| St Michael's College | |
|---|---|
|
|
|
| Motto | Orare Studere Agere. To pray, to study, to act. |
| Established | 1957 |
| School Chaplain | The Very Rev Canon Macartan McQuaid |
| Principal | Dr Eugene McCullough |
| Vice Principal | Marie McKenna/Mark Henry |
| Location | Drumclay Hill, Enniskillen |
| Students | 821 |
| Employees | 106 |
| Budget | £6,560,000 |
| Asset Value | £56,000,000 |
| Type | Grammar School |
| School Ranking 07/08 | #1 |
| Colours | Claret and Light blue |
| Homepage | http://www.saintmichaels.org.uk/ |
St Michael's College is a Roman Catholic boys' grammar school located in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland. It is named after St Michael the Archangel.
The school educates Catholic boys in County Fermanagh and the 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.
In 2006, the school was noted for producing the best GCSE grades in Northern Ireland.
Contents |
The college is situated on Drumclay Hill, about half a mile from Enniskillen town centre. It is built on an elevated site and enjoys a view of the Mill Lough, Cuilceach Mountain, Topped Mountain and the surrounding countryside.
St Michael's Grammar School (generally called St Michael's) was established to cater for the educational needs of Catholic boys from the northern half of the Diocese of Clogher.
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 1950s to accommodate an increase in 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. In more recent years, a new technology block has been added, and many of the science labs have been renovated.
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.
The aims of the college and its expectations from its pupils are summed up in the symbolism of the college crest.
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.
Since the college was taken over by the Diocese in 1957, a total of six priests have taken up the role of college president. In 2006, 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 appointed 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. McElroy later became parish priest of Aghalurcher, near Lisnaskea and died in 2004.
| Years | Name |
|---|---|
| 1957 - 1966[3] | Fr Patrick Mulligan |
| 1966–1977 | Rev. Dr John Canon McElroy |
| 1977 | Fr Peadar Livingstone |
| 1978–1994 | Fr Macartan McQuaid |
| 1994–2000 | Fr Patrick MacEntee |
| 2000–2006 | Fr Joseph McGuiness |
| 2006 - | Dr Eugene McCullough |
In 1977, Fr Peadar Livingstone, from Castleblayney, County Monaghan briefly held the position of president before assuming parish duties in Broomfield, Co. 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, also 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 was appointed parish priest of Irvinestown. He returned to the college as chaplain in 2007.
In 1994, the Rev. Patrick MacEntee, a native of the town of Monaghan, assumed the position of president. Fr MacEntee joined the staff of the college in 1977 with his appointment as dean. He resigned as president in 2000 and is now parish priest of Dromore. He was succeed in September 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. In September 2007, he was appointed to the position of parish priest of Enniskillen. In 2009 he was raised to the position of Vicar General of Clogher and made a Monsignor.
The school's first lay principal, Eugene J. McCullough, took up his post on 1 September 2006. Mr McCullogh (born 6 October 1948), educated in County Antrim, is the former president of St Mary's Secondary School, Irvinestown, County Fermanagh.
The senior prefects have a number of roles in the college:
St Michael's offers a diverse range of subjects including:
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 (Corn Mhíc Ruaíri).[7] In 2006, St Michael's won the Rannafast Cup.
St Michael's qualified for the (2008) MacRory Cup final, with a winning score of 1-17 to 0-7 win over St Eunan's of Letterkenny, in Friday night's floodlit MacRory Cup semi-final at Healy Park, Omagh. St Michael's were defeated by St Patrick's of Dungannon in the final on Monday 17 March