Senior School

Patrick Cronin Foundation presentation

On Wednesday, Cathryn Mahon from the Patrick Cronin Foundation visited St Patrick’s College to deliver a presentation called “Violence is never OK”.  The foundation was born from the tragic death of Patrick Cronin following a coward punch on a night out that resulted in a fractured skull, causing an inoperable bleed on his brain leaving his parents to make the agonising decision two days after the incident to turn off his life support. 

Cathryn took the boys through a thought-provoking presentation, and shared her own personal story relating to the impact a coward punch can have on an individual’s lives. 

As the presentation started, she asked the boys how many had been involved in a fight, and there was a general sense of bravado in the room as boys raised their hands.  The mood quickly changed as a 10-minute video was shown of news clips and interviews with Patrick family's and friends in the aftermath of his death.  This was followed by delving into topics such as anger and aggression, choices and consequences before focusing on strategies to defuse conflict. Cathryn also highlighted the impact on the perpetrator’s life, how that moment of uncontrolled aggression and anger has impacted his future significantly.

For me, the message that was clear to the boys was this: Patrick was a normal 19-year-old with a bright future ahead of him surrounded by a loving family and a group of friends who miss him dearly.  All it took was five to 10 seconds of madness that he was not directly involved in (he was trying to pick his friend up off the ground) for that to change.  One of his mates in the video shown to the boys said that “it is never you, until it is”, an incredibly painful truth.

We encourage you to have a conversation about the content of the presentation with your sons, ask them what they have taken away from it. We are hoping that there is a greater understanding that violence in all its forms is never okay!  In the event the content affected your son personally, please encourage them to reach out for help. Members of our counselling team attended the presentation and would be happy to talk to them.