… Tuesday was one hell of a day for Minister Batt O’Keeffe. First, he got promoted in the Cabinet reshuffle. Then he was buttonholed by the irate wife of a snubbed back-bencher. And finally, he attended a dinner organised by the class of 1963 from St Brendan’s College, Killarney.
Some people might remember 1963 as the year JFK was assassinated. But in Batt’s eyes, 1963 will forever be remembered as the year St Brendan’s lost the All-Ireland schools’ final by a point to St Mel’s of Longford.
Despite being the only Corkman on the team, Batt was the captain, displaying early leadership skills.
“I’m in the diocese of Kerry, but from the village of Cullen, which is near Millstreet on the Cork border,” he explains.
“I tried to twin Cullen with Tokyo when I was in Japan last week.”
Tuesday’s knees-up was arranged long ago and it was pure coincidence that it fell on the night of Batt’s promotion. His classmates and team-mates …
this is an extract from an article in todays Irish Times
