Clongowes Wood College SJ is a

voluntary Voluntary may refer to: * Voluntary (music) * Voluntary or volunteer, person participating via volunteering/volunteerism * Voluntary muscle contraction See also

* Voluntary action * Voluntariness, in law and philosophy * Voluntaryism, reje ...

boarding school for boys near

Clane Clane (; ) is a town in County Kildare, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, from Dublin. Its population of 7,280 makes it the eighth largest town in Kildare and the List of towns in the Republic of Ireland by population, 66th largest in Ireland. It ...

, County Kildare,

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, founded by the

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

in 1814, which features prominently in

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

semi-autobiographical novel An autobiographical novel is a form of novel using autofiction techniques, or the merging of autobiographical and fictive elements. The literary technique is distinguished from an autobiography or memoir by the stipulation of being fiction. Beca ...

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man ''A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man'' is the first novel of Irish writer James Joyce. A ''Künstlerroman'' written in a modernist style, it traces the religious and intellectual awakening of young Stephen Dedalus, Joyce's fictional al ...

''. One of five Jesuit schools in Ireland, it had 450 students in 2019. The school's current headmaster, Christopher Lumb, is the first lay headmaster in its history.

School

The school is a secondary boarding school for boys from Ireland and other parts of the world. The school is divided into three groups, known as "lines". The Third Line is for first and second year students, the Lower Line for third and fourth years, and the Higher Line for fifth and sixth years. Each year is known by a name, drawn from the Jesuit ''

Ratio Studiorum The ''Ratio atque Institutio Studiorum Societatis Iesu'' (''Method and System of the Studies of the Society of Jesus''), often abbreviated as ''Ratio Studiorum'' (Latin: ''Plan of Studies''), was a document that standardized the globally influen ...

'': Elements (first year), Rudiments (second), Grammar (third), Syntax (fourth), Poetry (fifth), and Rhetoric (sixth).

Buildings

The medieval castle was originally built in the 13th century by Stuart Cullen, an early

Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to: *Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066 * Anglo-Norman language **Anglo-Norman literature * Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 10 ...

warrior and landowner in northern Kildare. He had been given extensive lands in the area of Kill, Celbridge, and Mainham by his brother, Rurai Blaney, who had come to Ireland with Strongbow, the Earl of Pembroke. The castle is the residence of the religious community and was improved by a "

chocolate box Chocolate box art originally referred literally to decorations on chocolate boxes. Over the years, however, the terminology has changed; it is now applied broadly as an often pejorative term to describe paintings and designs that are overly ideal ...

" type restoration in the 18th century. It was rebuilt in 1718 by Stephen Fitzwilliam Browne and extended in 1788 by Thomas Wogan Browne. It is situated beside a ditch and wall—known as ramparts—constructed for the defence of the Pale in the 14th century. The building was completely refurbished in 2004 and the reception area was moved back there from the "1999 building." The castle is connected to the modern buildings by an elevated corridor hung with portraits, the Serpentine Gallery referred to by

. This gallery was completely demolished and rebuilt in 2004 as part of a redevelopment programme for the school buildings. Modern Section, Clongowes Wood College - Kildare, Ireland

Modern Section, Clongowes Wood College - Kildare, Ireland

In 1929 another wing was built at a cost of £135,000, presenting the rear façade of the school. It houses the main classrooms and the Elements, Rudiments, Grammar and Syntax dormitories. An expansion and modernisation was completed in 2000; the €4.8m project added another residential wing that included a 500-seat dining hall, kitchen, entrance hall, offices, and study/bedrooms for sixth year ("Rhetoric") students. The Boys' Chapel has an elaborate reredos, a large pipe organ in the gallery, and a sequence of Stations of the Cross painted by

Sean Keating Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Irish English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán (anglicized as '' Shaun/Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; anglic ...

. School tradition has it that the portrait of

Pontius Pilate Pontius Pilate (; grc-gre, Πόντιος Πιλᾶτος, ) was the fifth governor of the Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from 26/27 to 36/37 AD. He is best known for being the official who presided over the trial of ...

in the 12th station was based on the school rector, who had refused to pay the artist his asking price. The moat that outlines the nearby forest of the college is the old border of

The Pale The Pale (Irish: ''An Pháil'') or the English Pale (' or ') was the part of Ireland directly under the control of the English government in the Late Middle Ages. It had been reduced by the late 15th century to an area along the east coast st ...

, with the Wogan-Browne castle (now the residence of the Jesuit community) landmarking its edge. Chapel Clongowes Wood College - Kildare, Ireland

Altar of Chapel Clongowes Wood College - Kildare, Ireland

History

The school traces its history back to a estate owned by the Wogan family in 1418 under the reign of Henry IV. The name "Clongowes" comes from the Irish for "meadow" (''cluain'') and for "blacksmith" (''gobha''). The estate was originally known as "Clongowes de Silva" (''de Silva'' meaning "of the wood" in Latin). The estate later passed to the Eustace family and became part of the fortified border of

the Pale The Pale (Irish: ''An Pháil'') or the English Pale (' or ') was the part of Ireland directly under the control of the English government in the Late Middle Ages. It had been reduced by the late 15th century to an area along the east coast st ...

in 1494. The Eustaces lost their estates during the

Restoration (1660) The Restoration of the Stuart monarchy in the kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland took place in 1660 when King Charles II returned from exile in continental Europe. The preceding period of the Protectorate and the civil wars came to b ...

. The estate was sold by the Wogan-Brownes to the Jesuits in March 1814 for £16,000. First Pupil James McLornan Plaque

The school accepted its first pupil, James McLornan, on 18 May 1814. In 1886 the Jesuit-run

St Stanislaus College St Stanislaus College (often called Tullabeg College) was a Jesuit boys boarding school, novitiate and philosophy school, in Tullabeg, Rahan, County Offaly. St Carthage founded a monastery of 800 monks there in 595 before founding his monaste ...

in Tullabeg, County Offaly, was amalgamated with Clongowes Wood College. Joseph Dargan served as rector in the 1970s. Leonard Moloney was the headmaster from 2004 to 2015. Michael Sheil retired as rector in 2006 and Bruce Bradley (headmaster 1992–2000) was his successor. In September 2011 Michael Sheil returned as rector. As of 2021, there are four Jesuits living at the school. Two priests and two brothers. Clongowes is also part of an initiative to ease religious tensions in Turkey, currently being headed by Alan McGuckian (former teacher in Clongowes now Bishop of Raphoe) in Istanbul.

Prefect of Studies/Headmaster

* Francis Mahony * John Conmee (1883-1887) * James Daly (1887-1916) * Larry Kieran (1917-1925) * Mathias Bodkin (1933-1937) * Brian McMahon (1944-1947) * Hilary Lawton (1948-1959) * Raymond J Lawler (1959-1962) * Joseph Marmion (1962-1965) * Paddy Crowe (1971–1976) * Philip Fogarty (July 1976 – Aug 1987) * Liam O'Connell (1987-1992) * Bruce Bradley (1992-2000) * Dermot Murray (2000–2004) * Leonard Moloney (2004–2015) * Chris Lumb (2015–present) – first lay headmaster

Rectors

* Peter Kenney (1814–1817) – founder of the college * Charles Aylmer (1817–1820) – took out lease of land for

Tullabeg College St Stanislaus College (often called Tullabeg College) was a Jesuit boys boarding school, novitiate and philosophy school, in Tullabeg, Rahan, County Offaly. St Carthage founded a monastery of 800 monks there in 595 before founding his monaste ...

* Peter Kenney (1821–1830) * Bartholomew Esmonde (1829–1836) * Robert Haly (1836–1841) and (1842–1850) * Michael A Kavanagh (1850–1855) *

Robert Carbery Robert Carbery SJ (1829–1903) was an Irish Jesuit priest, who served as Rector of Clongowes Wood College, and President of University College Dublin. Born in Youghal, County Cork in 1829. He studied for a time at Trinity College, Dublin, then at ...

(1870-1876) * John Conmee (1885-1891) * Matthew Devitt (1891-1900) * Matthew Devitt (1907-) * Charles Mulcahy (1919–1921) * George Redington Roche (1927-1933) * Hilary Lawton (1959-1965) * Frank Joy (1965-1968) * Paddy Crowe (1968–71 and 1992–95) * Jack Brennan * Joseph Dargan (1977–1979) * Paddy Carberry (1980–1983) * Kieran Hanley (1983–) * Dermot Murray (1995–2000) * Michael Sheil (2000–2006) * Bruce Bradley (2006–2011) * Michael Sheil (2011–present)

Historical accounts

One early history of the school is ''The Clongowes Record 1814–1932'' by Timothy Corcoran (Browne and Nolan, Dublin, 1932). A half-century later, a history was written by Roland Burke Savage and published in ''The Clongownian'' school magazine during the 1980s; that same decade,

Peter Costello Peter Howard Costello (born 14 August 1957) is an Australian businessman, lawyer and former politician who served as the treasurer of Australia in government of John Howard from 1996 to 2007. He is the longest-serving treasurer in Australia' ...

wrote ''Clongowes Wood: a History of Clongowes Wood College 1814–1989'', published by Gill and Macmillan, Dublin, 1989). Statue of Ignatius of Loyola in reception Clongowes Wood College - Kildare, Ireland

Statue of Ignatius of Loyola in reception Clongowes Wood College - Kildare, Ireland

Sport

Clongowes is known for its strong pedigree in

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 ...

. Despite a relatively small size, Clongowes has won the

Leinster Schools Rugby Senior Cup The Leinster Schools Senior Challenge Cup is the premier rugby union competition for secondary schools affiliated to the Leinster Branch of the IRFU. First held in 1887, the competition celebrated its 120th anniversary in 2007. Attendances are ...

on nine occasions, winning its first final in 1926. Following this, there was a gap of 52 years until the next title in 1978. Beginning with a 3rd title in 1988 and up until 2011, Clongowes has appeared in 13 finals, more than any other school in the competition during this period. Clongowes secured a first set of back-to-back titles with wins in 2010 and 2011 before being awarded a joint title in the 2020 season which was cut short because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cultural associations

The school featured prominently in

's semi-autobiographical novel ''

''. A documentary depicting a year in the life in the school was screened in 2001 as part of RTÉ's ''True Lives'' series. The popular fictional series of ''

Ross O'Carroll Kelly Ross O'Carroll-Kelly is a satirical fictional Irish character, a wealthy South County Dublin rugby union jock created by journalist Paul Howard. The character first appeared in a January 1998 column in the ''Sunday Tribune'' newspaper and late ...

'' has mentioned Clongowes Wood on a number of occasions in the book and ''

Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

'' column.

Selected notable past pupils

Arts and media

Maurice Healy (writer) Maurice F. Healy BL, (1887–1943) was an Irish lawyer and author, who is best remembered for his legal memoir ''The Old Munster Circuit''. He was born in Cork, son of the well-known solicitor Maurice Healy and nephew of Timothy Michael Heal ...

, author of the celebrated memoir ''The Old Munster Circuit'' *

Nick Hewer Nicholas Radbourn Hewer (born 17 February 1944) is a retired English television presenter, company director (2010) and former public relations consultant. From 2005 to 2014, he appeared as Alan Sugar's adviser in the British television series ...

, public relations guru and features on popular shows such as Countdown and The Apprentice. *

Aidan Higgins Aidan Higgins (3 March 1927 – 27 December 2015) was an Irish writer. He wrote short stories, travel pieces, radio drama and novels. Among his published works are '' Langrishe, Go Down'' (1966), '' Balcony of Europe'' (1972) and the biographic ...

, writer *

, writer * Francis Sylvester Mahony, 19th-century humorist known by the pen name "Father Prout" *

Paul McGuinness Paul McGuinness (born 16 June 1951) is the founder of ''Principle Management Limited'', a popular music act management company based in Dublin, in the Republic of Ireland. He was the manager of the rock band U2 from 1978 to 2013. Early life ...

, former business manager for the Irish rock band U2 *

David McSavage David Andrews (born 5 February 1966), known professionally as David McSavage, is an Irish stand-up comedian, comedy writer and street performer, known for his television show "The Savage Eye".Charles Mitchel, RTÉ's first newsreader *

Micheal O'Siadhail Micheal O'Siadhail ( ga, Mícheál Ó Siadhail ; born 12 January 1947) is an Irish poet. Among his awards are The Marten Toonder Prize and The Irish American Culture Institute Prize for Literature. Early life Micheal O'Siadhail was born into ...

, Irish poet *

Kieran Prendiville Kieran Prendiville (born 25 December 1947) is an English-Irish television writer, producer, and presenter. Early life Prendiville was born on 25 December 1947 in Rochdale, Lancashire, the son of an Irish father from Killorglin, County Kerry, ...

, television writer, producer, and creator of the BBC drama ''Ballykissangel'' * John Ryan, artist, broadcaster, publisher, critic, editor, patron and publican *

Sydney Bernard Smith Sydney Bernard Smith (4 August 1936 – 11 October 2008) was a Scots-Irish poet, dramatist, actor and novelist. Biography He was born in Glasgow, his father was from Forfar, Angus and his mother from Co. Clare. He was brought up in Portstewar ...

, poet, author, actor, and dramatist *

Patrick James Smyth Patrick James Smyth (Irish name O'Gowan or ''Mac Gabhainn''; 1823/1826 – 12 January 1885), also known as Nicaragua Smyth, was an Irish politician and journalist. A Young Irelander in 1848, and subsequently a journalist in American exile, fro ...

, journalist * J. T. Walsh, US film actor

Law

Sir ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...

Donnell Deeny Sir Donnell Justin Patrick Deeny , KC, SC (born 25 April 1950), styled as the Rt Hon Sir Donnell Deeny, is a mediator and arbitrator (ACIArb) and a former member of the Court of Appeal of Northern Ireland. Sir Donnell is also member of the Court ...

, judge in the

High Court of Northern Ireland The courts of Northern Ireland are the civil and criminal courts responsible for the administration of justice in Northern Ireland: they are constituted and governed by the law of Northern Ireland. Prior to the partition of Ireland, Northern Ir ...

, Pro-Chancellor of the University of Dublin * Nial Fennelly, judge of the Supreme Court of Ireland, former Advocate General of the European Court of Justice * Thomas Finlay, former Irish Fine Gael politician and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Ireland * James FitzGerald-Kenney, Irish politician, former Minister for Justice *

Raymond Groarke Raymond Groarke (born 1952) is an Irish judge who was a judge of the Circuit Court between 1996 and 2022. He was the President of the Circuit Court from June 2012 to July 2019. He was previously a barrister. Early life Groarke was born in ...

. President of the Circuit Court *

Alan Mahon Alan Joseph Mahon (born 4 April 1978) is an Irish former professional footballer who played a midfielder and was capped by the Republic of Ireland. Playing career Club career Early career Dublin-born Mahon, who was educated at St. James Str ...

, judge of the Court of Appeal (Ireland) * James Patrick Mahon, known as the O'Gorman Mahon, journalist, barrister, parliamentarian * Sir Richard Martin, High Sheriff of Dublin (1866) *

Niall McCarthy (judge) Niall McCarthy (25 May 1925 – 2 October 1992) was an Irish judge who served as a Judge of the Supreme Court from 1982 to 1992. Early life McCarthy was born in Cork in 1925. He was the son of a district court judge. He was educated at Clongowe ...

, Justice of the Supreme Court of Ireland *

Tom O'Higgins Thomas Francis O'Higgins (23 July 1916 – 25 February 2003) was an Irish Fine Gael politician, barrister and judge who served as Chief Justice of Ireland from 1974 to 1985, a Judge of the European Court of Justice from 1985 to 1991, a Judge of ...

, former Chief Justice of Ireland, former Minister for Health, Judge of the European Court of Justice * Daniel O'Keeffe, chairperson of the Standards in Public Office Commission, former judge of the High Court *

Christopher Palles Christopher Palles (25 December 1831 – 14 February 1920) was an Irish barrister, Solicitor-General, Attorney-General and a judge for over 40 years. His biographer, Vincent Thomas Hyginus Delany, described him as "the greatest of the Irish judg ...

, the most eminent Irish judge of his time *

John Joseph Sheil PC, Lord Justice of Appeal in Northern Ireland * James John Skinner, first Minister of Justice of the Republic of Zambia and former Chief Justice of Malawi

Politics and diplomacy

Frederick Boland Frederick Henry Boland (11 January 1904 – 4 December 1985) was an Irish diplomat who served as the first Irish Ambassador to both the United Kingdom and the United Nations. Family and education Frederick Boland was born on 11 January 1904 a ...

, first Irish ambassador to the United Kingdom and to the United Nations, Chancellor of the University of Dublin *

John Bruton John Gerard Bruton (born 18 May 1947) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 1994 to 1997, Ambassador of the European Union to the United States from 2004 to 2009, Leader of Fine Gael from 1990 to 2001, Leader o ...

, former Taoiseach of Ireland *

Richard Bruton Richard Bruton (born 15 March 1953) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for Dublin Bay North since 2016, and previously from 1982 to 2016 for the Dublin North-Central constituency. He is the Chairman of th ...

, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation *

Simon Coveney Simon Coveney (born 16 June 1972) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment since December 2022 and Deputy Leader of Fine Gael since 2017. He previously served as Minister for Foreign Affai ...

, Former Tánaiste, Current Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs *

Edmund Dwyer-Gray Edmund John Chisholm Dwyer-Gray (2 April 18706 December 1945) was an Irish-Australian politician, who was the 29th Premier of Tasmania from 11 June to 18 December 1939. He was a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). Early life He was bo ...

, 29th Premier of Tasmania * Andrew Kettle, Irish nationalist politician and founder member of the

Irish Land League The Irish National Land League ( Irish: ''Conradh na Talún'') was an Irish political organisation of the late 19th century which sought to help poor tenant farmers. Its primary aim was to abolish landlordism in Ireland and enable tenant farme ...

Thomas Kettle Thomas Michael Kettle (9 February 1880 – 9 September 1916) was an Irish economist, journalist, barrister, writer, war poet, soldier and Home Rule politician. As a member of the Irish Parliamentary Party, he was Member of Parliament (MP) for ...

, Irish journalist, barrister, writer, poet, soldier, economist and Home Rule politician *

Gilbert Laithwaite Sir John Gilbert Laithwaite (5 July 1894 – 21 December 1986) was a British civil servant and diplomat, born and raised in Ireland. He reached the top of his profession, becoming Permanent Secretary of the Commonwealth Relations Office in 1955 ...

, former British ambassador to Ireland and High Commissioner to Pakistan * Patrick Little, Irish Fianna Fáil politician and Government Minister, most notably as the country's longest-serving Minister for Posts & Telegraphs * Enoch Louis Lowe, 33rd Governor of the US state of Maryland * Patrick McGilligan, former Irish Minister for Industry and Commerce *

Thomas Francis Meagher Thomas Francis Meagher (; 3 August 18231 July 1867) was an Irish nationalist and leader of the Young Irelanders in the Rebellion of 1848. After being convicted of sedition, he was first sentenced to death, but received transportation for life ...

, Irish nationalist and leader of the

Young Ireland Young Ireland ( ga, Éire Óg, ) was a political and cultural movement in the 1840s committed to an all-Ireland struggle for independence and democratic reform. Grouped around the Dublin weekly ''The Nation'', it took issue with the compromise ...

ers *

Purcell O'Gorman Purcell O'Gorman (1820 – 24 November 1888) was an Irish nationalist politician and Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, elected as a member of the Home Rule League to represent Waterford City. He was elected only ...

, soldier and

Home Rule League The Home Rule League (1873–1882), sometimes called the Home Rule Party, was an Irish political party which campaigned for home rule for Ireland within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, until it was replaced by the Irish Parliam ...

politicianBrendan Barrington, ed., ''The Dublin Review'' issues 10–13 (2003), p. 15 *

Kevin O'Higgins Kevin Christopher O'Higgins ( ga, Caoimhghín Críostóir Ó hUigín; 7 June 1892 – 10 July 1927) was an Irish politician who served as Vice-President of the Executive Council and Minister for Justice from 1922 to 1927, Minister for External ...

, former Irish Vice-president of the Executive Council and Minister for Justice *

Michael O'Higgins Michael Joseph O'Higgins (1 November 1917 – 9 March 2005) was an Irish Fine Gael politician who served as Leader of the Seanad from 1973 to 1977. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1948 to 1951 and 1954 to 1969. He also served as a Senato ...

, former Fine Gael TD and leader of the Seanad *

Donogh O'Malley Donogh Brendan O'Malley (18 January 1921 – 10 March 1968) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and rugby union player who served as Minister for Education from 1966 to 1968, Minister for Health from 1965 to 1966 and Parliamentary Secretary ...

, former Irish Minister for Health and Minister for Education *

James O'Mara page=2, alt=British Army intelligence file for James O'Mara, British Army intelligence file for James O'Mara, class=notpageimage James O'Mara (6 August 1873 – 21 November 1948) was an Irish businessman and politician who became a nationalist ...

, nationalist leader and key member of the First Dáil * The O'Rahilly, Irish Volunteer, killed in the Easter Rising * John M. O'Sullivan,

Cumann na nGaedheal Cumann na nGaedheal (; "Society of the Gaels") was a political party in the Irish Free State, which formed the government from 1923 to 1932. In 1933 it merged with smaller groups to form the Fine Gael party. Origins In 1922 the pro-Treaty ...

politician, cabinet minister and academic * Cornelius James Pelly, Irish diplomat *

John Redmond John Edward Redmond (1 September 1856 – 6 March 1918) was an Irish nationalist politician, barrister, and MP in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. He was best known as leader of the moderate Irish Parliamentary Party (IPP) from ...

, Irish nationalist politician, barrister, MP in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party from 1900 to 1918

Military

* Francis Clery, British Army General who commanded 2nd Division during the Second Boer War *

Eugene Esmonde Lieutenant Commander Eugene Esmonde, (1 March 1909 – 12 February 1942) was a distinguished Irish pilot in the Fleet Air Arm who was a posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy awa ...

, Second World War pilot and posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross *

Aidan MacCarthy Air Commodore Joseph Aidan MacCarthy, (19 March 1913 – 11 October 1995) was an Irish doctor of the Royal Air Force and a prisoner of war to the Japanese during the Second World War. He survived the atomic bombing of Nagasaki in 1945. Early ...

, Air Commodore RAF, Doctor, author of 'A Doctor's War' *

Pat Reid Patrick Robert Reid, (13 November 1910 – 22 May 1990) was a British Army officer and author of history. As a British prisoner of war during the Second World War, he was held captive at Colditz Castle when it was designated Oflag IV-C. Reid wa ...

, British Army officer who escaped from Colditz and noted nonfiction and historical author

Religion

* James Corboy SJ, First Roman Catholic Bishop of Monze, Zambia (1962-1992), Rector of Milltown (1959-1962) * Joseph Dalton, Jesuit who founded a number of schools and churches in Australia *

John Charles McQuaid John Charles McQuaid, C.S.Sp. (28 July 1895 – 7 April 1973), was the Catholic Primate of Ireland and Archbishop of Dublin between December 1940 and January 1972. He was known for the unusual amount of influence he had over successive govern ...

, Catholic Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland between 1940 and 1972 *The

O'Conor Don The O'Conor family (Middle Irish: ''Ó Conchubhair''; Modern ga, Ó Conchúir) are an Irish noble house and were one of the most influential and distinguished royal houses in Ireland. The O'Conor family held the throne of the Kingdom of C ...

, Charles O'Conor *

Patrick Finbar Ryan Patrick Finbar Ryan, TC, O.P., (1881-1975) was an Irish Dominican priest who served as Archbishop of Port of Spain, Trinidad (1940–1966). Patrick Ryan was born in Rochestown, County Cork, the son of Edward Ryan, and Matilda Ryan. on 4 March ...

, O.P., (1881-1975), Dominican priest, served as Archbishop of Port of Spain, Trinidad (1940–1966)

Science and medicine

* Francis Cruise (surgeon), Irish surgeon and urologist best known for inventing an endoscope * Daniel Joseph Kelly O'Connell, SJ, Jesuit, astronomer and seismologist, Director of Riverview and the Vatican Observatory, president of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences(1968-72), the O'Connell effect named after him. * Oliver St John Gogarty, surgeon, writer, critic, and inspiration for Buck Mulligan in James Joyce's ''Ulysses'' *

James Bayley Butler James Bayley Butler Order of the British Empire, MBE Royal Irish Academy, MRIA (8 April 1884 – 21 February 1964) was an Irish biologist and Academia, academic, and was considered the foremost expert on the fungus which causes dry rot. Life J ...

- Academic biologist and Zoologist

Business

* Aidan Heavey, CEO of Tullow Oil *

Barry O'Callaghan Barry O'Callaghan (born 1969) is a business executive and financier. Currently he is the Chairman and CEO of Rise Global. He formerly led Riverdeep for a decade, later known as EMPG and HMH. He grew the small educational software company into th ...

, chairman and CEO of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and the Chairman of Education Media & Publishing Group * Michael O'Leary, CEO of Ryanair *

Tony O'Reilly, Junior St. John Anthony O'Reilly, generally Tony O'Reilly, Junior (born 1966 in Dublin) is a businessman with Irish and Australian citizenship, the third son and sixth child of former Heinz Chairman & CEO and Irish media magnate Tony O'Reilly and Au ...

, Irish businessman * Michael Smurfit, Businessman, former CEO of Jefferson Smurfit Group

Sports

Tadhg Beirne Tadhg Gerard Beirne (; born 8 January 1992) is an Irish rugby union player, currently playing for Munster in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. His primary playing position is lock, but can also play in the b ...

, Irish rugby union international, British & Irish Lion #838, Munster rugby player * Brian Carney, Irish rugby league player *

Will Connors Will Connors (born 4 April 1996) is an Irish rugby union player for Pro14 and European Rugby Champions Cup side Leinster, and for the Ireland national rugby union team. He plays in the back-row, primarily as an flanker. Early life Connors w ...

, Irish rugby union international, Leinster Rugby Player and former Ireland sevens player *

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 ...

, Irish rugby union player, British & Irish Lion #53, British Army soldier and doctor, Awarded the V.C. *

Gordon D'Arcy Gordon William D'Arcy (born 10 February 1980, in Ferns, County Wexford) is a retired Irish rugby player who played most of his career at inside centre. He played for Irish provincial side Leinster for his entire professional career and is seco ...

, Irish rugby union international, British & Irish Lion #720, Leinster rugby player *

Ted Durcan Thomas Edward Durcan (born 25 February 1973) is a retired, two-time British Classic-winning Irish jockey. He was champion jockey in the United Arab Emirates on seven occasions and rode over 1,000 winners in Great Britain in career lasting fr ...

, Champion Flat Jockey, Winner of multiple global classic races *

Paddy Hopkirk Patrick Barron Hopkirk (14 April 1933 – 21 July 2022) was a rally driver from Northern Ireland. Hopkirk was appointed MBE in the 2016 New Year Honours list. In early 2016, Hopkirk became the IAM RoadSmart Mature Drivers Ambassador. Early ...

, International Rally driver, winner of Monte Carlo Rally * David Kearney, Irish rugby union international, Leinster rugby player *

Rob Kearney Robert Kearney (born 26 March 1986) is an Irish rugby union former player. He played for 15 years for Leinster followed by a 6 month stint in Australia, playing for Perth based side Western Force. He also played over a decade for the Ireland n ...

, Irish rugby union international, British & Irish Lion #766, Leinster rugby player * James Magee, Irish cricketer and rugby union player, British & Irish Lion #56 *

Fergus McFadden Fergus McFadden (born Kildare 17 June 1986) is an Irish professional rugby union player for Leinster. He played both as a centre and on the wing. Career Early career McFadden started playing rugby as a boy when he played mini rugby with Cil ...

, Irish rugby union international, Leinster rugby player. * Max McFarland, Scotland rugby sevens international * Noel Purcell, Irish rugby union player, Irish & GB water polo Olympian, the first man to have represented two countries at the Olympics * Patrick Quinlan, Australian cricketer and lawyer * Arthur Robinson, Irish first-class cricketer

Partner schools

Aloisiuskolleg The Aloisiuskolleg is a co-educational, Jesuit (Catholic), University-preparatory school in Bonn-Bad Godesberg, Germany, which includes boarders. It is named for Saint Aloysius Gonzaga. Highly ranked academically, it is considered one of the m ...

, Jesuit boarding school in

Bonn The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ru ...

Bad Godesberg Bad Godesberg ( ksh, Bad Jodesbersch) is a borough ('' Stadtbezirk'') of Bonn, southern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. From 1949 to 1999, while Bonn was the capital of West Germany, most foreign embassies were in Bad Godesberg. Some buildings ar ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

* Collegium Augustinianum Gaesdonck, boarding school in

Goch Goch (; archaic spelling: Gog, Dutch: Gogh) is a town in the district of Kleve, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated close to the border with the Siebengewald in Netherlands, approx. south of Kleve, and southeast of Nijmegen. Hi ...

Enniskillen Royal Grammar School Enniskillen Royal Grammar School, located in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, is an academically selective, co-educational, non-denominational voluntary grammar school. The school opened its doors on 1 September 2016. Two former ...

, voluntary grammar school in

Enniskillen Enniskillen ( , from ga, Inis Ceithleann , ' Ceithlenn's island') is the largest town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the middle of the county, between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 13,823 a ...

, Co. Fermanagh * Kolleg St. Blasien, Jesuit boarding school in St. Blasien,

Saint Ignatius' College, Riverview Saint Ignatius' College Riverview is an Australian independent single-sex primary and secondary day and boarding school for boys, conducted in the Jesuit tradition, located in Riverview, a small suburb located on the Lane Cove River on the ...

, Jesuit boarding school in Sydney, Australia * Passy-Buzenval, Catholic private school,

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

* St Joseph's College, Hunters Hill, Marist Brothers boarding school in Sydney, Australia *

St Aloysius' College (Sydney) St Aloysius' College is an Education in Australia#Independent schools, independent Catholic school, Catholic Primary school, primary and Secondary school, secondary day school for boys, located in Kirribilli, a suburb on the North Shore (Sydney), ...

, Jesuit Day School in Sydney, Australia

References

External links

Clongowes Wood College websiteClongowes Youth Club
{{Authority control 1814 establishments in Ireland Educational institutions established in 1814 Secondary schools in County Kildare Boys' schools in the Republic of Ireland Private schools in the Republic of Ireland Jesuit secondary schools in Ireland Catholic boarding schools Clane