Fifty Years of St. Conleth’s Women!

Ann Sheppard, as she always does, pulled it off! The end of May is a mad time at every school, but especially at St. Conleth’s, where we have many more awards, shows, matches, parties and ceremonies than your run-of-the-mill school, and there were whispers that the ladies could wait till Autumn… when we would surely complain, again!. But no, Ann and her committee emailed, whatsapped, TikTok-danced and phone-called their way to success. (Zoomers, a ‘phone call’ is when you use your ‘cell’ as a mouthpiece/listening device and have a vocal/aural conversation.) The result: an incredible Celebration of 50 Years of St. Conleth’s Women! Ann’s committee were Trojan in their efforts: Kathrin Chambers, Jane Blanchfield, Andrea Rochford, Fredericka O’ Donoghue, Ciara Campbell, Annick Hedderman, Elizabeth Aylmer, Francis Connors, Dolores Kelly and Marianne Comer did all the groundwork so that, on the night, emcee Sarah Binchy (1989) could preside over an evening that was equal parts pointed and poignant …. and pretty hilarious! A hundred alumnae, teachers, family, and friends (with a few token males!) gathered to remember the good times of the past and raise funds for those of the future. As you can see and hear below, the All-Star Alumnae Speeches were the highlights, each making their claim for the best decade for women at St. Conleth’s: Elizabeth Aylmer (1970s), Grainne Quinn (1980s), Laura MacKenzie (1990s), Helen Sheridan (2000s), Catherine Prasifka (2010s) and Emily Mansfield (2020s). And current Conlethian musical maestra, Lucy McGuinness, provided the musical accompaniment with soloists, Aoise Atkins and Hannah Murphy. The BBQ-food and the generously sponsored freebies were also very welcome, but, really, the night was all about the gathering of old friends… Conelthian sisters!

by Charles Latvis