St. Conleth’s, Distilled
22 October 2024We have been writing much about Conlethian ethos and spirit lately, and serendipitously we ran into an alumnus who is one, big, boisterous, walking, talking vessel of that true, old St. Conleth’s essence: Gavan O’Connor Duffy (Class of 2009), or as our Sixth Years know him, now, the Earl of Gloucester. Yes, the Leaving Certificate class were enjoying King Lear at the Smock Alley Theatre, when Mr. Gallagher noticed something familiar in the timbre of voice and boundless enthusiasm of the ill-fated but well-meaning wing man of the king … and, sure enough, it was Gavan, who graciously joined our students for a chat and photo afterwards, despite his visual impairment. We all have fond memories of Gavan, a true Conlethian, but we would be remiss not to share a recent encounter with his 2009 classmate Maurice ‘The Fresh Prince of Herbert Park’ Wright, who looks (and sounds) the same as he did on Graduation Night some fifteen years ago… as well as with equally cherished PPs Rian Lawlor (2020), Luke Timlin (2024) and Gordon Hogg (1957!). Rian was in to do some substitute teaching and he kept much better control of his class than a certain English teacher did of him back in the day! Luke was running (of course) off to his classes at UCD and we were thrilled with a visit from Gordon, a real classic Conlethian who remembers the day when Mr. Kevin Kelleher started at the school! We felt like Frodo meeting Elrond and, after chatting warmly with Gordon, we can proudly say that the oft-joked-about maxim was true: ‘St. Conleth’s… the school for the sons of Catholic gentlemen.’ And who are gentlemen, themselves!
