Remembering names etc. of those you went to school with, also Deaths

BrianD3 · 30-09-2021 11:30AM #1

Like many boardsies, I am now well into my 40s so it is over 25 years since I did the LC and over 30 since primary school. I cut all contact with those I went to school with after the LC but still thought about them occasionally over the years. I also have "graduation" photos (no names included) from both 6th class and 6th year.

6th class - about 50 of us and I can easily name everyone

6th year - about 170 of us and I can easily name 130 and name another 35 with some effort. I have a separate list of everyone who did the LC which helped with the 35. Facebook stalking also helps but a lot of people are basically unrecognisable due to piling on weight etc.

A small number (that I know of) have died. I learned only recently that one person who I would have assumed was alive, actually died around 15 years ago.

The main causes of death would be suicide, drugs, road collisions and cancer. I'd say around 95% of us are still alive which would tally with actuarial life tables. In the next 10, 15, 20 years, many more of us will die from cancer and other illnesses.

How about you?

Gregor Samsa · 30-09-2021 11:55AM

I'm still alive myself, thanks for asking.

Never kept in contact with any school friends once I left in '91. I live the other side of the country now, so I wouldn't bump into them or anything. There was a reunion organised in 2001 that I got an invite for, but couldn't go to. No idea who's alive or dead. I've looked up a couple of people on FB. A lot aren't on it, but the ones I found seem to be getting on with a normal life. One lad from the class used to turn up on TV and in the the media from time to time as a political commentator. Just looked him up there, and from his Twitter account, he still seems to be active in that area and political academia. I'd say if I were to dig out the 6th year photo, I'd be able to name 50% of the class. 6th class, maybe 30%.

I'm still in contact with a lot of my childhood/teenage friends - very tight with a group that have known each other since we I was about 7. But none of them were in my class, and I guess that while I did get on very well with a lot of people in school, once I left I never kept up contact, because my "real" friends were the group I knew from my estate.

RayCon · 30-09-2021 12:41PM

LC in 1990. Can't remember 95% of my classmates names, one guy I did hang around with back then died shortly after we left school (suicide or OD , it was never confirmed). Don't have any class photo's or anything from back then.

Most of my mates from my teenage years that I'm still friends with and meet regularly went to a different school - hence not remembering anyone from my actual class.

I don't subscribe to the "School - best days of your life" mantra .... didn't hate it either. Just something you had to do.

messrs · 30-09-2021 12:43PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058211096/remembering-names-etc-of-those-you-went-to-school-with-also-deaths

Reading this post having only recently been diagnosed with cancer and not feeling very hopeful!

Strumms · 30-09-2021 12:46PM

I’m not in contact with anybody from primary school, the three guys I was best friends with never lived nearby..there was no FB or mobiles weren’t common and the school I went to wasn’t my real local one so don’t bump into anyone. I’ve no idea what any of them are at...from the school photo I remember all but two names.

Secondary I’m in contact with two guys, see one pre covid maybe four or five times a year...i was sort of friendly with a third guy who was a wee bit eccentric but a great bit of craic, I keyed his name into Facebook and google during the summer only to find no Facebook entry but sadly an RIP .ie entry for him, defo him as there is a photo... died of cancer a few years back at only 36 or so... fourth guy who changed schools after third year is again out of contact but despite not being very studious or academic has from what I’m reading his own business, looks healthy and happy in a brief YouTube vid on his site introducing his business so good for him.

Pherekydes · 30-09-2021 01:06PM

Didn't do the LC, but I still remember the names of my classmates with fondness, especially the girls. 😍 They did the LC in 1978. 3 are friends on FB.

Edited to add: our school streamed the classes into A, B and C classes, and there was little mixing as I recall. Only 82 started out, don't know how many finished.

BrianD3 · 30-09-2021 01:34PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117959035#Comment_117959035

We were streamed into several classes for most of the time and there wasn't much mixing but as per the OP I can identify about 165 of the 170 who made it to the LC. This was in the mid 90s so considerably more recent than your situation.

The "dropout" rate from 1st year to LC was about 10%.Some of the 10% may have switched schools and done the LC elsewhere, others will have left education, got expelled etc.

Riddle101 · 30-09-2021 02:44PM

Well, thanks to facebook I'm pretty much connected to a lot of people who I went to school with. Although I don't really talk to them much, I mainly keep in contact with friends. Fortunately, there have been no deaths thus far.

Ger Roe · 30-09-2021 02:49PM

I remember primary school classmates, more than secondary. Probably because we stayed together right through the primary school cycle and we all came from the same neighbourhood.

I still meet up with a group of five of us who started junior infants together in 1968. We were the first class in the school at the time and we met up again at a 50th anniversary school reunion. On that occasion, our first teacher entered the room and knew us instantly by name. Some feat since she is now quite old and we have obviously changed dramatically since we were four years old. It was nice to see a faded black and white class photo from the time and we managed to name everyone in it (to the delight of the current principal who must have viewed us as museum exhibits) ... a sign of previous times and close knit communities.

'The 1968ers', are meeting for one of our 'at least quarterly' nights out, in two weeks time - we haven't met up since Covid hit, so there is a lot to catch up on.

freshpopcorn · 30-09-2021 03:39PM

Well I'm out of school with about 12 years so I'm able to remember my leaving cert class. There may be the odd tricky name to remember from.somebody who kept their head down.

Similarly with my primary school school.

There was one death.

I got my covid vaccine at my local health center and I ran into loads of my old class and we all knew each other apart from one guy who stared blankly at everybody and to be honest he was always like that.

My mother left school in 1979 and she rang into somebody she went to school with in 2019 and they knew one another instantly.

Baybay · 30-09-2021 04:12PM

I think this is the type of thing that interests more as we get older.

I went to three different primary schools & am in regular contact with a classmate from two of the schools. If I bumped into anyone from the third & last school which is in a different part of the country to where I live, we’d at the very least say hello. Rarely would see anyone from the first school & no one from the second but probably wouldn’t talk to them anyway. Miserable experience.

Second level, I have plenty of photos but there were hundreds in my year! I’d be able to name a good few as that was the type of school it was & at weddings, funerals etc if I don’t know them, I’d know their cousin, sister etc.

Unfortunately, there have been a few deaths, a couple whilst still at school, including my best friend in school who passed away about ten years after the LC. We’d only just got in touch again.

Dont really bother too much with FB but early on would have had a look at a few. Nothing too exciting as far as I remember. Few marriage breakdowns, a lot living abroad, one or two peripherally “famous” mostly through politics or sport & one a doctor of some renown in his field. The rest were happily doing whatever one is happy to do, although perhaps FB happiness!

Ray Palmer · 30-09-2021 04:26PM

OP similar age. There were about 200 in my year and we had a "home" class but were really mixed in all our subjects so it was really only 1st-3rd year we had a single class. as there were feeder primary schools about 50% I knew from 7 and another 25% from the area. So in theory we knew each other 10 years by the time we left in most cases. Most of them stayed in Ireland which is the biggest surprise as we were all pretty much told we would leave the country for work but the 90s were crazy and the country dramatically changed.

A few died of natural causes but one was shot in a gangland shooting. It was like hearing Dewie from Malcolm in the Middle was a hardened gangster. Couldn't name all of them in the year but may have not been able to do that at the time either as some were never in my class for anything or I only knew a nickname. Some went on to be very successful and it wasn't the people expected at all. Some are FB friends but generally I don't stay in touch with maybe 3 I meet up with once a year.

There is one exception in that I ended up working with one guy about a year after leaving school and did so for about 2 years. Stayed in touch and would go out all the time but he then moved to the UK and we sort of lost touch until FB came about. Now every Friday we have drinks over the internet since lock down started. Just became a habit and we know each other so well for so long it is really nice.

Bump into others from school pretty regularly as many of us stayed in Dublin. Most live miles out but I am still pretty close to where we went to school and actually can see the school from the attic, huge old building. Most everybody else live out in the "greater" Dublin area. Funerals is where I see most but it tends to be their parents funerals. The parents are all dying off now.

They were important part of life but I hated school and was in fear of "these are he best days of your life". Luckily it isn't true.

30-09-2021 04:52PM

Went to secondary school in the 70s I looked at our deb's photo the other night at this stage I'd say I could only name a handful as far as I know only one is dead. I am still friends with the two girls I walked to primary school with.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ROK1-VvOQ0

It's Jackson Brown The Pretender.

BrianD3 · 30-09-2021 06:49PM

I'm reminded of the song (and video for) 74-75 by The Connells.

Yearbook photos 1975 - assume they were aged 18

Original song release 1993 - assume aged 36

Remake in 2015 - assume aged 58

Some aged well, some badly and David Hoggards (the man in the wheelchair) died before the remake.

Original

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-ITv4OBV9c

Remake

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6l3Lh2cb_g

EDIT: I was going to say that the black guy with the briefcase had aged well. Comments online say that his name was Harvey Heartly Jr and that he died in 2016 :-(