New is listed in the order in which it gets here. If it is wrong, please Email and say so or get in touch if you have news leydens@eircom.net

The early years.

As indicated elsewhere, we learned of David Wild’s death last week with great sadness. Jack & Edith Sweetman are living in Glenageary. Eileen Armstrong sadly passed away. She was one pf the original matrons and some of you may remember her for wonderful play costumes in the early 70s.

Elizabeth Stuart-Mills passed away during the year. She was a great friend to the school and lent a hand in various capacities when she was living in Kells.

Andrew MacLachlan wrote on the occasion of Danid Wild’s death and ask to be remembered to all his contemporaries. He continues to tread the boards and does film and TV work in addition.Kevin Tierney visited recently from New York. One of the Toulemonde brothers, original pupils of the school in 1949, was also here recently. Peter Haworth writes to say that he has now retired from tourism and now lives in the West. He hopes to resume an interest in photography and writing. Siobhan Stuart-Mills writes from Canada. She has four children and is living in Quebec.Simon de Courcy-Wheeler is working as a photgrapher in London. Robert Hall continues to comment on racing for RTE. Adrian Naughten has left Ottawa, where he was military attache, to take up a post in Southern Africa. Jonah Barrington, our former World Squash Champion, continues his involvement with the sport, currently coaching the Danish squad. Neville Callaghan continues his very successful career as a trainer in the UK. Anthony Farrell,’s Lilliput Press have published the Dublin Edition of Joyce’s Ulysses to much general acclaim. . Guy Williams has featured in an excellent TV documentary about the Clifden railway. John Farrell is in the business of erecting temporary grandstands for large outdoor events. Alan Sweetman continues to write for the ‘Racing Post.’ and the ‘Sunday Times’

The 60s

At the recent Harrovian Dinner at Headfort, we were delighted to see Christopher Headfort amongst others.

Jill McAleese died recently after a long illness. Jim very sadly died last year and they are naturally much missed by those of us who valued their experience and advice.

We have also learned with great sadness of the death of John Fletcher. You may remember him as a robust but extremely kind child, who graced the games field and helped anywhere he could. A memorial service was held in May to honour his memory.

Rupert de las Casas writes from the US where he works as a commercial pilot, flying golfers around. He has two children. Peter de Montfort writes from Spain where he is now living, after spells in most parts of the world. Lionel Baugh writes from America where he is in charge of the Latin American and Caribbean Region at Charles Schwab and Co, the World’s largest Internet Broker. Simon Cocksedge writes from Bedford where he is a partner is a successful firm of solicitors. If any of his friends would like to get in touch, he would be grateful Ferdinand von Prondzynski is President of DCU. He recently visited the school. Richard Palmer writes from Derry. Piers de Montfort has married Nicola Conolly Carew and is working in London as MD of Morgan Stanley. Henry Clesham and John Keys are both teaching  . Simon Johnson breeds horses in Co Limerick.. John Searle is working as a very successful freelance photographer in Dublin. William Stoney is a commercial pilot in the U.S. Christopher Taylour is running a successful estate agency in the centre of London. Jim Armstrong is currently a director of Wellman International. He has been setting up recycling plants in France and Holland. His son Ben was at Headfort. Sam Armstrong continues as an auctioneer in the family firm in Kells.

The 70s

Peter Bamford still lives outside Kells. Viktor de Raeymaeker has returned to Belgium to work. He visited Headfort recently.

At the old Harrovian dinner we also saw Giles Hurley. Antony Jackson now lives in Tandragee and has started a wine business. If you’re in the area, go and buy wine.He has two children and seems a happy bunny.Nicholas Wilkinson writes from Wicklow “After working in London as a journalist and copywriter, I’m now living in Wicklow and working as a screenwriter. If you’re a fan of Fair City, you’ll see some of my work on TV as I’ve been writing for them.” Caroline Eustace, one of the first girls writes……..I. Went to Gurteen and then spent numerous years working around the Europe with horses. And now happily living in Co Louth with her husband and two children Tegan and Spencer. Joanna Roberts and Grattan Lynch were here recently. She is an architect and I did not really gather what Grattan was doing. Alannah Macey turned up at a hunt ball after the end of term. She is a teacher by trade and now works for the Dept. of Education. Edward Lefroy writes from the YUK where he is married with a son and runs both a surf school in Cornwall and a net design business. He also mentions his brother Jeffrey who has recently retired from the music business and now spends time in Barcelona and London and has appeared in several films as an extra, including James Bond and Harry Potter films. Alan Stoney is living away in the West with three children and works in tourism, renting holiday cottages and so on. Locket Agnew Somerville writes and broadcasts his poetry in London. Dermot Dix no longer teaches History in New York. He is Headmaster of Headfort Angus Von Schoenberg writes from London where he works for Airstream international. He is anxious for information on William & Fania Stoney and also Johnnie Martin.Seanin Gilmore is working as a barrister in London. She is getting married next year.John de Montfort has moved down to Cork with his family. Alessandro and Roberto Mattei are both working in horticulture, the one in Wicklow and the other in the UK. Peter Horsman is farming in Co Wicklow and is married with three children. Opposite him lives his brother Michael who is married. Johnny Horsman is living in London, after flying helicopters in LA for a while.. James Kerr has got married recently. Marcus Simpson, after taking an MBA, is now working in Virginia controlling the private equity sector of the state’s pension fund. He has recently married Nicole. Michael Mura, after a Ph.D. at Trinity, now works with Goldman Sachs in London. David Williams-Ellis has achieved great success as a sculptor. His work may be viewed on the net Aran, Tara and Conn O Carroll write about their doings. Aran in a lawyer in Canada, where Conn is also studying environmental Biology. Tara is working for VAG in Germany in Personnel and Marketing. Adrian Horsman is working for TV3 as Northern Ireland correspondent and is married . Martin Cowley is working as a mining director in Botswana. David Lind is living in Vicenza and working in Shipping. His brother Christopher is farming in the south of Ireland. William Simpson is working as a fund manager in London. Richard de Courcy-Wheeler is a consultant gynaecologist in Newry. Nicky Lowry is farming in the North and his brother Peter is a helicopter pilot in California. Rupert Boyd is working as a trader for Morgan Stanley in London. Toddy Watt has taken over as manager of Tatersall’s Simon de Montfort is working in agriculture in Ecuador. Roger de Montfort is a partner in Price Waterhouse in South Africa. Johnnie Langham runs his own internet design company in Fermanagh. He is married and his second child, Phoebe was born early in January. His brother Rupert is working in IT in the UK. John de Montfort is working for the Halo Trust in mine clearance. Caroline James is working as a nurse and her brother Jeremy is a juggler in Paris. Peter de Montfort is working in Panama for the Hong Kong Shanghai Bank. Angus Von Schoenberg is married and working in London. His brother Andreas is working in renewable energy. MGP (Freddie)Furnell is farming in Limerick, as is his brother, Justin. Patrick Conyngham has recently held exhibitions of his paintings in Dundalk. Jonathan Grew (URL) is running his own business in the south of the UK, selling mainframe computers and 2nd hand PCs. George Allan Armstrong R.I.B.A. is working as an architect for a large partnership in Stratford. He is getting married shortly. Patrick K. Cooper is a bloodstock agent as are Brett and Hugo Merry, who combine it with farming. Christopher Musgrave is working as a bloodstock agent in Paris. James Fanshawe is training horses in the UK and with a good deal of success. Liam Canning has announced his retirement from international hockey but continues to play for Three Rock and is regularly among the scoreres. Diarmuid (DD) Canning is teaching at St. Andrew’s. Richard Murphy and Dermot ffrench-Davis were here exhibiting furniture at the MS Christmas Fair.. Kim Bielenberg writes regularly in the Irish Times. Christopher Clesham is working for RTE as a nightime news editor. Konnie Jay has just finished directing a film “Jumpers” which was screened over Christmas by the BBC to much acclaim, and is considering what to do next. Dominic ffrench-Davis, training at Lambourn, had a particularly successful spell last January. Tim Whitley runs a flourishing horticulture business a few miles down the road from us. His brother Christopher works in finance in London. Joss Hazell is working for United Biscuits. Selena Kindersley (Mckenzie) is farming in Co. Wicklow as are Charlie and G Tottenham. David Williams is studying towards his final exam as a merchant navy captain. David has recently married Jane Wallace Andrew Kelly is farming in N Yorks. Marcus Kelly is working in recruitment consultancy. Charlie Murless was manager of Punchestown racecourse.. Dr. Mark Temple is currently working in the Midlands of the UK. Fania Stoney is practising as a barrister in London. Johnnie Brittain has his own boat and runs fishing trips for visitors in Co Galway. Miles Podmore is working in IT in Singapore. Andrew Sterling is farming in Co. Tipp. Michael Roller works in Finance . Shane Musgrave has spent six months in Peru working in a nature reserve. Charlie Wilby is working for Parliament TV in London and is getting married soon. Johnnie Osthus is working locally in Woodpark Stud. Stephen Fasenfeld is working as Product Manager for Antigen. Pharmaceuticals. Christopher Grew was working as European Support Manager for Rand Technologies and was married last June. David Wilby is working in forestry near Toronto. Jeremy Wilson is helping to run a carpet mill in South Africa.. Christopher Johnson is back in Ulster working for Desmond’s, clothing manufacturers with strong links to M & S. Antony Jackson has become engaged and has a florist business quite near here.

The 80s

Charlotte Temple was here the other day in connection with a fashion event in the Montessori.She very kindly asked me to model some clothes but I shan’t. She told me that Patrick works in alternative energy in the N of Scotland and Rocket has nearly finished her degree in York, Daniel Caffrey was at the OH Dinner. He works in publishing. Also there was a psychiatrist named Simon Mitchell. Naturally I ran away. Also there but not seen by me was Rebecca Wardell. Olivia Hazell writes ‘I am now married to Dr Oliver Blacque who has a lab in the Conway Institute at UCD and we have a little 2 year old daughter called Isabelle. Oliver is a cell biologist using C Elegans as a model organism. He was awarded the President of Ireland Young Research Award in 2006,which is a 5 year start up grant run by Science Foundation Ireland. I am still working away in wine, have just started with Mitchell and Son Wine Merchants in sales,Ireland’s oldest Family run wine merchants after a stint with Berry Brothers. We are trying a new concept of Direct Selling to Individuals through tasting events etc…. Am on Linkedin.com (Olivia Blacque) if anyone would like to get in touch for some wine advice!
Jack has started up his own business, a lettings agency in Dublin 6W and Sarah Davis Goff is working for him! Ralph has lots of entreprenurial businesses on the go and has a little son called Lochie with girlfriend Nicola Morrison. Joss is working for Tangerine Confectionery and he and the family recently moved to York and are doing very well. They now have two children.
Suzanne Kelly writes from the US where she is married, has a little girl Lucia, who is 2, and mentions that her sister Michelle is working as an accountant in Dublin. Grattan Lynch writes……..Am living and working in Douala, Cameroon (for the Regional Government). And Joanna Roberts in still in architecture but in London. Thank you Grattan. I Met Catherine O’Donoghue in Navan recently.She has been teaching in Italy and spends time with Clare Spicer, now married. Joanna Spicer is teaching in Wesley, says Catherine.Had a long note from Anna Hamilton recently. She is working in Ecuador organizing riding holidays. She is of course a contemporary and friend of Sean Farrell, whose partner was so tragically killed in London recently. Sean is and was very much in our thoughts. Such a waste of life.

We were delightfully entertained to supper by the Leonard family recently and met Nicky, Matthew, Michael and James. Michael is managing the golf course at Bellewstown; James is about to to to NUI Galway, Matthew is taking a degree in Geography and Planning in Dublin and Nicky is undecided about his career path. He has recently completed a long walk to raise funds for a school in Zambia. Anna Hamilton has also been in touch. She plans to go to Ecuador in the new year. Cecilia Melcon writes to say she is getting married soon, a function to be attended by inter alios Cesar Valles Cyprien (Zip) Benoit writes from London withb news of his life and a snippet about Jamie Caffrey who is working in the music business in California. Cyp himself took his first degree in the US and has just topped it off with a Master’s degree in something financial and now works for am American finance house and is currently living with his brother Bas in London. Cyp went to Duke University, which is of course reputable and highly-regarded. This column has an MA in the plumbing of Headfort, gained one night after too much Scotch from a non-existent (?) college of knowledge in the US. But then one of our dogs is ordained so what can you expect. Max Robinson writes. “After Graduating from Warwick I went to America and Qualified as both a Ski and Snowboarding Instructor. I am now back in London and run my own retail business called Wolf Armouries in Camden Town London. We sell airsoft products ” Max wants to hear from anyone from here who knows him; his email addy is max_connor@yahoo.com

Karen Connolly dropped by the other day. She lives in Lambourn and runs various equine operations, as you’d expect. Joanna Roberts is working as an architect in Kildare. Velma has recently had a little girl, Amelia. Jack Hazell writes about the various members of his family as follows. “Joss as you know is married and is just after having his first child. “Catherina” A very proud dad indeed. He is now working for Quakers Oats (seller To Tesco’s, Asda etc) for those of you who just might possibly have eaten a bowl of porridge since !!!!!!!!!. Ralph: Commutes to Gibralter on a weekly basis ( Future bond trading). Spends his weekends in England. Full of life and ideas as ever.Olivia is still living in Vancouver. She is now engaged to a man from Tipperary who also works in Vancouver. They are planning to move back to main land Europe in the next year. Olivia is a wine supplier to top restaurants in Vancouver. Jack. I am now based in Dublin working for Colliers Jackson-Stops ( Country department- Junior Negotiator) for Marcus Magnier.. Tom Wilkes writes from Holland where he has a business making high spec masts for yachts. He is married with two children. His brother Rupert is MD of a property company in London. As noted elsewhere, Charlie Williams had a miraculous escape whilst parachuting in E Africa recently. Emily is taking a Master’s Degree in Peace Studies and Griselda continues to work in hedge funds.Matthew D-R took a Gap year and spent it in Sarawak, as you might expect. X who is a child here at the moment (can’t remember who) met Matthew Tindal the other day whilst out killing things. Claudia Preston writes from the US. She has been teaching ESL and is now contemplating an MA in Publishing. Rebecca Guinness (Donleavy) writes from NY about her doings and those of her brother Rory. She is working as an assistant fashion editor on Harper’s, if you please. Rory is at acting school and is in a band. Respec’. Edmund Mahony was here the other day and seemed on good form. Will Connolly Carew was also among those present at a lunch hosted by Piers Landseer. Basile Benoit writes of a prospective game of golf with Toddy Shillington who is apparently very well. There is to be a social event this weekend somewhere, hosted by the Watson family. He met up with Charlie Williams and his sisters.. Griselda is married and doing hedge funds, whatever they are. Emily is becoming an accountant. All seemed on good form as did the parents who run a school somewhere North from here.

Had a long note from Tom Chambre. “All is well with myself for the since, January 2000 I have been working with Rob Wachman who runs an IT recruitment consultancy called Conspicuous which is based in London. I have been living in Herne Hill. I am moving on from there now to work and gain experience with William’s company based in Belfast – Chambre Public Affairs – www.chambrepa.com. William as I said above is doing very well, he was married last year to Sarah was Boyle from Limavady. Kate is currently a journalist with the Donegal Democrat; she has been up there since the start of the year and is living in Letterkenny. Clare Shillington was at Newcastle, is now living in Dublin and is Captain of the Women’s Irish Cricket team! I see quite a bit of Caroline Patton who has been working for a production company in london (closely involved with the History of Briton & Briton in Colour documentaries), Leeky who is in Paris along with Emily Braddell, Sarah Wachman who has been travelling in Australia for the past year (returning in September) and will be living in Dublin with Lucy Tindal who is a professional cook.

Rebecca Wardell kindly writes from Edinburgh. Jono graduated 2 years ago and is now working as an accountant in Dublin, Sarah Davis-Goff is off galavanting around Australia on yet another gap year, but has a place in St.John’s College over in the US waiting for her when she gets back, I’m studying for my masters, still at the University of Edinburgh, Andy Willis graduated last year and I think might be doing some sort of ecological work now, but I’m not sure. I ran into Georgina Grubb randomly in Edinburgh at the beginning of the year and she was looking for a job here. Suzanna Watson is also over here about to sit her finals in Psychology. Marta Banus writes from Spain. She got married four years ago and has a little daughter Blanca aged 3. For a change, a little local news supplied by Jamie Myerscough. He has started up his own telecoms business in Dublin (Phorest Telecommunications, since you ask). Dave Myerscough is working as an assistant trainer in Lambourn. Sophie is in the Dublin Institute of Design studying interior architecture and design. Tom Magnier is working in Australia for the Coolmore Stud Australian operation and Katie Magnier has just married David Wachman, an Irish Horse Trainer. Thank you Jamie. Seanin Gilmore was recently married to Graham McPherson in Lutrellstown.

This column is in danger of becoming a house magazine for those who live in Gib.Gibraltar clearly has a lot going for it. Ralph Hazell writes from there with family gossip. He is working in the futures market. Joss is married to a lovely girl from Athens called Georgia; they live in Battersea. Joss works for United biscuits, and has a sales and marketing role for them. Jack is in his final year at Cirencester agricultural college, studying property management, and is in very good form. Olivia is on a year stint in Vancouver; she has been working in the wine business on and off for a few years, and is currently doing a cooking course William Connolly-Carew has recently celebrated the birth of his second child and now has two children under 2 – a difficult ask. He also works in futures in Gibraltar.. Shane Gallwey’s wedding was apparently excellent. A hooley was had by all. Shane has married a girl called Fleur (was Neyens), a friend from Edinburgh University. Tommy Shillington was there and in sparkling form. He is married with two children with a third on the way. Ralph Hazell was there and also Eddy Mahony. Eddy is working in Dublin and seems to spend most weekends hunting with the Blazers in Galway. He was in good form as well. Amongst others, Will has recently seen Rob Wachman, married and running an IT recruitment company and Mickey ffrench-Davis, now married and still working in catering. Davina Gray writes from TCD where she is studying Geography & economics. Cecilia Melcon has completed an MBA in Bologna and was in Belfast practising her English. Benny Giuliani is doing a degree at the university of Surrey. Jasmine Guinness has had a baby and recently been on TV with Pat Kenny. Nina & Sophie Kauntze’s father, Michael, kindly wrote a note of their whereabouts. Sophia has abandoned civil engineering and now works in Asset Backed Securities – and I don’t know exactly what that might be. Nina is in her Final year at Trinity. Eva Valles now works in the travel industry and her brother Cesar continues to work in the motor industry. Amazing what you can see if you hang around the airport for long enough. Christina Connolly was spotted there before Christmas and on a more recent visit I was amazed to hear Alex Cosby being paged. His brother Phil is working in Scotland.. Raymond Joe Gilmore is working as a solicitor in London. His sister, Grainne Og, writes about finance for the Times. Suzanne Kelly has almost completed her Medical studies. She writes that she spent the summer in a hospital in Vietnam.Michelle, her sister, is at university in Madrid. Marco Herbst recently took part in a motor car rally, attempting to travel round Ireland in a veteran car. Gregory Forshaw has kindly written with family news. Both his parents very sadly died. We remember them both with great affection. Michael is working in financial services in London. Gregory is working towards his MSc at London. He has three children and works in offshore fund management. Must be quite hard to walk around The Square Mile without meeting someone from here.Julie Magnier has left her job with JWT and is about to travel the world. Constance de Diesbach writes from Paris where she is working for an internet company.. Dave Wilby writes from Canada, where he has a tree consultancy business..Nicholas Wilkinson has finished his degree and is beginning a career as a journalist. Bernard O Sullivan is working very successfully in the equestrian industry in New South Wales.Diana Orejas is living in Washington D.C. and working for the World Bank after taking a Master’s Degree in International Economics at John Hopkins University, Bologna Lukey Barrow is working in horticulture after finishing a six month tour of Bolivia. Her sister Juliet is now Mrs Gogan, has two small children at Trinity; thank you Sean. Shane Musgrave is working in ecotourism in the rainforest of Peru. Gwendoline O ‘Connell (Spicer) gave birth to a baby girl, Rebekah, in September. Tommy Reilly’s wife Aisling has presented him with a son, Jack. T.. Patrick Williams has achieved the considerable feat of running 6 marathons in 5 days to raise money for the Cheshire Homes. He raised the colossal total of £16,000 and had scarcely a blister to show for it. A triumph for the BIFFOS. Patrick Phelan is working as National Sales Manager for Bic Graphic Ireland. Archie Phelan is working in the financial sector in Dublin. Rebecca Cox is working in the media in Dublin and was married last June.Victoria Tindal is working in the Canaries but will shortly be returning to Ireland. Andrea Fasenfeld after working for BP has returned to Ireland to work for Antigen.. Eva Valles-Torrices has just completed her MA in English Philology and was last heard of working in a hotel in Lisdoonvarna..Raoul Simpson is working in London and elsewhere as a lighting engineer, dividing his time between parties and rock concerts. James McCaldin has finished his HND in architecture and returned from Australia, where he has been for 6 months. Alicia McCaldin is studying graphic design at Kingston University. John Bamford, after taking a degree in Australia and also collecting a commercial flying licence, is doing traffic reports for radio in Malaysia, towing banners around the sky and also working as a pilot.. Marcus Williams has departed for Seattle to work as sales manager for Pipkin and Bonnet. Charlie Swan continues to be a prominent trainer and jocket He rode Istabraq at the Cheltenham Festival and successfully too.Genevieve Kyle has finished a course at the National Stud and is now working in a stud in the midlands. Karen Connolly has recently represented Ireland in the European 3 Day Event Championships. Kevin Spicer, after winning two Blues for Oxford,played for London Irish for a while. Maurice Cox, a former Light Blue, is playing in the AIL for Old Wesley; he has abandoned medicine as a career.Adrian Bryce-Smith has completed his Science degree.. Clare Spicer is also at Trinity, reading European studies. Sam Wheeler aftere reading Natural Sciences at Cambridge, intends to become a journalist. He is writing Sport in the Yorkshire Post. Peter Ordway has recently moved to Capetown, where he is setting up a business. John Ordway is working for Grey Advertizing in New York.. Sonja Kelly has announced her engagement to Perrin Dinely Thomas Reilly is still working for Goodbody Stockbrokers, Sasha Musgrave is now Mrs Travis. Michael ffrench-Davis is currently working in catering, as is Simon Chawner. Johnny Martin is working in Liverpool in marine loss-adjusting. Piers Landseer is involved in TEFL courses for Spanish children.. Patrick Spicer, back from a spell working in London for Matheson, Ormsby Prentice, will qualify as a solicitor soon.. Johnnie Spicer now works in the family business Matthew Tindal was here recently, playing cricket for Co. Meath. He is working in the wine trade in Dublin. John Filgate is working as an interior designer. Matthew Gallagher is working in the construction industry. Nicholas Wilkinson is in his final year at TCD, reading History. Edward Galvin is also in his final year reading History & Politics at UCD. Olympia O Farrell is in her 3rd year at Imperial London, reading Aeronautical Engineering towards her M.Eng degree. Remarkably she has been educated in English since leaving Headfort.. Caroline Filgate has finished at St Mary’s Strawberry Hill. Patrick Gallagher has completed his M.Sc at Queen’s and is now working in New York. Peter Lyons is farming locally. George Fitzherbert is doing research in Chinese Politics at Harvard following his first degree at Oxford. Piers Baker is in his final year at Salford, reading Politics. Killian Fitzgerald is working as a sound engineer for a TV company in London. Ollie Osthus is skippering a pleasure yacht, based in Malta.

The 90s……

Had a long and welcome note from Julian Cafolla.He works in shipping and finance in Dublin and is heading off to complete an MSc in September. Alex is currently doing his leaving cert in the institute.
As for the rest of them, well still in contact with a good few people, I suppose the the majority of people from Headfort make their way to Columba’s so even if they are 5 years older or 5 years younger, there is always a starting point in a conversation. Still in touch with Chris Cahill who is working for Educogym here in Dublin at the moment (the gyms set up by Jamie Myerscough), Ali Rauscher and Johnno Brunton are galivanting around the country chopping down trees or something like that, while Henry Davis-Goff is living with Malachy Guinness in Notthing Hill and is working for BMW on Park Lane (he always did love his cars!). Still see people pretty much every weekend from Headfort, Mags Galvin is one we would always bump into. Matt Leonard is still around, although havn’t seen him in about a year, still living up in Stamullen working away. Alex Hamilton (whom I haven’t seen in years) was living with a friend of mine in Oxford,doing the officer training thingy. Believe it or not, I bumped into Brian “Ned” Kennedy awhile back. Philip Kidd just finished his first year doing a degree in Law in Griffith. Henry Goff was dating Orla Tynan for a year or so (possibly more) awhile back. It was a funny coincidence, I’m not sure if you remember her as I think she was only in Headfort for one/two terms, or a year. Met her through a friend of a friend, had a chat, it all came flooding back, and that was that!
Sitting in class the other day, trying to interest them, when in walk Thomas Morton and Sophie Flood.She was just off to China. He brought news of William, now a light blue, Stewart, studying medicine at Manchester. Will Simmons writes that ” Ben started a Design and event planning company and organises some pretty spectacular parties and weddings for big shot New yorkers… check out his webpage littleislanddesign.com, anyone who wants to get married on a beach should check him out! I have been living back on the island for the past two years since i finished my degree at London’s School of oriental and african studies,Ive been doing youth and community work and started an Arts and Citizenship education program called “space to create” for at risk kids which I run every summer if any like minded Headfort graduates ever want a volunteer opportunity. SPACE-TO-CREATE-Visualized now i’m in Canada doing the teacher training so I can move this forward, either through the public sysstem in The Bahamas or as a non profit. Violet Ogden is studying to become a social worker after a 4 year break from formal education and several volunteer stints in Zambia, Malawi, India and Trinidad, Harry durdin is an Artiste back in Eire after a 4 year stint in Florence, he has some awesome paintings Mathew Durdin works in eastern congo as a Liason between the mining companies and the forest people..Aude Jambu-Merlin has sent this:-Flore is now a business lawyer in Paris. Tristan is finishing a four-year law degree (French Maitrise and English Bachelor). After two years in Essex and two years in Paris, he’ll be off to Reading in September for his Master Degree.This year he is also following training to become a Reserve officer in the French Navy. So far he, like his sister, plans to become a lawyer. Tanguy, is still at school, over 5.9 feet,still growing, and of course talking all day long. I am still an Auditor at Deloitte Paris. Never thought I would stay that long. I am now married to Adrien Pinon, he is a free lance TV journalist. We now have a little girl called Gabrielle, she is a 1.5 year old and a new-born Victor who showed up 10 days ago. I have news from Mary Hoare; she moves quite often, back and forth from Europe to America. She’s in Ireland right now for a few months preparing a new exhibition.

Raquel Orejas writes I have very good memories from my 2 years there. I wish I could go back My sister Diana is living in Geneva. She’s working for the ITC. She married an Englishman 2 years ago and has a little girl, Sofia. Myself I finished my bachelor in Business Administration in Barcelona and worked in Switzerland for a year. Afterwards I was 8 months doing volunteering work in El Salvador and Honduras. Now I’m in my first year of MA at the SAIS, Johns Hopkins University in Bologna.

Camino Hurtado writes from Washington where she is working for the Spanish Foreign Affairs Department. Sophie Myerscough has been writing with news. Principally that Petra Williams, who is now a fashionista in France, is very soon getting married in France. . Lisa-Jane Moeran writes from England with following news items. Thank you Lisa-Jane. “I write from Newmarket in England, where I work on thoroughbred pedigree research and marketing, sort of. I work for Sheikh Mohammed’s Darley Stud Management (he being the ruler of Dubai). I love my work, have an awesome life which revolves around my Jack Russell terrier, Nelson. I have just bought a house with my boyfriend here in Newmarket. Other Headfort alumni here include trainer James Fanshawe – he is very successful and very popular among the racing fraternity. Todd Watt also works here as a director of Tattersalls. Everywhere in racing is full of ex-Headfort pupils. I see Patrick Cooper quite a lot, and all his family. I worked for Alan Cooper for three years in London, before I left to do this: www.darleyflyingstart.com . Sophie Myerscough took over my job when I left. I bumped into Nick Patton at Cheltenham – he is now married (January) to a lovely girl called Victoria. Dave Myerscough was there, now a successful trainer in Ireland, as was Archie St. George. He lives in Kentucky in America, also successfully working in the bloodstock business. I have written a bit for racing magazines, but am happy at the moment with my research. Robbie is a giant. He studies forestry in Waterford, which he loves.”

This column might well be renamed ” Kate’s Comments”, so great is the volume of imformation she has kindly suppled. Ta Kate. “My brother Tom, got married in June (06) to Sophia (nee Calvert), a fantastic girl, who he has been friends with since they were at Stowe. Toddy Shillington was his joint best man with Duncan Campbell another childhood friend. Their speech was hilarious. Ed Coveney, still a stone mason based in Dublin, and Stevie Macken were among the ushers. Tom runs his own Property Services company in London ( www.chambrepropertyservices.com), which predominantly manages and lets out residential properties.

William, my eldest brother, married Sarah (nee Boyle), also from Ireland, in 2002. They now have two adorable little boys Jack and Ned, and a third baby on the way. William runs a successful public affairs company based in Belfast

( www.chambrepublicaffairs.com). Myself – I’m a journalist and at present freelancing for the Irish Daily Mail in Dublin. Moved from Dublin to Donegal in August (06) having spent three-and-a-half years working on regional papers, and a radio station in Letterkenny. Clare Shillington has recently jetted off to Australia, via Japan, for nine months. She was working in the wine industry in Dublin before she left, and was also kept very busy playing cricket and hockey. Tommy Shillington is a stockbroker in London and is married to Polly. They have four children (three boys and a girl) and live not too far from Silverstone in England. Other news in brief…Livy Galvin is married to Alex Frost and they live in London with their Jack Russell. They had a fantastic wedding in Meath last year. Also living in London are Nessie Galvin, Sarah Wachman, Caroline Patton (Nick Patton her brother is about to get married), Orlando Hughes and Anquelique (Leeky) Beresford-Ash. Leeky works for a Catholic charity called Cafod and spent six months in Sudan last year until the beginning of this year. Eleanor Good has returned to Northern Ireland having spent a few years in London working at Heathrow Airport keeping illegal immigrants out of the country. She plans to return to university possibly in Australia but nothing is concrete yet. Michael Good works as a translator between London and Northern Ireland. Emily Braddell is living in Paris with her boyfriend David, and recently qualified as a teacher.I think she is teaching at an international school there. Daniel Braddell is also a teacher, and lives in England, while Edward (or Oddie) is an aspiring actor living in Dublin. Oddie recently graduated from the Gaiety School of Acting, and has been working part-time for Lucy Tindal in Dublin who runs a successful company called Tindal O’Grady Catering with Lucy O’Grady based in Dublin. Matthew Tindal also runs a successful wine company with his uncle in Dublin, and is married to Georgie (nee Cunningham). They have a little girl and boy.

In Dublin I’ve also seen Johanna Kelly, Bridget Farrell, Eva Filgate, Jamie Macken, Anthony Brabazon, Jeff Huskinson and Alanna Macey who are all working and living here. Hadn’t seen some of them since Headfort. Alanna is soon about to move with her boyfriend to Cork.Old Headfort friends living abroad at present include Bex and Rory Guinness who are both based in New York. As is Nick Hamilton. Mark Armstrong, a qualified engineer, is working on oilrigs in the Middle East.Oh I nearly forgot. I heard Emily Williams married Alex Cosby in the Summer. Not sure what their siblings Charlie, Griselda, and Phillip are up to.” At the recent theme party at Headfort we saw Toddy Shilllington, Tom Chambre, the Mackens and Ed Coveney, all seeming to be extremely happy. Thet aforesaid Toddy also featured in a long chatty email from Sophie Myerscough which I have mislaid/misfiled. Dave is working with horses somewhere in the YUK and Jamie has a business in Dublin which is vaguely IT related. If any of that is wrong, please correct. Spent some time with Nic McDowell recently. She was car-booting, seemingly to raise funds for holliers in America. Ross has finished his degree and Alistair has taken a gap year. Tina Connolly kindly gave a large helping hand with a music venture here in August. Margaret (Molly) Galvin is at university and modelling to supplement her drinks money. Alex Day kindly wrote with news.”After being back in the UK for only a year, my parents (and Lucy) are on the move again, Singapore this time! I’m staying in the UK to finish my degree, then no idea what I’ll do; probably go off travelling or something before having to enter the ‘real world.’ I still have no clue what I want to do, I think I may (attempt to) go into one of the big strategy consulting firms. Degree is going fine though, and will be finished this time next year” Alvaro Ybarra writes cheerfully from Spain. “I’m at the moment, finishing my studies of Telecomunication Ingeneering at Seville University. would love to have contact with two friends I saw are on the list. Max Robinson and Alexander Durdin-Robertson as they were my best friends there. I’m sorry I can’t tell you anything about the other Spanish that studied with me at that time, I will just tell you the names I remember: Guillermo Mazarambroz, Iñigo Ussia, Javier Banús, Olympia Baldrich and Teresa de Simón. I think these are all of us.”. His email valladulc@wanadoo.es if anyone mentioned feels like getting in touch.

Thank you Rebecca,Suzannah &Alexander for much of what follows.

Jaime Banus is keen to hear from anyone who was at Headfort with him. He will be in Dublin in the summer and would like to meet such people. At the recent re-union it was a great pleasure to see Violet Ogden, Harry D-R, Will Simmons, Katie Kennedy and Claire Heary. They all seemed in great order and full of life. ..Anna Hamilton & Nicky Leonard have both won places at Trinity. You will have seen details of Katie Magnier’s wedding in the papers. The airport continues to be a good place to meet past pupils. Recently

I met Ben Simmons, scholar at Trinity Will is well and happy and a person of some prominence at his school. Harriet Norris writes cheerfully about her self and her brother William. Tom Guinness Taylor now goes to school in Penzance and seems happy. James Galvin writes from the US where he is playing rugby and taking a gap year. James Westendarp (Westy) writes from Glenstal with news of Alexander Grubb,M.V. Magnier and others. Packie Morton was here a few weekends ago from the same school and seems to have the situation under control.Tara Jane Butler is starting a Ph.D in London in September. Nicky Wolfe is reading for a Science degree at TCD. Jack Hazell, Archie St. George and Nicky Patton are studying agriculture at Cirencester. Miles Mahon is reading for a degree at the West of England University. Charlotte Phelan is studying Art, somewhere in the YUK. Phil Cosby is taking an Arts degree at Durham. Henry Collins has left Newtown and now exercises polo ponies in the UK. Jamie Caffrey is working in a bakery in New York. Daniel Shaw-Smith is doing a degree at the NCAD. Freddy Madden is at Southampton reading English. Rebecca Wardell, studying for a mathematics degree in the University of Edinburgh, has kindly supplied the following info. Thanks. Jonathan Wardell – third year joint degree in philosophy and geography in Trinity.Mary Hoare – studying Art in the National College of Art and Design. Lisa Macey – studying Business and Spanish in DCU. Andrew Willis – studying in the University of Edinburgh.Sarah Davis-Goff -taking a gap year.Nicky Leonard and William Gossip seem to be enjoying themselves and emailed to see if they could get a mention so here is one – Hello William and Nicky – wellingtons still working ?. Rachel Hull represented Ulster against Leinster with her. Rhona Barry won a place in Ireland’s Olympic team for shooting. January Johnson has started her own business in Kentucky, importing European gourmet foods. Tristan Tyrrell is doing pre-university courses. Alexander Simmons is reading History at Manchester University. Stevie Macken is beginning his career as a showjumper in Germany.

The Noughties

Inez B writes “I am studying international bussiness administration in France and at the moment I am working in Deutsche Bank in Geneva (Part of my degree) and My sis Sofia is finishing school and planning to study biology or medicine”. Andrew Martin was here during the summer, along with Olivia Plunkett (off to LIPA now), Stevie Grehan and Ben Armstrong.Poppy Law has been here helping us before her university term starts. At the supermarket, I met Caroline Preston who mentioned that Eliza (aka Polly) has recently emerged from Ox with a good degree and was now working in Dublin and Arthur currently at Edinburgh doing something ecological. Emily Cooper organized a party last summer attended by many kids who used to go to school here.I couldn’t possibly list all who turned up but did manage to speak to various members of the Temple family, Jackie McDowell and many determined campers at the top of the pitch.Rosie Temple kindly wrote a long note from York University where she now finds herself. Andrea Castillo dropped me a line from Mexico recently where she seems to be having a good time, though missing the craic here. Allegra FitzHerbert has accepted a place at Oxford; congratulations to her on that. Can’t remember which college. . Natalia Uriguen is studying psychology. I met Kim Byrne in Navan. Emily and Olivia Plunket, Andrew Martin, Stevie Grehan, his sister Daisy and Celeste Guinness spent a week here one August, trying to assemble material for a CD. Milllie Mantle and Mairead Daly have also been about the place. Iseult Law is currently at school in KH after a spell in Italy. Lily Conygham is in demand playing the violin at various venues. Dropping my wife off at the airport the other day, I was just walking out for a fag, when a petite dark haired girl said hello to me. Allegra FitzHerbert en route to London. Poor girl must have thought I was somewhat gone in the head since it took a while to recognize her. She might be right. At the summer party we were delighted to see Stevie Grehan, Jasper Pickersgill, Octavian and Luke FitzHerbert and Eoin O’Conor. James Sheridan has been on the scene too. Ami McFarland was here helping with the Gymkhana and Daisy Grehan was also here, helping with swimming. A gang of our kids from SCC were looking for a mensh so here is one. Lucy Alex Hannah and Opaline.