Page 74 - The Gonzaga Record 1985
P. 74
then back to the push and pull. It was with in strengthening its frame.
tired feet and limbs that we reached It was only when we returned to Dublin
.Monasterevan at 5.30 pm. The evening . that we learned that between collecting and
'followed the pattern set the night before. sponsorships we had raised over £9000!
We were in high spirits, partly because our This surpassed the previous record. All in
accommodation was excellent: a recently all, it was a superb experience. Long may it
built school with luxuries such as carpets, continue as a Fifth year project for the
and even heat which the school authorities deprived and the suffering.
kindly turned on. Fr Brennan had been Those who took part in the 1984 Fifth
acting as back-up for the treck to year Project were:
Monasterevin. Michael O'Higgins; Nial Breslin; Morgan
The third day was a comparatively short Curran; William Dundon; Peter F. Fahy;
walk of about ten miles to Portlaoise. This Justin Egan; Peter Fahy; Conor
gave us more time for collecting in this Fitzsimons; Anthony Geoghegan; Declan
larger town. Mr Mulgrew was the back-up Grant; Edmund Lynch; Cormac Larkin;
for the journey from Portlaoise to Roscrea. Malachy McAllister; Kevin McDermott;
His relaxed approach was a help to all , Noel McMahon; Eugene McVeigh; David
especially those who were now suffering Nolan; David O ' Donoghue; Brian
from bli stered feet. There was great O'Donnell; Michael O'Donnell; Colm
excitement when a Rolls Royce stopped, ' O'Briain; Gavin O'Sullivan; Kevin
and casua ll y dropped a £20 note into our O'Connor; David O'Grady; Timothy
collecting bucket. Acknowledgements are O'Riordan; William Riordan; Martin
due to Radio Eireann who mentioned the Ryan; Stephen Ryan; Ian Symington;
push on the Radio. We stayed at a sister David Toner; Diarmuid Tempany.
school to Mount Anville at Roscrea. There
were a few sad Gonzaga faces as we left the Michael O'Donnell.
school the next morning just as the girls
made their way to the class-rooms we had AN CHOMHDHAIL
occupied the previous night!
Our next push was to Nenagh. Mr
Linnane was back-up man for this leg, and An Chomhdhail, the Gonzaga College
kept us going with his encouragement. On Debating Society, first met thirty years ago
arriving at Nenagh we had a great meeting on Friday 11 November 1955. Fr Joseph
with Fr Murray (now Headmaster of V eale, SJ agreed to act as President and
Crescent College Comprehensive school, chaired the meeting, with Brendan W alsh as
Limerick) who had started the whole Fifth acting Secretary. The profundity of the first
year project. There was great activity and motion discussed, 'That this house is of the
celebration as it was our last night on the opinion that the works of Enid Blyton are
road before returning to Dublin. The final pernicious, and respectfully requests that
push was a twenty-six mile journey from they be removed from the school library' set
Nenagh to Limerick. Mr Slevin and Fr a precedent for many searching and
Duffy accompanied us to Limerick. Radio informative debates to come.
Eireann once again made an appeal on our During its early years An Chomhdhail
behalf as we came towards Limerick. The met irregularly, and averaged only four or
people were very generous, and we five meetings a year. However, attendance
collected £900 that day. grew steadily, as pupils were, no doubt,
We arrived at the train station in anxious to hear speakers argue the merits of
Limerick with just enough time to load our Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington; or
gear on to the train, and say good-bye to debate whether teenagers had too much
our faithful cot with its tiny wheel s. It had freedom, as exhibited by the Teddy Boys
stood up well to the six-day ordeal, then rampant. But An Chomhdhail didn't.
especially after Fr Brennan had succeeded really get ofT the ground until its first inter-
66
tired feet and limbs that we reached It was only when we returned to Dublin
.Monasterevan at 5.30 pm. The evening . that we learned that between collecting and
'followed the pattern set the night before. sponsorships we had raised over £9000!
We were in high spirits, partly because our This surpassed the previous record. All in
accommodation was excellent: a recently all, it was a superb experience. Long may it
built school with luxuries such as carpets, continue as a Fifth year project for the
and even heat which the school authorities deprived and the suffering.
kindly turned on. Fr Brennan had been Those who took part in the 1984 Fifth
acting as back-up for the treck to year Project were:
Monasterevin. Michael O'Higgins; Nial Breslin; Morgan
The third day was a comparatively short Curran; William Dundon; Peter F. Fahy;
walk of about ten miles to Portlaoise. This Justin Egan; Peter Fahy; Conor
gave us more time for collecting in this Fitzsimons; Anthony Geoghegan; Declan
larger town. Mr Mulgrew was the back-up Grant; Edmund Lynch; Cormac Larkin;
for the journey from Portlaoise to Roscrea. Malachy McAllister; Kevin McDermott;
His relaxed approach was a help to all , Noel McMahon; Eugene McVeigh; David
especially those who were now suffering Nolan; David O ' Donoghue; Brian
from bli stered feet. There was great O'Donnell; Michael O'Donnell; Colm
excitement when a Rolls Royce stopped, ' O'Briain; Gavin O'Sullivan; Kevin
and casua ll y dropped a £20 note into our O'Connor; David O'Grady; Timothy
collecting bucket. Acknowledgements are O'Riordan; William Riordan; Martin
due to Radio Eireann who mentioned the Ryan; Stephen Ryan; Ian Symington;
push on the Radio. We stayed at a sister David Toner; Diarmuid Tempany.
school to Mount Anville at Roscrea. There
were a few sad Gonzaga faces as we left the Michael O'Donnell.
school the next morning just as the girls
made their way to the class-rooms we had AN CHOMHDHAIL
occupied the previous night!
Our next push was to Nenagh. Mr
Linnane was back-up man for this leg, and An Chomhdhail, the Gonzaga College
kept us going with his encouragement. On Debating Society, first met thirty years ago
arriving at Nenagh we had a great meeting on Friday 11 November 1955. Fr Joseph
with Fr Murray (now Headmaster of V eale, SJ agreed to act as President and
Crescent College Comprehensive school, chaired the meeting, with Brendan W alsh as
Limerick) who had started the whole Fifth acting Secretary. The profundity of the first
year project. There was great activity and motion discussed, 'That this house is of the
celebration as it was our last night on the opinion that the works of Enid Blyton are
road before returning to Dublin. The final pernicious, and respectfully requests that
push was a twenty-six mile journey from they be removed from the school library' set
Nenagh to Limerick. Mr Slevin and Fr a precedent for many searching and
Duffy accompanied us to Limerick. Radio informative debates to come.
Eireann once again made an appeal on our During its early years An Chomhdhail
behalf as we came towards Limerick. The met irregularly, and averaged only four or
people were very generous, and we five meetings a year. However, attendance
collected £900 that day. grew steadily, as pupils were, no doubt,
We arrived at the train station in anxious to hear speakers argue the merits of
Limerick with just enough time to load our Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington; or
gear on to the train, and say good-bye to debate whether teenagers had too much
our faithful cot with its tiny wheel s. It had freedom, as exhibited by the Teddy Boys
stood up well to the six-day ordeal, then rampant. But An Chomhdhail didn't.
especially after Fr Brennan had succeeded really get ofT the ground until its first inter-
66
