Past Pupils Union

On the 6th May, 1984 a general meeting of all past students of the College was held in St. Michael's. The bringing together of the Past Pupils represented both an end and a beginning. For a group of some sixteen or seventeen past students it was the end product of work which started three months previously and established the planning of the meeting and contacting as far as practicable every student who had done his Leaving Certificate at St. Michael’s. Almost half of the number turned up on the night, a pointer to the demand for a Past Pupils’ Union. The meeting elected en bloc a Steering Committee to run the affairs of the Union for a year and to draft a constitution to be put to the First Annual General Meeting in May 1985.

Fr. Aidan Lehane spoke at the meeting, briefly concerning the history of the College and welcomed the past students back to take up where they had left off. He noted that the Union was being formed in the very week St. Michael’s celebrated the Fortieth Anniversary of its foundation. Tom McCormack, the Chairman for the evening, spoke then of the objectives of a union and the possible activities it would undertake. He pointed out that there were already in existence a Past Pupils’ Musical Society and a Past Pupils’ Basketball team. The Union would expand the range of activities at this level - both social events such a Union Dinner, and sporting activities, encompassing probably rugby and golf.

The Steering Committee then established, set about the building up of the Union. Mortimer Walters, of the class of 1976, was elected Chairman, John Crowe was elected Treasurer and Vincent Keaveny was elected Secretary. A reasonably successful Car Treasure Hunt was held in August and a Dinner was organised for

Tie and work on a Constitution progressed. The Union was destined to develop into an active and worthwhile institution on the St. Michael’s scene

The Union’s first A.G.M. was held late in May, 1985 and after considerable discussion on the proposals regarding a Constitution for the Union before the meeting it was resolved to continue the Steering Committee in existence for a further twelve month period to complete the task of setting up a Union.

The Committee met regularly under the Chairmanship of Mort Walters, a solicitor, of the Class of ’76. The Treasurer for the year was John Crowe, and the Secretary, Vincent Keaveny. The first activity embarked upon was the sending of a Newsletter to all Past Pupils of the College since 1976. In addition to those who joined at the General Meeting, this brought the ‘paid-up’ membership to about one hundred and forty, a very healthy start indeed.

The major event of the year was the Inaugural Union Dance held in Sach’s Hotel in November, 1984. The exuberance, excitement and atmosphere of the night was an indication of the spirit of the Union. Rory Egan, (Class of ’76) in his after-dinner speech, eloquently and accurately captured the mood of the occasion and succeeded in identifying the very special atmosphere in the College, the good teacher-student relationship there and the success in achieving a good education, aspects of life in St. Michael’s the Union will strive in future years to protect and enhance.

Beyond other activities the Committee set about drafting a Constitution drawing on those of other College Unions. Contact was made with several Unions, the St. Mary's Union, Rockwell Union and Blackrock Union.

The Chairman and Secretary attended the Annual Dinners of both the Blackrock and Rockwell Unions.

1. The Union shall be called the St. Michael’s College Union (hereinafter referred to as “the Union”),

(a) To bring together, through organisation, past students of St. Michael’s College, Ailesbury Road, Dublin and promote co-operation between them and the College.

(b) To stimulate feelings of loyalty and friendship towards fellow past students.

(c) To cherish and support St. Michael’s College which is a Catholic College under the direction of The Holy Ghost Congregation.

(ii) Members of the teaching staff and members of the Holy Ghost Community of St. Michael’s College may be elected by the Committee as Honorary Associate Members of the Union for the duration of their time in St. Michael’s and for their retirement.

(b) All new members shall be subject to election by the Committee of the Union on the nomination of two members of the Union. The Election shall be by ballot at a meeting of the Committee and if more than one sixth of the votes are adverse to the nomination, it shall be rejected. A candidate who is so rejected may appeal through a member of the Union to the next Annual General Meeting of the Union against the decision of the Governing Body to refuse him membership.

(c) The annual subscription shall be such amount and when and how payable as shall be determined by the Committee and approved by the Annual General Meeting.

(d) Subject as hereinbefore provided a new member shall not be regarded as a member of the Union until he has paid his first annual subscription. The Governing Body shall be entitled to debar a member from taking part in any Union function if such member’s subscription for the current year has not been paid.

4. An Honorary Associate Member shall not be entitled to be an Officer or a member of the Committee of the Union and shall not vote on any motion, but otherwise shall be entitled to take part in any Union function subject to the same conditions as apply to an ordinary Member.

5. (a) The direction and control of the affairs of the Union shall be vested in a Committee.

(ii) Two Ex-Officio Members i.e. the Provincial of the Holy Ghost Congregation in Ireland and the Manager (President/Superior) of the College holding office for the current year.

(iii) Twelve members of whom nine must be past students of the College, elected at the Annual General Meeting (hereinafter referred to as “the Ordinary Members”),

(c) The Officers of the Union shall be the President, the immediate past President, the Honorary Secretary and the Treasurer.

(d) The Officers shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting on the nomination of the Committee.

(e) The Officers and the ordinary members shall hold office for the period from the Annual General Meeting when elected to the next succeeding Annual General Meeting. Any ordinary member who has served on the Committee for any period of three consecutive years shall retire at the end of the third year of such period and shall be ineligible for election for one year therefrom.

(f) The Committee shall have power to fill by co-option any casual vacancy which may occur in the year among the ordinary members and the person so co-opted shall hold office until the next Annual General Meeting. The Committee may also co-opt not more than three members to hold office until the next Annual General Meeting. All co-opted members shall be past students of the College.

(g) The Committee shall have power to appoint sub-Committees, to define the scope of any sub-Committee’s Authority, to determine the quorum for meetings of any such sub-Committee and to confer on any sub-Committee the powers necessary for the discharge of the functions of such Sub-Committee. A

Secretary on the authority of the Committee shall summon or be responsible for summoning any meeting of the Committee or any Sub-Committee so appointed by the Committee and any other meeting of the Union.

(h) The Committee shall meet at intervals not exceeding two months and five members shall form a quorum. When the Honorary Secretary considers it necessary he shall summon Special Committee Meetings.

6. The Committee shall have power to make Bye-Laws on any subject not dealt with in the Constitution. Such bye-laws shall have the effect of rules laid down in this Constitution until same shall be ratified or rescinded and withdrawn at the next following General Meeting of the Union.

7. (a) A General Meeting of the Union to be designated the Annual General Meeting shall be held annually and not less than ten and not more than fourteen months after the preceding Annual General Meeting.

(c) At least twenty-one days prior notice of the annual General Meeting shall be given to the Members specifying the Agenda, Date, Time and Venue of same.

The Meeting shall be held at St. Michael’s College or at such other location in Dublin as shall be determined by the Committee.

8. The Committee shall have power to call an Extraordinary General Meeting and shall be bound to do so within thirty-five days of receiving a Requisition in writing for same signed by not less than fifteen members. The business to be transacted must appear on the Agenda and no other business shall be transacted. The Rules pertaining to notice and quorum as for the Annual General Meeting shall apply to an Extraordinary General Meeting.

9. No loan shall be contracted or entered into on behalf of the Union without the authority of a General Meeting.

10. (a) The President, or in his absence, the immediate past President and in the absence of the said two persons, a member elected by the majority of those present to the Chairman shall preside and act as Chairman at all meetings of the Union.

(b) The Chairman at any meeting shall have a casting vote in addition to a deliberate vote in the event of an equality of votes on any matter or resolution. The

Chairman need not exercise the right to use such casting vote if the Chairman does not wish or deem it fit to do so. Where there is any dispute as to the adoption of voting procedure, the Chairman shall be the sole arbiter.

11. The Union shall have power to hold, acquire, purchase, lease, mortgage and sell property. All property shall be vested in not less than three members appointed by the Committee and such persons shall hold the property jointly upon trust for the Union and shall deal with the property of the Union as directed by a resolution of the Committee which signed by the Chairman and Secretary shall be binding on and fully discharge the Trustees from all responsibilities in respect of Union property involved in such direction. The Trustees so appointed shall continue to act as Trustees of the property until they resign, die, become of unsound mind or they are, or any number of them, is removed from office by a majority of votes of the Members of the Union present at the Annual General Meeting or at an Extraordinary General Meeting convened for that purpose. Provided always and without imposing any duty or responsibility in this behalf on the Trustees that any two of them shall have the power before complying with any particular direction as aforesaid to require the Committee within twenty one days to convene a General Meeting of the Union to consider and determine the propriety of the proposed direction and resolution.

12. (a) The Committee shall have power to expend the funds of the Union for any purpose which they may deem to be in accordance with the objects of the Union but no sum in excess of EUR 6,500.00 shall be expended unless with the prior approval of the members at a General Meeting.

(b) Accounts books and records shall be kept by the Committee relating to the affairs, bank accounts and property of the Union. All money paid to the account

of the Union shall be lodged promptly in a licensed bank approved by the Governing Body held in the name of the Union. All cheques or authorities for

withdrawal of money from the Account of the Union or for the realisation of same on behalf of the Union shall be signed by any two of the following:

13. Minutes of all meetings of the Committee and any Sub-Committee appointed by the Committee and General Meetings of the Union shall be kept and shall include records of all proceedings, resolutions and business of same and shall be deposited with the Secretary. Every Minute of a meeting adopted and signed by the Chairman presiding at same and countersigned by the Secretary or other person deputising for the Secretary shall be conclusive evidence of the facts therein stated.

14. Any alteration of the Constitution/Rules must be effected at a General Meeting of the Union by a two-thirds majority of the members in attendance thereat. The Rules pertaining to Notice and Quorum as for the Annual General Meeting shall apply.

15. For the purpose of governing the period between the inaugural meeting of the Union and the General Meeting at which a constitution is adopted, the following provisions shall apply:

(a) All ordinary members of the Union at the date of that General Meeting shall be deemed to have been duly elected under Rules 3B upon paying the subscription

(b) The Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Union shall be deemed to have the status of a past President of the Union.

(c) The Steering Committee shall be deemed to have had the power to nominate candidates for the officerships of the Union for the purposes of Rules 4D.

ST. MICHAEL’S PAST PUPILS’ UNION – HONORARY PRESIDENTS

1987 - 1988	Fr. Seamus Galvin
1988 - 1989	Ciaran Daly
1989 - 1990	Rory Egan
1990 - 1991	Paul Fogarty
1991 - 1993	Fr. Arthur Larkin
1993 - 1996	Tom McCormack
1996 - 1997	Dermott McMurrough
1997 - 1998	Garry Lyons
1998 - 1999	Kevin Dempsey
1999 - 2000	Ken Carey
2000 - 2001	Jonathan O'Connell
2001 - 2002	Mark Barr
2002 - 2003	Conor Dempsey
2003 - 2004	Raymond Donegan
2004 - 2005	David Carrigy
2005 - 2006	John Mockler

One of the key aspirations of the Union is to increase membership, and this objective is successfully targeted year by year. As a result membership grows and grows. Year by year new members opt to join the Union and particular attention is paid to each Final Year. Union officials are on hand on Graduation night, and also Debs night to invite those who are leaving the College to join the many who flock to the Union. It is very encouraging and exciting to see the Union growing substantially in membership but it is even more encouraging to see that the new members are for the most part recent school leavers. This ensures a bright future and is a great tribute to the efforts of the Union officials whose work renders the Union so attractive.

One of the most eagerly anticipated functions of the year is the Annual Dinner now held in the College itself, usually towards the end of November. Such is the demand, that the tickets are snapped a long time before the event. Past students attend this event in large numbers and it is always an animated occasion as ‘old’ friends meet and new friends are forged. The annual union award is presented during the dinner. This award recognises and hails outstanding service to the College. Recipients of this award have included actor Risteard Cooper (Class of ’84), Noel Turley (Dean of Sixth Year and Rugby coach) and Derek McGrath (former Irish rugby International),

An annual business lunch is held in the royal St. George Yacht Club. Guest speakers have included politician and former pupil of the College, Ruairi Quinn, well known business man Mr. Dermott Desmond and banker and past pupil Lochlann Quinn.

During the month of November, traditionally the month of the Holy Souls, the Union organises a mass for deceased past pupils and staff. The event is advertised in the national newspapers and relatives of the deceased are directly contacted. This ensures a large attendance.

The year 1999 marked the first Christmas Eve mass in the College. This was a Union proposal. A large number of past pupils and their families were delighted to have the opportunity to return to the school to attend mass at this special time of the year. The invitation to this mass is now extended to all associated with St. Michael’s College and is held in the beautiful College Chapel, one of the new buildings included in the development programme ‘Project 2000’.

An important development over the years was the establishment of the St. Michael’s College Union Trust. The Trust provides a formal mechanism whereby any past pupils who may have fallen on difficult time can benefit from the help of their school colleagues. This may mean financial help, but a broader range of assistance offered may include counselling, or perhaps Union members may use a contact to provide an opportunity or ‘open a door’ to a past pupil of St. Michael’s. This is an area which is treated with the utmost sensitivity and confidentiality.

Much has been achieved since that day in May 1984 when the Union was launched and we are confident that the St. Michael’s College Union will continue to grow and prosper. The work and expansion of the Union is a testament to the conviction of its members, that they owe a debt to their fellow pupils and to the College and that they are determined to honour that debt.

Send mail to webmaster@mrkelly.net with questions or comments about this web site. Last modified: 11-Nov-2008

Send mail to webmaster@mrkelly.net with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: 11-Nov-2008