St Marys CBGS Belfast

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St. Mary's Christian Brothers Grammar School '


Motto	Viriliter age (Act manfully)
Established	1866
Location	Belfast, Northern Ireland
Students
Principal	Mr. Kevin Burke (Caoimhín de Búrca)
Religious order	Christian Brothers
Homepage	http://www.stmaryscbgs.com/home/home.asp

St. Mary's CBGS (Christian Brothers' Grammar School) (in Irish: Scoil Mhuire na mBráithre) is a Roman Catholic boys' grammar school in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

1 History
2 Extra-Curricular Activities
3 Notable Alumni
4 References

[edit] History

The school was formerly run by the Irish Christian Brothers, but as vocations have declined, so the school has become more dominated by lay teachers. Currently no brothers teach at St Mary's but the school is still under the trusteeship of the Christian Brothers.

The school was previously situated at Barrack Street in the city centre, but since the 1960s has been developing a much larger campus at Glen Road (referred to locally as "School Road" due to the high numbers of schools situated along it) in west Belfast. In 1998, it completed the move to Glen Road and now has no facility at Barrack Street.

The current principal of the school is Kevin Burke (Irish: Caoimhín de Búrca). He is the first layperson to hold the post (although Jim McClean - also a layperson - was teacher-in-charge at Barrack Street for a number of years).

[edit] Extra-Curricular Activities

St. Mary's has achieved notable success in numerous extra-curricular activities. The school hurling team won six Mageean cup titles in succession in the 1990s. It is the only school in Ireland to have a clean sweep of all Ireland water polo titles at all age groups in consecutive years. Long banned due to the Brothers' ultra-nationalist ethos, soccer was finally admitted as a school sport in 2002 when the school was under layperson administration. In 2006 the school won its first Belfast Cup in soccer defeating Boys Model. The school also competes in inter-schools competition in trampoline, athletics, gaelic football and basketball.

Away from sport, the school has produced champions in other endeavours. The school runs debating societies in English, Irish and Spanish, and has sent delegates representing Ireland to both the European Youth Parliament and European Youth Commission.

Young Enterprise companies at the school have achieved considerable success, having been awarded the title Northern Ireland Company of the Year on four occasions. One such company, Europhoria, were the first to do so and made a record profit. Two Young Enterprise companies from the school have represented the United Kingdom at European level.

The inter-schools quiz team has enjoyed considerable success in recent years and are the holders in perpetuity of the Irish News Ulster Schools Quiz trophy, having won outright in 2001. The school also maintains an orchestra and a recording studio, stages theatrical and musical performances, as well as entering students in art competitions.

The school is heavily involved in projects with communities in Zambia, in partcular in Lusaka and Kabweza, Kafue, and pupils and teachers travel to these projects each year. Project Zambia also involves the wider local community, both at parish and other schools' level. Much has been achieved and gained from this endeavour since 2002 and is conducted under the auspices of the Christian Brothers' Immersion Programme.

[edit] Notable Alumni

Alumni of the school are referred to as Simmarians. Notable Simmarians include:

Academic

Thomas Bartlett, Professor of History, UCD
Maurice Clint, Professor of Computer Science, QUB.
Dermot Diamond, Professor, Vice-President for research, UCD
Seán Doran, Professor of Law, QUB
James Dunwoody, Professor Emeritus of Theoretical Mechanics, QUB
Myer Fisher, Professor Emeritus of Paediatrics, Chicago University
John G. Hughes, President, National University of Ireland, Maynooth
Paul Kennedy, Professor of Clinical Psychology, University of Oxford
Martin O'Callaghan, Very Rev. Professor, Principal of St. Mary's University College, Belfast
Michael Mac Conaill, Professor Emeritus of Anatomy at University College, Cork (UCC)
Ciarán Carson, Professor & Director, Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry, QUB
Leo Hughes, Very Rev. Professor, Orlagh College (Dublin).
John Larkin, Barrister at Law and Reid Professor of Criminology, Trinity College, Dublin.
Vincent Mageean, Professor Emeritus.University of Ulster
Vincent McBrierty, Professor Emeritus, Dean of Science, Trinity College, Dublin.
Philip McCallion, Professor, University of Albany.

Arts

Ronan Bennett, author, screenwriter
Ciarán Carson, poet; member of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland

Business

Eamonn Sweeney - Managing Director , Farrans Ireland
Bill McCabe - One of Ireland's top entrepreneurs in the "e-learning" revolution,
Michael Ryan, Vice-President and General Manager, Bombardier NI
DJ MacRandal, architect
Ciarán Mackel, architect

Civil

Gerry Burns, former NI Ombudsman, author of The Burns Report
James Dougal, Head of the European Commission in the UK; journalist, broadcaster.
Thomas Frawley, NI Ombudsman, Health Trust Chief Executive
Arthur Harvey QC, Barrister
Dr. Martin McAleese, chartered accountant, dentist; husband of Mary McAleese, President of the Republic of Ireland
Richard McLaughlin, High Court Judge, Belfast
John O'Hara, QC, Barrister

Education

Gerard Adams, Principal of St. Michael's Grammar, Lurgan
John Allen, Principal of Our Lady's and St. Patrick's, Knock
Thomas Armstrong, Principal of CBS, Glen Road, Belfast
Msgr. Thomas Bartley, Principal of St. McNissi's, Garron Tower, County Antrim.
Paul Carswell, Principal of St. Bride's PS, Belfast
Gerry Crudden, Principal of St. Paul's PS, Belfast
James Devine, Former Principal of St. Gall's PS, Belfast
John Devine, Principal of Edmund Rice P.S., Pimm St., Belfast
Michael Devine, Former Principal of St. Bernard's PS, Glengormley
Frank Donnelly, Former Principal of St. John the Baptist Boys' PS, Belfast
Kevin Gough, Principal of Edmund Rice College, Glengormley
Henry Gunning, Former Principal, Holy Child Primary School
Dr. Aidan Hamill, Principal of De La Salle School, Belfast
James McGarry, Former Principal
Joseph McGinnity, Former Principal of Good Shepherd PS, Belfast
Michael McClean, Former Principal of Aquinas College, Belfast
Alf Murray, Former Principal and Ex-President of the Gaelic Athletic Association
Leo Rice, Principal of St. Ciarán's PS, Belfast
Paul Sheridan, Principal of Model Primary School, Derry
Martin Short, Principal of Holy Child Primary School
Kevin Smith, Principal of St. Mark's PS, Belfast

Holy Orders

Very Rev. Thomas Bartley (Monsignor)
His Eminence William Conway, Cardinal
Most Rev. Patrick Walsh, Bishop of Down & Connor

Media

Paul Clark, telejournalist
Vincent Kearney, journalist, broadcaster
James Kelly, journalist, one of the oldest surviving alumni
Robin Livingstone, Andersonstown News Group Editor, journalist
Eugene McEldowney, novelist, journalist, editor
Gearóid Ó Cairealláin, journalist, founder of Irish-language newspaper Lá; former president of Belfast Conradh na Gaeilge
Máirtín Ó Muilleoir, Managing Director, Andersonstown News Group
An Dr. Pól Ó Muirí, journalist, editor, poet.
Dr. Eamon Phoenix, historian and journalist
Damien Magee, journalist, producer BBC