Alberto Hurtado Bursary Programme and its Endowment Fund

Official Launch of the Alberto Hurtado Endowment Fund at the Merrion Hotel

The official launch of the Alberto Hurtado Endowment Fund took place in the Merrion Hotel, Dublin, on Tuesday 28^th January, 2020.   The evening was to mark the launch of the Fund, after two years of preparation, and to celebrate the AHP which has become such an integral and rich part of Clongowes Life in its relatively short existence.  The Fund is another landmark in the brief history of our Bursary Programme and the evening gave recognition to all those who have worked so hard to bring us to this point.

After a short time to mingle the assembled guests took their seats and were introduced to the evening’s speakers by the School’s headmaster Mr. Chris Lumb.  The keynote address was given by Fr. Leonard Moloney SJ, Provincial of the Irish Jesuit Province and former headmaster of Clongowes.  As headmaster at the time of the launch of the AHP and as a key force behind its creation, Fr Moloney, showing a certain nostalgia for his days in Clongowes, gave his heartfelt thanks to all those who brought the AHP to life; recognising the central role played by our Deputy Headmaster, Martin Wallace, Former Deputy Headmaster.  At the launch  Fr. Moloney SJ conveyed the Province’s support of the Alberto Hurtado Endowment Fund by pledging a € 2m donation which matched the initial seed capital

As inspirational as he was, Fr. Moloney SJ, would gladly accept that he was eclipsed by the discussion panel, expertly moderated by Martin Wallace, Former Deputy Headmaster, that followed.  Two Old Clongownians, who graduated from the Bursary Programme: Seán McMahon OC’16 and Eoghan McLoughlin OC15 were joined by two current students: Julian Jimenez Ospina and Michael Quinn Keogh.  Each different in their own way, they engaged in a discussion of their Clongowes’ experiences and their hopes and aspirations in a natural, sincere and confident manner.  The audience was captured by the discussion.  One  past pupil of Clongowes commented that it was impossible not to be immensely proud of these young men and of those that have helped them, at home and at School, to become such men of confidence, conscience and compassion.

The evening’s speeches were rounded off by a talk on the Endowment Fund itself by Joe Rooney from the Foundation.  He recognised the generosity of one fellow past pupil whose seven-figure donation allowed the Foundation to move ahead and start planning for the AHEF.  Donations from other past pupils allowed the Fund to launch with € 2m, which as noted above, was matched on the evening. While that is a great start, Joe emphasised that the Fund’s target, in today’s money, is € 20m and so much hard work lies ahead.  A brief history of the Fund’s evolution from its investment policy, through to the fund mandate and to the selection of Goldman Sachs as the external manager, overseen by the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, allowed the Chair to thank all those who had helped it along the journey to this launch.