Noel Christopher Sands

Something inspired me to pick up my copy of Shels A Grand Old Team To Know tonight and the internet led me here to sadly see this news.

My family’s condolences to you all and our sincere thanks. It is because of Mr. Sands that my kids get to read and see photos from our family's history. We are so grateful for his work and his kindness to my Grandfather (Gerard Harris son of Val Harris) when we was alive.

May he Rest In Peace.

Aisling Charles great granddaughter of Val Harris.

Sincere sympathy to Rhonda,Claire & extended family on your loss. Only recently learnt of Christy's death,may he be resting in peace with Peggy, Noel & family members gone before him. Great memories of 'the craic' in C B st. in the 70s as well as gaining knowledge of good wines. Good to catch up on stories when we met locally in recent years.

A true gent ,dapper, considerate and willing to take time to ensure students understood. A pleasure to have been in his classes. Just heard of his passing, Rest in Peace.

So sorry for your loss. I was lucky enough to have been both a student of Christy and a colleague of his in DIT. He was a sharp dresser with a sharp wit and the consummate professional and storyteller and meticulous in everything he did. I can still see the glasses hanging around his neck and his eyes widening with his trademark smiled as he listened. Small in stature but larger than life. Rest in Peace Mr Sands.

Dear Rhonda, Clare and family
I cannot tell you how sorry I am to hear this news. Uncle Christy was a wonderful man and will be greatly missed. I have fond memories of summer days with Uncle Christy, Auntie Peggy and yourselves. We kept in touch over the years and he was a great source of family and local history. A great raconteur with an encyclopaedic knowledge on just about any subject and a true gentleman. We will not see his like again and the world is poorer for it. Sending our deepest condolences for your loss.
With love
Deborah, Peter, James and Isobel+

Condolences to Rhonda and family on passing of Christopher,may he rest in peace

I am so sorry to hear of your Dad's passing Rhonda. You were a wonderful daughter and a great support to him, ensuring that he never wanted for anything.
May he rest in peace now.

Sincere sympathy to Rhonda,Clare and extended family on the sad passing of your dad Christopher.
Christopher was a great friendly neighbour who we will miss.May he rest in peace.

My sincerest condolences to you Rhonda, Clare and family. I knew Christy from Cathal Brugha Street when I joined the lecturing staff back in the 80's. He was always so friendly and engaging, regaling us all with the history of the hospitality industry in Dublin. A consummate professional, admired and respected by all his colleagues. A life well lived- can we ask for anything more. Ar dheis De go raibh a anam.

I remember Christy well as a lecturer, always eager to help and advise and always up for a friendly chat. I'm so sorry for your sad loss.

Christy inspired me to become a lecturer, and his guidance during my early career was a significant motivating factor for me. I have always held your dad in the highest regard. He spoke fondly of Peggy, Rhonda, Clare, and Noel, and his love for all of you remains evident. My deepest sympathy goes out to you and the extended family.

Remembering Mr. Sands with great fondness as one of the finest lecturers in Cathal Brugha Street in the 1970s. I loved his lectures, and his stories will be his lasting legacy. He was always engaging and had his students’ interests at heart. His dedication to his profession was inspiring.
Mr Sands, you were a legend.
Condolences to his daughters and family.

Rest in peace after a life well lived.

Esther Davey (née Murphy)
Cathal Brugha Street alumna
Hotel & Catering Management

Sincere sympathy to Rhonda, Clare and extended family.
While working Cathal Brugha St with Christy he always had time for stop for a chat and there was always an interesting historical story. May he rest in peace

Mr Sands, my mentor attending Cathal Brugha st ‘77/‘83. You shaped my career and placed me on a path for success, for that I will be eternally grateful. May you rest in peace my friend.

So sorry to hear such sad news of a hospitality legendary figure, Mr Sands as we called him in the Brugha in the 70s, was the reason i remained in the hotel business, and later went away to sea, he thought me so much about the industry, but most of all he thought me to love it, thank you kind Sir may God be good to you, bless your kind soul R.I.P. 👏

It was always a great pleasure to turn up in Tolka Park to see the Reds do their best . We didn’t always win; it was frequently an exhilarating experience, but far too often a descent into a hideous week-long gloom. The consoling thing was that Chris could be relied upon to deliver his historic perspective that cross-referenced experiences of Shels in past times, which turned out to be an exercise that either expanded the pleasure, or lessened the misery of the previous 90 minutes (plus extra time). He showed the real value of an historian.
We send our condolences to Chris’s family who will certainly miss him but also to the terrace-loads of Shels’ supporters who read his programme notes and remember is devotion to the Cause.

So sad to hear the news of the sad passing of Christy. Memories of a gentleman, a fantastic storyteller and a proud Dubliner. A life well lived and accomplished. May he rest in peace with his gorgeous and beloved Peggy. Condolences to all the family.

Deepest sympathy to Rhonda, Mark and Owen, very sorry to hear Mr.Sands passing, may he rest in peace.

Chris was a great neighbour, we had many conversations on various subjects ranging from The Gresham to Shels. He was always in great form and very proud of his family. Rest in peace

My condolences to Chris' family.I did the M.A.with him in DCU back in the day.A gentleman.

Deepest sympathy to Rhonda, Clare and Christy’s extended family & friends. Thinking of you all,
The Byrne Family (Swords).

I have wonderful memories of your Father from my student days in the early seventies…Such a professional & good fun ..my thoughts & prayers are with you all …

My condolences to Rhonda and Clare and extended family on the loss of a dear father and grandfather.
I first met Christy when I joined the staff of the then Dublin College of Catering in the 1980’s. He was a larger than life figure, legendary within the sector who was welcoming to all new staff. He had a huge pride in his experience and heritage and was generous with his time and knowledge in passing on his skills to generations of students who form the backbone of today’s hospitality and tourism industries. A great storyteller, he could enthral gatherings with such varied memories as the experience of dockers and Jammet’s restaurant from Dublin’s past. I will remember him fondly.

Deepest sympathy to Rhonda, Mark and all who mourn the loss of Noel. may his heavenly soul Rest in Peace.

Sincere sympathies to Rhonda and Mark on the sad passing of your Dad. Thinking of you at this sad time. May Noels gentle soul rest in peace.

Going to miss my granddad , the masterful story-teller, author , historian , football fanatic and patriotic Dub. The near endless supply of tea & biscuits after the long trip up to Dublin and the comfort of always having a home from home in the capital.

Rip Christy.

Deepest sympathies to Rhonda and Clare. Christy was a very friendly neighbour and, of course, an expert on all things Shels.

Our Sincere Condolences ,Rhonda, Clare, Mark & Owen at this very sad time with the passing of Noel. Rhonda you did your very best for him and he is in a happier place now. May he rest in Peace,

Sincere condolences to Chris's family and friends. A gentleman, may he rest in peace.

Sincere condolances to Chris's family and friends. He will be sadly missed iin Tolka Park where he was a regular to watch his beloved Shels.
Rest in Peace Chris.

Dear Rhonda & family, I'm so sorry to hear this sad news. My deepest condolences. Thinking of you with lots of love.

Dear Clare and Rhonda, my heartfelt condolences to you both on the loss of your Dad. Thinking of you and all the grandchildren and extended family at this sad time. May Noel rest in peace 💜

Sincere condolences to Rhonda, Family & friends. May Christopher’s gentle soul rest in peace.

Deepest sympathies to Chris's family on the passing of a true gentleman. Listening to stories of old Dublin, Chris's journey through life and especially his beloved Shels was always a pleasure. May he rest in peace.

So sorry to hear this news. Noel or Chris (depending on the day of the week!) was a delight to bump into around Collinswood when he used to help drop leaflets for various Labour candidates over the years.

His passion for Shelbourne FC was unsurpassed and he’d happily swap stories of ancient (in my eyes) heroes of yesteryear such as Val Harris and other legends in Red. ‘Swap’ would be an exaggeration as it tended to be one way traffic.

A Red in football and a Red in politics. I’ve missed him over the last number of years but happily bumped into him a few seasons back on the Grace Park Road after a game in Tolka Park and he still wore the predictable smile and generous salute.

My deepest sympathy to all his family and all who knew and loved him.