It was a day to remember and a night that Ed Walsh, outgoing president of the University of Limerick will never forget. In the afternoon, students, staff and Limerick grandees gathered to celebrate the opening of the university's new library - or to be politically correct - the library and information services building. That night they partied under a velvety sky to mark the departure of UL's founding president after a reign of 29 years.
The day had started inauspiciously enough. All morning the cloud hung low and threatened rain. By lunchtime though the mists had cleared. The sun began to bake the cobblestones of the Plaza where the ceremonies were to be held. When Taoiseach Bertie Ahern - with Minister of Sate Willie O'Dea in tow - arrived to open the library, hundreds of students were sprawled in a huge semi-circle around the podium.
The mood was amazingly relaxed considering that this was the last Friday before the start of exams. Students cheered enthusiastically as Ed Walsh thanked many of the individuals who had made the library possible. The pride of the students and their delight in the new building was palpable.
American donors
Lewis and Loretta Brennan Glucksman - major donors after whom the library is named - had front row seats on the podium. He's Hungarian American while she's an American of Irish descent. Behind them, college officials and academics looked hot in their heavy robes. The Taoiseach wished the students success in their exams. They were lucky, he said. Their results would be relatively private. His - in the following Friday's referendum - would be broadcast to the world. After the ceremony it was tea and buns al fresco for everybody. The main talk was of Ed Walsh's successor whose appointment had been announced the night before. Prof Roger Downer, a scientist, was born and educated in Belfast but has spent most of his professional life at the University of Waterloo in Canada. He's coming to Limerick from Thailand where he is president of the Asian Institute of Technology. People speculated on whether Ed Walsh would continue to play a role in the university after his retirement. The chances are he'll be too busy. He's been appointed chairman of both the City West Business Park (Dublin) and the Science and Technology Innovation Advisory Council. As the afternoon wore on, students lazed around the lawns while visitors oohed and aahed their way around the £14 million, state of the art, 1,100 seater library. Built of dark brick and tinted glass, it has been designed to blend in with the existing buildings on the campus. The architect - Limerick man Hugh Murray - looked uncomfortable with all the praise. By 7.30 that evening, the university's guests were back on campus, scrubbed and dressed for best. The students' union top brass looked the part in smart suits and elegant dresses. The Stables - UL's students' bar - offered rock music by Turas, while in a nearby marquee, staff and faculty enjoyed music by the UL Folk Group.
Tributes paid
Others opted to join the university's guests at a concert of classical music in the concert hall. Here, the RTE Symphony Orchestra waited patiently to play while tributes were paid to the UL president. He was joined on the platform by three of his four children - the other is in Estonia - his two sisters and the now-retired Anne Sadlier, his long time PA and first employee.
At this point, though, it was Stephanie Walsh's night. Behind every great man there's a great woman, they say. Most women who succeed have to do it on their own. Her job, she told the crowd, had been temporary, part-time and unpaid - for 29 years. Later her husband admitted as much when he told the students that they had had two for the price of one. (Like the Clintons?)
There were three phases in the life of a college president, he said. Fortunately he had remained in the first phase - where you thought that every decision you made was the wrong one - for only 18 months. He had been in the second stage - where you knew without doubt that every decision you made was the right one - until now. He was leaving before he arrived at the third - when you made decisions willy nilly and ceased to give a fig. By 10.30 p.m. the real action was outside on the Plaza. Hoards of students milled about, drinking beer and swaying to the sounds of Abbaesque. Most of them had queued for more than half an hour for their drinks. The wise ones had brought their own six-packs.
King and queen
They cheered uproariously when the Walshes, UL's Chancellor Miriam HedermanO'Brien and college secretary John O' Connor appeared on the podium. The presidential pair were crowned king and queen of the night by the students. Swathed in red robes and wearing gilded crowns they were lead ceremoniously across the Plaza, through the crowds, by a train of torch bearers. They climbed on to a balcony-style platform, the backdrop of which represented a setting sun. They bobbed and jigged to the rhythm of the music and waved to the cheering students. For a moment, caught in the glare of the spotlight, they resembled characters in a punch and judy show. The sounds of the music died away and the Walshes watched a dazzling display of fireworks from their regal perch. Later, as the oldies began to drift away to the strains of Abbaesque, King Ed was heard to remark that it was a night he would never forget. Someone said they saw him wipe away a tear. The students meanwhile, hung about and danced till the early hours. "You've got to admit," muttered one of them to a friend, "this is the best craic we've had in a long time - if only you could get a beer."