Mount Temple Comprehensive School is a
secondary school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...
in
Clontarf, Dublin
Clontarf () is a largely affluent coastal suburb on the Northside of Dublin in the city's Dublin 3 postal district. Historically there were two centres of population, one on the coast towards the city, and the fishing village of Clontarf Sheds, ...
, Ireland. The school operates under the patronage of the
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the second ...
Archbishop of Dublin, and has, as a primary objective, the provision of state-funded second-level education to the Protestant population of northern Dublin, while accepting pupils of all religions, and none. The school was established in 1972 following the amalgamation of Mountjoy School, Hibernian Marine School in coastal Clontarf, and Bertrand & Rutland School.
Students
Mount Temple Comprehensive School had about 450 students when it opened in 1972, which rose to over 700 students in the 1980-90s and from 2010 to 2020 had almost 900 students. There have been plans for many years for a new school to be built on site to cater for these extra students. In October 2020, the planning inspector recommended planning permission be granted, despite some local objections, clearing the way to build a three-storey school that can accommodate one thousand students.
Popular culture
Mount Temple was the school where the rock band
U2 was formed. In September 1976, 14-year-old drummer
Larry Mullen Jr.
Laurence Joseph Mullen Jr. (; born 31 October 1961) is an Irish musician, best known as the drummer and co-founder of the rock band U2.
Mullen was born in Dublin, where he attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School. In 1976, he co-founded U2 ...
posted a notice on the school's
noticeboard
A bulletin board (pinboard, pin board, noticeboard, or notice board in British English) is a surface intended for the posting of public messages, for example, to advertise items wanted or for sale, announce events, or provide information. B ...
, looking for fellow musicians. All four members of U2 are former pupils of the school.
Christopher Nolan
Christopher Edward Nolan (born 30 July 1970) is a British-American filmmaker. Known for his lucrative Cinema of the United States, Hollywood blockbusters with complex storytelling, Nolan is considered a leading filmmaker of the 21st century. ...
's autobiographical novel ''Under the Eye of the Clock'', which won the
Whitbread Award
The Costa Book Awards were a set of annual literary awards recognising English-language books by writers based in UK and Ireland. Originally named the Whitbread Book Awards from 1971 to 2005 after its first sponsor, the Whitbread company, then ...
, is based around his time in Mount Temple.
The school now awards "Eye of the Clock Awards" for contributions to school life and academic achievement.
Summer activities
During the summer months the whole school facility is used by the Centre of English Studies (CES), catering for hundreds of international students who come to Dublin to learn English.
History
Three schools
Hibernian Marine School was a
charity school
Charity schools, sometimes called blue coat schools, or simply the Blue School, were significant in the history of education in England. They were built and maintained in various parishes by the voluntary contributions of the inhabitants to ...
founded in 1766, originally to provide for the orphans and children of seamen. The school was originally located in
Ringsend
Ringsend () is a Southside (Dublin), southside inner suburb of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located on the south bank of the River Liffey and east of the River Dodder, about two kilometres east of the city centre. It is the sou ...
, and moved to a new premises on Sir John Rogerson's Quay in 1773.
In 1904 it moved to Seafield Road in Clontarf, where the Seacourt estate now stands.
Mountjoy School was a
boarding school
A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...
in Mountjoy Square (in the same building was the ''Incorporated Society for Promoting Protestant Schools''), founded in 1896. It later moved to the current location in Clontarf in 1948.
Bertrand & Rutland School was in
Eccles Street
Eccles Street () is a street in Dublin, Ireland.
History
Eccles Street began on 6 March 1769 when Isaac-Ambrose Eccles leased three parcels of land in the area. The street is named after his family, including his grandfather Sir John Eccles, L ...
on the
northside
Northside or North Side may refer to:
Music
* Northside (band), a musical group from Manchester, England
* NorthSide, an American record label
* NorthSide Festival (Denmark), a music festival in Aarhus, Denmark
* "Norf Norf", a 2015 song by Vinc ...
of Dublin. It was a Church of Ireland School, which was itself formed formed by a 1947 merger of Rutland School and Bertrand High school, the latter of which was in turn formed by the amalgamation of Bethesda Female Orphan School and Bertrand Female Orphan School in 1943. The ''Bertrand and Rutland Fund'' still funds scholarships to Protestant schools in Ireland.
Amalgamations
Hibernian Marine School amalgamated with Mountjoy School in 1968 and became Mountjoy & Marine School. The school later amalgamated with Bertrand & Rutland and took the name of Mount Temple Comprehensive School in 1972.
Site
Mount Temple was once a residence for the agent of the Earl of Charlemont.
The present house was built by the magistrate
J. C. Stronge in 1860, and was a family home to
Elizabeth Bowen
Elizabeth Bowen CBE (; 7 June 1899 – 22 February 1973) was an Irish-British novelist and short story writer notable for her books about the "big house" of Irish landed Protestants as well her fiction about life in wartime London.
Life
E ...
.
For a period, the estate was owned by Thomas Picton-Bradshaw and known as ''Bradshaws''.[ Mountjoy School then took possession in 1949 prior to the merger that formed Mount Temple Comprehensive.][
]
Notable alumni
* Shaun Aisbitt, Ireland's tallest man
* Steve Averill
Steve Averill (born 1950) is an Irish graphic artist, art director, writer, musician, and former punk rock vocalist. He, along with his company, AMP Visual (previously Four5One Creative), has designed all the album covers for the Irish band U2. ...
, musician, designer working closely with U2
* Amanda Brunker
Amanda Brunker (born 12 June 1974) is a novelist, journalist and columnist for the Irish '' Sunday World'' tabloid newspaper, and former Miss Ireland.
After attending Mount Temple Comprehensive School she turned to modelling, entering and winnin ...
, former Miss Ireland
* Linda Brunker, sculptor
* Diane Caldwell
Diane Evelyn Caldwell (born 11 September 1988) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a defender for Reading of the English Women's Super League and the Republic of Ireland national team.
Having played in her native Ireland with Rah ...
, Irish international footballer
* Adam Clayton
Adam Charles Clayton (born 13 March 1960) is an English-born Irish musician who is the bass guitarist of the rock band U2. He has resided in County Dublin, Ireland since his family moved to Malahide in 1965, when he was five years old. Cla ...
, musician, best known as the bassist of the Irish rock band U2
* Damien Dempsey
Damien Dempsey (born 9 June 1975) is an Irish singer and songwriter who mixes traditional Irish folk contemporary lyrics that deliver social and political commentaries on Irish society. Damien sings in his native, working class accent in the Eng ...
, musician
* David Howell "The Edge" Evans, musician, best known as the guitarist, backing vocalist, and keyboardist of the Irish rock band U2
* Dik Evans
Richard G. "Dik" (also "Dick") Evans (born 1957) is an English-born Irish musician best known as a founder of the band Virgin Prunes and an early member of the band that would become U2. Dik and his younger brother David "the Edge" Evans, U2's ...
, brother of David Howell "The Edge" Evans and founder member of The Hype and Feedback, previous incarnations of the band U2
* Frank Ll. Harrison, musicologist
* Ali Hewson
Alison Hewson (née Stewart; born 23 March 1961) is an Irish activist and businesswoman. She is the wife of singer and musician Paul Hewson, known as Bono, from the rock group U2.
Raised in Raheny, she met her future husband at age 12 at Mou ...
, activist, businesswoman and wife of U2 frontman Bono
* Paul David "Bono" Hewson, frontman of U2, and husband of activist and businesswoman, Ali Hewson.
* Robert Hilliard
Robert Martin Hilliard (7 April 1904 – 22 February 1937) was an Olympic boxer, Irish republican, Church of Ireland minister and communist. He was killed in the Spanish Civil War fighting in the International Brigades.
Biography
Hilliard was ...
, Olympic boxer, Church of Ireland minister, journalist, and communist who died fighting with the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War
* Mick Kearney
Mick Kearney (born 29 March 1991) is an Irish rugby union player, currently playing for Irish side Ulster in the United Rugby Championship. His primary position is lock, though he has also played as a flanker.
Career
Club
Kearney, who is or ...
, player with 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 Rugby ...
* Becky Lynch
Rebecca Quin (born 30 January 1987) is an Irish professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE under the ring name Becky Lynch where she performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand. Lynch is one of WWE's most recognizable and ...
, professional wrestler (WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
)
* Andrew Maxwell
Andrew Maxwell (born 3 December 1974) is an Irish comedian and narrator, known for narrating the MTV reality series ''Ex on the Beach''.
Career
In 1992, Maxwell tried stand-up comedy for the first time at the Comedy Cellar at The Internationa ...
, comedian
* Alan Maybury
Alan Paul Maybury (born 8 August 1978) is an Irish professional football coach and former player, who currently manages Scottish League One club Edinburgh.
Maybury was a defender, who could play in either full-back position. He played for Le ...
, Irish football international
* Neil McCormick
Neil McCormick (born 31 March 1961) is a British music journalist, author and broadcaster. He has been Chief Music Critic for ''The Daily Telegraph'' since 1996, and presented a music interview show for Vintage TV in the UK, Neil McCormick's Nee ...
, music journalist
* Sir David McMurtry
Sir David Roberts McMurtry, (born 15 March 1940) is an Irish-British billionaire, the co-founder and executive chairman of Renishaw plc, the UK's largest supplier of metrology equipment. As of October 2021, his net worth was estimated at US$1. ...
, industrialist, co-founder of metrology company Renishaw plc
Renishaw plc is a British engineering company based in Wotton-under-Edge, England. The company's products include coordinate-measuring machines and machine tool products. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE ...
, based in Wotton-under-Edge.
* Larry Mullen Jr.
Laurence Joseph Mullen Jr. (; born 31 October 1961) is an Irish musician, best known as the drummer and co-founder of the rock band U2.
Mullen was born in Dublin, where he attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School. In 1976, he co-founded U2 ...
, musician and the drummer for the rock band U2
* Christopher Nolan
Christopher Edward Nolan (born 30 July 1970) is a British-American filmmaker. Known for his lucrative Cinema of the United States, Hollywood blockbusters with complex storytelling, Nolan is considered a leading filmmaker of the 21st century. ...
, author
* Mark O'Neill, television presenter
* Duncan Smith, Labour Party TD for Dublin Fingal
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 cen ...
Notable faculty
* Elspeth Henderson
Elspeth Henderson is former World Board Chairman of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) and an educational consultant. She is Irish people, Irish.
Educational career
Henderson is a former vice-principal and principal o ...
, president of Irish Girl Guides
The Irish Girl Guides ( ga, Treoracha Cailíní na hÉireann) is a Girl Guides organisation in the Republic of Ireland.
Together with the Catholic Guides of Ireland, it forms the Council of Irish Guiding Associations. Whereas the Catholic Gui ...
* Patrick Hughes, former Irish cricket international
* Colin McKenzie, head of Irish Kidney AssociationU2’S Former Music Teacher Lands a Top Gig as Kidney Association Chief
/ref>
* Gerard Stembridge, writer, director and actor
References
External links
Mount Temple Comprehensive School - official website
{{Authority control
Mount Temple Comprehensive School
Secondary schools in Dublin (city)
Anglican schools in the Republic of Ireland