Mungret College
Encyclopedia
Mungret College, situated 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Limerick
, Ireland
, near the village of Mungret, was a Jesuit apostolic school
and a lay secondary school
from 1882 until 1974 when it closed as a school for the last time. The college produced over 1000 priests in that period. It had previously been an agricultural college and a Limerick diocesan seminary until 1888.
The secondary school was relatively small with around 225 boarders and 25 day boarders. Mungret is one of a number of Jesuit schools founded in Ireland
.
, Chancellor of the Exchequer
in England
and a good Irish landlord
. It was built to accommodate seventy to eighty students but never had more than fourteen students and at times as few as four. In 1877 it was decided to close the college.
It was rented by the Bishop of Limerick
for his seminarians for the scholastic year of 1880-1881 and was then vacated.
was received into the order of the Society of Jesus
; his name was Fr. William Ronan. In 1872 he was appointed rector of the Sacred Heart Church and Crescent College
, Limerick, a position he was to occupy for the next ten years. There he thought about the possibility of setting up a college to provide for unfulfilled vocations in Ireland.
He discovered that a fellow Jesuit in France, in 1865, had started a scheme for the endowment of special colleges in France and Belgium, called apostolic schools, which were supported by benefactors and by the parents of students. He travelled to the Continent to visit these colleges and to seek out an experienced man to take charge of a similar college in Limerick. While staying in a Jesuit house in France, he met Fr Jean Baptiste René, a jesuit priest and member of the community, an English speaker and to the great delight of Fr. Ronan, a former head of the apostolic school at Poitiers
. He was also willing to come to Ireland if his Provincial would sanction his departure.
With some difficulty this permission was obtained and Fr René was in Limerick for the opening of the apostolic school at Crescent House in September 1880. This had eight boys in its first year and by the end of the second year there were twenty eight. However overcrowding became an issue with the day pupils at Crescent and clearly a larger building was required.
back to Mungret. The apostolics moved to Mungret on the 10th of August 1882, and were joined by the seminarians on September 14 of that year. Fr. Ronan was the first Rector and Fr René was in charge of the apostolics. The college began with 32 apostolics and 31 seminarians.
Shortly after its founding a new Bishop of Limerick decided to house the seminarians in the city where they would be nearer the cathedral. This reduction in numbers was made up by accepting more lay boys. In the course of time the numbers of lay boys considerably exceeded the numbers of apostolics. At its height the College catered for 267 fulltime and day boarders.
another Jesuit school in Limerick out of which Mungret College had originally grown. Dineen & Company purchased Mungret College and its 240 acre (0.9712464 km²) of land in 1979 and subsequently purchased additional adjacent land.
Limerick
Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, near the village of Mungret, was a Jesuit apostolic school
Apostolic school
An apostolic school is a missionary college of the Roman Catholic Church, having for its object to cultivate vocations for foreign missions.-History:...
and a lay secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
from 1882 until 1974 when it closed as a school for the last time. The college produced over 1000 priests in that period. It had previously been an agricultural college and a Limerick diocesan seminary until 1888.
The secondary school was relatively small with around 225 boarders and 25 day boarders. Mungret is one of a number of Jesuit schools founded in Ireland
Jesuit schools in Ireland
Irish Jesuit Schools include:*Belvedere College, Dublin founded in 1832*Clongowes Wood College, Co. Kildare founded in 1814*Coláiste Iognáid, Galway founded in 1861*Crescent College, Limerick founded in 1859*Gonzaga College, Dublin founded in 1950...
.
Pre-1882
In 1858 the Commissioners of Education had opened an agricultural college at Mungret. This was largely due to the influence of Thomas Spring Rice, Lord Mounteagle of BandonThomas Spring Rice, 1st Baron Monteagle of Brandon
Thomas Spring Rice, 1st Baron Monteagle of Brandon, PC, FRS was a British Whig politician, who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1835 to 1839.-Background:...
, Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and a good Irish landlord
Landlord
A landlord is the owner of a house, apartment, condominium, or real estate which is rented or leased to an individual or business, who is called a tenant . When a juristic person is in this position, the term landlord is used. Other terms include lessor and owner...
. It was built to accommodate seventy to eighty students but never had more than fourteen students and at times as few as four. In 1877 it was decided to close the college.
It was rented by the Bishop of Limerick
Bishop of Limerick
The Bishop of Limerick is an episcopal title which takes its name after the city of Limerick in the Province of Munster, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it still continues as a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bishoprics.-History:The diocese of...
for his seminarians for the scholastic year of 1880-1881 and was then vacated.
Foundation
In 1850 a young priest of the Diocese of DromoreRoman Catholic Diocese of Dromore
The Diocese of Dromore is a Roman Catholic diocese in Northern Ireland. It is one of eight suffragan dioceses which are subject to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Armagh. The present Bishop is the Most Reverend John McAreavey who was enthroned in 1999....
was received into the order of the Society of Jesus
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
; his name was Fr. William Ronan. In 1872 he was appointed rector of the Sacred Heart Church and Crescent College
Crescent College
Crescent College Comprehensive SJ is a secondary school located on a section of 40 acres of parkland at Dooradoyle, Limerick, Ireland. The college is one of a number of Jesuit schools in Ireland.- History :...
, Limerick, a position he was to occupy for the next ten years. There he thought about the possibility of setting up a college to provide for unfulfilled vocations in Ireland.
He discovered that a fellow Jesuit in France, in 1865, had started a scheme for the endowment of special colleges in France and Belgium, called apostolic schools, which were supported by benefactors and by the parents of students. He travelled to the Continent to visit these colleges and to seek out an experienced man to take charge of a similar college in Limerick. While staying in a Jesuit house in France, he met Fr Jean Baptiste René, a jesuit priest and member of the community, an English speaker and to the great delight of Fr. Ronan, a former head of the apostolic school at Poitiers
Poitiers
Poitiers is a city on the Clain river in west central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and of the Poitou-Charentes region. The centre is picturesque and its streets are interesting for predominant remains of historical architecture, especially from the Romanesque...
. He was also willing to come to Ireland if his Provincial would sanction his departure.
With some difficulty this permission was obtained and Fr René was in Limerick for the opening of the apostolic school at Crescent House in September 1880. This had eight boys in its first year and by the end of the second year there were twenty eight. However overcrowding became an issue with the day pupils at Crescent and clearly a larger building was required.
Mungret
Fr. Ronan had been considering the former agricultural college at Mungret as an alternative. However the apostolic school alone was not a viable proposition so he persuaded the Bishop of Limerick to send the diocesan seminarySt. Munchin's College
St. Munchin's College is a second-level education college located in the Limerick city suburb of Corbally in the Irish county of Limerick. The school was founded in 1796.-College crest:...
back to Mungret. The apostolics moved to Mungret on the 10th of August 1882, and were joined by the seminarians on September 14 of that year. Fr. Ronan was the first Rector and Fr René was in charge of the apostolics. The college began with 32 apostolics and 31 seminarians.
Shortly after its founding a new Bishop of Limerick decided to house the seminarians in the city where they would be nearer the cathedral. This reduction in numbers was made up by accepting more lay boys. In the course of time the numbers of lay boys considerably exceeded the numbers of apostolics. At its height the College catered for 267 fulltime and day boarders.
Closure
In 1974 Mungret College closed and many of its teaching staff transferred to Crescent CollegeCrescent College
Crescent College Comprehensive SJ is a secondary school located on a section of 40 acres of parkland at Dooradoyle, Limerick, Ireland. The college is one of a number of Jesuit schools in Ireland.- History :...
another Jesuit school in Limerick out of which Mungret College had originally grown. Dineen & Company purchased Mungret College and its 240 acre (0.9712464 km²) of land in 1979 and subsequently purchased additional adjacent land.
Notable past pupils
- Brendan Bracken, Viscount Christchurch, British Conservative war cabinetWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
minister under Winston ChurchillWinston ChurchillSir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice... - Gordon WoodGordon Wood (rugby player)Benjamin Gordon Malison Wood is a former rugby union footballer who represented Ireland and the British and Irish Lions during the 1950s and early 1960s. He also played for both Garryowen and Munster...
, former rugby union footballer who represented Ireland and the British Lions during the 1950s and early 1960s. - Frank FahyFrank FahyFrancis Patrick Fahy was an Irish teacher, barrister, and politician. He served for nearly 35 years as a Teachta Dála , first for Sinn Féin and later as a member of Fianna Fáil, before becoming Ceann Comhairle for over 19 years.- Early life :Fahy was born in Kilchreest, County Galway, a son of...
, Irish politician, Teachta Dala and Ceann Comhairle (Speaker of the Irish parliament) - Tom BarryTom BarryThomas Barry was one of the most prominent guerrilla leaders in the Irish Republican Army during the Irish War of Independence.-Early life:...
, Prominent leader of the Irish Republican Army during the Irish War of Independence - Michael Joseph CurleyMichael Joseph CurleyMichael Joseph Curley was an Irish-born clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. Originally a priest and bishop in the Diocese of St...
, 10th Roman Catholic Archbishop of Baltimore and first Archbishop of Washington - Timothy Manning, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Los Angeles from 1970 to 1985, elevated to Cardinal in 1973
- Monsigor Hugh O'FlahertyHugh O'FlahertyMonsignor Hugh O'Flaherty, CBE was an Irish Roman Catholic priest and senior official of the Roman Curia. During World War II, he was responsible for saving 6,500 Allied soldiers and Jews...
, the "Scarlet Pimpernel" of the Vatican during the Second World War - Joseph Walshe, leading Irish diplomat from the 1920s to the 1950s and Secretary of the Department of External Affairs during the Second World War
- Oliver St John Gogarty, author (attended before transferring to Stonyhurst CollegeStonyhurst CollegeStonyhurst College is a Roman Catholic independent school, adhering to the Jesuit tradition. It is located on the Stonyhurst Estate near the village of Hurst Green in the Ribble Valley area of Lancashire, England, and occupies a Grade I listed building...
) - James CoyleJames CoyleJames Edwin Coyle was a Roman Catholic priest who was murdered in Birmingham, Alabama.-Early life:James Coyle was born in Drum, County Roscommon to Owen Coyle and his wife Margaret Durney. He attended Mungret College in Limerick and the Pontifical North American College in Rome...
, priest murdered in Alabama in 1921