St. Finian's College
| St. Finians's College | |
|---|---|
 Entrance gate Deus Spes Mea | |
| Location | |
|
Mullingar, County Westmeath Ireland | |
| Information | |
| School type |
Very Rev Paul Connell BA PhDSecondary School Diocesan College Secondary School |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic |
| Patron saint(s) | Bishop of Meath |
| Established | 1802 |
| Founder | Rev. Patrick Plunkett, Bishop of Meath |
| President | Fr. Paul Connell BA PhD |
| Gender | Co-educational |
| Affiliation | Diocese of Meath |
| Website | http://www.stfinianscollege.ie/ |
St. Finians College is a secondary school, the diocesan school of the Diocese of Meath.[1] It is located in Mullingar, County Westmeath, Ireland. Rev. Fr. Paul Connell PhD is its president.
There are 29 Schola students.[2] Gerard Lillis is the current director, having succeeded Shane Brennan in 2003.[2] The Schola have in the past few years had many successful performances at Áras an Úachtaran, Feis Ceoil (Dublin), Glenstal Abbey and the National Principals Conference held in Killarney. At the moment, instruments taught at the school include organ, piano, violin, trumpet, clarinet, flute, as well as singing. Students currently come all over Ireland including Dublin, Kildare, Laois, Longford, Sligo, Meath and Roscommon as part of the Schola Cantorum. Great School.
History
St. Finian's College was founded in Navan, Co. Meath as the Meath Diocesan College, by the Bishop of Meath, Patrick Plunkett and opened on May 2, 1802.[3] Fr. Eugene O’Reilly as its first President serving until 1827. The college moved to Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, at the beginning of the twentieth century. The present College building built by J.J. O'Callaghan was opened in February 1905. In 1970, St. Finian's was selected by the Irish Catholic Hierarchy as the location for the Music school (Schola Cantorum).
2002 marked the bicentenary of the founding of St. Finian's College. In 2003 opened to girls, and in 2007 the last boarding class graduated, marking the end of an era for the college.[4]
In 2015, the St. Finians Diocesan crest was removed and replaced with a secular logo with the inclusion of a textbook. This move was seen by many to be an attempt to curry favour with the Department of Education as a means to receive greater State funding.
Mullingar Cricket Club plays in the grounds of St. Finian's College.[5]
Presidents of St. Finian's College
- Fr. Eugene O'Reilly (1802-1827)
- Fr. Patrick O’Connor (1827-)
- Fr. Nicholas Power (-1867)
- Bishop Thomas Nulty, D.D., (Acting)
- Rev. Joseph Higgins (-1884)
- Rev. Bernard Duff (1884-1886)
- Fr. John Cassidy (1886-1891)
- Fr. Michael Dooley (1891-1903)
- Fr. Denis Flynn (1903-)
- Fr. Jack Kearney (? - 1967)
- Fr. Piers Sheridan (1967 - 1970?)
- Fr. Jim Deignan (1970-1980)
- Fr. Sean Fay (1980-1984)
- Fr. Mathew Mollen (1984-?)
- Fr. Gerard Stuart (?-?)
- Fr. Paul Connell BA PhD (?-present)
References
- ↑ http://www.scholacantorum.ie/foundation.html
- 1 2 http://www.scholacantorum.ie/pupils&staff.html
- ↑ St. Finian's College Navan History Website.
- ↑ Seat of Learning www.irishidentity.com
- ↑ Location Mullingar Cricket Club - Official Website.
External links
Coordinates: 53°32′20″N 7°21′22″W / 53.539°N 7.356°W