St Marys CBGS Belfast

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.
Please improve this article if you can. (October 2007)
St. Mary's Christian Brothers Grammar School
Motto Viriliter age (Act manfully)
Established 1866
Type Grammar school
Religious affiliation Roman Catholic
Headteacher Mr. Kevin Burke
Location Belfast
County Antrim
Northern Ireland
LEA Belfast ELB
Students 1,170
Gender Boys
Ages 11+
Religious order Christian Brothers

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.

Contents

[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 except for Brothers James McKenna and Colm Carlin who provide pastoral and extra-curricular support. The school, however, is still under the trusteeship of the Christian Brothers.

The school was founded on Divis St. in 1866, moved to a purpose-built secondary at Barrack Street in 1929, but since 1968 has developed a much larger campus at Glen Road (referred to locally as "School Road" due to the high number 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 on a permanent basis (although Michael Crilly was acting principal in 1996-1997 and Jim McClean was teacher-in-charge at Barrack Street for a number of years). Caoimhín de Búrca is retiring in summer 2008. Jim Sheerin is set to take over as the role.

[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. Since the lifting of the ban on school representation in soccer competitions in 2002 the school won its first Belfast Cup in 2006 defeating Boys Model and its first NI Cup in 2007 as well as the 2007 Belfast Cup (Year 11). This success was followed up in 2008 as they won the year 9 Belfast Cup as well as an historic double in lifting both the Carnegie Schools Northern Ireland Cup and became the first school in 20 years to retain the Malcolm Brodie Trophy (year 12) with a victory over St. Columbs, Derry. The school also competes in inter-schools competition in trampoline, athletics, handball, golf, 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. The school has excelled in the European and Irish News inter-school quizzes, currently holding both trophies.

Young Enterprise companies at the school have achieved considerable success under the tutelage of eccentric aging rocker Mr Hugh McBarron, 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 particular in Lusaka, Kabweza and 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

Arts

Business

  • Martin McBride, Belfast Hairdresser of the Year 2007
  • 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
  • Stephen Prenter

Civil

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
  • Paul Barry, Principal of De La Salle School, Belfast
  • Msgr. Thomas Bartley, Former President 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, Former Principal of De La Salle School, Belfast
  • Joseph McGinnity, Former Principal of Good Shepherd PS, Belfast
  • Michael McClean, Former Principal of Aquinas College, Belfast
  • 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
  • Bishop Patrick Walsh, Former President of St Malachy's College, Belfast

Holy Orders

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, lecturer, historian and journalist
  • Damien Magee, journalist, producer/editor of Newsline BBC
  • Liam Creagh, journalist, reporter
  • Chris Ryder, journalist, author

Politics

Sport

  • David Dougan, New Santos F.C Midfielder
  • Alf Murray, former President of the Gaelic Athletic Association
  • Jim Magilton, Footballer (formerly Liverpool, N.I. and Ipswich) and Manager (Ipswich)
  • Sean Connor, manager of Sligo Rovers
  • Declan Bunting, Celtic striker
  • Chris Ramsey, Man City
  • Conor McLaughlin, Preston North End
  • Ryan O'Halloran, Chelsea
  • Several Antrim Hurlers and Footballers

[edit] References