St. Michael's College (Enniskillen)
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| St. Michael's College | |
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| Motto | Orare Studere Agere. To pray, to study, to act. |
| Established | 1957 |
| Principal | Eugene J McCullough |
| Location | Drumclay Hill, Enniskillen |
| Students | 700 |
| Type | Grammar School |
| Colours | Navy Blue and Light blue |
| Homepage | http://www.saintmichaels.org.uk/ |
St. Michael's College is the major Roman Catholic boys grammar school in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland. It is named after Saint Michael the Archangel. The school educates Catholic boys in County Fermanagh and surrounding areas. The school is located within the parish of Enniskillen, one of the largest parishes in the diocese of Clogher. The school Feast Day is 29 September.
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[edit] About St. Michael's College
St. Michael’s College, also called St. Michael's Grammar School, was founded in 1903 by the Presentation Brothers. It moved to its present site in 1957 and was designated a Diocesan College by the then Bishop of Clogher, Most Rev. Dr. Eugene O'Callaghan. It was established to cater for the educational needs of Catholic boys from the northern half of the Diocese of Clogher. The building opened in 1957 was designed to cater for 160 pupils. Boarding facilities were available for about 60 boys. Since its foundation the College has continued to grow and expand. It now has 700 students, a teaching staff of 50 and a support staff of 35.
[edit] Location
The College is situated on Drumclay Hill, about half a mile from Enniskillen town centre. It is sufficiently removed from the town to ensure an undisturbed atmosphere in which to pursue the activities of the school day. It is conveniently placed for easy access to public transport which brings the pupils to and from school. The College is built on an elevated site and enjoys a pleasant view of the Mill Lake, Cuilceach, Topped Mountain and the surrounding countryside.
St. Michael's College
Chanterhill Road
Enniskillen BT74 6DE
County Fermanagh
Northern Ireland
tel. +44(0)28 6632 2935
[edit] St. Michael's College Crest
The aims of the college and its expectations from its pupils are summed up in the symbolism of the college crest.
- Orare: means to pray. This emphasizes that the first duty of each person in to grow in the knowledge and love of God. Establishing a personal relationship with God is the beginning of all knowledge.
- Studere: means to study. This concept is more than applying oneself to books; it is the study of life in order to come to a better understanding of ourselves and our vocation. The motto calls all students, past and present, to constant study.
- Agere: means to act. This word points out that each pupil is expected to contribute by his action to the good of society what he has gained from his prayer and study.
The book depicted on the crest contains no writing. It represents the life of each pupil which will be filled in time by his achievements. The cross and shield emphasize that our faith will be our constant protection in life.
[edit] History of St. Michael's College
From 1903 until 1957, St Michael’s was run by the Presentation Brothers at its Belmore Street site, where the Clinton Centre now stands. It was then taken over by the Diocese under the then Bishop of Clogher, the Most Rev. Eugene O'Callaghan and rebuilt at Drumclay. In 1952, the site was purchased by the parish priest of Enniskillen, Monsignor Gannon.[1] During the summer of 1956, Father Patrick Mulligan was appointed to run the college. Work on the grammar school started in 1958; during that time, classes were held at the original location on East Bridge Street[2]. In September 1963, the buildings were completed and all classes were moved from East Bridge Street to Drumclay. The college has undergone extensive development and expansion since that time. The original site was expanded in the late 1950's to increase the number of students from 200 to 300. The next expansion occurred in 1966 with the addition of four new classrooms, including a modern language laboratory, a bookstore and a teachers recreation room.
[edit] St. Michael's College Presidents
Since the College was taken over by the Diocese in 1957, a total of six priests have taken up the President’s role. In 2006, Mr. Eugene McCullough was the first lay person appointed to lead the College.
Dr. Patrick Mulligan, a native of County Fermanagh, was the first President of the College and served in the post for nine years. He oversaw the planning and building of the college at Drumclay as well as its first two expansions. Less than three years after his retirement from the post, he was made Bishop of Clogher. He resigned that position in 1979 due to ill health and died in 1991. The second principal was Dr. John McElroy, also a native of County Fermanagh, who remained in the post until 1977. One of his students was future president, Fr. Joseph McGuinness. Dr. McElroy later became Parish Priest of Aghalurcher near Lisnaskea. Dr. McElroy died in 2004.
| Years | Name |
|---|---|
| 1957 - 1966[3] | Fr. Patrick Mulligan |
| 1966 - 1977 | Dr. John Canon McElroy |
| 1977 | Fr. Peadar Livingstone |
| 1978 - 1994 | Fr. Macartan McQuaid |
| 1994 - 2000 | Fr. Patrick MacEntee |
| 2000 - 2006 | Fr. Joseph McGuiness |
| 2006 - | Mr. Eugene McCullough |
In 1977, the famed historian, Fr. Peadar Livingstone, from Castleblayney, Co Monaghan briefly held the position of President before assuming parish duties in Broomfield, Monaghan. By the time he took up the post, he was already known for his great local historical work, The Fermanagh Story[4]; he completed The Monaghan Story[5] in 1980. He was succeeded at the end of the year by Fr. Macartan McQuaid, a native of County Monaghan. Fr. McQuaid assumed the post of President in January 1978 and was the longest serving President of St Michael’s College.
Canon McQuaid oversaw major extension work at the College; during his tenure, the number of students attending the school gradually grew from 500 to over 700. Canon McQuaid retired in 1993, and is now Parish Priest of Clones.
In 1994, Rev. Patrick MacEntee, a native of Monaghan town, assumed the postiion of president. Fr. MacEntee joined the staff of the college in 1977 with his appointment as dean. Fr. MacEntee resigned as president in 2000 and is now Parish Priest of Dromore. He was succeed in September of 2000 by Fr. Joseph McGuinness, originally from Lisnaskea in County Fermanagh, and the only past pupil of the college to become president; Fr. McGuinness retired as president in August 2006.
The school’s first lay Principal, Mr Eugene McCullough, took up his post on September 1st 2006.
[edit] Academics
St. Michael's offers a diverse range of subjects including: Art, Biology, Business Study, Chemistry English/Drama, Geography, History, IT, Languages (Irish, French, Latin and German) Mathematics Music and Physics.
[edit] Sports
Complementing its academic prowess, St. Michael's College has a strong sporting tradition. Teams have excelled in many sports most notably gaelic football[6]. The College recently played Omagh CBS in the Bank of Ireland MacRory Cup.[7] In 2006, St. Michael's won the Rannafast Cup.
[edit] Notable alumni
St. Michael's has many famous alumni. A few examples include:
- John Kelly, noted author.[8]
- Dr. Ciarán Mac Murchaidh, lecturer, Dublin City University.[9]
- Fr. Joseph McGuiness, sixth President of St. Michael's College.
- Fearghal McKinney, television presenter and journalist.[10]
- Frank McManus (Irish politician), MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone from 1970 - 1974.[11]
- Sean Quinn, Past pupil and succesful businessman
- Dr. Nigel McLoughlin, poet and Course Leader MA in Creative & Critical Writing, University of Gloucestershire
- Conor Mc Crory, Manager of Leisure Centre.
[edit] References
- ^ The Fermanagh Herald, 11 October, 1952
- ^ The Fermanagh Herald, 18 January, 1958
- ^ The Fermanagh Story, Peadar Livingstone, Fourth Impression, L.W.N Hall, Booksellers, Enniskillen, 1990.
- ^ Clogher Historical Society.[1]
- ^ Monaghan County Council: [2]
- ^ GAA: Ulster Colleges.[3]
- ^ BBC news article.[4]
- ^ List of Irish authors.[5]
- ^ Dublin City University reference.[6]
- ^ UTV biography[7]
- ^ Article on Frank McManus[8]
