South West Branch Dinner 2024

On Saturday, April 27th, the South West Branch Annual Dinner was held in the lovely riverside setting of the Sundays Well Boating and Tennis Club which is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year.  The Club was founded in 1899 which was, as the Chairman of the Branch, Gerald McCarthy said on welcoming the guests, was only 32 years prior to the birth of the Branch’s oldest member, the evergreen Dermot Cronin. Dermot started in CCR in 1943 and is always the first pastman to make a reservation for his family table each year.  It is this strong foundation on which the function has grown.

Gerald welcomed the College President, Colm Moloney and Union Secretary, Katherine Donovan, as well as the many guests who travelled to attend the evening. These included Carmel and Conor O’Hara from Dublin, Anne and Brendan Hyland from Offaly and Pat and Paul O’Shea from Kilkenny.  He thanked the regular Cork based attendees, the O’Neill’s, the Sommerfield’s and the Bredin’s.  The number attending this year was the highest in recent years which the Chairman said was due to the organization skills of Tom Coughlan, the Branch Secretary. 

The College President, Colm Moloney told the gathering of the challenges and opportunities that face a boarding school in contemporary Ireland.  Tom Coughlan thanked the College President and said that everyone who heard Colm speak could not fail to be impressed with his vision for the future of CCR.  Tom congratulated Rob Horgan on his election as President of the Cork Chamber of Commerce.  He also noted the number of younger pastmen who were present for the first time and said that he feels this bodes well for the future of the Branch.