Page 67 - Gonzaga at 60
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GONZAGA AT SIXTY: A WORK IN PROGRESS
The official opening of the new tennis courts in the Jubilee Year
Jubilee Celebrations 2000-2001
2000-2001 marked ity years since the foundaion, and a variety of events were held throughout
the year in celebraion. They opened with a Mass of celebraion on September 10 2000. Over
300 guests atended, of whom 14 were members of the original group of 52 boys.
On Friday 22 September, a Golden Jubilee Ball was held in a marquee on the front lawn.
Among the 622 guests were past pupils from every year 1950, ‘almost one third of all boys who
passed through Gonzaga’ as Patrick Pots noted in his address. He also paid tribute to the Union
and in paricular its President, Paul Meagher, for the planning of events.
The Gonzaga Record for the year noted that the Philip Quinlan Trust and the Society of St Vincent
de Paul received substanial donaions from the proceeds of this event.
The ive Gonzaga Operas by Gerry Murphy were performed over the course of a single
week. The past returned to play roles that they had performed, in one case at least, as many as
25 years previously. ‘The week became a sort of ongoing reunion, efecively celebraing Gonzaga
past as well as present. Senior cast members met classmates whom in some cases they had not
seen since leaving school’, as Maire O’Kelly recorded.
Other events included the Jubilee Art Exhibiion, organized by Darragh O’Connell, who
has writen about it elsewhere; and a Jubilee Concert, held in the Naional Concert Hall, which
featured composiions by Gerry Murphy and performances by past pupils Hugh Tinney (1976)
and Finghin Collins (1996).
To mark the death in 2000 of Fr Edmund Keane S.J., the Union donated a large sum of
money to upgrade the exising tennis courts and provide two more in his memory.
The marquee for the Jubilee Ball. Photo on previous spread: The tree is lit up for the Jubilee celebrations
GONZAGA AT SIXTY: A WORK IN PROGRESS
The official opening of the new tennis courts in the Jubilee Year
Jubilee Celebrations 2000-2001
2000-2001 marked ity years since the foundaion, and a variety of events were held throughout
the year in celebraion. They opened with a Mass of celebraion on September 10 2000. Over
300 guests atended, of whom 14 were members of the original group of 52 boys.
On Friday 22 September, a Golden Jubilee Ball was held in a marquee on the front lawn.
Among the 622 guests were past pupils from every year 1950, ‘almost one third of all boys who
passed through Gonzaga’ as Patrick Pots noted in his address. He also paid tribute to the Union
and in paricular its President, Paul Meagher, for the planning of events.
The Gonzaga Record for the year noted that the Philip Quinlan Trust and the Society of St Vincent
de Paul received substanial donaions from the proceeds of this event.
The ive Gonzaga Operas by Gerry Murphy were performed over the course of a single
week. The past returned to play roles that they had performed, in one case at least, as many as
25 years previously. ‘The week became a sort of ongoing reunion, efecively celebraing Gonzaga
past as well as present. Senior cast members met classmates whom in some cases they had not
seen since leaving school’, as Maire O’Kelly recorded.
Other events included the Jubilee Art Exhibiion, organized by Darragh O’Connell, who
has writen about it elsewhere; and a Jubilee Concert, held in the Naional Concert Hall, which
featured composiions by Gerry Murphy and performances by past pupils Hugh Tinney (1976)
and Finghin Collins (1996).
To mark the death in 2000 of Fr Edmund Keane S.J., the Union donated a large sum of
money to upgrade the exising tennis courts and provide two more in his memory.
The marquee for the Jubilee Ball. Photo on previous spread: The tree is lit up for the Jubilee celebrations
