St Colman's College, Newry
Encyclopedia
St Colman's College is a Roman Catholic school in Newry
, Northern Ireland
. Now named in honour of St. Colman, it was founded in 1823 as the Dromore
Diocesan
Seminary
by a Father J.S. Keenan. The College stands on Violet Hill, the same 60 acre (243,000 m²) site it has occupied since 1829, adjacent to the Bishop
of Dromore
's residence. It is a grammar school and currently has almost 900 students attending. Canon Francis Brown stepped down as president of the College at the end of the 2009/2010 academic year. His replacement, Mr Cormac McKinney, is the first lay
principal in the College's history.
St. Colman's is renowned in Irish sport as a particular nursery for Gaelic footballers for both Down
and Armagh
. As of 2011, the College's senior Gaelic football
team are the Ulster and All-Ireland champions .
pocket badge:
winning the premier colleges' trophy, the Hogan Cup
, eight times in 1967, 1975, 1986, 1988, 1993, 1998, 2010 and 2011. Only St Jarlath's College, Tuam
have won the All-Ireland competition on more occasions.
St Colman's College remains the most successful Ulster
college winning the prestigious MacRory Cup
for the 19th time in 2011.
There also is a modern hi-tech fitness suite and a well equipped library available to the students.
a board game
s club,
a design and technology club,
debating club and a
science club.
(u-13), Senior Schools' Challenge
and the Ulster Schools Quiz.
, run by the music teachers and with the help of additional instrumental tutelage from local musicians.
The school also has two string quartet
s, a flute
quintet, a brass
quintet and a band
.
St Colman's also won the 2005 Newry Feis Orchestra group Cup.
Language students regularly go to the country of which language they are learning, both as part of an educational trip with the school, and as part of student exchange programmes - such as the recent exchanges to Spain.
In addition to educationally oriented trips, there some other general excursions. A prime example of this would be the two ski trips that occur every other year for any student interested in going.
There also are, of course, numerous field trips connecting with the educational course, like the geography field trips to local areas as part of A-Level courses.
s. In addition to this, the grounds are expected to be developed with two tennis
courts, a driving range, sixty additional car parking spaces for students and teachers, a hard play area and existing temporary classrooms to be removed from the grounds.
Newry
Newry is a city in Northern Ireland. The River Clanrye, which runs through the city, formed the historic border between County Armagh and County Down. It is from Belfast and from Dublin. Newry had a population of 27,433 at the 2001 Census, while Newry and Mourne Council Area had a population...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. Now named in honour of St. Colman, it was founded in 1823 as the Dromore
Dromore, County Down
Dromore is a small market town in the Banbridge District of County Down, Northern Ireland. It is south-west of Belfast, on the A1 Belfast – Dublin road. The 2001 Census recorded a population of 4,968 people....
Diocesan
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
Seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
by a Father J.S. Keenan. The College stands on Violet Hill, the same 60 acre (243,000 m²) site it has occupied since 1829, adjacent to the Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of Dromore
Roman 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....
's residence. It is a grammar school and currently has almost 900 students attending. Canon Francis Brown stepped down as president of the College at the end of the 2009/2010 academic year. His replacement, Mr Cormac McKinney, is the first lay
Laity
In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
principal in the College's history.
St. Colman's is renowned in Irish sport as a particular nursery for Gaelic footballers for both Down
Down GAA
The Down County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Down GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Down...
and Armagh
Armagh GAA
The Armagh County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Armagh GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Armagh...
. As of 2011, the College's senior Gaelic football
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
team are the Ulster and All-Ireland champions .
Aims of the college
Every boy carries the aims of the College, "Bonitas, Disciplina, Scientia", on his blazerBlazer
A blazer is a type of jacket. The term blazer occasionally is synonymous with boating jacket and sports jacket, two different garments. A blazer resembles a suit coat cut more casually — sometimes with flap-less patch pockets and metal buttons. A blazer's cloth is usually durable , because it is an...
pocket badge:
- Bonitas : to encourage moral uprightness and good citizenshipCitizenshipCitizenship is the state of being a citizen of a particular social, political, national, or human resource community. Citizenship status, under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and responsibilities...
; to develop a rounded personality - Scientia : to encourage the highest academic achievement of which the individual is capable; to equip each student with a set of attitudes and ideals for the shaping of his life
- Disciplina : to instill through the operation of the school's discipline, that self-discipline necessary for success both in school and in the world of work
Gaelic football
The College has a long and distinguished history in Gaelic footballGaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
winning the premier colleges' trophy, the Hogan Cup
Hogan Cup
The Hogan Cup 1946-48 & 1957-) is the cup presented to the winners of the colleges All-Ireland "A" senior football championship, the top level Gaelic football championship for secondary schools in Ireland. The competition itself is regularly referred to by reference to the trophy's name.St...
, eight times in 1967, 1975, 1986, 1988, 1993, 1998, 2010 and 2011. Only St Jarlath's College, Tuam
St. Jarlath's College
St. Jarlath's College is a Roman Catholic secondary school for boys in Tuam, County Galway, Ireland. It is an amalgamation of the former St. Jarlath's College and St...
have won the All-Ireland competition on more occasions.
St Colman's College remains the most successful Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
college winning the prestigious MacRory Cup
MacRory Cup
The MacRory Cup is an inter-college Gaelic football tournament in Ulster. It is staged every year with the stipulation that players must be under eighteen-and-a-half at the start of the tournament...
for the 19th time in 2011.
Other sports
Other sports offered at the College include, but are not limited to:- handballGaelic handballGaelic handball is a sport similar to Basque pelota, racquetball, squash and American handball . It is one of the four Gaelic games organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association...
- basketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
- golfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
– St Colman's were Irish & Ulster Schools Champions in 1992 and former past pupil's Rory Leonard & Hilary Armstrong are current and former Irish Internationals - hurlingHurlingHurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
- rugby unionRugby unionRugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
There also is a modern hi-tech fitness suite and a well equipped library available to the students.
Clubs
Including, but not limited to:a board game
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
s club,
a design and technology club,
debating club and a
science club.
Quizzes
St Colman's has a successful heritage in quizzing, becoming Northern Irish champions on multiple occasions in each of the three main competitions : Junior Schools' ChallengeSchools' Challenge
Schools' Challenge is the national general knowledge competition for schools in the United Kingdom. It uses the same basic rules as University Challenge, although it is affiliated with neither the game nor the television show....
(u-13), Senior Schools' Challenge
Schools' Challenge
Schools' Challenge is the national general knowledge competition for schools in the United Kingdom. It uses the same basic rules as University Challenge, although it is affiliated with neither the game nor the television show....
and the Ulster Schools Quiz.
Orchestra
The school has a fifty-strong orchestraOrchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
, run by the music teachers and with the help of additional instrumental tutelage from local musicians.
The school also has two string quartet
String quartet
A string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string players – usually two violin players, a violist and a cellist – or a piece written to be performed by such a group...
s, a flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
quintet, a brass
Brass
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties.In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin...
quintet and a band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
.
St Colman's also won the 2005 Newry Feis Orchestra group Cup.
Trips
The school also regularly engages on trips and excursions.Language students regularly go to the country of which language they are learning, both as part of an educational trip with the school, and as part of student exchange programmes - such as the recent exchanges to Spain.
In addition to educationally oriented trips, there some other general excursions. A prime example of this would be the two ski trips that occur every other year for any student interested in going.
There also are, of course, numerous field trips connecting with the educational course, like the geography field trips to local areas as part of A-Level courses.
Development
On Monday 14 January 2008, the new fifteen classrooms and multi-purpose hall were available for students to benefit from these outstanding facilities. The new bus turning area in front of the college is already in use. The refurbishment of the existing College building and classrooms is on schedule, with the provision for 21st Century teaching aids (providing additional funding can be secured) such as interactive whiteboardInteractive whiteboard
An interactive whiteboard , is a large interactive display that connects to a computer and projector. A projector projects the computer's desktop onto the board's surface where users control the computer using a pen, finger, stylus, or other device...
s. In addition to this, the grounds are expected to be developed with two tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
courts, a driving range, sixty additional car parking spaces for students and teachers, a hard play area and existing temporary classrooms to be removed from the grounds.
Previous developments
- Late 1950s/Early 1960s: Major extension added to the existing school
- 7 June 1972: A further extension added to the College opened on this day
- 10 June 1994: Two new sciences rooms and a Design & Technology block opened
- 1999: 8 existing science rooms refurbished
- August 2005: Design & Technology suite refurbished
- 12 October 2005: New sports hall officially opened
Notable former pupils
- Frank AikenFrank AikenFrank Aiken was a commander of the Irish Republican Army and later an Irish politician. A founding-member of Fianna Fáil, Aiken was first elected to Dáil Éireann in 1923 and at each subsequent election until 1973...
(1898–1983), one of the longest-serving members of Dáil ÉireannDáil ÉireannDáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote... - Francis CampbellFrancis CampbellFrancis Martin-Xavier Campbell was the UK's Ambassador to the Holy See from late 2005 to early 2011. He joined the British Diplomatic Service in 1997, aged 27.-Personal life:...
, UK ambassador to the Holy See (2005–2011) - Lord Kerr of Tonaghmore, former Lord Chief JusticeLord Chief Justice of Northern IrelandThe Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland is the head of the judiciary in Northern Ireland, presiding over the Courts of Northern Ireland. The present Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland is Sir Declan Morgan...
of Northern IrelandNorthern IrelandNorthern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, final Law Lord of the House of LordsHouse of LordsThe House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
and JusticeJustice of the Supreme Court of the United KingdomJustices of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom are the judges of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom other than the President and Deputy President. The Supreme Court is the highest in the United Kingdom for civil matters, and for criminal matters from England and Wales and Northern Ireland...
of the Supreme Court of the United KingdomSupreme Court of the United KingdomThe Supreme Court of the United Kingdom is the supreme court in all matters under English law, Northern Ireland law and Scottish civil law. It is the court of last resort and highest appellate court in the United Kingdom; however the High Court of Justiciary remains the supreme court for criminal...
. - Michael LeggeMichael Legge (actor)Michael Legge is a Northern Irish actor.He has appeared in a number of stage, film, television and radio roles. He may be best known for playing the teenaged Frank McCourt in Alan Parker's 1999 film, Angela's Ashes....
, actor (Angela’s AshesAngela's Ashes (film)Angela's Ashes is a 1999 Irish-American drama film based on the memoir of the same title by Frank McCourt. It was directed by Alan Parker and starred Emily Watson, Robert Carlyle, Joe Breen, Ciaran Owens, and Michael Legge .-Plot:Angela's Ashes tells the story of Frank McCourt and his childhood...
& ShamelessShamelessShameless is a British television drama series set in Manchester on the fictional Chatsworth council estate. Produced by Company Pictures for Channel 4, the first seven-episode series aired weekly on Tuesday nights at 10pm from 13 January 2004...
) - Dermott LennonDermott LennonDermott Lennon is an Irish equestrian who competes in the sport of show jumping.As of the end of August 2010, he is climbing back up the Rolex World Rankings and has reached 71st - Ireland's no...
, 2002-2006 Show Jumping World ChampionShow Jumping World ChampionshipsThe Show Jumping World Championships, or the show jumping competition at the FEI World Equestrian Games, was started in 1953, with individual competition. In 1978 Team competitions began, and men and women began competing against one another. From 1990, show jumping was brought together along with... - John LynchJohn Lynch (actor)John Lynch is an Irish actor from Northern Ireland.-Biography:John Lynch was born in the United Kingdom and moved to his father's native home in Corrinshego, County Armagh, near Newry, County Down in Northern Ireland as a child. He attended St Colman's College, Newry, a Catholic school...
, actor (CalCal (film)Cal is a 1984 British drama film directed by Pat O'Connor, and starring John Lynch and Helen Mirren. Based on the novella Cal written by Bernard MacLaverty who also wrote the script, the film was entered into the 1984 Cannes Film Festival, where Helen Mirren won the award for Best Actress.-Plot:Cal...
) - John MageeJohn Magee (bishop)John Magee, SPS was a Roman Catholic bishop in Ireland. He resigned his episcopal seat on 24 March 2010.-Early life:...
, Roman Catholic Bishop of CloyneBishop of CloyneThe Bishop of Cloyne is an episcopal title which takes its name after the small town of Cloyne in County Cork, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it is a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bishoprics....
and former private secretary to three popes, Paul VI, John Paul I and John Paul II. - Raymond McCreeshRaymond McCreeshRaymond Peter "Ray" McCreesh was an Irish republican hunger striker and a volunteer in the South Armagh Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army .-Background:...
(1957–1981), Irish Republican Volunteer and Hunger Striker. - Frank MitchellFrank Mitchell (presenter)Frank 'the Silver Fox' Mitchell Frank 'the Silver Fox' Mitchell Frank 'the Silver Fox' Mitchell (born Francis McClory, 24 July 1963 is a Northern Irish broadcaster and journalist. He is currently a weather presenter on UTV Live and a presenter on the UTV-owned radio station U105. Although his...
, presenter on UTVUTVUTV is a television channel based in the UK region of Northern Ireland. The channel is the Channel 3 or Independent Television licensee for Northern Ireland and is operated by UTV Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of UTV Media.- Terrestrial :* Analogue: Normally tuned to 3 * Freeview : 3... - Caolan Mooney, an Australian rules footballAustralian rules footballAustralian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
er with Collingwood Football ClubCollingwood Football ClubThe Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League... - Kevin TrainorKevin TrainorKevin Trainor is an Irish actor. He grew up in Kilkeel, County Down and attended St Colman's College in Newry before going up to Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he read English...
(actor)