Time flies for CBS class of ‘68 as they mark 50 years!

There was disbelief that fifty years had passed as some thirty former pupils of St Mary's CBS in Enniscorthy gathered at the Riverside Park Hotel recently to mark the anniversary of their leaving the school and heading out into the big bad world.

Quite a bit of work went into the reunion with classmates Tony Britton, John Dunne, Willy French and Philip Howlin rounding up the troops over the past few months. Originally, 73 young, eager, fresh-faced boys entered the old Model School on the Mill Park Road in 1963, under the principalship of the late Br. Cripps for their first year, followed by four years with the late Br. Delaney at the helm. Surprisingly, most of them are still living locally, followed by a number who moved to Dublin in addition to those who live elsewhere in Ireland. A number moved to the UK, but as far as is known, nobody moved further afield.

Gradually, postal and email addresses were gathered, allowing the organising group to notify everybody with whom they were in contact. A total of three proved totally elusive, without any trace of existing family or friends in the general Enniscorthy area.

A number of their former teachers were unable to attend, but Cllr Tony Dempsey, also a past pupil of the school, was present to recall his time there as a teacher. Tony went on the have a long and successful career as a teacher, retiring as principal of Enniscorthy Vocational College.

During the course of an address to the group, Tony Britton reminded them of how far they had come and how distantly they had viewed arriving at 67 or 68 years of age when aged 17 or 18.

He pointed out that most of them were unlikely to have gotten a secondary education if it wasn't for the Christian Brothers, who had fallen out of favour in recent years. Nevertheless, it has to be admitted that the contribution of the Christian Brothers to the education of boys over the years had been immense, particularly at a time when the only alternative secondary school - boarding school - would have been difficult, if not impossible, for most of those present.

Of the original 73, unfortunately 13 had passed away, the most recent after enthusiastically agreeing to attend about two months ago. The earliest of the deceased was around 40 years ago when a former pupil, then a young naval officer, selflessly tried to rescue a fellow seaman overcome by fumes and he himself died in a double tragedy. Thoughts were with those classmates on the night also.

The organising committee were delighted with the response and how the night went and the night ran into the early hours of the morning as stories were exchanged and memories rekindled.

It was such a good night and the gang had such a good time catching up that they've agreed that another mini-reunion in five years may be on the cards.

Enniscorthy Guardian