Dear fellow past pupils and staff of Crescent and the Sacred Heart College,
It is a huge honour to follow in the footsteps of our former Union Presidents and in particular Jeannie O Malley who had a fantastic year as President in 2023 and has always been a huge source of enthusiasm, support, and encouragement since I joined the committee. I am keen to build on their efforts to expand and strengthen the Crescent Past Pupil Union and ensure we can reach as wide an audience as possible. I am very fortunate to be surrounded by a fantastic group of volunteers who are committed to continuously improve the annual events and increasing the value of the Union.
I would like to remember all our past pupils that sadly passed away during the last year and particularly our committee member and Past President Geraldine Heslin Deery. Our thoughts and prayers are with their family and friends.
I am the youngest of four brothers who attended Crescent and I graduated from the class of 1993 so had the great pleasure of celebrating our 30-year reunion just after Christmas. It was a fantastic night catching up with classmates that I had not seen in many years. It seemed like we were back in school with the craic and banter shared on the night. I believe you start to appreciate the bonds and friendships built during those formative years a lot more as time goes on. I would certainly encourage anyone to make that small effort to reconnect when these opportunities arise.
Supporting these connections is a key focus for the Union committee so please do not hesitate to reach out to me or any member of the committee if there is anything we can do to assist in support of a reunion event.
I am delighted to confirm that we will be launching the Crescent Union Solidarity Programme (CUSP) which is an initiative to support former pupils that may need some support and advice in a time of need. We have a panel of professionals (all of whom are past pupils) with expertise such as legal, financial, HR & counselling that are willing to donate their time and expertise to assist and support when required. All aspects of this programme will be handled in confidence and run by a separate committee.
I am excited and looking forward to the events organised by the committee during the year. We have had great support and attendance at all these events in recent years and I am confident this will continue in 2024. The charity table quiz, led by Jeannie O’Malley, is being planned. We are delighted that this event will be taking place in the recently refurbished central area of the school. The Annual Ignatian Golf Challenge led by Ian Wallace will take place on 20th September in Limerick Golf Club.
Finally, the annual dinner led by Aedin Prendergast will take place in the Strand Hotel is planned for Saturday 16th November. We had a fantastic attendance of nearly 200 guests attend the event in November 23 with many travelling from overseas. It was fantastic to see and speak with members of the classes of 63 and 73 who were celebrating reunions on the night but also to the many past pupils from both Sacred Heart College and Crescent College spanning multiple decades.
I would like to thank all the committee of 2023 for their significant contribution to the Union and would like to pay a special mention to former President Eoin O’Sullivan who is stepping down from the committee after many years being a driving force in developing all aspects of the Union but particularly our online presence.
I am excited to work with the 2024 committee, we have welcomed three new members who I am sure will come with new ideas and initiatives to help further develop the Union. I would encourage anyone interested in joining to please make contact as we know that the long-term success of the Union will be built on the strength of our membership.
We continue to maintain strong links with the other Jesuit Past Pupil Unions and the Jesuit Alumni/ae Ireland. The JAI have been running several events in different parts of the World to maintain the connections with our overseas alumni.
You can keep up to date on all of our events through our website www.crescentpast.com and also on our social media channels on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.
I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible throughout the year and greatly appreciate your continued support of the Union.
All the best,
Dermot Maher
