MVB Class of 1986 Reunion

Over the last number of months, former classmates and current UCD School of Veterinary Medicine colleagues Joe Cassidy, Carmel Mooney and Rory Breathnach have been busy planning the Covid-delayed 35th Veterinary Class of 1986 reunion, which took place on 21-23 October 2022 in Dublin.  

Twenty one classmates attended with their guests: attendees travelled from Wales, Scotland and England, as well as from all over Ireland. The reunion started with a meet up on Friday night in the Radisson Blu St. Helen’s hotel where a number of guests were staying. On Saturday, the day began with an informal tour of the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine, where the visitors got to see how the training facilities and technology available to students have changed since the 1980s.  Later that evening, classmates and their guests met for dinner in the University Club then retired to the nearby Radisson Blu Hotel where 'catch-up' conversations and reminiscing continued into the small hours. The reunion came to a close at Sunday lunchtime with some of the classmates meeting at the Avoca ‘Fodder’ cafe, on the grounds of the old UCD Veterinary College on Shelbourne Road, Ballsbridge, where the class completed their studies; the Vet School moved to the Belfield campus in 2002 and celebrated its 20th anniversary at this location in June this year.  

When asked if he had any advice to alumni organising a reunion, Joe said ‘getting the word out can be a bit more challenging for those of us of a generation that may not be as ubiquitous on social media: setting up a WhatsApp group to stay in touch will hopefully be a big help for our next reunion.’  The Class plans to meet again in Westport in 2026.

Members of the MVB Class of 1986 at their class reunion in UCD's University Club.

The group had a tour of the UCD Veterinary Sciences Centre.

The organising committee - Carmel Mooney, Rory Breathnach and Joe Cassidy.

To see more photos of the class reunion, please click (opens in a new window)here.