{"id":13299,"date":"2024-07-17T11:27:20","date_gmt":"2024-07-17T11:27:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/?p=13299"},"modified":"2024-07-17T11:31:19","modified_gmt":"2024-07-17T11:31:19","slug":"the-st-pats-gang","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2024\/07\/17\/the-st-pats-gang\/","title":{"rendered":"The St Pat\u2019s Gang"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Mark Ace shares the priceless feeling he got from being reunited with some of his friends a year ago \u2013 to celebrate four decades since their graduation.<\/span><\/p>\n

With our summer 2024 graduation ceremonies currently taking place, it\u2019s heartwarming to see how alumni who graduated 40 years ago are still meeting up, keeping friendships and their connection to Reading alive.<\/p>\n

Mark studied geology<\/a> graduating in 1984 and lived in St Patrick\u2019s Hall (St Pat\u2019s) during his time at Reading. The reunion \u2013 which took place on 1 July 2023 in London \u2013 included alumni from the class of 1984 and 1985 who had lived in St Pat\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\"MarkMark said: \u201cA bunch of us from St Pat\u2019s got together \u2013 myself, Mark Cox, Mark Nije, Mark Andrews, Ralph Browning, Maria Kane and Anthony Lavelle. We had some afternoon drinks overlooking the Thames, and after drinks we went for a meal in Borough Market.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve mostly stayed in touch over the last 40 years. However, we haven\u2019t seen much of Mark Nije as he lives in the Netherlands. He came over to London especially for the reunion. Ralph Browning also joined us and he\u2019s someone who most of us haven\u2019t seen in over 35 years.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cIt\u2019s absolutely priceless to still be meeting up with the St Pat\u2019s gang after all these years. The friendships made at university really do last a lifetime.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cWe picked up as if it was yesterday that we were all together at Reading. We had great banter and lots of laughing. We\u2019re all approaching 60 but it felt like we were 20 again! A wonderful feeling. It was a great day spent reminiscing and we all behaved a lot more maturely than we did back in the day!\u201d<\/p>\n

St Patrick\u2019s Hall<\/a> offers a range of self-catered and catered accommodation and is located a short walk from academic buildings, shops, and the local Cintra Park. The older parts of the hall were first built in 1908 and were home to the Royal Air Force during both world wars. Did you live in St Patrick\u2019s Hall during your time at Reading? We\u2019d love to hear your memories too.<\/p>\n

Organise a reunion<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Organising a reunion is a great way to reunite classmates who have lost touch with one another. Re-ignite old friendships, make new professional contacts or celebrate a milestone anniversary.<\/p>\n

Reading alumni regularly organise their own events, from relaxed campus visits to weekends full of activities. We would love to hear your story and memories if you have attended a reunion.<\/p>\n

If you are thinking about arranging your own alumni event and would like some advice and support, please email\u00a0alumni@reading.ac.uk<\/a>. You can also\u00a0find out more information here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mark Ace shares the priceless feeling he got from being reunited with some of his friends a year ago \u2013 to celebrate four decades since their graduation. With our summer 2024 graduation ceremonies currently taking place, it\u2019s heartwarming to see how alumni who graduated 40 years ago are still meeting up, keeping friendships and their […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":13307,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[54,25,209,188,189],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe St Pat\u2019s Gang - Connected<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Mark shares the priceless feeling he got from being reunited with some of his friends to celebrate four decades since their graduation.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2024\/07\/17\/the-st-pats-gang\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The St Pat\u2019s Gang - Connected\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Mark shares the priceless feeling he got from being reunited with some of his friends to celebrate four decades since their graduation.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2024\/07\/17\/the-st-pats-gang\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Connected\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-07-17T11:27:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-07-17T11:31:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/07\/1600-x-550px.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"550\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sophia McIvor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sophia McIvor\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2024\/07\/17\/the-st-pats-gang\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2024\/07\/17\/the-st-pats-gang\/\",\"name\":\"The St Pat\u2019s Gang - Connected\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2024-07-17T11:27:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-07-17T11:31:19+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/#\/schema\/person\/30d41c09b68d9ce40d5202466c718403\"},\"description\":\"Mark shares the priceless feeling he got from being reunited with some of his friends to celebrate four decades since their graduation.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2024\/07\/17\/the-st-pats-gang\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2024\/07\/17\/the-st-pats-gang\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2024\/07\/17\/the-st-pats-gang\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The St Pat\u2019s Gang\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/\",\"name\":\"Connected\",\"description\":\"Alumni magazine\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/#\/schema\/person\/30d41c09b68d9ce40d5202466c718403\",\"name\":\"Sophia McIvor\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e24a78aef8c4d9e633eda65e14e7917f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e24a78aef8c4d9e633eda65e14e7917f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Sophia McIvor\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/author\/sophia-mcivor\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The St Pat\u2019s Gang - Connected","description":"Mark shares the priceless feeling he got from being reunited with some of his friends to celebrate four decades since their graduation.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2024\/07\/17\/the-st-pats-gang\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"The St Pat\u2019s Gang - Connected","og_description":"Mark shares the priceless feeling he got from being reunited with some of his friends to celebrate four decades since their graduation.","og_url":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2024\/07\/17\/the-st-pats-gang\/","og_site_name":"Connected","article_published_time":"2024-07-17T11:27:20+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-07-17T11:31:19+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1600,"height":550,"url":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/07\/1600-x-550px.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Sophia McIvor","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Sophia McIvor","Estimated reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2024\/07\/17\/the-st-pats-gang\/","url":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2024\/07\/17\/the-st-pats-gang\/","name":"The St Pat\u2019s Gang - Connected","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/#website"},"datePublished":"2024-07-17T11:27:20+00:00","dateModified":"2024-07-17T11:31:19+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/#\/schema\/person\/30d41c09b68d9ce40d5202466c718403"},"description":"Mark shares the priceless feeling he got from being reunited with some of his friends to celebrate four decades since their graduation.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2024\/07\/17\/the-st-pats-gang\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2024\/07\/17\/the-st-pats-gang\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2024\/07\/17\/the-st-pats-gang\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The St Pat\u2019s Gang"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/","name":"Connected","description":"Alumni magazine","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/#\/schema\/person\/30d41c09b68d9ce40d5202466c718403","name":"Sophia McIvor","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e24a78aef8c4d9e633eda65e14e7917f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e24a78aef8c4d9e633eda65e14e7917f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Sophia McIvor"},"url":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/author\/sophia-mcivor\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13299"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/136"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13299"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13299\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13364,"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13299\/revisions\/13364"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13307"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13299"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}