University of Limerick to recognise volunteer efforts of John E Moloney

IF YOU HAD to think of the most historical moment in the year of 1989, the fall of the Berlin Wall or the Hillsborough Disaster would probably come to most peoples’ minds.

However, if you could ask the late John E Moloney, the Chairman of the Limerick University Project Committee (LUPC) he would most likely tell you the most historical moment in 1989 was when the former Minister of Education Mary O’Rourke formally announced the establishment of the University of Limerick (UL).

UL became the first university established in Ireland since the country became a free state in 1922.

This year the university celebrates its 50th anniversary as it first opened on September 27, 1972 and is marking the occasion with year long events.

Mr Moloney (pictured below) has never been formally recognised for the three decades of voluntary work he conducted with the LUPC in implementing a university in Limerick.

He was born in Limerick in 1914 to Daniel and Bridget Moloney.

Tragedy first struck John Moloney when he was just 4 years of age when his father passed away due to the Spanish Flu.

Again in 1931, Mr Moloney was thrown into further turmoil at the age of 17 when his mother passed away, leaving him orphaned along with his four sisters.

Following his Leaving Certificate, John would have been a prime candidate to attend university but due to his family struggles and his financial situation, he was unable to travel out of Limerick for university.

He worked as a civil servant for years and even worked as a customs and excise officer in the bonded warehouse in the Granary in the city.

“One of the things I find funniest about him is that he never touched a drop of alcohol, he had sworn off it but he spent all his time around it in the warehouse but of course it’s for that reason they trusted him with it I suppose,” Nuala Gavin, Mr Moloney’s daughter laughed.

Mr Moloney never wanted to see another child miss out on the opportunity of attending university which led him and other members of the Limerick community to set up the LUPC in August of 1959.

In 1957 the first political entity, the Mayoral Committee at Limerick City Council was set up seeking to implement a university in Limerick but they pulled out as they deemed the issue to be too political to succeed.

The Mayoral Committee in a meeting in November of 1959 voiced their full support for the newly established LUPC, under Mr Moloney to continue the battle.

Thus began a three decade fight by the LUPC to gain university status in Limerick.

The LUPC consisted of eight core members: John E. Moloney as chairperson; Dermot Hurley, deputy chairperson; Margaret Lyddy, secretary; Seán Prendergast, Paddy McCarthy, Tony Bromell, Tom Duffy and James Lyons.

^{[John E Moloney with his wife Evelyn (née Creed)]}

In 1961 an extremely detailed proposal was made by the members of the LUPC which contained statistics about those attending third level institutes and argued that there were enough students in second level education to warrant another university in Ireland.

This proposal was submitted at a hearing in the Four Courts in Dublin by all eight core members of the LUPC.

It took five years for the Government to get back to the LUPC about their proposal and a decision was made to introduce university facilities in Limerick however these did not meet the requirements of the LUPC as yes, it would see a third level institute being brought to Limerick but not a university.

In 1970 the Planning Board for the installation of a third level institute in Limerick was set up by the government.

Dr Ed Walsh who had been chosen as the director of the proposed third level institution was appointed chairman of the Planning Board.

He was only 29 at the time of his appointment and some members of the LUPC believed he was planted by the government to undermine the founding of a third level institution in Limerick.

This was never the case and Mr Moloney has since stated that the University of Limerick wouldn’t have gotten off the ground if it wasn’t for the determination of Dr Walsh.

The Planning Board consisted of eight members including two members from the LUPC, Margaret Lyddy and James Lyons.

Unusually, Mr Moloney who had every right to take a seat on the Planning Board chose to stay out of it.

For years this baffled Mr Moloney’s grandson, John Gavin as he couldn’t understand why the “boss” of the LUPC “remained independent” of the Planning Board.

Mr Gavin has been fascinated with the work of his grandfather for years and has conducted plenty of research into the topic.

In recent years Mr Gavin realised that his grandfather did not take a seat on the Planning Board as he was not happy with the level of status the new third level institute in Limerick was given and taking a seat on the board would interfere with his efforts in continuing the fight for university status in Limerick.

The Planning Board succeeded in establishing a third level institute and the National Institute of Higher Education (NIHE) was born in Limerick, choosing Plassey in Castletroy as its campus.

The NIHE began its first year in 1972.

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Much to Mr Moloney’s dismay the college was only granted to take in 100 students in its first year when over 1000 applications had been received by the NIHE.

This would further drive Mr Moloney to seek university status for Limerick because as far as he could see it the government did not grant Limerick what the LUPC had been campaigning for.

The University of Limerick was announced on January 12, 1989.

“My grandfather never cared about recognition. All that he ever cared about was seeing the people of Limerick given the chance to attend university in the way that he never did,” Mr Gavin said.

“It also wasn’t all my grandfather’s work; it was a massive community effort in Limerick. The people in the local area really got behind the campaign,” Mr Gavin added.

Nuala reminisced about one of her father’s proudest days: “I’ve never seen him happier than the day a neighbour of ours in Corbally at the time, Peter Reale graduated from the college.”

According to Nuala, Peter would probably have struggled to get into university like so many people in Limerick at the time if it wasn’t for the work of John Moloney, Ed Walsh and the LUPC.

John E Moloney died on April 21, 1989, just three months after the establishment of the University of Limerick.

In a speech in 1968 Mr Moloney addressed a crowd at a public meeting in Limerick City and recognised the work of three members from his committee that had passed away.

“It must be some consolation to their families to know that they performed work for the Limerick area that will never be forgotten so long as any of the rest of my committee remain alive.”

John E Moloney may not have gotten the recognition he deserved for his three decades of voluntary work for Limerick and all the original members of the LUPC have since passed away but not one of them has been forgotten for the tremendous work they did for County Limerick.

Current UL president Kerstin Mey is aware of the story of John E Moloney and intends to recognise him in the future and the Gavin family would like to thank her and UL for their support.