Was It As Good For You As It Was For Me?


Reflections from participants of the 78/79 Reunion of Nov 7th 2009

It was Fun! Fun ! Fun! Its so lovely seeing so many of our classmates well and happy. The disco was great- you’d know that we don’t get out too often!! And was a great way to end the evening. It doesn’t feel like 31 years, does it!?

Linda Gillen Byrne


Just wanted to say a very big ‘Thank You’ for organising the great Reunion on Saturday night. I really enjoyed it and it was such a success - once again!...
Getting the Fuze together and to have Gerry Sexton there was amazing!!
I met up with such wonderful people and such great stories. We have all been through the mill so
to speak and it is wonderful to meet up at a 'happy occasion' rather than the usual 'funeral' or hear of old friends for sad or tragic reasons. Thanks so much!
Maria Silke

It was a great day - right from the very start. I honestly thought I'd stay for an hour or two and then head off, but found myself staying right up until the very end! It was great to see so many "old" faces looking so young. Many of them I hadn't seen since leaving UCG (can't get used to NUIG) in 1980 with the H.Dip. in my hand.
The day was brilliantly organised from start to finish, and great fun! It was marvellous to hear Hubert lecture again. I thought it was only in my fond memories that he was so brilliant, witty and incisive. It was good to find out that he was exactly as I'd remembered. And the photo slide show - well, what can I say? What a time we had of it back then! As for the Lit 'n' Deb .... what a performance!
Tom Cassidy in full flow! Tom requested that this photo is NOT to be used for his Memoriam Card!

Many of the people I spoke to that evening I had only known to see when at college, so it was even more interesting to have the chance to actually meet and chat.
As for the Fuze & Gerry Sexton's disco, what a night! Thoroughly enjoyable…. Joyce was right when she said it was worth the journey - the people were great, the atmosphere was fun! What a joy to see everyone in such great spirits.
So, thanks again!
Edel Cleary


Just a quick message to thank all the committee once again for a really enjoyable reunion on Saturday last. It was great fun and wonderful to meet up with so many from our student days…how wonderful it was to see ye all on Saturday night and thanks for such a great event! I had a ball, although I probably don't need to tell you that, it was probably very obvious from my general state! I haven't danced so much in years and I enjoyed every minute of the night…it was a very special night and I'm really grateful…
Eugene Scanlan


Congratulations to Maria and all the committee for organising a fantastic weekend. I haven’t laughed so much in years!
Joe Rice

"...we are lucky to have been able to reconnect with so many people and its brought such pleasure and a sense of recognition that we were lucky 30 years ago and lucky now. I am certain that I will stay in contact (with so many)..."
Maria O'Malley

Thanks for organising the reunion party…Good to see the old faces .. some unchanged by the years and others a lot better than they were .... I thought at college that we would have changed the world maybe we have in a small way.
Margaret Geraghty


Well done on a truly wonderful night and day for the over 50s!!!,who still know a thing or 2 about partying and disco dancing till the early hours!!
Catherine Hickey


Ye "pulled it out of the bag" yet again--another great reunion! Thanks again.
Mary Murphy


Firstly, thanks for doing such a sterling job in organising this year’s reunion - AGAIN. I know fun was had by all.
Eileen Mahoney


"Bravo…that was a wonderful gathering that none of us will ever forget.
Joyce McGreevy

Hope they all enjoyed the get together on Saturday last!
Gerry Sexton

…My husband and I really enjoyed ourselves…It was so nice to meet some old friends ( or rather friends from the past!). My husband really enjoyed the night…He went to UCD and was so surprised by the friendliness of everyone in Galway. It was a great place to go to college and the characters we met during our time there were unbelievable. In those days we really didn't know how good we had it. Everyday was as interesting as the next!
Cora Stack


What a great night, thank you and the committee for organizing such a memorable event. Dare I say it was better that last year, the smaller numbers made it more intimate, sure what can you expect when you get the cream of the crop!
Liz Cassidy

I am writing to thank you and your team for a great reunion. It was great fun to meet up with old friends and acquaintances and we had such a good laugh...great medicine!! It was fabulous to walk in and immediately reconnect with people I hadn't met for 30 years, listen to and relate stories from those halcyon days...the connections remain despite the absence of sight or sound.
Gwen Culligan

It was great to see such a good attendance, with revelers dancing to Gerry's disco right up to the very end of the night.
Happy times indeed, and well done again,
Caroline Graham


I just loved the weekend!!!
Sinead O’Neill


Thanks so much for another wonderful night…great thought and work into the whole weekend again…The music was great, very nostalgic.
Eileen Keary

The afternoon began with a riveting lecture from the forever wonderful Prof Hubert McDermott...He treated us to a beautiful take on James Joyce's The Dead, unwrapping the layers within it, and highlighting the Galway connections with humour and hubris as ever. He played a clip for us - how wonderful was Donal McCann eh? (Was still thinking about the whole story when stuck in traffic at the Bodkin roundabout on the way home). Have to go read the story now. I had to leave early, but I think about now everyone has finished their meal, and the music (Seisiún Mór, The Fuse, Disco with the Big G) should be starting. It was great to see Emer Walsh, Una Tierney, Eleanor Geoghegan, Kathlyn Hennelly, Una Byrne, Fergal Hassett, Liam Breathnach, Gerry Sexton and everyone there
Mags Amond (posting on her website).
Click here for further photographs from the Nov 7th Reunion


Many apologies came from those that could not attend the Reunion. The comments of one of the 'missing' came from Eugene Quinn, who reminiscing about an single event from his college days, probably best summarises the fondness that many of us still have for the old alma mater.

Thank you for your invite to the 78/79 UCG graduate reunion. Unfortunately I live too far away in Australia to make it this time. Speaking of long journeys to distant places, Joe and I traveled to the University of Bradford in Feb '78 to represent UCG at a Debating tournament. This was in the days where only Aer Arann could be viewed from my window, Sean O'Rourke was yet to take to the air waves and only the Cadets of Renmore could have four wheels. When Mary, Joe & I arrived in Bradford we had a quick cuppa and went straight into a photo shot for the local press. The snow was thick on the ground in Bradford and this place, for me, was a long way from windy Galway. We traveled by train to Dun Laoghaire, overnight boat to Liverpool and then train again along the wonderful canals of outer Manchester & across the Pennines & Yorkshire moors. On our return we stayed overnight in the residences of the University of Lancaster. As most of the U of L students were away for the week-end, the place was much too quiet and only during the summer months would UCG obtain such a low decibel reading. Since then Joe has gone on to help throw open the gates of the Maze Prison with the inspiration and conviction that I'm sure was nurtured during his undergraduate years in Galway. We encountered at UCG a strong indication that the island of Ireland had a lot to offer particularly in an environment where respect for each individual is fostered and diversity encouraged. Having been sentenced to Van Demon's land for more 21 years now, I very much welcome to get out on parole and visit the motherland. I am still on my bike but don't get wet now as often as when I headed up Dr Mannix drive in a force 10 gale. Dia Dhuit and best wishes to all,
Eugene Quinn

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