The Good Counsel College Diaspora are making their mark in all corners of the globe.
In a recent ceremony, John Murphy, Leaving Cert. class ’93, was honoured by New York City Council for his ‘outstanding contribution to the city and beyond’. The Proclamation with which he was presented cited his chairmanship of IN-NYC of which he was also a founding member and furthermore mentioned his record as a defence lawyer for the city fighting personal injury claims on the public’s behalf.
John Murphy making his acceptance speech.
The Proclamation also refered to John’s birthplace of Ramsgrange and to his time in Mercyhurst College where he, like many Good Counsel Students before and since, undertook his third level education.
The prestige of the ceremony is underlined by the fact that John shared the stage with Caroline Kennedy who was receiving an award on behalf of her late uncle Senator Edward Kennedy. It won’t have been lost on either that their journeys to the hallowed halls of this great city began very much in the same place.
We congratulate John on his great honour and thank him for his ongoing interest in his Alma Mater in New Ross.
Another Good Counsel and Mercyhurst graduate, Stephen Nolan, stepped into the ring in Hong Kong recently for his maiden fight against Ben ‘Boom Time’ Hartwell. Anyone of us who know or remember will have maximum respect for ‘Boom Time’s’ courage, if not so much for his sense, in sharing the canvas with the Foulksmills giant.
Suffice to say our man dispatched his poor opponent with a minimum of fuss and we have no doubt there will be bigger fish to fry.
It should be pointed out that Stephen, who won a Leinster Senior Football medal with GCC in ’95, has a considerable sporting C.V. having played for the Irish International Rubgy League side, The Wolfhounds, and having been captain of Terenure Senior Rubgy Union team for a number of years. We wish Stephen, and indeed all our past pupils well.