Garron Tower

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Garron Tower, St MacNissi's College, Garron Tower, is a grammar school and is located 20 miles to the north of Larne, Northern Ireland's busiest port. The college is 200 ft above the famous Antrim Coast Road, overlooking the Irish Sea and out towards Scotland, situated on the high level ground above Garron Point.

The college has large grounds which stretch for a mile or so around the school. Aside from the main college building, grounds are extensive and include the chapel, a large empty (300 room) boarding department, the original stable blocks, a new Technology Suite. A new sports hall and squash courts have recently been constructed. The most recent addition, on the site of the old tennis courts, is a new £1.6 million block for IT, Home Economics, Art and Science.

At the south end of the College grounds there is a wooded area in which the original owner's dog is buried! Beside the wooded area is a small golf course. At the opposite end of the grounds there are four sports pitches and immediately behind the squash courts there is a new outdoor tennis court.

The seaward wall of the school has around eight cannons facing the sea which are of naval origin from the Napoleonic wars.

The history of Garron Tower dates from 1850, but the its life as a school began on the 3 September 1951 (the feast day of St MacNissi) when Bishop Dan Mageean officially opened the building 'as a diocesan grammar school for boys'.

The website is currently defunct. Information on the history and some photos can be found here

[edit] The School Song as it was 50 years ago

by Fr. Patrick McKavanagh RIP (known as Kipper)

Verse 1

There’s a Tower on a hill in the Antrim Glens

That looks o’er the Sea of Moyle

And we all know it well

And there’s no need to tell

It’s the scene of our daily toil

T’was near Dunmaul

To Patrick’s call

MacNissi with his satchel came

To keep alight

The torch so bright

From Tara’s Pascal flame.

Chorus

So let’s all sing the old school song

With voices loud and free

Youngest and oldest

Bravest and boldest

Singing o’er the years

MacNissis for ever

Let’s never never

The violet and gold flag soil

For there’s not another school

Like the grand old school

That looks o’er the Sea of Moyle

Verse 2

Now the years will come

And the years will go

And our schooldays will soon be o’er

And when we are old old men

Of three score and ten

We shall sing as they did of yore

And the ghosts that walk in the afternoon

By the cannons facing o’er the wall

Shall hear the cheers

Come down the years

From the field beneath Dunmaul.

Chorus

So let’s all sing the old school song

With voices loud and free

Youngest and oldest

Bravest and boldest

Singing o’er the years

MacNissis for ever

Let’s never never

The violet and gold flag soil

For there’s not another school

Like the grand old school

That looks o’er the Sea of Moyle.