David Hegarty, 93, was Clongowes school captain in 1949. That same year he travelled to the USA for three months, one of 30 selected from European countries as part of a project related to the Marshall Plan.
During his time there he met President Truman in the White House as well as numerous celebrities he later travelled to Los Angeles. David, like Dr Aidan MacCarthy VC GM, hailed from Castletownbere, and he remembers holding the Sanurai sword as a teenager.
‘I was only 15 when Aidan returned to Ireland following his release from the POW camp. I was fascinated by his story and though I knew he didn’t really like to talk about his experiences, I asked to speak to him. He agreed, which I think was down to me being a pupil at his former school. He brought me upstairs to the dining room over the family pub, and for an hour he told me his story and gave me the Samurai sword to hold.’ Sadly, Ellen his wife passed away in April this year. It was a huge personal privilege to hear David’s tell his story….
