St Mary’s University College is currently celebrating its 125th anniversary through a series of events which tell the story of the events and people who have shaped the institution

There was a special alumni and family’s event at St Mary’s on 26 March which occasioned the telling of stories of ‘our people’ over a period of ten decades.

Front row L-R:

Deirdre McCusker, her father John McCusker, St Mary’s University College Principal Prof. Peter Finn,

Ita Mulholland, Eithne Daly

Back row L-R:

Niall McCusker, Teresa Beatty, Breandan Mulholland, Ciaran Mulholland, Breandan Mulholland,

Aine Mulholland,  Padraig Mulholland. 

Held in the historic Old Library, the afternoon began with a welcome reception when guests had the opportunity to view a display of memorabilia and archival material documenting the early life of the College. Among the highlights were original student registers dating back to the earliest decades of the twentieth century. For alumni and guests, seeing the names of family members recorded in the College registers proved to be a particularly poignant moment, offering a powerful connection to the lives and journeys of those who were educated as teachers at St Mary’s many decades ago.

Guests then gathered for lunch and were welcomed on behalf of the College by Professor Peter Finn, Principal of St Mary’s. The event was coordinated as part of the College’s wider programme marking 125 years of St Mary’s contribution to education and society.

One of the most memorable contributions came from alumna Eithne Daly, who reflected on her family’s remarkable three-generation connection with St Mary’s. Her grandmother, Eva Cathrine Gilmurry, born in 1897 in Dublin, attended St Mary’s in the years before the partition of Ireland. Her mother, Mary Bernadette O’Carroll, born in 1930 and a graduate of the College in 1948, later followed in her footsteps, while Eithne herself graduated from St Mary’s in 1984 — continuing a proud family tradition of Irish-speaking educators.

Eithne described how all three women deeply cherished their time at St Mary’s and how their experience of teacher education at the College brought generations of fulfilment, purpose and happiness to their family. At a time when it was common for women to leave the teaching profession upon marriage, both her grandmother and her mother continued their careers in education, demonstrating leadership and independence that was far from typical of the era.

Eithne’s reflections also offered a glimpse into the social life of the College in earlier decades. She recalled how her parents first met while her father was a student at nearby St Joseph’s College, with their courtship carefully supervised during their “counting time” by a watchful drama lecturer — a story that drew smiles and laughter from those gathered and illustrated the close-knit and formative atmosphere of student life at the time.

Other stories shared during the afternoon reflected the experience of studying and preparing for the teaching profession during the darkest days of the conflict, when many students attending St Mary’s lived in a city experiencing profound social and political upheaval. It was recalled how the College remained a place of stability, learning and community during that period, preparing teachers who would go on to support schools and young people across the region during some of its most challenging years.

The gathering also highlighted how the values that sustained St Mary’s through those decades -community, resilience, faith and commitment to education, continue to shape the College’s mission today as it prepares a new generation of teachers and graduates to serve society.

Among the families represented at the event was that of Deirdre McCusker, Principal of St Malachy’s College Belfast, who had earlier contacted the College in search of records relating to her grandmother, Therese Lavelle, a student at St Mary’s in 1914. The opportunity to revisit the College archives and see family names recorded in the historic registers added a deeply personal dimension to the anniversary celebration.

The afternoon concluded with the presentation of commemorative gifts to the alumni and an opportunity for photographs and recorded reflections. These recordings will form part of the College’s developing anniversary archive, ensuring that the voices and experiences of alumni continue to inform the story of St Mary’s for future generations.

Reflecting on the occasion, Professor Finn noted:

“Our alumni are the real history of St Mary’s. Their stories remind us that the College is not just a place of learning but a community that has shaped generations of teachers and the lives of their pupils and teachers. As we mark 125 years, it is fitting that we celebrate the people whose lives and careers have carried the mission of St Mary’s into schools and communities across Ireland and beyond.”