St. Ignatius College (Galway)
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| St. Ignatius College Coláiste Iognáid |
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| [[|Crest of St. Ignatius College]] | |
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| Motto | Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam Latin, meaning "For the greater glory of God." |
| Established | 1645 |
| Location | Galway, County Galway, Republic of Ireland |
| Students | c. 600 |
| Chairperson Principal |
John Humphreys SJ Paddy Lydon |
| Staff | |
| Homepage | Coláiste Iognáid |
St. Ignatius College (Irish: Coláiste Iognáid) stands on Sea Road in Galway, Ireland. It was originally founded in 1645 and has had numerous locations over the years before its current home. The college is a co-educational, non-feepaying secondary school and one of a number of Jesuit schools in Ireland.
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[edit] History
The tradition of Jesuit education in Galway is a long and varied one, not only in the variety of place and time, but also in its attempts to meet the challenges of the evangelisation in different decades. Since 1620 the Jesuits have, with some involuntary intermissions, been working with and for the people of Galway. In 1645 the first school was founded through the generosity of Edmund Kirwan. While the language of the classroom was Latin, it is worth noting that only Jesuits with a fluent command of Irish were sent on the “Irish Mission”.
The school, incorporated it seems into a Jesuit residence in the present Abbeygate St., survived and flourished although it had been established at a time of political upheaval and military activity.
After the surrender of Galway to the Cromwellian forces in 1652, all priests were either banished or imprisoned. In spite of this the Jesuits tried to maintain contact with the people of the area, and there is reference in 1658 to three members of the Society living secretly in Co. Galway. Jesuits returned openly to Galway after the Restoration of Charles II, but were banished again by Williamite forces in 1691. Once more they made a comeback in 1728 and for forty years they worked among the people of Galway. Sadly, a decrease in manpower forced the withdrawal of the “Mission” in 1768.
In 1859, at the request of the Bishop, members of the Order once more took up residence in the city, this time in Prospect Hill and served in St. Patrick’s Church. Within a year they had opened a college near the site of the present Bank of Ireland at 19 Eyre Square. The college’s present location on Sea Road dates from 1863.
The modern phase of Coláiste Iognáid began in 1929. The local enthusiasm for the language revival efforts of the emerging State was to be served by a re-invigorated Coláiste Iognáid, which became an Irish-medium School in 1931. In spite of many difficulties this service has continued to the present day; improvements in curriculum, buildings and equipment being made as circumstances demanded and opportunities allowed.
In contrast with its original foundation of 1620, Coláiste Iognáid became part of the “non-fee-paying” secondary school system in 1967. With the co-operation of management and staff, couple with the generous help of parents, past pupils and friends of the Society, the present main school building, the Griffin Building, was opened in 1969.
The ability to respond to the needs of the time and place was demonstrated once again in 1974 when the school population was increased to provide three-form entry, one co-educational form being for the Irish medium Scoil Gaeilge. Following extensive consultations with staff, union and Jesuits, saw the establishment of the Board of Management in 1980 to take shared responsibility for all aspects of the school - the first agreed Board of its kind in Ireland.
With the generous assistance of its parents and past pupils and with government grants the school embarked on an ambitious building programme in 1982. This has provided the school with a new science block, the O’Reilly Building; a refurbished classroom block, the Andrews Building; as well as adequate library, art, computer and co-educational facilities. The Colombian Hall has been refurbished as an added indoor sports area and other improved sports facilities are planned for the near future. Co-education was extended to the whole school in 1984, to become the first fully co-educational secondary school in the city.
[edit] Organisation
St. Ignatius College is run by members of the Society of Jesus, the Roman Catholic religious order founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola in 1540.. It is non-fee paying, co-educational and has no official uniform policy. Students study there from ages thirteen to twenty and sit the Junior and Leaving Certificate examinations. Each of the six-year groups consists of approximately one hundred students divided into three classes. The three groups are Gaeilge (The Irish language stream) Xavier and Loyola (G, X, L). Students are not streamed by ability. The school is known colloquially as the Jes. The academic year runs from September to June.
[edit] Admission
Admission is based on a number of criteria. In no particular order:
- Siblings already attending the school
- Having unusual ability
- Attendance of St. Ignatius Primary School
- Academic ability
- Alternative lifestyle adherents
- Geographic proximity to the school
An old Galway adage had it ‘that the cream of Galway went to the Jes…the rich and the thick.'
[edit] Transition Year
Transition year groups are divided into four classes which are named after various figures within the Jesuit order, Brebouf, Claver, Gonzaga and Ricci (B,C,G and R). St. Ignatius College was one of the first schools in the Republic of Ireland to have a compulsory transition year. The St. Ignatius College transition year program is not with out its critics. Some argue that it diverts attention from the Leaving Certificate program and that the range of activities on offer is of questionable academic merit. It has been suggested that too much time is spent preparing students for the Presidents Award Scheme and too little time in the Classrooms although various class projects would prove the critics wrong
[edit] Sport and Extra Curricular Activities
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St. Ignatius College boasts successful Rowing, Hockey and Rugby teams.
[edit] Hockey
From 2001-2005 the Senior Girls Hockey Team won all four Senior A leagues and represented Connacht at the National Finals. The girls won two of their respective leagues in the 05/06 year, unfortunate to lose out in the Semi and Final of the other two competitions.
In the 2005-06 year a Senior B team was submitted for the first time since 1989. The team submitted in 1989 was the first hockey team formed within the Jes and they proceeded to win the competition. The following year they moved up to the A Division. The girls proved themselves worthy yet again, and went on to win the league, defeating Salerno 2-1 in a very close final.
Jes hockey shows great strength for the future as both the U-15 and U-16 teams reached their semi-finals (the Lupton and Griffin Cups respectively), unfortunate to be beaten for a place in the final by their opponents in two very close matches. The first year squad started their time in school strongly as they reached the Final of the Blackmore Shield. They show great promise for the years to come.
[edit] Rugby
The Senior Rugby Team (Jes S) have won the Connacht Schools Senior Cup three times in the last ten years (2002, 2005 and 2006). In all the school has won the Senior Cup on Nine occasions (1924, 1925, 1927, 1928, 1979, 1985, 2002, 2005 & 2006) during the competitions Ninety-three year (1913 - 2006) history, as well as being losing finalists on several other occasions. This year the Seniors lost to Garbally College in the quarter-final 5-6.
The Junior Rugby Team (Jes J) reached the final of the Connacht Schools Junior Cup in 2006 losing to Garbally 12-20. The Junior side have been Connacht Champions on four occasions (1918, 1978, 1981 and 1987) and have been finalists on many further occasions most recently in 1999 and 1989 (records are incomplete)
The Jes S has had it lucky in recent years with a superb collection of players and the external coaching skills of some of Galway's best coaches, including ex New Zealand Schools coach Bernie Kelly. The Jes team has had many of its players on the Connacht (provincial) Schools Team, for some time now and several have received Irish Schools Trials.
Of the school's recent players Daniel Riordan, a member of the 2002 Senior Cup winning side is currently a professional rugby player with Connacht Rugby. A Full Back/ Winger he has also represented Ireland at U-21 level participating in the 2005 U-21 Rugby World Cup in South Africa, in a squad containing current Ireland Senior International Andrew Trimble. During the tournament Daniel made four appearances scoring four tries, finishing joint fourth in the try scoring list (one behind current Leicester Tigers and England International - Tom Varndell. Ireland only lost two matches during the tournament to South Africa (eventual winners) and France (who finished Fourth; however, due to the unusual structure of the tournament finished ninth (9th) out of twelve participating teams .
[edit] Rowing
The rowing crew has been successful over the last few years in capturing pots for their school in regattas and Heads of the river all over the country. The school had students representing Ireland in the Home International and Coupe de la Jeunesse competitions last year 2005, and hope to do so again this year 2006. The Jes also sends crews to Ghent, in Belgium, for the annual KRSG international regatta. Last year they won the Women's Junior eights, and this year the men's crew finished in a close second in the Junior fours. The club has recently in 2006 bought new boats, oars, and training equipment. Also, renovations and improvements are continuing on the recently built clubhouse.
Rowing
Colaiste Iognaid Rowing Club arguably had its most successful year in its history during the 2005/06 season, winning the men's novice 4's championship of Ireland (Niall Kenny, Luke Smith, Michael Freeney, Edward Fitzgerald and Keith Duffy). The women's side of the club also won the women's junior eights and fours championships of Ireland. The women's crew also went on to win the Connaught Tribune TEam of the year. Eddie Mullarkey won the junior 15's final by 4 lengths. Niall Kenny and Edward Fitzgerald represented Ireland at the coupe de la junnesse in Amsterdam in a coxless four with Jason Wall from St. Michaels and Stephen Penny. They finished in silver on the Saturday and 4th on the Sunday. This year also saw Neasa Folan, the women's head coach, get a coaching job under head coach of Ireland Harald Jarhing. Neasa's brother Cormac was also on the Irish Heavyweight Four that finished 7th in the world this year. Another ex-jes rower, Paul Murray, won gold at the worlds student games in Lituania. Domininc Burke (Jes rower 95-99) also represented Oxford University in the reserve boat, Isis, at this years boat race.
[edit] AIB Build A Bank Challenge
The school has actively participated in the Build a Bank Challenge run over the past three years. The competition is organised by AIB Bank plc. in co-operation with The Institute of Bankers in Ireland Winning teams are rewarded with Prizes such as a trip abroad or VIP entrance to a concert. Past years have seen celebrity guests such as Ryan Tubridy (2004) and Hector O'hEochagain (2005) officially open the school branch for business. Six successful candidates are chosen to fill the positions of Branch Manager, Assistant Manager, Auditor, Sales & Marketing Executive and two Tellers. The School Branch functions as an AIB Branch within the school grounds. Team members report to their Branch Manager who liaises with the Bank Officials from AIB. A Marketing Budget is assigned to the school to cover the cost of advertising and promoting products and services.
- The Colaiste Iognaid School Branch first opened for business in 2004. Opened by Ryan Tubridy, the bank received great publicity and exceeded expectation. Over 100 New Bank Accounts were opened by Students within the school. The team received runners-up in the Finals with each member awarded with an MP3 Player.
- 2005 saw the establishment of a Permanent Office for the School Bank just off the main foyer. The office is opened to students at set periods during the week to make lodgements to their accounts. Another milestone for the team of 2005 was the installation of Free Internet Banking, with the majority of students signing up. The service enables any student holding an AIB account to carry out their finances securely; from Mobile Phone Top-ups to Savings Accounts. The team did well in the National Competition, with the title of 'Manager of the Year 2005' awarded to the Branch Manager.
- The 2006 team continued the tradition of excellence, making it to the Finals of the Build a Bank Challenge.
[edit] Other activities
The school has been less successful at other sports. It has rarely been able to field football (though this is picking up) or hurling teams in successive years, due to lack of interest and lack of qualified coaches. It has no adjacent playing fields and which puts it at a disadvantage compared to other schools in the city. It has however had very successful Boys\girls Basketball teams with the boys U 19 recently getting to the All Ireland Quarter finals losing to Marist eventual winners and the U 16 Girls narrowly losing to Gortnoor (Laois) only just missing out on the All Irelands
St. Ignatius College has a well-regarded[citation needed] music department and stages a musical each year. Most recently it was Hothouse. In 2006 and also in 2004, its debate team competed at Dennys (formerly ESB) National Debating Competition Final in Trinity College.
[edit] Notable Alumni
- Eric Elwood Irish Rugby International
- William Joyce Nazi propagandist (Lord Haw-Haw)
- Bobby Molloy Irish politician and former Teachta Dála for Fianna Fail and founder member of the Progressive Democrats
[edit] External links
| Jesuit secondary schools in Ireland |
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| Belvedere College • Clongowes Wood College • Crescent College • Gonzaga College • Mungret College • St Stanislaus College • St. Ignatius College |
Categories: Cleanup from November 2006 | All pages needing cleanup | Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | Educational institutions established in the 1640s | Secondary schools in Galway | Jesuit secondary schools in Ireland | 1645 establishments
