A splendid Christmas welcome greeted the 1969 to 1974 past-pupils of St. Joseph’s Secondary School, Castleisland at the River Island Hotel for their 50th school reunion recently.
The occasion was a culmination of a year’s work by class members: Nora Drumm, Sheila Brosnan, Julie O’Connor, Brid Daly and Bridget O’Connor.
Nora, Sheila and Julie got the ball rolling in 2023 by compiling a list of their former classmates. Working on a list of names, from the leaving cert class of 1974, they decided to include all students from first year to sixth year.
When the list was compiled the real work began. Brid and Bridget joined the team of researchers and a plan was devised.
Addresses and Phone Numbers
Each member of the team took the names of the nine or ten classmates they were most friendly with and they managed to compile a list of email addresses and phone numbers for everyone.
Three great meetings were held in ‘The Forge’ in Castleisland where there was more time spent relating stories of the good old days in St. Josephs, than doing any planning.
Spread sheets were set out and plans developed. Following consultation with River Island Hotel manager Adrian Murphy, Saturday night November 30th was selected as the date for the big event.
The planning for the gathering then really began.
Contacting past teachers was a very important element of the process and messages and good wishes were sent by Sheila Horan and Theresa Reidy who could not attend.
A Tour of the School
A visit to St. Joseph’s at 3:30pm was arranged for the day of the reunion and the principal, Pierce Dargan took time from his own weekend to meet the former pupils and to facilitate a tour of the school.
All agreed that the tour was fantastic as everyone had memories to share of their time in the school. They were very impressed with the school facilities available to young people today.
Former teacher Mrs. Maureen McCarthy came to meet the group in the school much to the delight of the girls.
The River Island Hotel looked festive and beautifully and brilliantly lit up in Christmas cheer.
The evening started with a drinks reception. Name tags were a great help and very quickly people were renewing old acquaintances.
Years Melted Away
Sr. Victoir or Sr. Margaret as she is now known, came to meet the class at the welcome reception at 7pm. She was warmly welcomed by everyone and she addressed the group, expressing her joy at meeting all her past students.
The years melted away as everyone renewed acquaintances and the magic unfolded. The group moved to a private room where Julie O’Connor gave a short address on behalf of the organising team.
In the address Julie passed on messages from classmates and teachers who could not make the event but wished that they could.
Seven Absent Members Remembered
She also remembered the seven members of the class who have sadly passed away: Carol O’Connor, Mary Ann Divane, Hilary Sugrue, Mary Griffin, Margaret Shanahan and Margaret Walsh
The brief address was followed by a delightful three course meal. The room echoed with laughter and chat.
The joy of meeting old friends was palpable. After the meal, people moved about, catching up with as many friends as possible and relating stories long forgotten into the early morning.The reunion of the class of ‘69-’74 was an all out success.
The organising team had felt the magic from their first meetings in 2023 and it was a memorable occasion for all those who travelled to their 50th school reunion.
You can contact The Maine Valley Post on… Anyone in The Maine Valley Post catchment area who would like to send us news and captioned photographs for inclusion can send them to: jreidy@mainevalleypost.com Queries about advertising and any other matters regarding The Maine Valley Post can also be sent to that address or just ring: 087 23 59 467.
