“The past is consumed in the present and the present is living only because it brings forth the future.”
Reverand Fathers. Distinguished guests. Sponsors and supporters. Fellow Belvederians – all 300 plus of you!
Tonight is an occasion for talking, not listening. So, I give you my word that this will be as succinct as I can make it.
At the end of this address, I hope, if you remember anything, that it will around two important themes. Network. And Community.
And I promise to wrap it up in 15 minutes with a Theology lesson thrown in for good measure.
Ladies and gentlemen, you are all very welcome to the sold-out 117th annual Belvedere Union dinner.
My name is Cathal, but I am much better known in Belvedere circles as CJ, and I am truly honoured to address you all here this evening as President of our esteemed Past Pupils Union.
You may not have caught the quote I began with. Let me give it to you again.
“The past is consumed in the present and the present is living only because it brings forth the future.”
The Joycean scholars among us will recognise this as a sentence from the works of perhaps our most acclaimed past pupil.
The line reflects how the experiences and actions of the past shape our present and future.
Clearly, there are number of different demographics in this great hall this evening and a particularly strong span of ages.
Yet the common thread that brings us together in the present is a shared formative experience we all had in the past.
That experience was Belvedere.
And it is my hope that this shared experience will continue to bring us together long into the future.
So that brings me to my first take home point. Network.
You see, Belvedere is not, and never has been, just a school.
Yes, it’s a fine educational institution that we were all lucky enough to attend for a defined period.
But like just like the Hotel California, while you can check out, you never really leave.
I’ve always had a touch of the Red Car Theory about Belvedere.
That is to say, for Belvederians, Belvedere is all around us.
Belvedere is the life-long friend with whom you pick up wherever you left off. Belvedere is the teacher who inspired your career. The coach who instilled a will to win. Belvedere is the doctor you turn to when health is of concern. The dentist you see if a tooth is of bother. Belvedere is the bank manager you meet when you need a loan. The broker you email when you’re switching your mortgage. And in my case, the PR man you call when… well maybe I’m better not going there this evening!
I can see a few of the 2008 lads looking relived… Denis Houston in particular!
But in all seriousness, for me, as I am sure it has been for many of you here today, Belvedere has been the foot in the door when you need a place to start. The pat on the back when things go well. The helping hand back up when you’ve had a fall. And the kick in the arse it’s in dire need.
The Belvedere Union is an important part of the wider Belvedere community. The established network it provides, alongside the valuable networking opportunities it creates, has and will continue to be a vital platform for all our careers.
For anyone here this evening that has not attended one of our many Network Forum breakfasts, I’d encourage you all to do so once they kick back in under the stewardship of Ivan Hammond.
Likewise, for our junior members, more than one hundred of you are out in force tonight and it is great to see. I urge you to keep your eyes peeled for details on the careers clinic we are establishing. Under the guidance of PJ O’Brien, this new initiative will help to connect those of you who are starting out in your careers with seasoned professionals.
But the Belvedere Union is much more than just a network. And this brings me to my second take home point. Community.
Of course, the Belvedere community, is not just about students, past or present. I’ll embarrass her now, but my mother, Mary, is a case in point. Mary, to this day, is as wrapped up in Belvedere as I am. As a former President of the Ladies Committee, she even got her name on the wall before I did!
But in giving so much to the college over many years, as the late Brother Davis’ theory goes, she received so much more in return. Like all mothers, she’s proud, I hope, of her sons, but perhaps the greatest reward she received from the college is an incredible group of friends, all of whom have a single common bond. You guessed it: Belvedere.
Yet I’m conscious that while many of us in this room had overwhelmingly positive experiences of Belvedere, others were not so fortunate.
I especially want to acknowledge the report released in September as part of the scoping inquiry into historical sexual abuse.
As a Union, we stand in solidarity with, and fully support, all victims of abuse.
We sincerely respect the victims who have bravely spoken out…
And deeply regret that past pupils were not protected in this regard during their time in Belvedere or other schools.
As you know by now, this special occasion doubles as an important fundraiser for a cause that is especially close to my heart.
Let me ask you: Have you ever faced sudden uncertainty – job loss, financial pressure, or watching someone close to you struggle with something beyond your control? Mental health challenges, illness, addiction, or simply feeling lost. Now, imagine facing that without the support of family or friends, without a safety net.
This is a reality for some of our past pupils. Men who, like us, once walked the halls of Belvedere full of promise and potential, now finding themselves in difficult circumstances.
That’s where the Belvedere Benevolent Association has quietly stepped in – operating confidentially to provide financial assistance and access to support services for past pupils and their families. Often, we are also simply a trusted source of advice, offering guidance to those in need of direction during life’s most challenging moments.
Over the past year, as Chair of the BBA, I was pleased lead a review of our operations to ensure that we are better equipped to serve the growing needs of our community. This review culminated in a new plan – centred around the themes of people, communications and fundraising – all aimed at reaching more Belvederians and their families in times of hardship.
I am also very pleased to share that from tonight, the BBA will officially continue its work under the more accessible title of the Belvedere Support Network, as we right fit the association to serve the problems not just of today, but of tomorrow.
Remember, the Belvedere Support Network relies entirely on the generosity of people like you – parents, past pupils, friends, and supporters of Belvedere. Our work is sustained by the contributions of those who understand just how important it is to give back to the community that has given us so much.
And when you think about it, isn’t that what a community is all about? It’s about coming together in times of need, offering support to those who once shared in the same experiences, the same traditions, and the same sense of belonging.
At the end of the day, the Belvedere Support Network is the manifestation of why many attended Belvedere in the first place – that is not just to become successful, fulfilled and content, but to become men for others.
And now for that Theology lesson I promised before I conclude.
Neither I, nor my brother Killian, who is here tonight, came from ‘Belvedere stock’ so to speak. That is, we were the first of our family to attend the college.
I found out only recently, that it was my father, Declan, who was in fact, the instigator of this endeavour.
You see my dad, whose faith runs deep, was adamant his sons would receive a Jesuit education.
As I look back now, some 16 years after graduating from Belvedere, I can understand why, and by God am I grateful for that.
I spoke at our AGM recently about the honour it was to become the youngest President in our Union’s history.
And yet, honour is not the overwhelming feeling I had then or have right now.
For me, I take on this position with a deep sense of duty. Of responsibility. And of conviction.
A duty to this great 120-year-old plus institution and to those who have stewarded it before me.
A responsibility to our many members, past, present, and future.
And, most importantly, a conviction that what we have, can always be made better…become more.
This conviction is perhaps what the Jesuits would term, Magis.
Magis is derived from the Latin word for ‘more’.
But Magis isn’t about having more, or even doing more. That is an important distinction.
Magis is the value of striving for better, striving for excellence.
Magis is one of the foundational principles of Jesuit education.
It’s probably the most important value I took with me from my schooling in Belvedere and have tried to apply to my life ever since.
You see, with Magis, you can never fail.
You experience lessons along the way, of course, but becoming better is the goal, rather than reaching any sort of potential.
Just like one of my old rugby heroes, Johnny Wilkinson, might say: Potential is limiting.
And so, gentlemen, Magis is my intention for the coming Union term.
We don’t need or want a Union that does more for the sake of it. Nor do we want to create something, as a group of volunteers, that becomes unsustainable.
But we do want to ensure we get better every year, as part of that pursuit of excellence. As part of Magis.
Ladies and gentlemen, before I conclude my remarks to you this evening, it would be remiss of me not to express my thanks to a number of people that have made this occasion possible.
Firstly, to our MC John Reynolds.
When I first accepted the role of President, like most, I moved quite quicky to thinking about succession. I knew what I wanted. I needed someone who would challenge, motivate and drive me throughout my term. And someone who I could rely on to take things to the next level after that. I didn’t have to think too hard about who that person was.
John, thank your sincerely for your support to date and I look forward to working with over the coming months.
Secondly, I would like to thank my right-hand woman, the brilliant Bernie Millar who recently joined us as Alumni Relations Officer.
Bernie is a parent of three Old Belvederians, and a former President of the Ladies Committee herself. While she brings a wealth of experience to the role, it’s her innate understanding of what the Belvedere community is all about that makes her so perfect for the job.
Bernie, I’m looking forward to working closely with you over the coming term, and on behalf of everyone on the committee, I’d like to thank you for your valued work.
Finally, like any other well trained Belvederian would – a word to my wife. I am sure you will all be familiar with the term golf-widow… I’m afraid Christina, at this stage, is well and truly a Belvo-widow.
But in all seriousness, Christina, I’m very grateful to you for your constant support… and for never once reminding me, through all of this, that we have two wonderful daughters and not sons!
If anyone has any Loreto on the Green contacts, you might hit us up later tonight!
Before I close, and promise, that will be soon – I would like to express my gratitude to the corporate supporters of tonight’s event. I’m grateful to Brian Terry & Co, Clerkin Lynch, McCartan’s, Forbes, EPS Global and Walkers, not to mention our phenomenal media partners Fearless Media led by Thomas Arnold who has been an incredible support to the Union since becoming involved last year.
I’m also especially grateful tonight to Brian McDonald and the team at Bay Advisory for becoming our first ever Title Sponsors. If you are buying or selling a business, or in need of financial structuring or capital raising advice, don’t hesitate to contact Brian and Bay Advisory team.
More broadly gentleman, please continue to support Belvedere, shop Belvedere, buy Belvedere, hire Belvedere, in fact, be Belvedere.
And on the subject of being – let me leave you with a thought.
One of the buzzwords to come out of the pandemic was “resilience”.
Somehow, it seemed to become omnipresent overnight, and, in my view, has been savagely overused ever since.
People now regularly use it to describe themselves, when the reality is that life is a game of resilience. And resilience, a game of life.
But then I heard something, at the Clongowes Union Dinner, of all places, that changed my mind.
You see, I’ve come to learn that resilience isn’t something within us, it’s something between us.
As a group of past pupils, we have much to be grateful for. Not least, for the bonds of friendship that we forged in Belvedere.
If I do one thing and one thing only during my term as President, it will be to create opportunities as a Union, for us to tend to those bonds.
After all, Belvedere is the network that will push you up if you want it, and the community that will pick you up when you need it.
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for your continued friendship and support.