All Together, Now

‘Assemblies’, by definition, are just gatherings of people but our October Assembly was much more than that. Like our recent Artworks celebration, it showcased the best of us, in terms of talents, achievements and milestones, but it was also, simply but profoundly, a gathering of different people for a common purpose, that of building on the St. Conleth’s ethos, community and tradition which have been entrusted to us.

The focus of this particular assembly was the presentation of the inaugral Mary Raftery Social Justice Award, with Ru O’Sullivan (Class of 2024) justly winning for her advocacy for wellbeing and her simple but invaluable kindness towards fellow students. Principal Donal O’Dualing introduced the award, including the description of the piece itself (by sculptor Isobel Loughran (Class of 2015)) and classmates of Ms. Raftery, Dame Dervilla Mitchell and Professor Colm Mulcahy, both spoke movingly of her immense personal as well as societal significance. You can hear their speeches below and read Mary’s obituary written by her brother, Adrian, for a past Conlethian Quinquennial.

Also featuring at our October Assembly were our talented student musicians, led by Sixth Year Lochlainn Connor, who delighted and energised us with a bravura, boisterous performance on the piano. And we recognised other recent school achievements: Peter Murphy’s winning of the Murph Cup for highest Junior Cycle results (name for legendary teacher Michael Murphy); our Ember Faith Student Leaders; our Class Captains and the participants in the Summer 2024 Tanzania adventure. A busy assembly at a busy school!

by Charles Latvis