Page 53 - Gonzaga at 60
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GONZAGA AT SIXTY: A WORK IN PROGRESS
the means used to restore Irish were the right ones, George Miley said that the money spent
reviving Irish would be beter spent teaching the Irish how to speak English. Charlie Molony,
who had come to us late from a tougher school in rural Ireland, threw his copybook at him.
Brendan Walsh then refuted George in a speech in Irish replete with condescending references
to the inhabitants of Bothar Aelsbaire (where George lived). It was, perhaps, a clash of the two
diferent Irelands represented in the school. George, it must be added, returned to the fray at a
subsequent meeing proposing that that the Society should have an alternaive itle in English.
According to the minutes, this was rejected by acclamaion.
I was an enthusiasic debater and kept the minutes as secretary in my inal year – Brendan
Walsh was auditor. I remember giving an oraion on a moion of censure on the Egypian leader
Colonel Nasser moved by Tony Clare around the ime of the Suez invasion in 1956, using phrases
I had culled from Winston Churchill’s war speeches. Earlier that year I had recorded in my diary
the view that my speech at a debate was ‘far and away the best’ – I could have been unique in
my appreciaion of myself.
Belvedere teams came to debate against us in my inal year. On 14 February 1958 An
Chomhdhail met for the irst ime in the library in the new school building. The occasion was the
preliminary round of the schools’ compeiion for debaing sponsored by the Safety First Associaion
of Ireland organisaion. Gonzaga qualiied for the inal where we defeated Blackrock in a debate
held in the Aula Maxima in Newman House. Brendan Walsh, Killian Walsh and Brian O’Loghlen
were the victorious team. I well remember being disappointed not to have been selected.
Sport was a less successful part of the early Gonzaga, giving the school an image of being
a slightly precious place devoted to the things of the mind... Our numbers were too small to
compete with larger schools in rugby, where our senior team was captained by Leonard Litle. Lysaght’s class, From left:
Brendan Walsh, Ronnie
Belvedere seconds, St Paul’s Raheny, De la Salle, Monkstown Park and St Conleths were our usual O’Loghlen, Jerry Liston,
opponents – Jerry Liston once got himself sent of in a game against Conleths for dispuing a try Christopher Robson,
Charles Lysaght.
awarded to them in error by their rugby master, the internaional referee Kevin Kelleher. I played (Absent: Garret Shanley,
at out-half and was thrilled that Eugene Davy, who had played for Ireland in that posiion for who had left the class.)
GONZAGA AT SIXTY: A WORK IN PROGRESS
the means used to restore Irish were the right ones, George Miley said that the money spent
reviving Irish would be beter spent teaching the Irish how to speak English. Charlie Molony,
who had come to us late from a tougher school in rural Ireland, threw his copybook at him.
Brendan Walsh then refuted George in a speech in Irish replete with condescending references
to the inhabitants of Bothar Aelsbaire (where George lived). It was, perhaps, a clash of the two
diferent Irelands represented in the school. George, it must be added, returned to the fray at a
subsequent meeing proposing that that the Society should have an alternaive itle in English.
According to the minutes, this was rejected by acclamaion.
I was an enthusiasic debater and kept the minutes as secretary in my inal year – Brendan
Walsh was auditor. I remember giving an oraion on a moion of censure on the Egypian leader
Colonel Nasser moved by Tony Clare around the ime of the Suez invasion in 1956, using phrases
I had culled from Winston Churchill’s war speeches. Earlier that year I had recorded in my diary
the view that my speech at a debate was ‘far and away the best’ – I could have been unique in
my appreciaion of myself.
Belvedere teams came to debate against us in my inal year. On 14 February 1958 An
Chomhdhail met for the irst ime in the library in the new school building. The occasion was the
preliminary round of the schools’ compeiion for debaing sponsored by the Safety First Associaion
of Ireland organisaion. Gonzaga qualiied for the inal where we defeated Blackrock in a debate
held in the Aula Maxima in Newman House. Brendan Walsh, Killian Walsh and Brian O’Loghlen
were the victorious team. I well remember being disappointed not to have been selected.
Sport was a less successful part of the early Gonzaga, giving the school an image of being
a slightly precious place devoted to the things of the mind... Our numbers were too small to
compete with larger schools in rugby, where our senior team was captained by Leonard Litle. Lysaght’s class, From left:
Brendan Walsh, Ronnie
Belvedere seconds, St Paul’s Raheny, De la Salle, Monkstown Park and St Conleths were our usual O’Loghlen, Jerry Liston,
opponents – Jerry Liston once got himself sent of in a game against Conleths for dispuing a try Christopher Robson,
Charles Lysaght.
awarded to them in error by their rugby master, the internaional referee Kevin Kelleher. I played (Absent: Garret Shanley,
at out-half and was thrilled that Eugene Davy, who had played for Ireland in that posiion for who had left the class.)
