'Sunlight bounced off his robes like an apparition': The day Cork pupils met the Pope on school tour

It was the summer of 1979, and Brother Jerome Kelly - legendary principal of Presentation Brothers College, Cork - had organised what can only be described as the school tour of a lifetime.

For the princely sum of £369 Irish punts, 44 Pres boys set off on a 16-day ‘Funtrek’ adventure that would take us from Cork to Rimini, through Rome, Florence, Switzerland, Monaco, and Paris, before sailing home from Le Havre to Rosslare.

I can still feel the heat of that July sun in Rome when, at the Seven Hills Camping Site, Br. Jerome gathered us together and told us to put on our white shirts and school ties — “something special” was about to happen.

We boarded the coach, chattering and clueless, and soon found ourselves inside the Vatican Gardens. Security checked our cameras as we lined up nervously.

Then, out of a gleaming black Mercedes, emerged Pope John Paul II himself.

Sunlight bounced off his white robes like an apparition. For a few surreal moments, time stood still. He made his way down our line, blessing each boy with a gentle pat on the head as we kissed his ring. The Pope looked lit up almost. I don’t think I appreciated what an incredible moment it was until later.

A private audience with the Pope — we were only 14, too young to fully grasp the magnitude of what had just happened.

The journey rolled on like a dream. In Switzerland, we skated on a glacier near the Jungfrau - ice in July! - and gaped at the waterfalls of Lauterbrunnen and the toy-town beauty of Grindelwald. It felt like walking on the moon.

From there, the Mediterranean shimmered into view - Monaco, Monte Carlo, Antibes - by sheer luck we saw Princess Grace (former Hollywood star Grace Kelly) and her husband Prince Rainier of Monaco pass in an open-top Rolls-Royce outside the palace. At the time, we just waved like excited kids; only years later did we realise how extraordinary that was.

France brought the Mona Lisa at the Louvre, the grandeur of Rouen, and the haunting memory of Joan of Arc, burned at the stake in that very town.

And then, the ferry home. My last £5 was carefully guarded for the Irish Ferries breakfast buffet - after two weeks of foreign food, we attacked that buffet like a plague of locusts. I can still remember the taste of that feast, the silence, the relief and the laughter, and the sense after gorging ourselves that something special had just happened to us all.

On the rough crossing home, Br. Jerome gathered us one last time. “Boys,” he said, “what was the highlight of the trip?”

“Switzerland, Brother!” said John Collins.

“The mountains, Brother!” said Niall Maloney.

“Switzerland, Brother!” echoed Gerard Crowley.

“Interlaken, Brother!” added David Hickey.

When it came to me, I said, “Skating on that glacier in the Jungfrau, Brother Jerome - that was amazing.”

He paused, looking slightly deflated, before adding, “And what about meeting the Pope, boys?”

We all very quickly chorused back, “Oh ... of course, Brother - meeting the Pope - shur, that was the best of all!”

That incredible trip lit a spark in me - a life-long passion for travel and adventure. We were blessed to have a visionary principal who made magical things happen.

Br. Jerome Kelly, from Castletownbere, was way ahead of his time. He would later be Superior General of the Presentation Brothers worldwide, but to us, he’ll always be the man who brought a group of Cork schoolboys to meet the Pope - and opened our eyes to the world.

Ed Finn, of Bishopstown, is a freelance travel journalist who this year won the Travel Extra Journalist Award for National Broadcaster of the Year for Ed Finn’s America on Virgin Media - a second season of that is due on screen - and also took home the Best Broadcaster gong at the Travel Media Awards.

As for his current three favourite travel destinations from Cork Airport?

“Rome enchants me with its timeless history, vibrant piazzas, and the best pasta in the world,” he said.

“Seville’s flamenco, Moorish beauty, and buzzing tapas bars make it an unforgettable experience.

“And Zurich, with its serene lakeside setting and rich literary history home to James Joyce’s final resting place, the Fluntern Cemetery, offers a perfect blend of culture and charm.”

Ed concludes: “And my favourite place in Cork is Rossini’s Italian Restaurant - always an amazing time there.”

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John Paul II had become Pope eight months prior to the Pres pupils’ visit in 1979, at a youthful 58 - the first non-Italian since Adrian VI in the 16th century.

A month before he met the Cork pupils, in June, 1979, he had paid a visit to his native land of Poland, where he was greeted with acclaim by huge crowds.

By the early days of July, rumblings of a potential first ever papal visit to Ireland were starting to appear in the media, with talk of a visit to coincide with the centenary of the appearance of the Blessed Virgin at Knock in August, 1979.

Also in Ireland’s favour was the fact John Magee, a future Bishop of Cloyne, and the only person to be private secretary to three pontiffs, had the ear of John Paul II.

Finally, on July 21, shortly before the Cork boys met the pontiff in Rome, his visit to Ireland was confirmed to take place that autumn. Two days later, Taoiseach Jack Lynch was discussing formal arrangements for the visit with Irish archbishops.

There was much speculation in both Irish and UK media about the delicacy of the Pope possibly venturing into the North, while the Cork press were hopeful John Paul II would visit their patch.

Then lord mayor of Cork, Cllr Jim Corr, formally invited the pontiff, on the basis it was the second city and had its own airport. He suggested Páirc Uí Chaoimh as a suitable venue for his visit.

In a letter to the Echo, S. Flynn, of The Lough, suggested another venue: “Just now, driving on the road from Cork Airport,” he wrote, “I was thinking that if His Holiness honours us with a visit, a platform could be erected on the airport building to give him a reception.

“There are plenty of flat fields around for people and cars, and then the road from the airport to the city is a grand wide one which could be crowded on both sides with people if His Holiness came into Cork in an open car.

“The Pope could also get a lovely view of our city and we, indeed, could give him the Céad míle fáilte he deserves.”

Aer Lingus announced cut-price fares for pilgrims arriving for the papal visit - £51.50 for London to Dublin and £60 for London to Cork. Those were expensive times for fliers, and they were still the equivalent of about €340 and €400 today!

In the event, Pope John Paul II did not visit the Rebel County when he came to Ireland from September 29 to October 1 in 1979 - attending events in Dublin, Drogheda, Clonmacnoise, Galway, Knock, Limerick, and Maynooth.

This story originally appeared in the 2025 Holly Bough.