| St. Eunan's College Coláiste Naomh Adhamhnáin |
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| Motto | In hoc signo vinces Latin for 'in this sign you will conquer |
| Established | 1906 |
| Location | Letterkenny, County Donegal, Republic of Ireland |
| Students | 900 |
| Principal Deputy Principal |
Christopher Darby, Mary Cunningham |
| Staff Religious order |
100 |
| Homepage | http://www.sainteunans.com |
Saint Eunan's College (Irish: Coláiste Adhamhnáin) is an all-male voluntary secondary school. Located in Glencar, Letterkenny (Leitir Ceanainn), County Donegal (Dún na nGall) in the Republic of Ireland, the building is a three-storey castle with four round towers at each corner of the building. The school is named after the Abbot of Iona St. Eunan, a native of Donegal and patron saint of the Diocese of Raphoe. The college celebrated its centenary in 2006.[1]
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Saint Eunan's College was founded as a boarding school in 1906 by the then Bishop of Raphoe, Patrick O' Donnell. Originally intended as a minor seminary, it was designed to prepare students for the Roman Catholic priesthood. Diocesan colleges became an increasingly popular feature at the time and were designed to give the best possible Catholic education to boys of every class.
The student population expanded in the 1920s and it was necessary to build a new extension to the College in the early 1930s. The current recreation hall was built in 1958 and the science block in 1968. The College Chapel was designed by J.J. Robinson, the architect of Galway Cathedral. It was completed in 1961 at a cost of £42,000.[2]
The 'new building' was opened in 1979 to cater for the 500 students enrolled at the time. Due to the growth of other second level schools in the area the number of boarders dropped extensively and in 1992, the boarding wing was finally shut down. St. Eunan's College continues to this day as a Catholic School under the trusteeship of the Bishop of Raphoe.
The school currently serves approximately 850 students from Letterkenny and its surrounding area, and is one of the few remaining all-male schools in the western part of Ireland. The president, since 2009, is Christopher Darby and the vice principal, since 2001, is Rena O'Herlihy.
In 2007 the school came to the attention of the national media. Retailers were urged not to sell eggs and flour to students following a spate of attacks on passing cars.[3]
In 2009 Christopher Darby became the first lay person to become president of the college, taking over from Father Michael Carney.[4]
In his autobiography which was released in 2010, internationally renowned chef Conrad Gallagher told of the abuse he received at the college. He discussed how the Christian Brothers would feel him up and attempt to interfere with him. However he has decided not to press charges against the abusers. He stated that he wishes to put it all behind him.[5]
Centenary celebrations began on Friday October 6, 2006 with an exhibition of photographs and the launch of the centenary booklet. The photographic exhibition included photographs from down through the years. It included photos of past and present staff and students as well as sports teams from the past one hundred years. Books, uniforms and other memorabilia were on display. The exhibition was opened by Séamus Hegarty, Bishop of Derry, a past student and a former patron of the school. On Saturday a sporting exhibition took place on the pitch. A veterans soccer match was organised along with a veterans gaelic football match. Mass was celebrated on Sunday by Philip Boyce, Bishop of Raphoe in St Eunan's Cathedral. A dinner dance was held in the Mount Errigal Hotel later that evening.[6]
On Sunday, April 8, 2007, golfer Paul McGinley launched the College Centenary Golf Classic. It was the final event in the centenary year celebrations and was played at Letterkenny Golf Club.[7]
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In recent years there has been an attempt to build a new extension.[8] Two plans were drawn up, but an approach has not yet been confirmed.
In meeting with planning regulations, the school has installed a series of ramps and two chair-lifts for the benefit of those attending or visiting the school who may need them. Three prefabs were installed in the Summer of 2008 as well as four more Prefabs that were installed in the Summer of 2010 to cater for the growing number of incoming first-years.
In common with the vast majority of secondary schools in the Republic of Ireland, St Eunan's currently provides the qualifications of the Junior Certificate and the Leaving Certificate. It also provides the facilities for Transition Year which includes two work experience allotments and a choice between Computer or Sport GCSEs. The college is one of only 18 schools in the county that offers the LCA programme.[9]
At Junior Certificate level, the school offers art, woodwork and technical drawing. The college currently offers two foreign languages, French and German, at Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate levels, but Irish is also compulsory, subject to some exemptions, as in all other secondary schools in Ireland. Spanish is offered during Transition Year along with French and German.
Transition Year modules (taken on a Friday afternoon) include first-aid, cooking, car maintenance, tourism and electronics. Yoga and juggling were introduced in 2007. Towards the end of the year, more diverse modules are offered such as tennis, karate, and drama (at An Grianán Theatre).
Junior and Leaving Certificate students usually undertake pre-test exams every February or March or April whilst the real exams follow swiftly in June.
Physical education and team activities are important to the school, with several national titles, particularly in Soccer[10] and Gaelic Football. Colm McFadden and Mickey Huston currently teach in the school. Mickey is a former club manager and was also a team selector for the Donegal GAA team but quit after a row with the manager. He was enjoying the game when his authority was undermined and substitutions were made without his consultation.[11]
The senior Gaelic team has in the past eight years won the McLarnon Cup twice, the latest occasion being 2007. On Sunday March 25, 2007, the College, beat Rathmore by 1-09 to 2-03 at Casement Park in Belfast, having travelled there six days earlier only for the match to be postponed. The senior team then went on to beat Rice College of Westport in the All-Ireland B Colleges semi-final but were beaten themselves by St.Mary's of Edenderry in the All-Ireland Final at Breffni Park, County Cavan on Saturday April 21, 2007. The match went to extra time after a penalty save by St. Eunan's goalkeeper John Carr, but the College eventually lost by 2-12 to 0-14. The team reached the semi-final of the MacRory Cup in 2008, only to be defeated by St. Michael's College of Enniskillen 1-17 to 0-7 on February 22, 2008.
St. Eunan's College, with future inter-county footballers Rory Kavanagh and Colm McFadden part of the team, (indeed McFadden himself was to become a future teacher at the school) also won the McLarnon Cup in 2000 for the first time since 1979,[12] as well as the Ulster Herald Cup in 2004.[13] The Herald Cup win was the school's first in 25 years.
Three students have achieved Ulster All-Stars while playing for the college, Mark McGowan,[14] Hugh Brendan Kerr and Sean McEwen.[15] Rory Kavanagh, Colm McFadden, Neil Gallagher and Michael Boyle, who all previously played with college teams, are now members of the senior Donegal Gaelic team.[16]
The college is now also the number one athletics and basketball school in the county, with many county titles in various age groups. Golf[17] and swimming[18] are also popular. Even hurling teams, a sport which is not seen as very popular in Donegal, have reached the semi-finals of some competitions.[19] There is also a school rugby team and table tennis team.
The college offers chess to its students every Wednesday after school hours.. This was once run by careers expert Paul O'Keefe (PO'K) who retired in 2009. The chess team has competed at national level.
The college's musical tradition can be seen every year in the annual St. Eunan's College Rock Concert - held every May since 2002 in the local An Grianán Theatre.[20]
The college library is open to students during lunch hours on certain days of the week.
The college has long sent debating teams to competitions across Ireland while maths and science students have taken part in national and international competitions.[21] A number of students have also taken part in the Young Scientist Award.[22]
The college has taken part in a number of foreign exchange programmes involving schools in France and Austria.[23] Many European students have also availed of the college, from as far away as Spain, France and Austria. Every year a selection of teachers and students head for the European ski-slopes during the holidays.[24] The 2008 trip to the US was eventful, as the plane home experienced engine difficulties and had to return to Boston.[25]
Classrooms and Staffroom
Other Areas On School Grounds
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Politics
Ecclesiastical
Arts
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Sport
Business
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