Belvedere College S.J. (sometimes St Francis Xavier's College) is a voluntary secondary school for boys in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

, Ireland. The school has numerous alumni in the arts, politics, sports, science, and business.

History

Belvedere owes its origins to the efforts of John Austin who opened primary and secondary schools off

Fishamble Street Fishamble Street (; ) is a street in Dublin, Ireland within the old city walls. Location The street joins Wood Quay at the Fish Slip near Fyan's Castle. It originally ran from Castle Street to Essex Quay until the creation of Lord Edward St ...

in 1750. The

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

has been active in the area around Hardwicke Street since 1790. They founded St Francis Xavier's College in the disused Poor Clare convent on Hardwicke Street with nine students in 1832, three years after

Catholic emancipation Catholic emancipation or Catholic relief was a process in the kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland, and later the combined United Kingdom in the late 18th century and early 19th century, that involved reducing and removing many of the restricti ...

. In 1841, the Jesuits purchased Belvedere House on neighbouring Great Denmark Street, which gave the school its name.

George Augustus Rochfort George Augustus Rochfort, 2nd Earl of Belvedere (12 October 1738 – 13 May 1814) was an Anglo-Irish peer and politician. Early years George Augustus Rochfort was born on 12 October 1738, son of Robert Rochfort, 1st Earl of Belvedere and Hon. ...

(1738–1814), who became the second

Earl of Belvedere Earl of Belvedere (alternative spelling: ''Belvidere'') was a title in the Peerage of Ireland created in 1756 for Robert Rochfort, 1st Viscount Belfield. The title and its subsidiaries became extinct in 1814. History The title was created for ...

in 1774, built Belvedere House, whose interior decoration was carried out by

Michael Stapleton Michael Stapleton (born Dublin, Ireland, in 1747, died 8 August 1801, in Dublin) is regarded as having been the most skilled stuccodore working in the neoclassical or "Adam" style that dominated Dublin interior decoration in the final decades of ...

, a leading stucco craftsman of his time. Belvedere was caught up in the events of the

1916 Rising The Easter Rising ( ga, Éirí Amach na Cásca), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the a ...

, when the British military opened fire at the Jesuit residence. The Jesuits at Belvedere and the neighbouring Gardiner Street Community helped the wounded and distributed food across the locality. In February 2012 Chinese

Politburo A politburo () or political bureau is the executive committee for communist parties. It is present in most former and existing communist states. Names The term "politburo" in English comes from the Russian ''Politbyuro'' (), itself a contracti ...

member and future

Paramount leader Paramount leader () is an informal term for the most important political figure in the People's Republic of China (PRC). The paramount leader typically controls the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Liberation Army (PLA), often hol ...

Xi Jinping Xi Jinping ( ; ; ; born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and thus as the paramount leader of China, ...

visited the college as part of his visit to Ireland for a special reception in the O'Reilly theatre. An annual exchange with a Jesuit school in Hong Kong was the catalyst for this visit.

School museum

A school museum and archive were opened in 2002 by former teacher Oliver Murphy, dedicated to the history of the institution and its past pupils.

Education

Belvedere offers the Irish Junior Certificate and

Leaving Certificate A secondary school leaving qualification is a document signifying that the holder has fulfilled any secondary education requirements of their locality, often including the passage of a final qualification examination. For each leaving certifica ...

curricula.

Classics

The school still offers Latin as both a Junior and Leaving Certificate subject and offers Ancient Greek as a Junior and Leaving Certificate subject when there is sufficient demand. Classical Studies is also offered at Leaving Certificate level.

Science

Garret A. FitzGerald Garret Adare FitzGerald is an Irish physician. He is professor of in translational medicine and Therapeutics and chair of the department of pharmacology at the Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania.University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest- ...

, has instituted an annual five-week scholarship for two students who excel in Transition Year science.

Facilities

Belvedere has a 25m 5 lane indoor swimming pool, gym, restaurant and refectory, music suite, learning resource centre, museum, chapel and oratory, 3 hard tennis courts (Cabra Sports Ground), 1 astroturf (Distillery Road) and 5 grass rugby pitches (Cabra Sports Ground), a cricket pitch (Cabra Sports Ground), 1 grass soccer pitch (Cabra Sports Ground), 1 astro 7-a-side football pitch on top of the O'Reilly Theatre and a 60m 8 lane roof-top running track (Kerr Wing). The school also has a professional standard 590-seat theatre with a motorised stage and retractable seating, the O'Reilly Theatre, which is used to stage school plays and musicals but has also been used by RTÉ, TV3 and an assortment of dramatic organisations and hosted live audience TV shows such as The Panel and Tonight with Vincent Browne. The school also has three computer labs, cabled and wireless networking to every classroom, and other IT features including dedicated networks for the library and certain functions. In 2004, Belvedere opened the Dargan Moloney Science and Technology Block, which has state-of-the-art laboratories, lecture theatres and IT hubs.

Charitable activities

The school has a wide range of charitable activities. Some students travel with the annual Dublin Diocesan, Meath Diocesan and Oblate Pilgrimages to Lourdes, France, to assist the elderly and the disabled. Belvedere's St Vincent de Paul Society is one of the largest among secondary schools in Ireland, organising activities such as old-folks events and a weekly soup run in inner city Dublin. Beginning in 1981, some students have undertaken a charity walk from Dublin to

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...

each summer to raise funds for Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind, St Francis Hospice, and The Temple Street Children's University Hospital, located very near the school. The "block-pull", as it is known, has raised over €70,000 in a single event. An annual charitable fundraising event held by the college is the "Belvedere Sleep-Out", which takes place from 22 to 24 December each year. Students "go homeless" on Dublin's

O'Connell Street O'Connell Street () is a street in the centre of Dublin, Ireland, running north from the River Liffey. It connects the O'Connell Bridge to the south with Parnell Street to the north and is roughly split into two sections bisected by Hen ...

for three days and two nights. The Sleep-Out is run primarily by students from the college, with the assistance of a number of teachers and past pupils, to raise funds for Focus Ireland, The Home Again Society, and Father Peter McVerry's Society for homeless boys. The students fast for 24 hours during the Sleep-Out. The culmination is

Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation ...

midnight mass in the college chapel. In 2015, the event raised over

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists o ...

189,000 over the Christmas period for the charities. This record was broken in 2016, when the event raised €225,021 for the charities.

Sports

Belvedere has the most Royal College of Science Cup (Overall best school in track and field) wins at the Irish Schools Athletics Championships. Belvedere won 15 consecutive Royal College of Science Cup awards between 1999 and 2014. Field sports are a traditional strength of the school. In October 2013 Belvedere held the all-Ireland schools senior track and field trophy, having won the title in the previous seven years. It also held numerous other titles at provincial levels. Belvedere has won 35 Leinster Senior Cricket Schools Cup titles, as of 2016. Belvedere, sometimes known as Belvo, has a strong

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

football tradition, being one of the traditional "Big Three", along with Blackrock College and Terenure College. In 2005, for the first time in the school's history, it won both the Leinster Junior Cup and the Leinster Schools Senior Cup. In 2016 Belvedere, with eleven titles, stood second in the Leinster Senior Cup roll of honour, behind Blackrock College (68). A further success came on 17 March 2017, when Belvedere beat Blackrock College 10–3 at the RDS.

Drama

Drama productions form an integral part of Belvedere's year. Each academic year, there are four performances: a Junior Musical, a Senior Musical, a Drama Society production, and a First Year Play. Productions have included ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its origin ...

'' (school edition) in 2004, and the stage adaptation of Philip Pullman's '' His Dark Materials'' in 2007. Other productions of note include '' Bugsy Malone'', '' The Adventures of Roderick Random'', '' David Copperfield'', ''

Aladdin Aladdin ( ; ar, علاء الدين, ', , ATU 561, ‘Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with ''The Book of One Thousand and One Nights'' (''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part o ...

'', ''

Jesus Christ Superstar ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the Passion, the work interprets the psychology of Jesus and other characters, with ...

'', ''

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' is a Musical theatre, musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart. Inspired by the farces of the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman playwright Plautu ...

'', '' The Wind in the Willows'', '' Prince Caspian'' and ''

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader ''The Voyage of the Dawn Treader'' is a high fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis, published by Geoffrey Bles in 1952. It was the third published of seven novels in ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' (1950–1956). Macmillan US published an ...

'', '' Treasure Island'', ''

The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's bo ...

'', ''

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' (often colloquially known as ''Joseph'') is a sung-through musical with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the character of Joseph from the Bible's Book of Genesis. ...

'', '' The Addams Family'', ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play '' Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid ...

''and '' The Pirates of Penzance''. In 2016, an original play entitled ''Children of the Rising'' was staged at the school. The play was written by a member of staff and was nominated for a Bord Gáis Energy Student Theatre Award for Best Overall Play. The play was based on the book ''Children of The Rising'' by Joe Duffy.

Other activities

The school has debating societies in the English, Irish, Spanish, German, and French languages. Belvedere has won the all-Ireland schools debating competition (2005 among other years), the Denny Leinster Schools Senior Debating Championship in 2010, the L&H society Leinster Junior debating competition, and also the Alliance Française debating championship and Leinster Irish debating final. Belvedere was successful in the last series of ''Blackboard Jungle'', a popular television programme on

RTÉ (RTÉ) (; Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the national broadcaster of Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, whil ...

. The school's longstanding

Concert Choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

hosts the Annual Christmas Carol Service in December, and the Annual Musical Evening in May. The choir have undertaken recordings in

, and has been successful at both the Feis Ceoil and the Wesley Feis. The college

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

has won events at both the Wesley Feis and the Feis Ceoil. The school has an active urban farm, growing vegetables and housing bees. The farm won the Global High Schools Europe Category at the Zayed Future Energy Prize in 2017.

Culture of Belvedere

Belvedere College is run by the

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

order. Most of the school's teaching staff are lay-persons, although a number of Jesuit priests and brothers assist with administration and chaplaincy. The school motto is ''Per Vias Rectas'' – "By Straight Paths" – and the college aspires to produce "Men for Others". Students often write "AMDG" for '' Ad maiorem Dei gloriam'', "For the greater glory of God", the motto of the

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

, on the top left of pages of their copybooks. They formerly also wrote "LDSetBVM" or ''Laus Deo Semper et Beatae Virgini Mariae'' ("Praise to God forever and to the Blessed Virgin Mary") on the bottom right of the same page. The students are assigned to one of six lines or houses, mainly named after Jesuits who were either famous or had an association with Belvedere: Loyola, Xavier, Aylmer, Kenney, Finlay and Scully (previously named Dempsey after George Dempsey). Years are named after the progression in the Jesuit '' Ratio Studiorum'': Elements, Rudiments, Grammar, Syntax, Poetry, and Rhetoric. Each form except Rhetoric has a captain and vice-captain. The school's yearbook is ''The Belvederian''. The term "Belvederian" is also sometimes used to refer to current students and "Old Belvederian" (OB) for alumni. Old Belvederians normally refer to their graduation by using "OB" followed by their final year in the college, for example, "OB 1984". Belvedere College is the backdrop for some of

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the Modernism, modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important ...

's novel '' A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man''. It is a semi-autobiographical piece of work and the teacher, Mr Tate, was based on Joyce's own English teacher, George Dempsey. In the book Joyce mentions his involvement in the College Opera which continues today.''Critical companion to James Joyce: a literary reference to his life and work'', by A. Nicholas Fargnoli and Michael Patrick Gillespie. In 1884, James Aloysius Cullen was appointed spiritual father at Belvedere, a position he retained for twenty years while also engaged in other ministry. Cullen was founder and director of the Sodality of Our Lady at the college, which duties included counselling students. In 1896,

was elected Student Prefect of the Society. According to Neil R. Davison, the sermons in Chapter III of ''A Portrait of the Artist'' are modeled on those given by Cullen during a retreat held in 1897.

Notable past pupils

Alumni and teachers at Belvedere played major roles in modern Irish literature (James Joyce, Austin Clarke, the foundation of Ireland's National Theatre), the standardisation of the Irish language (de Bhaldraithe), as well as the Irish independence movement – both the 1916 Rising (Joseph Mary Plunkett, Éamon de Valera) and the Irish War of Independence (Éamon de Valera, Cathal Brugha, Kevin Barry). The school's notable alumni and former faculty include two

Taoisigh The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legislature) and the office ...

(Irish Prime Minister), one Ceann Comhairle (Speaker of the Lower House of the Irish Parliament), several cabinet ministers, one

Blessed Blessed may refer to: * The state of having received a blessing * Blessed, a title assigned by the Roman Catholic Church to someone who has been beatified Film and television * ''Blessed'' (2004 film), a 2004 motion picture about a supernatural ...

, one

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **'' Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **'' Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, t ...

, one

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdio ...

, one signatory of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic, two Supreme Court Justices, one Olympic medallist, thirty Irish international rugby players and numerous notable figures in the world of the arts, academia and business. A list of selected notable past pupils is outlined below.

The arts

Thomas Bodkin Professor Thomas Patrick Bodkin (21 July 1887 – 24 April 1961) was an Irish lawyer, art historian, art collector and curator. Bodkin was Director of the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin from 1927 to 1935 and founding Director of the ...

– Director of the National Gallery of Ireland (1927–35) *

Francis Browne Francis Patrick Mary Browne, (3 January 1880 – 7 July 1960) was a distinguished Irish Jesuit and a prolific photographer. His best known photographs are those of the RMS ''Titanic'' and its passengers and crew taken shortly before its sin ...

– photographer * Austin Clarke – poet *

Harry Clarke Henry Patrick Clarke (17 March 1889 – 6 January 1931) was an Irish stained-glass artist and book illustrator. Born in Dublin, he was a leading figure in the Irish Arts and Crafts Movement. His work was influenced by both the Art Nouveau an ...

– artist * Tim Pat Coogan – historian and journalist *

Denis Devlin Denis Devlin (15 April 1908 – 21 August 1959) was, along with Samuel Beckett, Thomas MacGreevy and Brian Coffey, one of the generation of Irish modernist poets to emerge at the end of the 1920s. He was also a career diplomat. Early life and stu ...

– poet * Owen Dudley Edwards – historian and literary expert on

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...

and

P.G. Wodehouse Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, ( ; 15 October 188114 February 1975) was an English author and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Jeeve ...

* Patrick Duggan – actor * William Fay – co-founder of the Abbey Theatre * Jimmy Glover – composer * Mark Greaney and Fergal Matthews – members of indie rock band

JJ72 JJ72 were an alternative rock band from Dublin, Ireland. After forming in 1996, they signed to Lakota Records in 1999 and released two albums before splitting in 2006. History Formation and early years The band was formed in 1996 by lead singe ...

– writerJames Joyce profile
*

Donagh MacDonagh Donagh MacDonagh (22 November 1912 – 1 January 1968) was an Irish writer, judge, presenter, broadcaster, and playwright. Personal life MacDonagh was born in Dublin on St Cecilia's Day in 1912. He was still a young child when his father Thoma ...

– poet, playwright, broadcaster, folklorist, and district justice * Hugh Maguire – violinist * John O'Conor – pianist and Beethoven master * Jimmy O'Dea – actor *

Liam O'Flaherty Liam O'Flaherty ( ; 28 August 1896 – 7 September 1984) was an Irish novelist and short-story writer, and one of the foremost socialist writers in the first part of the 20th century, writing about the common people's experience and from their ...

– writer * Conal O'Riordan – writer * Jack Reynor- actor * Eoin Macken - model and actor *

Rejjie Snow Alexander Anyaegbunam better known by his stage name Rejjie Snow, is an Irish rapper and songwriter from Drumcondra, Dublin. Early life RejjieSnow was born Alexander Anyaegbunam in Dublin, Ireland, to a Nigerian father and an Irish-Jamaican mot ...

– rapper *

Mervyn Wall Mervyn Wall (1908–1997) was an Irish writer who was born in Dublin. Wall attended Belvedere College and worked as a civil servant 1934–48, for Radio Éireann from 1948 to 1957, and as Secretary of the Arts Council for 1957–75.Darrell Schw ...

– writer *

Leo Whelan Leo Whelan RHA (10 January 1892 – 6 November 1956) was an Irish painter. His work was part of the painting event in the art competition at the 1932 Summer Olympics. Born in Dublin and educated at Belvedere College and the Metropolitan ...

- painter

Irish history, politics

* Kevin Barry – Irish republican (did not graduate) *

Cathal Brugha Cathal Brugha (; born Charles William St John Burgess; 18 July 1874 – 7 July 1922) was an Irish republican politician who served as Minister for Defence from 1919 to 1922, Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann in January 1919, the first presiden ...

– Irish republican (did not graduate) * Richard Bruton –

Fine Gael Fine Gael (, ; English: "Family (or Tribe) of the Irish") is a liberal-conservative and Christian-democratic political party in Ireland. Fine Gael is currently the third-largest party in the Republic of Ireland in terms of members of Dáil É ...

Teachta Dála A Teachta Dála ( , ; plural ), abbreviated as TD (plural ''TDanna'' in Irish, TDs in English), is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas (the Irish Parliament). It is the equivalent of terms such as ''Member of Parl ...

(TD) Deputy Leader of Fine Gael & Government Minister * Jack Chambers –

Fianna Fáil Fianna Fáil (, ; meaning 'Soldiers of Destiny' or 'Warriors of Fál'), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party ( ga, audio=ga-Fianna Fáil.ogg, Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach), is a conservative and Christia ...

(TD) *

Garret FitzGerald Garret Desmond FitzGerald (9 February 192619 May 2011) was an Irish Fine Gael politician, economist and barrister who served twice as Taoiseach, serving from 1981 to 1982 and 1982 to 1987. He served as Leader of Fine Gael from 1977 to 1987, and ...

–

Taoiseach The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legislature) and the of ...

former Leader of Fine Gael * Brothers Brian Lenihan and Conor Lenihan –

Teachtaí Dála (TD) *

William Martin Murphy William Martin Murphy (6 January 1845 – 26 June 1919) was an Irish businessman, newspaper publisher and politician. A member of parliament (MP) representing Dublin from 1885 to 1892, he was dubbed "William ''Murder'' Murphy" among the Iri ...

–

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

(MP) *

Cian O'Callaghan Cian O'Callaghan (born 7 May 1979) is an Irish Social Democrats politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Bay North constituency since the 2020 general election. In 2012, as a member of Fingal County Council, he became Irela ...

- member of the Social Democrats(TD) for Dublin Bay North *

Chris O'Malley Christopher Gerard O'Malley (born 9 June 1959) is a former Irish Fine Gael politician who served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Dublin constituency from 1986 to 1989. In January 1986, he was nominated to the European Parli ...

–

Member of European Parliament (MEP), 1986–89 *

Joseph Mary Plunkett Joseph Mary Plunkett (Irish: ''Seosamh Máire Pluincéid''; 21 November 1887 – 4 May 1916) was an Irish nationalist, republican, poet, journalist, revolutionary and a leader of the 1916 Easter Rising. Joseph Mary Plunkett married Grace Gif ...

– rebel; signatory of 1916 Proclamation; executed a month later *

James McNeill James McNeill (27 March 1869 – 12 December 1938) was an Irish politician and diplomat, who served as first High Commissioner to London and second Governor-General of the Irish Free State. Early life One of five children born to Archibald McN ...

- Governor General of the Irish Free State

Legal

* Arthur Cox – founder of eponymous law firm and member of the Seanad * Kevin Dixon - Attorney General of Ireland from 1942 - 1946 * William FitzGerald (Irish judge) - former Chief Justice of Ireland *

Adrian Hardiman Adrian Hardiman (21 May 1951 – 7 March 2016) was an Irish judge who served as a Judge of the Supreme Court from 2000 to 2016. Early life and education Adrian Hardiman was born on 21 May 1951, in Coolock, Dublin. His father was a teacher and Pre ...

–

Supreme Court Judge A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

* John Hedigan – High Court Judge * Michael Joseph Hogan - Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Hong Kong for 14 years * Séamus Woulfe –

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and givin ...

; Attorney General of Ireland since June 2017

Irish language

* Tomás de Bhaldraithe – lexicographer *

Lambert McKenna Lambert McKenna S.J. ( ga, An tAthair Lámhbheartach Mac Cionnaith) (16 July 1870 – 27 December 1956) was a Jesuit priest and writer. He was born Andrew Joseph Lambert McKenna in Clontarf, and studied in Europe. He collected and edited rel ...

– lexicographer, editor, educationist, and former principal of Belvedere College

Science and academia

* John Gabriel Byrne - first professor of computer science in Trinity College Dublin * Myles Dillon – Celticist, President of the Royal Irish Academy *

Desmond Fennell Desmond Carolan Fennell (29 June 1929 – 16 July 2021) was an Irish writer, essayist, cultural philosopher and linguist. Throughout his career, Fennell repeatedly departed from prevailing norms. In the 1950s and early 1960s, with his extensiv ...

- writer, cultural philosopher and linguist *

Frank Winder Frank Winder (Francis Gerard Augustine Winder; 14 April 1928 – 30 December 2007, in Dublin) was an Irish professor of biochemistry, a naturalist, and one of Ireland's leading rock climbers in the 1950s and 1960s. Scientific career Winder r ...

– biochemist, vice-president of the Royal Irish Academy

Religion

Desmond Connell –

Archbishop of Dublin The Archbishop of Dublin is an archepiscopal title which takes its name after Dublin, Ireland. Since the Reformation, there have been parallel apostolic successions to the title: one in the Catholic Church and the other in the Church of Ireland ...

and

Primate of Ireland The Primacy of Ireland was historically disputed between the Archbishop of Armagh and the Archbishop of Dublin until finally settled by Pope Innocent VI. '' Primate'' is a title of honour denoting ceremonial precedence in the Church, and in t ...

Dermot Ryan –

and

Malachi Martin Malachi Brendan Martin (23 July 1921 – 27 July 1999), also known under the pseudonym of Michael Serafian, was an Irish-born American Traditionalist Catholic priest, biblical archaeologist, exorcist, palaeographer, professor, and prolific ...

– priest, author *

Robert Dermot O'Flanagan Robert Dermot O'Flanagan (March 9, 1901 – December 31, 1972) was an Ireland, Irish-born American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the first bishop (Catholic Church), bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Juneau, Diocese of Jun ...

– Bishop of Juneau * Columba Marmion (1858–1923) – Abbot of the

Maredsous Abbey Maredsous Abbey is a Benedictine monastery at Maredsous, in the municipality of Anhée, Wallonia, Belgium. It is a founding member of the Annunciation Congregation of the Benedictine Confederation. The abbey was founded as a priory on 15 Nov ...

(

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

)

Rugby

Ollie Campbell Seamus Oliver Campbell (born 5 March 1954) is an Irish former rugby union player. He played flyhalf for Ireland from 1976 to 1984. He is most well known for his role in orchestrating Ireland's Triple Crown victory at the 1982 Five Nations Champ ...

–

Andrew Clinch Andrew Daniel Clinch MD JP (28 November 1867 – 1 February 1937),Andrew Clinch player profile

(1867–1937) – rugby union Irish international 10 caps, President of Irish Rugby Football Union *
Thomas Crean Major Dr. Thomas Joseph Crean, (19 April 1873 – 25 March 1923) was an Irish rugby union player, British Army soldier and doctor. During the Second Boer War, while serving with the Imperial Light Horse, he was awarded the Victoria Cross. In 1 ...
– rugby union and military; and his nephew Cyril Patrick Crean * Eugene Davy – rugby union and founder of the Davy Group with his brother James * James Downey – rugby union * Andrew Dunne – rugby union, cricket * James Hart - current Biarritz Olympique rugby player *
Cian Healy Cian Healy (born 7 October 1987) is an Irish rugby union rugby player. He plays for Leinster, and has also won over 100 caps for the Ireland national team. He was named as part of the Lions squad for the 2013 British & Irish Lions tour to Austr ...
– rugby union * David Hawkshaw - rugby union *
Ian Keatley Ian James T. Keatley (born 1 April 1987) is an Irish rugby union player. He plays primarily as a fly-half, but can also play as a centre or fullback. Early life Keatley was born in Dublin, where he was educated at Belvedere College and Unive ...
– rugby union *
George J Morgan George Joseph Morgan (24 March 1912 – 18 April 1979) was an Irish international rugby union player who represented Ireland on 19 occasions and was also a member of the 1938 British Lions tour to South Africa. At club level, he played for both ...
– rugby union * Karl Mullen – rugby union * Eoin O'Malley – rugby union * Sir
Tony O'Reilly Sir Anthony Joseph Francis O'Reilly (born 7 May 1936) is an Irish former businessman and international rugby union player. He is known for his involvement in the Independent News & Media Group, which he led from 1973 to 2009,Dublin, Ireland, ...
– rugby union and business as head of
Heinz The H. J. Heinz Company is an American food processing company headquartered at One PPG Place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the co ...
and Independent News and Media and former Chairman of
Waterford Wedgwood Waterford Wedgwood plc was an Irish holding company for a group of firms that specialized in the manufacture of high-quality porcelain, bone china and glass products, mostly for use as tableware or home decor. The group was dominated by Irish ...
*
Hugh O'Sullivan Hugh O'Sullivan (born 24 February 1998) is an Irish rugby union player, currently playing for Newcastle Falcons. He plays as a scrum-half and can also cover all positions in the back three. He attended Belvedere College, where he was part of b ...
- current
Leinster Rugby Leinster Rugby ( ga, Rugbaí Laighean) is one of the four professional provincial rugby union teams from the island of Ireland and the most successful Irish team domestically. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugb ...
player * David Shanahan - Current Ulster Rugby player

Other sports
* Alec O'Riordan – cricketer * Frank Miller - cricketer *
Cathal Pendred Cathal Pendred is an Irish actor and former mixed martial artist who competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He was the Cage Warriors Welterweight World Champion. Background Pendred was born in Boston, Massachusetts to Irish immigrant ...
– retired mixed martial artist in the UFC and actor *
Frank Winder Frank Winder (Francis Gerard Augustine Winder; 14 April 1928 – 30 December 2007, in Dublin) was an Irish professor of biochemistry, a naturalist, and one of Ireland's leading rock climbers in the 1950s and 1960s. Scientific career Winder r ...
–
rock climbing Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up, across, or down natural rock formations. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing is a physically a ...
*
Paul Corry Paul Corry (born 3 February 1991) is an Irish former footballer who played with UCD, Sheffield Wednesday, Northampton Town and Shamrock Rovers. Career Corry grew up in Castleknock, Dublin, and attended Belvedere College. Corry has represente ...
– soccer * Kevin Grogan - soccer * Pat Taaffe Cheltenham Gold Cup winner on the horse
Arkle Arkle (19 April 1957 – 31 May 1970) was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. A bay gelding by ''Archive'' out of ''Bright Cherry'', he was the grandson of the unbeaten (in 14 races) flat racehorse and prepotent sire Nearco. Arkle was bred by Mar ...
and Tom Taaffe - jockey and trainer * James McGee - tennis player

Olympians
* Noel Purcell –
water polo Water polo is a competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into the opposing team's goal. The team with th ...
, rugby union, international rugby union referee and Olympian separately with Great Britain at Antwerp 1920 and with Ireland at
Paris 1924 The 1924 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1924), officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIIe olympiade) and also known as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. The op ...
. * Peter Coghlan - Competed for Ireland in the Sydney 2000 Olympics in the 110 metres hurdles * Cian O'Connor – Olympian (
London 2012 The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, th ...
,
Athens 2004 The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...
–
equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or Riding in British English) Examples of this are: *Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes in ...
) * Barry Murphy – Olympian (
London 2012 The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, th ...
- swimming) * Scott Flanigan - Competed in the 470 class at the London 2012 Olympic Games

Gaelic sports
*
Seán Boylan Seán Boylan (born 12 December 1949) is an Irish former Gaelic football manager from Dunboyne, County Meath. He retired from his position as manager of the senior Meath county team on the evening of 31 August 2005 after twenty-three years in cha ...
– former
Meath GAA The Meath County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) ( ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Coiste na Mí) or Meath GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Meath, as well as for M ...
football manager, international rules coach and traditional medical herbalist *
Ger Brennan Ger Brennan is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for St Vincents and, formerly, for the Dublin county team. Early life From a family of nine, he attended Belvedere College. At Belvedere he played rugby, soccer, hurling and Gaelic football ...
– Former Dublin and St.Vincents GAA player and member of the 2003 Senior Rugby team 1st XV * Dr.
Jack McCaffrey Jack McCaffrey (born 19 October 1993) is a Gaelic footballer who plays for Clontarf. Early and personal life His father Noel also represented Dublin in football. McCaffrey attended Belvedere College private school and studied medicine at Univ ...
– GAA, 2015 FOTY and
Clontarf GAA Clontarf GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Clontarf, Dublin, Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain t ...
player

Business and professional
* Garrett Kelleher – construction * Michael Scott – architect who established Scott Tallon Walker * Sam Stephenson – architect who established Stephenson, Gibney & Associates * Alfred Edwin Jones – architect

Broadcasting
* John Bowman – broadcaster *
Ian Dempsey Ian Dempsey (born 16 January 1961) is an Irish presenter of television and breakfast radio. He is the long-running presenter of the breakfast show on Today FM, self-titled '' The Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show'', which runs from 6-9 am each weekday. ...
– radio DJ with
Today FM Today FM is an Irish national commercial FM radio station, owned and operated by Bauer Audio Ireland Limited. Broadcasting since 17 March 1997, it broadcasts mostly music, with a daily news and current affairs programme. Today FM holds a l ...
(Did not graduate) *
Henry Kelly Henry Kelly (born 17 April 1946) is an Irish radio and television broadcaster, actor and journalist. Early life Kelly was born in Athlone, County Westmeath, Ireland, and educated at Belvedere College SJ, and at University College Dublin, where ...
– BBC and RTE television presenter, radio disc jockey and the person on whom the character Henry Sellers in
Father Ted ''Father Ted'' is a sitcom created by Irish writers Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews and produced by British production company Hat Trick Productions for Channel 4. It aired over three series from 21 April 1995 until 1 May 1998, includin ...
was based * Sir
Terry Wogan Sir Michael Terence Wogan (; 3 August 1938 – 31 January 2016) was an Irish radio and television broadcaster who worked for the BBC in the UK for most of his career. Between 1993 and his semi-retirement in December 2009, his BBC Radio 2 week ...
– BBC and RTE broadcaster * Anton Savage – TV and Radio Host and PR advisor

Peers
* Edward Pakenham, Lord Silchester * Thomas Pakenham, 8th Earl of Longford – historian

Other
*
Edward Joseph Garland Edward Joseph Garland (March 16, 1887 – December 19, 1974) was a farmer, diplomat and a Canadian federal politician. He was born in Dublin, Ireland and attended Belvedere College and Trinity College Dublin. Political career Garland, an a ...
- Canadian
Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
for Alberta and diplomat * Arthur Beveridge - British military officer and Military Cross Holder, Norwegian War Cross holder and honorary physician to
George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of I ...
*
William Russell Grace William Russell Grace (May 10, 1832 – March 21, 1904) was an Irish-American politician, the first Roman Catholic mayor of New York City, and the founder of W. R. Grace and Company. Early life Grace was born in Ireland in Riverstown near the ...
- first Roman Catholic Mayor of New York City and founder of W. R. Grace and Company

Notable faculty
* * George Dempsey – model for Mr. Tate in ''Joyce's Portrait of an Artist'' and after whom a stream class "Dempsey" was named for a number of years * Phil Conway - Former PE teacher who competed for Ireland at the
1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 19 ...
in Munich in the Shot Put *
Michael Morrison Michael or Mike Morrison may refer to: * Michael Morrison (author) (born 1970), American author, software developer, and toy inventor * Mike Morrison (baseball) (1867–1955), 19th-century Major League Baseball pitcher * Mike Morrison (basketball ...
- photographer at the liberation of Bergen Belsen concentration camp * Peter McVerry - homelessness campaigner in Dublin * John Hennig - worked as a teacher for a period during the 1940s

See also
*
List of Jesuit schools The Jesuits (Society of Jesus) in the Catholic Church have founded and managed a number of educational institutions, including the notable secondary schools, colleges and universities listed here. Some of these universities are in the United Sta ...
* List of Jesuit sites in Ireland * List of alumni of Jesuit educational institutions

References

External links

Belvedere College website

Belvedere College Past Pupils Union website
{{Authority control Boys' schools in the Republic of Ireland Secondary schools in Dublin (city) Private schools in the Republic of Ireland Jesuit secondary schools in Ireland Educational institutions established in 1832

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