Garbally College
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| Garbally College Coláiste Ghearrbhaile |
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| Motto | Fide et Fortitudine Latin for 'by fidelity and fortitude') |
| Established | 1892 |
| Location | Ballinasloe, County Galway, Republic of Ireland |
| Students | c. 500 |
| President Principal |
Fr Colm Allman Seamus O'Brien |
| Staff | |
| Homepage | http://homepage.eircom.net/~garbally/home.htm
http://www.garbally.tk/ (Unofficial students' website) |
Garbally College (Irish Coláiste Ghearrbhaile) is a Catholic, boys-only, secondary school based in Ballinasloe, Co Galway, Ireland. It officially known as St Joseph's College (Irish Coláiste Sheoseamh).
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[edit] History
St Joseph's College was founded as a Catholic seminary in 1892 to help educate priests for the Diocese of Clonfert, which owns it. It is managed by the Bishop of Clonfert, Bishop John Kirby and four other governors. It is staffed by priests of the diocese and lay teachers. From the beginning it also provided general secondary education for boarders and day pupils. Since the 1970s, day pupils are in the majority.
The College was established it at Cartron with funds provided by Mgr. James Madden. Due to expansion the college was changed to Esker, near Athenry in 1894. In 1901, it moved to the building known locally as "The Pines", at Creagh, Ballinasloe. In 1923, it moved to its present site at Garbally, once seat of the Earls of Clancarty. The Diocese purchased Garbally Court (built in 1819) and estate from the trustees of the Earls of Clancarty for £6,750 in 1922.
In the 1940s, 50s and 60s two other members of the same Madden family, the brothers Fr. John Madden of Killimor and Dr. George Madden of London bestowed many gifts on Garbally. The present science halls and study hall are one such example of their generosity. The new extension involving extra classrooms and dining hall was made possible as a result of a bequest by Dr Madden.
In November 2005, Garbally College announced that it would wind down its boarding facility by 2008.
[edit] Curriculum
The school offers both the Junior and Leaving Certificate cycles and was one of the first schools to implement a Transition Year programme when it was introduced in 1973.
[edit] Extra-Curricular Activities and Sport
Garbally College is well known for its sporting tradition in Rugby Union, Hurling and Gaelic football. The college has many Connacht Schools Senior Cups and Connacht Schools Junior Cups and has produced a number of Irish Rugby Internationals. Garbally have won the Senior Cup 44 times, most recently in 2007. Garbally have won the Junior Cup 41 times. Most recently in 2006
[edit] Selected Alumni
- Patrick Beegan, former Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála
- John Broderick, novelist and critic
- Seán Calleary, former Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála
- Ciaran Fitzgerald, former Irish rugby international
- Eamon Gilmore, Labour Party Teachta Dála
- Brendan Glynn, former Fine Gael Teachta Dála
- Patrick Gullane, MD FRCSC FACS, Professor and Chair, Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, University of Toronto
- Brian Hayes, Fine Gael member of Seanad Éireann
- Desmond Hogan, novelist
- Patrick Hogan, first Minister for Agriculture of the Irish Free State
- Patrick Joseph Kelly, former Bishop of Benin City
- Seán Kenny, Labour Party politician, former Teachta Dála
- Tony Kett, Fianna Fáil member of Seanad Éireann
- John Kirby, Catholic Bishop of Clonfert
- John Maguire, broadcaster and film critic
- Noel Mannion, former Irish rugby international
- Ray McLoughlin, former Irish rugby international
- Patrick Molloy, Chairman of CRH plc, former Group Chief Executive of the Bank of Ireland
- Seán Moncrieff, Broadcaster/presenter
- Johnny O'Connor, Irish rugby international
- Eoghan Ó Tuairisc, writer, poet, dramatist
- Philip Pettit, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Politics at Princeton University
- Gerry Reynolds, former Fine Gael Teachta Dála
- Tommy Tiernan, comedian, actor and writer
- Noel Treacy, Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála, Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs.
