them. They have excellent jobs and are doing very well for themselves. The Sydney GOB’s in particular were very generous to me. The best of ambassadors for Glenstal and for Ireland, it made me so proud to see how well-adjusted and balanced they are. In June, about 15 GOB’s, including myself – an honorary GOB – met in the Brisbane Irish Club for dinner before Ireland played the Wallabies. Jimbo Blake (‘95) organized the occasion. It was great to see so many attend, young and old, and everyone in such great spirits. Pity about the result! I am very grateful to so many people – in Ireland and in Australia – who helped make my sabbatical so happy and productive. Most of all, I am thankful to the God of Pax, Communitas, Veritas and Caritas for all His blessings. Denis Hooper OSB
www.myubique.com info@myubique.com
Ubique 2010 Glenstal U T BIQUE 2010 arrives with the Autumn Newsletter – to save on postage. With each new Ubique, there are at least a hundred more names and addresses to be printed – pace those going to heaven in pace in the meantime. So Ubique grows fatter and costs more to print and post. Inevitably, there are tough choices to be made about what to include. This is made a little easier now by the availability of the Old Boys website (My Ubique.com), which will allow us to preserve records – and even revive archival material which has not been seen for years. Ubique 2010 will probably cost €17,000. Why not print and post it from China? Or why not stuff a bank note (any currency, any denomination) into an envelope. You know the address! This does not apply to kind people who already support us with Bankers Orders or who do make contributions from time to time. Bless You!
Who’s For Golf?
F
GOBS IN BRISBANE, JUNE 2010 – UP FOR THE MATCH!
TANZANIA 2010 t was the summer of 2010 and for the third consecutive year Fr John O’Callaghan brought a group of 5th year students with him to Tanzania, East Africa. On the 17th of August we set out on a 24 hour journey that would eventually take us to a small African village called Hanga. There were six of us. Me (Louis de Boisanger), Billy Shanahan, Benedict Willhelms, James Joyce, Fionnán Long and William Hooker.
I
Our goal was straightforward: To provide better educational facilities for the secondary school in that village. In previous years Father John and his students brought them computers and a satellite for internet. But a problem arose. What is the point of having computers and internet without electricity? The solution was simple, but expensive. Solar panels. German built. The Mercedes-
Benz of solar panels worth €24,000, with an additional €10,000 for instalment. We knew it was the right thing to do, so after a lot of fundraising and calling in favours, we eventually raised the sum. But there’s more to this project than just giving presents to a village in Africa. We spent a month in the village teaching public speaking, music, art, and computers. During that month we lived with the Africans, we ate their food and we experienced their culture. We learned more from our students than they did from us. In our last week we toured the country. From glamorous Zanzibar, to a safari campsite guarded by Masai warriors who would quite literally give out to an elephant if he came too close to our tents. They say that you fall in love with Africa. Africa is a world of its own. Everyone should discover its charm. Louis de Boisanger (VI)
Recent Publications Peter Cunningham, Capital Sins William Ryan, The Holy Thief
That’s My Dad! That’s my Grandad! The new publication by Judge Harvey Kenny (1951-1958) Glenstal in The Fifties is an extraordinary collection of 300 photographs showing all aspects of shool life fifty years ago. It has an index of 315 names. A4 landscape format, beautifully bound in hardback, with cover design by Stephen Woulfe-Flanagan (1952-1958). An heirloom for every family! Available from: York Publications, Ventry, Tralee, Co. Kerry or Glenstal Abbey Shop. €55.00 (incl. p&p) in Ireland. €60.00 (incl. p&p) elsewhere. Edited by Andrew Nugent osb Layout & Print by INTYPE Ltd.
riday, July 16th was a great day on the wonderful course at Druids Heath Golf Club, followed by a lovely meal (all for 75 euros). The winner – and the first ever to defend his title successfully – was Des Collins (2001)
Society AGM
he A.G.M. of the Glenstal Society was held on Sunday, April 18, 2010, with our new President, Abbot Celestine Cullen in the chair. The second senior in attendance was Lord Peter Hemphill (’47) and the youngest Old Boy was Tom Fitzpatrick (’93). Even younger blood was represented by Billy Shanahan (17) who gave an excellent talk about a visit he and five companions from 5th Year were planning to make to a Benedictine school in Tanzania where GOBS is helping Fr. John to install solar panels to power computers and other electrical appliances (See p.4). Br. Martin, the Headmaster, attended the meeting and gave an interesting report about the school, which does indeed seem to be thriving. We went on to discuss (1) the shape and contents of a new print edition of Ubique (2) the current overhaul of the MyUbique website and (3) the need to inspire the well-intentioned but nonetheless ineffective potential donors amongst Old Boys to contribute something to our various activities and undertakings.
Three Honorary Old Boys were ‘created.’ These were Maurice Gaffney, former teacher, distinguished Senior Counsel, and a life-long friend of Glenstal, Abbot Christopher Dillon, former House-master and Abbot for 16 years, and Br. Denis Hooper, a very popular Headmaster. The President appealed for a greater involvement of Old Boys in projects in the developing world on the model of what was already being done in the school. While aware that not a few individuals were already involved, he proposed that energies might be more fruitfully channelled into a conjoint effort with Self Help Africa, an organization whose goals and focus offer an ideal outlet for Old Boys’ particular skills and experience.
Wedding Bells James MacNamara (1994) & Miranda Edgley Paul McGonigle (2000) & Elaina Curtin Patrick Shee (1998) & Katherine Baskerville John McManus (1997) & Emma Ledbetter David O’Connor (1996) & Susan O’Flynn Barry Clifford (2000) & Sarah Jane Mulcahy Tom Reilly (1993) & Jong Jing
We had members from all decades, Brian Kiernan, Peter Kiernan, George and John Mullan, Eddie McGrath, Jerry Nash, David McMahon & sons, Jeremy Svejdar, Paul Harvey, Keith Halley, Ronnie Cosgrave, P.J. Crerar, Mark Hutch, Mark Ryan, along with many of the regulars – about 30 golfers, and 25 for dinner. Consensus was that we would hold the event in Druids Heath GC again next year. Many felt the night was cut short as they had to drive home. Demand for next year is to arrange rooms – at a special rate – in the Druids Heath Hotel (formerly the Marriott), and make a real day and night of it. The Golf outing for 2011 will be July Friday 15th in Druids Heath Golf club – a date for your diary!
TANZANIA 2010
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2 GLENSTAL NEWSLETTER Autumn 2010
Autumn 2010 GLENSTAL NEWSLETTER 3
THE CLASS of 1990 remember Father Andrew telling us wide-eyed sixth years in 1990 that, statistically, two of us would be dead by 2010. We laughed. As far as I know, all thirty of us survive to this day. (Could anyone who has died quietly, please put a note on the website). Two out of three of our class gathered on 7th and 8th May, 2010 at Ballykisteen Golf resort near Limerick Junction for golf and reminiscence.
I
James Nugent and Darragh Connolly had done all the hard work tracking down the diaspora, and organising the two-night affair. Some people couldn’t make Saturday night, because Johnny Molloy had organised a christening in nearby Ballycahill to compete with the main event. Genius! While the giants of golf duked it out on Saturday (Ollie Blacque asked me to report that he humiliated Darragh Connolly), Ken Daly and I took a trip to Glenstal to seek out our old hut in the woods. We searched the laurels up past the hermit’s cottage, but could find no
sign of the hut we had built in summer term of ’86. Perhaps nature had reclaimed it, or rivals had destroyed it more comprehensively than we remembered? Or, just maybe, we are halfway to our dotage! We arrived back to a party in full swing. Of the group assembled, the most unchanged in twenty years were our guests, Fr. Andrew and Leo McGrath. They acted as mature arbiters of the disputed memories of the reunited teenagers. It was striking that everyone had such vivid recollections, mostly unshared by anyone else, and often diametrically opposed to the accounts of others. After dinner James Nugent made a very well-prepared ad hoc speech. He referred to the strange phenomenon that people don’t change much over time. We derived comfort from that original thought in myriad conversations until about 5a.m. when even the die-hards (Simon Clery, John Tyrell?) called it a night.
In post-reunion e-mails, Darragh Connolly alleged that he had picked up the tab for several bottles of cheap red wine consumed over dinner. Conor Ryan lost no time in identifying me as the culprit – but where is the hard evidence? It was over red wine that Conor and I conceived a brilliant plan for the class of ’90 to meet up every year. We nominated the Long Haul on South Great Georges Street at lunchtime on the day of the first home international. That way someone else is organising the date, and everyone will know it! Ray Boland
CONGRATULATIONS Congratulations and best wishes to Fr. Paulinus Austin Milner O.P. (4753) who, on April 30th 2010, celebrated his Golden Jubilee as a priest. Congratulations also to Fr. Cuthbert Brennan of the Glenstal Community who was ordained priest by Archbishop Dermot Clifford on July 11th 2010, the feast of St. Benedict.
Emily Supple 1925-2010 urse Emily, or Emmy, came to Glenstal in 1971 and remained there for 20 years. Born in Youghal, one of ten children from a deeply religious family, she qualified as a nurse in St Vincent’s Hospital and worked – one of her first assignments – for Adele Astaire, famous as a dance partner for her brother Fred Astaire. She (Adele – not Emmy) was married to Lord Charles Cavendish the second son of the Duke of Devonshire. Thereby hung many a tale!
N
A DNA analysis of Emmy would probably contain a best combination of the love of Nanny Hawkins (of Brideshead fame), the zest for living and the dignity of the Queen Mother, the patience, good humour, and positive outlook of everyone’s favourite aunt, and her own unique blend of wisdom, shrewdness and common sense. She was first and foremost a nurse with a cure for everything – which was a bit disconcerting when you were trying to get into the Infirmary! She was a true healer, and there was many a good chat or a kind word spoken, in the dispensary, and later – as we became senior students – in the sitting room she shared with Matron Anne O’Reilly, her dear friend. Adored by her own nephews and nieces, Glenstal’s pupils became for her a vast adopted family. Always interested in hearing news of past students and their families, she greeted each one with a welcoming smile. She loved school reunions. When our class of 1974 celebrated its 25 years with a wine tasting of 12 wines – kindly sponsored by Anthony Alken – Emmy was one of the few able to pinpoint her 3 favourites. Every Wednesday, after she retired from Glenstal, she and her
No Regrets – DES KEOGH – Actor
Varying Constants – PATRICK WALSHE - Artist
I
A
M
A move from the over-stimulation of big city life, to rural Wicklow in the 1990’s, liberated me to explore honest painting, stripped of intellectual manifesto and contrivance.
In spite of a busy life working as a Contractor, Billy found time to race sports cars, to water-ski, to play competitive bridge and to race sailing boats of all kinds. In between he was to be seen shooting and fly-fishing during the seasons, and – as if that was not enough – he was also a talented artist with a particular interest in seascapes and boats.
am sometimes asked- ”Do you regret leaving Guinness’s ?’’ to which my standard reply is ”Of course I do – wouldn’t I be retired now with a fine fat pension and not a care in the world!” Just to fill you in, I was employed by Uncle Arthur for two years and five months in the early sixties. Then, on a whim, I astounded my parents, family and friends by turning my back on the permanent and pensionable, perk-laden, most coveted job in Ireland and espoused a life of insecurity, unpredictability, frequent rejection and humiliation – in short showbusiness! Who said “There’s no business like showbusiness!”? Whoever it was must have been on a high, earning a fortune from a successful Broadway show. Still, on mature reflection, he may have known what he was talking about. There is no business like it. There is no feeling like standing in front of an audience, being applauded for a job well done.
s a younger artist I spent years wrestling with the devices and rhetoric of modern art, in skid row studios, in New York and Los Angeles, self-consciously positioning my work within the scheme of the art around me. My paintings were not truly my own but strove to belong to a Zietgeist.
My approach is to convey the marvel of the “varying constants” that are the seasonal interactions of air, light, water and earth: the surprise one feels at encountering sunlight in a wood: the way clouds morph and dance across a watery sky, or the Zen like arrangement of objects in a landscape.
s t r A
What other professional gets that sort of approbation? Does a surgeon get a round of applause after a successful operation? No way! The beneficiary is asleep. What about a lawyer, an architect, an accountant? Even a priest rarely gets applauded after a good sermon. So maybe we’re not so badly off in my business. The financial rewards may be minimal but at least I’m still doing what I love to do when most people my age have to content themselves with free travel. Maybe next time I’m asked I’ll echo Edith Piaf Je ne Regrette Rien!
My paintings should communicate viscerally with the viewer and require no interpretation. Though I have stripped my work of its old references and stratagems, I still think of it as completely contemporary. For me, landscape painting is not an historical backwater, but a cutting edge expression of modern man’s spiritual relationship with his environment. I am intrigued by exploring those tiny moments of observable natural happening that can be elevated to the grand tableaux of drama, mystery and wonder, in order to connect the viewer to his own sense of being “Alive.” www.patrick-walshe.com
fellow residents of Serpentine Terrace had a pizza night with a bottle or two of wine. A great saying of her’s was: “life is for living, the best way you can.” Towards the end, Emmy’s short term memory began to fade but her deep faith, her warmth, and her “Glenstal kindness” never did. As I sat beside her bed in St. Vincent’s Hospital shortly before she died, Emmy woke up, beaming, and gave me a big hug. She had no fear as she faced her God, and no complaints, just dignity and peace. As her gentle soul enjoys eternal peace, we will always remember her with love and with a smile. John O’Connor (1969-74)
WILLIAM LACY 1930-2010 any of us will remember Billy as a successful racing helmsman. But then there are some who played bridge with him, and they will not forget that.
None of this prevented Billy from achieving many virtuoso sailing performances as he chanced his luck by throwing a tack which seemed good to him at the time. He was no stranger to the winning gun. A gifted mathematician, Billy was also a master in solving the Irish Times Crosaire crossword puzzle. His children recall
LET US REMEMBER Alan Ainscough (52-57) Alan Clarke (45-51) Aylmer O’Doherty (33-36) Fergus O’Toole (67-73) Gerald P. Dempsey (40-46) Andrew O’Shaughnessy (45-50) Denis Lucy (45-47) Nurse Emily Supple (71-91) Patricia Whelan, Mother of Peter and James
how he would give them some old crosswords and ask them to fill in each white square with a different colour. They would get to work immediately but well before they were finished, Billy had the Crosaire completed. Billy’s marriage and life with Trudi is a love story. His passing has left a big void for his family. You always knew when he was around and now that he is no longer, he will be missed by his wife Trudi, his three sons William, Peter and Alex, by his daughter Lisa and by his many friends. One thing is certain about Billy and that is that his great and deep-rooted faith will have taken him to a great ocean in the sky away out beyond the light years, filled with fast racing boats. If in time you should travel that way, the chances are that Billy will be helming the leading boat. John Gore-Grimes
Grandmother of David and Robert Lanigan Twinkle Egan, Sister of Robert Robert Booth, Father of David, Peter, Christopher, Ronald John O’Sullivan, Father of John, Barnaby, Adrian, Finian Micháel O’Maílle, Father of Michael Michael O’Callaghan, Father of William and Donough Richard Lord, Father of John(†), Anthony, Richard, Peter.
Billy Connors, Father of David Michael O’Callaghan, Father of Michael and Joseph Deirdre Addis, Mother of Timmy and Ned Maura O’Malley, Mother of Michael Arthur Anderson, Father of Henry Denis Aliaga-Kelly, Father of Patrick and Ambrose Patricia Richardson, Mother of Brian, Denis and Frank Jarda Svejdar, Father of Jeremy
GLNL Autumn10 PRINT 31/10/10 4:40 PM Page 2
2 GLENSTAL NEWSLETTER Autumn 2010
Autumn 2010 GLENSTAL NEWSLETTER 3
THE CLASS of 1990 remember Father Andrew telling us wide-eyed sixth years in 1990 that, statistically, two of us would be dead by 2010. We laughed. As far as I know, all thirty of us survive to this day. (Could anyone who has died quietly, please put a note on the website). Two out of three of our class gathered on 7th and 8th May, 2010 at Ballykisteen Golf resort near Limerick Junction for golf and reminiscence.
I
James Nugent and Darragh Connolly had done all the hard work tracking down the diaspora, and organising the two-night affair. Some people couldn’t make Saturday night, because Johnny Molloy had organised a christening in nearby Ballycahill to compete with the main event. Genius! While the giants of golf duked it out on Saturday (Ollie Blacque asked me to report that he humiliated Darragh Connolly), Ken Daly and I took a trip to Glenstal to seek out our old hut in the woods. We searched the laurels up past the hermit’s cottage, but could find no
sign of the hut we had built in summer term of ’86. Perhaps nature had reclaimed it, or rivals had destroyed it more comprehensively than we remembered? Or, just maybe, we are halfway to our dotage! We arrived back to a party in full swing. Of the group assembled, the most unchanged in twenty years were our guests, Fr. Andrew and Leo McGrath. They acted as mature arbiters of the disputed memories of the reunited teenagers. It was striking that everyone had such vivid recollections, mostly unshared by anyone else, and often diametrically opposed to the accounts of others. After dinner James Nugent made a very well-prepared ad hoc speech. He referred to the strange phenomenon that people don’t change much over time. We derived comfort from that original thought in myriad conversations until about 5a.m. when even the die-hards (Simon Clery, John Tyrell?) called it a night.
In post-reunion e-mails, Darragh Connolly alleged that he had picked up the tab for several bottles of cheap red wine consumed over dinner. Conor Ryan lost no time in identifying me as the culprit – but where is the hard evidence? It was over red wine that Conor and I conceived a brilliant plan for the class of ’90 to meet up every year. We nominated the Long Haul on South Great Georges Street at lunchtime on the day of the first home international. That way someone else is organising the date, and everyone will know it! Ray Boland
CONGRATULATIONS Congratulations and best wishes to Fr. Paulinus Austin Milner O.P. (4753) who, on April 30th 2010, celebrated his Golden Jubilee as a priest. Congratulations also to Fr. Cuthbert Brennan of the Glenstal Community who was ordained priest by Archbishop Dermot Clifford on July 11th 2010, the feast of St. Benedict.
Emily Supple 1925-2010 urse Emily, or Emmy, came to Glenstal in 1971 and remained there for 20 years. Born in Youghal, one of ten children from a deeply religious family, she qualified as a nurse in St Vincent’s Hospital and worked – one of her first assignments – for Adele Astaire, famous as a dance partner for her brother Fred Astaire. She (Adele – not Emmy) was married to Lord Charles Cavendish the second son of the Duke of Devonshire. Thereby hung many a tale!
N
A DNA analysis of Emmy would probably contain a best combination of the love of Nanny Hawkins (of Brideshead fame), the zest for living and the dignity of the Queen Mother, the patience, good humour, and positive outlook of everyone’s favourite aunt, and her own unique blend of wisdom, shrewdness and common sense. She was first and foremost a nurse with a cure for everything – which was a bit disconcerting when you were trying to get into the Infirmary! She was a true healer, and there was many a good chat or a kind word spoken, in the dispensary, and later – as we became senior students – in the sitting room she shared with Matron Anne O’Reilly, her dear friend. Adored by her own nephews and nieces, Glenstal’s pupils became for her a vast adopted family. Always interested in hearing news of past students and their families, she greeted each one with a welcoming smile. She loved school reunions. When our class of 1974 celebrated its 25 years with a wine tasting of 12 wines – kindly sponsored by Anthony Alken – Emmy was one of the few able to pinpoint her 3 favourites. Every Wednesday, after she retired from Glenstal, she and her
No Regrets – DES KEOGH – Actor
Varying Constants – PATRICK WALSHE - Artist
I
A
M
A move from the over-stimulation of big city life, to rural Wicklow in the 1990’s, liberated me to explore honest painting, stripped of intellectual manifesto and contrivance.
In spite of a busy life working as a Contractor, Billy found time to race sports cars, to water-ski, to play competitive bridge and to race sailing boats of all kinds. In between he was to be seen shooting and fly-fishing during the seasons, and – as if that was not enough – he was also a talented artist with a particular interest in seascapes and boats.
am sometimes asked- ”Do you regret leaving Guinness’s ?’’ to which my standard reply is ”Of course I do – wouldn’t I be retired now with a fine fat pension and not a care in the world!” Just to fill you in, I was employed by Uncle Arthur for two years and five months in the early sixties. Then, on a whim, I astounded my parents, family and friends by turning my back on the permanent and pensionable, perk-laden, most coveted job in Ireland and espoused a life of insecurity, unpredictability, frequent rejection and humiliation – in short showbusiness! Who said “There’s no business like showbusiness!”? Whoever it was must have been on a high, earning a fortune from a successful Broadway show. Still, on mature reflection, he may have known what he was talking about. There is no business like it. There is no feeling like standing in front of an audience, being applauded for a job well done.
s a younger artist I spent years wrestling with the devices and rhetoric of modern art, in skid row studios, in New York and Los Angeles, self-consciously positioning my work within the scheme of the art around me. My paintings were not truly my own but strove to belong to a Zietgeist.
My approach is to convey the marvel of the “varying constants” that are the seasonal interactions of air, light, water and earth: the surprise one feels at encountering sunlight in a wood: the way clouds morph and dance across a watery sky, or the Zen like arrangement of objects in a landscape.
s t r A
What other professional gets that sort of approbation? Does a surgeon get a round of applause after a successful operation? No way! The beneficiary is asleep. What about a lawyer, an architect, an accountant? Even a priest rarely gets applauded after a good sermon. So maybe we’re not so badly off in my business. The financial rewards may be minimal but at least I’m still doing what I love to do when most people my age have to content themselves with free travel. Maybe next time I’m asked I’ll echo Edith Piaf Je ne Regrette Rien!
My paintings should communicate viscerally with the viewer and require no interpretation. Though I have stripped my work of its old references and stratagems, I still think of it as completely contemporary. For me, landscape painting is not an historical backwater, but a cutting edge expression of modern man’s spiritual relationship with his environment. I am intrigued by exploring those tiny moments of observable natural happening that can be elevated to the grand tableaux of drama, mystery and wonder, in order to connect the viewer to his own sense of being “Alive.” www.patrick-walshe.com
fellow residents of Serpentine Terrace had a pizza night with a bottle or two of wine. A great saying of her’s was: “life is for living, the best way you can.” Towards the end, Emmy’s short term memory began to fade but her deep faith, her warmth, and her “Glenstal kindness” never did. As I sat beside her bed in St. Vincent’s Hospital shortly before she died, Emmy woke up, beaming, and gave me a big hug. She had no fear as she faced her God, and no complaints, just dignity and peace. As her gentle soul enjoys eternal peace, we will always remember her with love and with a smile. John O’Connor (1969-74)
WILLIAM LACY 1930-2010 any of us will remember Billy as a successful racing helmsman. But then there are some who played bridge with him, and they will not forget that.
None of this prevented Billy from achieving many virtuoso sailing performances as he chanced his luck by throwing a tack which seemed good to him at the time. He was no stranger to the winning gun. A gifted mathematician, Billy was also a master in solving the Irish Times Crosaire crossword puzzle. His children recall
LET US REMEMBER Alan Ainscough (52-57) Alan Clarke (45-51) Aylmer O’Doherty (33-36) Fergus O’Toole (67-73) Gerald P. Dempsey (40-46) Andrew O’Shaughnessy (45-50) Denis Lucy (45-47) Nurse Emily Supple (71-91) Patricia Whelan, Mother of Peter and James
how he would give them some old crosswords and ask them to fill in each white square with a different colour. They would get to work immediately but well before they were finished, Billy had the Crosaire completed. Billy’s marriage and life with Trudi is a love story. His passing has left a big void for his family. You always knew when he was around and now that he is no longer, he will be missed by his wife Trudi, his three sons William, Peter and Alex, by his daughter Lisa and by his many friends. One thing is certain about Billy and that is that his great and deep-rooted faith will have taken him to a great ocean in the sky away out beyond the light years, filled with fast racing boats. If in time you should travel that way, the chances are that Billy will be helming the leading boat. John Gore-Grimes
Grandmother of David and Robert Lanigan Twinkle Egan, Sister of Robert Robert Booth, Father of David, Peter, Christopher, Ronald John O’Sullivan, Father of John, Barnaby, Adrian, Finian Micháel O’Maílle, Father of Michael Michael O’Callaghan, Father of William and Donough Richard Lord, Father of John(†), Anthony, Richard, Peter.
Billy Connors, Father of David Michael O’Callaghan, Father of Michael and Joseph Deirdre Addis, Mother of Timmy and Ned Maura O’Malley, Mother of Michael Arthur Anderson, Father of Henry Denis Aliaga-Kelly, Father of Patrick and Ambrose Patricia Richardson, Mother of Brian, Denis and Frank Jarda Svejdar, Father of Jeremy
GLNL Autumn10 PRINT 31/10/10 4:40 PM Page 1
4 GLENSTAL NEWSLETTER Autumn 2010
SABBATICAL Down Under A
fter 28 years working in the school and in particular, the previous seven as Headmaster, I got to take a year’s sabbatical in St. Augustine’s College, Sydney. As the name suggests, this is an Augustinian school: 1,200 boys, over 140 staff, it boasts state of the art facilities. I felt at home straight away in St. Augustine’s. I was made welcome immediately and included in all aspects of school and social life. The combination of Augustinian and Australian hospitality is unbeatable. The downside, however, was a rapidly expanding waistline, as I was invited to an unending series of barbecues and dinners by boys, staff, and parents. The Headmaster, Tim Cleary and his wife Liz, with their two sons, opened the doors of their house to me, and have become dear friends. St. Augustine’s became a home from home and will always have a very special place in my heart. Australia is a marvelous country and the Aussies have a very special welcome for the Irish. As a consequence of the recession at home, many young Irish are moving there. I met
quite a number of Glenstal Old Boys in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane. It was such a pleasure catching up with them. They have excellent jobs and are doing very well for themselves. The Sydney GOB’s in particular were very generous to me. The best of ambassadors for Glenstal and for Ireland, it made me so proud to see how well-adjusted and balanced they are. In June, about 15 GOB’s, including myself – an honorary GOB – met in the Brisbane Irish Club for dinner before Ireland played the Wallabies. Jimbo Blake (‘95) organized the occasion. It was great to see so many attend, young and old, and everyone in such great spirits. Pity about the result! I am very grateful to so many people – in Ireland and in Australia – who helped make my sabbatical so happy and productive. Most of all, I am thankful to the God of Pax, Communitas, Veritas and Caritas for all His blessings. Denis Hooper OSB
www.myubique.com info@myubique.com
Ubique 2010 Glenstal U T BIQUE 2010 arrives with the Autumn Newsletter – to save on postage. With each new Ubique, there are at least a hundred more names and addresses to be printed – pace those going to heaven in pace in the meantime. So Ubique grows fatter and costs more to print and post. Inevitably, there are tough choices to be made about what to include. This is made a little easier now by the availability of the Old Boys website (My Ubique.com), which will allow us to preserve records – and even revive archival material which has not been seen for years. Ubique 2010 will probably cost €17,000. Why not print and post it from China? Or why not stuff a bank note (any currency, any denomination) into an envelope. You know the address! This does not apply to kind people who already support us with Bankers Orders or who do make contributions from time to time. Bless You!
Who’s For Golf?
F
GOBS IN BRISBANE, JUNE 2010 – UP FOR THE MATCH!
TANZANIA 2010 t was the summer of 2010 and for the third consecutive year Fr John O’Callaghan brought a group of 5th year students with him to Tanzania, East Africa. On the 17th of August we set out on a 24 hour journey that would eventually take us to a small African village called Hanga. There were six of us. Me (Louis de Boisanger), Billy Shanahan, Benedict Willhelms, James Joyce, Fionnán Long and William Hooker.
I
Our goal was straightforward: To provide better educational facilities for the secondary school in that village. In previous years Father John and his students brought them computers and a satellite for internet. But a problem arose. What is the point of having computers and internet without electricity? The solution was simple, but expensive. Solar panels. German built. The Mercedes-
Benz of solar panels worth €24,000, with an additional €10,000 for instalment. We knew it was the right thing to do, so after a lot of fundraising and calling in favours, we eventually raised the sum. But there’s more to this project than just giving presents to a village in Africa. We spent a month in the village teaching public speaking, music, art, and computers. During that month we lived with the Africans, we ate their food and we experienced their culture. We learned more from our students than they did from us. In our last week we toured the country. From glamorous Zanzibar, to a safari campsite guarded by Masai warriors who would quite literally give out to an elephant if he came too close to our tents. They say that you fall in love with Africa. Africa is a world of its own. Everyone should discover its charm. Louis de Boisanger (VI)
Recent Publications Peter Cunningham, Capital Sins William Ryan, The Holy Thief
That’s My Dad! That’s my Grandad! The new publication by Judge Harvey Kenny (1951-1958) Glenstal in The Fifties is an extraordinary collection of 300 photographs showing all aspects of shool life fifty years ago. It has an index of 315 names. A4 landscape format, beautifully bound in hardback, with cover design by Stephen Woulfe-Flanagan (1952-1958). An heirloom for every family! Available from: York Publications, Ventry, Tralee, Co. Kerry or Glenstal Abbey Shop. €55.00 (incl. p&p) in Ireland. €60.00 (incl. p&p) elsewhere. Edited by Andrew Nugent osb Layout & Print by INTYPE Ltd.
riday, July 16th was a great day on the wonderful course at Druids Heath Golf Club, followed by a lovely meal (all for 75 euros). The winner – and the first ever to defend his title successfully – was Des Collins (2001)
Society AGM
he A.G.M. of the Glenstal Society was held on Sunday, April 18, 2010, with our new President, Abbot Celestine Cullen in the chair. The second senior in attendance was Lord Peter Hemphill (’47) and the youngest Old Boy was Tom Fitzpatrick (’93). Even younger blood was represented by Billy Shanahan (17) who gave an excellent talk about a visit he and five companions from 5th Year were planning to make to a Benedictine school in Tanzania where GOBS is helping Fr. John to install solar panels to power computers and other electrical appliances (See p.4). Br. Martin, the Headmaster, attended the meeting and gave an interesting report about the school, which does indeed seem to be thriving. We went on to discuss (1) the shape and contents of a new print edition of Ubique (2) the current overhaul of the MyUbique website and (3) the need to inspire the well-intentioned but nonetheless ineffective potential donors amongst Old Boys to contribute something to our various activities and undertakings.
Three Honorary Old Boys were ‘created.’ These were Maurice Gaffney, former teacher, distinguished Senior Counsel, and a life-long friend of Glenstal, Abbot Christopher Dillon, former House-master and Abbot for 16 years, and Br. Denis Hooper, a very popular Headmaster. The President appealed for a greater involvement of Old Boys in projects in the developing world on the model of what was already being done in the school. While aware that not a few individuals were already involved, he proposed that energies might be more fruitfully channelled into a conjoint effort with Self Help Africa, an organization whose goals and focus offer an ideal outlet for Old Boys’ particular skills and experience.
Wedding Bells James MacNamara (1994) & Miranda Edgley Paul McGonigle (2000) & Elaina Curtin Patrick Shee (1998) & Katherine Baskerville John McManus (1997) & Emma Ledbetter David O’Connor (1996) & Susan O’Flynn Barry Clifford (2000) & Sarah Jane Mulcahy Tom Reilly (1993) & Jong Jing
We had members from all decades, Brian Kiernan, Peter Kiernan, George and John Mullan, Eddie McGrath, Jerry Nash, David McMahon & sons, Jeremy Svejdar, Paul Harvey, Keith Halley, Ronnie Cosgrave, P.J. Crerar, Mark Hutch, Mark Ryan, along with many of the regulars – about 30 golfers, and 25 for dinner. Consensus was that we would hold the event in Druids Heath GC again next year. Many felt the night was cut short as they had to drive home. Demand for next year is to arrange rooms – at a special rate – in the Druids Heath Hotel (formerly the Marriott), and make a real day and night of it. The Golf outing for 2011 will be July Friday 15th in Druids Heath Golf club – a date for your diary!
TANZANIA 2010