St Paul's College, Raheny

St. Paul's College in Raheny in Ireland is a Roman Catholic secondary school for boys under the trusteeship of the Vincentian Fathers (Congregation of the Mission). It was established in 1950.^[1]

The college is overseen by a board of management comprising representatives of the trustees, parents, and teaching staff, and directed by the Principal, assisted by the Deputy Principal.

It has 550 pupils and teaches for the Irish Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate.

Teaching support facilities include two computer rooms, four science laboratories, technical graphics, and a woodwork room.

The school has a music department and school choir, which performs a Christmas carol service and a summer concert each year. Senior students perform in the school's annual musical.^[2]

The school has grounds of over 180 acres (730,000 m²), including all-weather grass pitches and grass playing fields. Pupils play rugby, association football, Gaelic football, hurling, basketball, golf, and athletics.

The sports grounds of the college are also used by local sports clubs such as Clontarf Gaelic football and hurling teams, as well as soccer teams.

It was announced in 2015 that the Vincentian order planned to sell half the college land for development.^[3] Planning has been applied for on the 30 October

Paul's is the administrative centre for the Vincentians in Ireland, and the Orders Provincial resides there.^[4]

History

St. Paul's College, was developed on the Sybil Hill site which was formerly the residence of Reverend Benjamin Plunket, the retired Church of Ireland Bishop of Meath who was the nephew of Lord (1st Earl of Iveagh]] and Lady Ardilaun from whom he inherited the Saint Anne's Park estate. Unable to afford to keep the large estate, Plunket kept the Sybil Hill property and sold the remainder of the St. Anne's estate to Dublin Corporation, which developed it as a public park. The property and land of Sybil Hill was sold to the Vincentians and they founded St. Paul's there in 1950.^[5]

Following the burning down of the Belgrove Football Club pavilion in 1975^[6], the college, was the venue for Grove Social Club until it ceased in 1997.

The Vincentian Order and St. Paul's College, also had a swimming pool on its land, which was run as a public pool; this was closed on 31 August 2006^[7] and the land sold for development.

References