PPU…phew!

After waiting for all the local papers’ police reports to be published, we felt it safe to go to print… yes, the good burghers of Greater Ballsbridge and Donnybrook hold their collective breaths every year on the last Friday of February because that is when the carnival comes to town: the Past Pupils Union Annual Dinner is always the liveliest gig in town on that night, and the 2026 version did not disappoint. The members of our PPU, like our current student body, reflect our diversity, spirit and downright quirkiness… and we seem to just get better with age!

PPU President Charles Crimmins, PPU Benign Despot Ronan O’Kelly and the ever ‘true-to-her-school’ Marianne Comer must be getting tired from organising these events, but it did not show, as they orchestrated an evening that managed to combine proper, sober acknowledgements of milestones with the frantic fun with which we all associate the night. Despite a rather flat sound system and the habitual rowdiness, Charles and Ronan compèred with both gravitas and wit as Dónal Ó’Dúaling, Seamus Gallagher and Ann Sheppard were deservedly honoured. And the team managed to help get everyone, even Emilio, home after a night of happy meetings and memories. Enjoy the semiformal pics of each class above, as well as the more free-form ones, below!

by Charles Latvis