Good Counsel College - Past Pupils News

Past Pupils in the News

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:32:00 GMT

Tom O'Brien presenting thee school with the breeches worn in winning the Topham Trophy at Aintree A number of past pupils have recently made the news in varied areas of endeavour. John Murphy of Poulpeasty recently appeared on 'The Dragons Den' where he secured funding from the Dragons for his milling business which produces wheatmeal flour sold under the brand name of 'Uncle Aidans'. Hopefully with the support of these successful entrepreneurs and the attendant publicity, John's business will thrive. You can watch John making his pitch online at http://www.rte.ie/tv/dragonsden/s$ep5.html.

Another past pupil, Chris Prendergast, also made a successful pitch when appearing on the high quality picece of TV that is 'Take me Out'. He walked away with a young lady on his arm for a date at 'Shifters' although any news of whether he survived unscathed from the experience has not reached these quarters. We keep him in our thoughts.

The Aintree race meeting which was attended by a group of 21 students from the school last week produced fine displays from 2 alumni of Good Counsel when Tom Doyle and Tom O'Brien rode feature race winners on Thursday and Friday respectively. Tom Doyles mount, Follow The Plan, won at the price of 50/1 while Tom O'Brien won on Always Waining who was creating history as the first horse to win the Topham Trophy over the Grand National fences for 3 consecutive years.

Class of '91 - Reunion

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:31:00 GMT

From the Class of '91, John Lawlor, Richard Murphy and Kevin Cowman The Leaving Cert. class of 1991 met for a reunion over the Christmas period with over 40 of the cohort gathering in 'The Ship' on North Street. Organised mainly by Clem Power, Tom Galway, Michael McCormack and Kevin Cowman it was a very pleasant evening with lots of schoolday incidents being recalled, losing nothing in the telling. Other members of the class had been in contact to wish the gathering well even though for various reasons they themselves could not attend. P J Doyle, Shane O'Brien,Martin Ryan and John Mackey

Christmas Music and Craft Fair

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 12:04:00 GMT

On Sunday, November 27th, the Parents' Council are holding an afternoon of Craft and Music in the college, from 2pm to 5pm. Many craft workers from around the county will exhibit on the day so this may be the ideal opportunity to pick up some unique Christmas gifts. Music will be provided on the day by by the combined St Marys/Good Counsel College Orchestra and by a number of groups and solo performers from among our student cohort. Complimentary refreshments will be provided all afternoon on what promises to be a most sociable occassion. There will be lots of spot prizes on offer and admission is free. Come along and bring friends and family.

Class of 1991 - Reunion

Sun, 02 Oct 2011 18:17:00 GMT

A small group from the Leaving Cert. class of 1991 met last week with a view to arranging a reunion of their cohort later in the year. They have decided to go wih December 28th in 'The Ship, North Street, New Ross and will set about making contact with all members of the class over the next few weeks. Anyone from the class can get in touch with the school for further details or with forwarding addresses. Hopefully it might lead to a more regular and structured framework for occassions where Alumni can gather or make contact.

Linkedin Group

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 10:39:00 GMT

Just a note to alert you to the formation of a Good Counsel College Alumni group on the business network site 'Linkedin'. Perhaps some may be interested in checking this out and helping it grow. Always glad to hear from past pupils or to see you drop in if around.

Jack Harte - Blooms Garden Festival

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 17:48:00 GMT

Recent past pupil, Jack Harte, made the headlines this week winning the People's Choice award at the Blooms Garden Festival in the Phoenix Park last weekend. This was in addition to winning the silver medal in the small gardens category for his creation,' An Adventure with Thumbelina' . You can see an interview with Jack in his garden creation by clicking on the link below. Well done Jack! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHPQjjxRsh4

John Paul Phelan

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 14:31:00 GMT

John paul Phelan, T.D.

Congratulations to past pupil, John Paul Phelan on his recent election to Dail Eireann as a T.D. for the Carlow/Kilkenny constituency. A student in Good Counsel from 1991 to 1997, John Paul played on a number of successful teams during his time in the college, both hurling and Rugby. No stranger to Leinster House, having been a senator for the past number of years we wish him the best of luck in his new role and hope that he and his colleagues in government will manage to restore hope and positivity to the Irish economy.

The 1992/93 Leinster U-14 A Hurling Champions. John Paul phelan is in centre of back row.

Dr. William P. Howlett

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 13:43:00 GMT

On April 30th last, a past pupil of Good Counsel College, Dr. William P. Howlett was preseented with the MGA Distinguished Graduate Award by the UCD School of Medicine and Medical Sciences.
William graduated from Good Counsel in 1964, and from UCD in 1970. He went on to work in Tanzania as a neurologist and has been published in Brain and The Oxford Journals. He has conducted extensive research on the disease, Konzo, and was the first to identify the role played in this disease by high dietary exposure to Cyanide from Cassava roots.
Dr. Howlett has also published extensively on Aids and African Neurological related diseases. He was centrally involved in setting up a medical school in Moshi and has written a text book, 'Neurology in Africa'.
The alumni gathering at which Dr. Howlett was presented his award was attended by graduates from the classes of 1950, 60, 70, 80, 90 and 2000. He was the only one from these classes to be presented with the Distinguished Graduate Award, a measure of the significance of his achievement.
On behalf of all at Good Counsel College we congratulate Dr. William P howlett and wish him well for the future.

(Many of Dr. Howlett's publications can be accessed on the web. The Wilkipedia entry for 'Konzo' contains links.)

A World Cup Connection

Mon, 31 May 2010 15:49:00 GMT

Below is an article I came across about the man mainly responsible for the World Cup playing surfaces in South Africa this summer.

A good Counsel past pupil - they're everywhere.

Media-shy Irishman Richard Hayden would be embarrassed if his name was mentioned beside top 20 World Cup drawcards like Lionel Messi and Wayne Rooney. But the ’pitch professor’ is playing a crucial role by creating the ’green jewels’ on which the serial goal poachers from Argentina and England and a host of other superstars can sparkle come June and July.

Hayden, who cuts a professorial air with his brown jacket, blue shirt, dark slacks and spectacles, is the man responsible for the 10 South African pitches that play host to the most watched global sport event. Leading World Cup official Danny Jordaan only has praise for a man whose knowledge of grass has seen him work at Wembley Stadium in London, former UEFA Cup holders Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine, and K Club golf course in Ireland which hosted the 2006 Ryder Cup. “We have employed possibly the best pitch specialist in the world and said ’go and inspect every pitch’. On that basis we took decisions where we were not convinced about a pitch to remove it and establish a new one.” Mbombela Stadium in the eastern city of Nelspruit close to the world famous Kruger National Park was the greatest immediate challenge for a man from the southern Irish city of Kilkenny.
When local and overseas media visited a stadium that hosts four first round fixtures they were stunned to discover a sandy, lunar-type landscape after a previous attempt to lay a pitch had not met the required standard. Differ Mogale, a Mbombela municipal official, is another member of the Richard Hayden fan club, proudly recalling the transformation of a pitch that once threatened to exclude Nelspruit from the quadrennial tournament. “We laid the pitch on a Friday using rye grass and by the following Wednesday it was germinating. Our belief is that come the World Cup, the Nelspruit pitch will be among the best in the world. “In the past we relied on pitch consultants who made recommendations, but Richard and his team were on site with us every day, getting on tractors and showing our team what needed to be done,” said Mogale.
Mbombela was one of five stadiums built for the first World Cup to be staged by Africa and apart from a now top-class pitch, the 40,000-seater boasts distinctive orange giraffe columns and black and white zebra seats.“We needed to get the Mbombela surface correct in terms of specifications, in terms of the sand you are growing it in, in terms of the drainage of the pitch, and then you seed,” explained Hayden. A key decision made by the Irishman was to use thinner European rye grass instead of less thirsty African kikuyu at the 10 venues from Polokwane in the north to Cape Town in the south west corner of Africa. “June is a winter month in South Africa and kikuyu goes yellow. The decision is not a sinister European plot. We made our recommendations for the purpose of the tournament and they have been followed,” said Hayden.
Rye grass needs more water and nurturing than kikuyu and ground staff must be on constant alert for disease, but it will provide a perfect green surface for the 32 national teams and a global TV audience counted in billions. With the Nelspruit crisis solved, Hayden has turned his attention to the World Cup countdown with the week before the June 11 kick-off crucial to him and his team. “In the run up we are going to be watching very closely how much water we place on the pitch. Particularly for day games, footballers like a spray of water to encourage the ball to be slick on the surface,” he explained.

“Ground staff will have to do some divot repairs at half-time and after the game we do a clean-up of loose grass and then mow it again for presentation, using huge cyclinder and suction mowers.” His greatest wish is that no mention is made of the pitches during the 64-match football extravaganza because that will mean his mission has been successfully completed. “A successful World Cup means a pitch is not mentioned. That is the definition of success. The focus should be on the players and the game, and the pitch should not be an issue.”

GCC in the 1950's

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 16:43:00 GMT

I received an e-mail and some photos attached from past pupil recently, a man who attended Good Counsel in the 1950's. Rather than trying to paraphrase him, I include below his own account of the photos and of some of those pictured. Obviously we would be delighted to post on the site any other material relating to the school from years past. It helps mark the long tradition of the school and is of great interest to many who passed through.

''I enclose 3 photos. Two are of students. The Prefect System (where the prefects were supposed to be in charge) was introduced to GCC around 1957/58 by Fr. Jackie Power and the school was divided into three house, Villanova, Casca and another.

One photo is of the Villanova house . Another photo is of the senior students around this time and the third is the winning Junior Hurling Leinster team that beat Portlaoise CBS by 1-8 to 0-3 in the final in Dr. Cullen Park in Carlow.

Most of that team played senior the following yearn and met St. Peters in the first round in Wexford Park, going down by a small margin. This was the backbone of the Peters team that won the All-Ireland B title and then the senior title in hurling. Our star player was Sean English of Ferns who later won senior All-Ireland with Wexford in 1960 and also played senior for Tipperary.''

OtherPhotographs from the 50's

The photograph below is of particular interest because it shows the four legendary teachers, Maurice Foley, John Moore, Toby Kavanagh and 'Danno' Mahony with the entire school around the mid 1950s. In the 2nd row from the bottom right to left are: Tom Finucane (brother of RTE's Marian), Ken O'Hara (former head of ESB), A N Other, John Moore, Maurice Foley, Fr. Greg O'Leary, Fr. Hand (?), Fr.Jackie Power, Fr Coffey (Prior), ??, Fr. Codd, Fr. Brendan Coffey, Toby Kavanagh, 'Danno' Mahony. Also in this photo is
Maurice Keane former CEO of Bank of Ireland and now a director of Anglo Irish Bank

The following photo is of the GCC Leaving Cert class of 1958/59.

The photograph below is of the Dungarvan Cup winning side of 1958/59 and to the right is the renowned trainer from this time in the school's history,Fr Whelton. The annual Dungarvan Cup games no longer take place, the last one having been played about 22 years ago, but there are growing links between the only 2 Augustinian schools in Ireland as the staffs of both colleges have an annual get together and representatives from both schools travel to the annual Augustinian Values Institute. In the current school year there was also a rugby blitz involving both schools and Austin Friars school fromm Carlisle in England.

All these photos can now be viewed here on flickr

Alumni in the news

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 22:51:00 GMT

The Good Counsel College Diaspora are making their mark in all corners of the globe.

In a recent ceremony, John Murphy, Leaving Cert. class '93, was honoured by New York City Council for his 'outstanding contribution to the city and beyond'. The Proclamation with which he was presented cited his chairmanship of IN-NYC of which he was also a founding member and furthermore mentioned his record as a defence lawyer for the city fighting personal injury claims on the public's behalf.

John Murphy making his acceptance speech.

The Proclamation also refered to John's birthplace of Ramsgrange and to his time in Mercyhurst College where he, like many Good Counsel Students before and since, undertook his third level education.

The prestige of the ceremony is underlined by the fact that John shared the stage with Caroline Kennedy who was receiving an award on behalf of her late uncle Senator Edward Kennedy. It won't have been lost on either that their journeys to the hallowed halls of this great city began very much in the same place.

We congratulate John on his great honour and thank him for his ongoing interest in his Alma Mater in New Ross.

Another Good Counsel and Mercyhurst graduate, Stephen Nolan, stepped into the ring in Hong Kong recently for his maiden fight against Ben 'Boom Time' Hartwell. Anyone of us who know or remember will have maximum respect for 'Boom Time's' courage, if not so much for his sense, in sharing the canvas with the Foulksmills giant.
Suffice to say our man dispatched his poor opponent with a minimum of fuss and we have no doubt there will be bigger fish to fry.

It should be pointed out that Stephen, who won a Leinster Senior Football medal with GCC in '95, has a considerable sporting C.V. having played for the Irish International Rubgy League side, The Wolfhounds, and having been captain of Terenure Senior Rubgy Union team for a number of years. We wish Stephen, and indeed all our past pupils well.

89 - 99 Reunion

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 20:56:00 GMT

It was heartwarming to see so many people brave the freezing weather conditions and turn out for the get together in the Brandon House Hotel on Monday, December 28th last. There were over 160 present with a spread of alumni from across the decade. There was a lot of catching up to do and therefore the need for proceedings to go on long into the morning.
The men mainly responsible for making this event a reality were Ciaran Lynch, John Murphy and John Phelan.

Many others helped also putting in time contacting people, rifling through the archives and pasting old photos and newspaper cuttings. To all, thank you.
Hopefully this will prove a launchpad for future get togethers and events.

Brian, Ken, Adrian, Jim and Niall

The Cloughbawn couple - Larry and Brendan.

Three Cats - Michael, Nicky and Fergal.

The ravages of time! Heroes of '93 - James, Jason, Brendan, Martin and Mick.

Double Junior Champions in '89 - Paul, Brendan, Paud, Michael and Clement.

Cathal, Tommy, John and Brian.

Horeswood unite - Leigh, Padraig, Albert and Tommy.

Thanks to John Phelan (and his wife Noelle) for the photographs.

Reunion update

Sat, 12 Dec 2009 18:29:00 GMT

Just a quick update/reminder on reunion taking place on Dec 28 in Brandon House Hotel. It is based around, but not exclusive to, the college teams of 89 to 99. During these years the college won 17 Leinster titles and 2 All Irelands. Those on the senior winning sides of this era have been contacted. There are a number who were on winning U-14 and U-16 sides who may not have been contacted personally. Please accept this as your invitation. Get in touch at deputyprincipal@goodcounselcollege.ie. We would like to see all those from that time there on the night. At the moment it looks like we may have more in attendance than we have tickets available but we don't intend turning anyone away.

Posting a few photos from that time below. Perhaps you recognise some old classmates, or maybe even yourself?

Examinations award winners.

Juvenile Football team 1987-88

College teams '89 to '99 Reunion

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 01:01:00 GMT

Have mentioned already how a reunion of the 1993 senior football team has grown to include other successful teams from '89 to '99. A lot of effort has been made to contact as many as possible from the Junior sides of 89 and the senior sides of 93, 95, 96, 97 and 99. Now there were other great sides during those years who won juvenile and junior titles. I could mention the Junior A hurling champions of 1989/90 and 1991/92, the juvenile football champions in successive years 1994/95 and 1995/96 among others. Many of those involved will have been contacted as they also played on those winning senior sides but some will have slipped through the net because they may have left or just not been on a successful senior team later. If anyone out there was involved in those years and has not been contacted, I would invite you to get in touch and to take this as your invite. We want to get all from thart era there.

This invite extends also to those involved on other teams such as rugby and equestrian and indeed to those not on any teams at all. This event will hopefully give some impetus to efforts to have annual year group reunions in subsequent years.
For any further information contact me at deputyprincipal@goodcounselcollege.ie.

Past Pupils Facebook Fan Page Goes Live

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:58:00 GMT

Good Counsel College Past Pupils Facebook Fan page is now live. This page allows immediate contact with our friends and past pupils, an provides us with the opportunity to share images, updates and links that relate to Past Pupils news and events.

Our Facebook page also allows "fans" to make comments, engaging with us and each other, should a post inspire them to do so.

To become a fan click here.