PDLS class of ̓95 reunite three decades on
Brendan Rice, Ollie Sinnott, Micheál Fenelon and Viv Foley at the Presentation de la Salle Class of '95 Reunion in The Local in Bagenalstown Photos: michaelorourkephotography.ie
PRESENTATION de la Salle College, Bagenalstown welcomed back 58 members of its class of 1995 on Saturday 14 June for their 30-year reunion – a gathering that organisers say evoked nostalgia with spirited discussions of their schooldays.
The reunion, co-ordinated by former classmates Ollie Sinnott, Morgan Drea and Joe Nolan, marked the third such gathering for the class, following reunions at the ten and 20-year mark.
Ollie, who began co-organising the event last December, noted how dramatically the methods for tracking down former classmates has evolved over the decades. “For the ten-year reunion, we had to contact the school directly to get contact details from the pupils’ parents,” he explained. “Facebook made it much easier for the 20th.”
However, the landscape had shifted again this year. With only half the class still active on Facebook, organisers turned to WhatsApp to co-ordinate the reunion. That group chat remains active post-reunion, with attendees sharing photos and already discussing a December meet-up.
The evening’s conversation surprised even the organisers. Rather than the typical career updates and life accomplishments that might be expected, the focus turned decidedly nostalgic. “We all ended up talking about memories – it was almost juvenile, like we were back in school again,” joked Ollie.
One notable attendee was musician Adrian Ryan, who made the effort to attend despite performing in Wexford that same evening, arriving at the reunion straight after his show.
Of the approximately 120 former students from the class, the turnout of 58 represented what Ollie described as “a great turnout for a great night”.
The passage of time seemed to add weight to the gathering. “Some of us hadn’t seen each other in 30 years. It was something else,” Ollie reflected.
He believes the milestone nature of the reunion motivated many to attend. “Thirty years on from leaving school, people are more mature, they’re more rounded and they’re probably thinking ‘maybe I won’t get a chance to meet these people again’. I think that was a big motivation for people to turn up.”
