St. Michael's College, Dublin
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St Michael's College () 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 Volunt ...
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
boys' school, with an associated primary school, located on Ailesbury Road in Dublin 4,
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
. Founded in 1944 by the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (The Spiritans) as a second feeder school along with Willow Park, it was initially a
primary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...
to
Blackrock College Blackrock College () is a voluntary day and boarding Catholic secondary school for boys aged 13–18, in Williamstown, Blackrock, County Dublin, Ireland. It was founded by French missionary Jules Leman in 1860 as a school and later became al ...
. The first eight pupils were transferred from Willow Park. The next September, 58 boys were enrolled. In 1952 the first secondary school pupils were admitted. Following expansion in the 1960s and 1970s, the school developed both a primary and secondary school. It has been extensively expanded, including the opening of a
cafeteria A cafeteria, called canteen outside the U.S., is a type of food service location in which there is little or no waiting staff table service, whether in a restaurant or within an institution such as a large office building or school; a scho ...
, a sports pavilion, as well as new classrooms and a new
gym A gym, short for gymnasium (: gymnasiums or gymnasia), is an indoor venue for exercise and sports. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasion". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learn ...
.


History


1950s and 1960s

In 1952–53 St. Michael's had its first boys go into First Year, which became the origin of the senior school, which contained just eight pupils that first year. By 1963, the school was growing. For the first time a second First Year class was created. In 1967–68, the school started constructing a new wing, which included the assembly hall and swimming pool. From 1944 to 1968, St. Michael's had continued to be a junior school which had served as far as Second Year, but in 1968 it was decided that pupils would stay in St. Michael's until after the Intermediate Certificate (4th Year). In 1970–71, Archbishop John Charles McQuaid blessed and opened the new junior school and swimming pool. In December 1970, Seamus Galvin was appointed the first president (1970–1976), and this was the first time St Michael's officially became an independent school and community from
Blackrock College Blackrock College () is a voluntary day and boarding Catholic secondary school for boys aged 13–18, in Williamstown, Blackrock, County Dublin, Ireland. It was founded by French missionary Jules Leman in 1860 as a school and later became al ...
.


1970s and 1980s

In 1972–73 the school started construction of the new library, classrooms and science rooms. In 1974–75 Archbishop Dermot Ryan opened the new buildings. In 1975, pupils from St. Michael's sat the Leaving Certificate for the first time. The following year, Cyril Sheedy became superior of St Michael's, Laurence McHugh was appointed principal of the junior school with Fr Flood appointed principal of the senior school. In 1982 Aidan Lehane was appointed principal of the senior school until 1991. Seamus Galvin became the first president of the Past Pupils' Union in 1986. In 1991 while the Senior Cup team were defeated in the final against Clongowes, the Junior Cup team won the first title against Clongowes. The following year (1991–92), Willie Bradley was appointed principal of the senior school. Mairéad Burke was appointed principal of the junior school 1992–93. Lehane was appointed manager of St Michael's later that same year. In 1993–94, St Michael's celebrated its Golden Jubilee.


1990s and 2000s

Michael Duggan was appointed superior in 1995. In 1995–96 Mr. Len Howard was appointed Principal of the Senior School, with Mr. Noel Turley as Vice Principal and Fr. Lehane appointed as manager of the school. In 1997–98, Fr. Billy Cleary was appointed manager of the school. The start of the building of the new school began in 1998–99. The following year Ms. Lorna Heslin was appointed Deputy Principal of the Junior School. In 2000–01 the new school building was opened. Fr. Pat Palmer dedicated the new college chapel, Cardinal Desmond Connell blessed the new building and President
Mary McAleese Mary Patricia McAleese ( ; ; ; born 27 June 1951) is an Irish activist lawyer, academic, author, and former politician who served as the president of Ireland from November 1997 to November 2011. McAleese was first elected as president in 1997, ...
visited the school. In 2001–02, Fr Bradley was appointed manager of the school. The
Taoiseach The Taoiseach (, ) is the head of government or prime minister of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the President of Ireland upon nomination by Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...
Bertie Ahern Bartholomew Patrick "Bertie" Ahern (born 12 September 1951) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach from 1997 to 2008, and as Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1994 to 2008. A Teachta Dála (TD) from 1977 to 2011, he served ...
visited the school. The Junior Cup team defeated
Castleknock Castleknock () is an affluent village in County Dublin, Ireland, located west of the centre of Dublin city. It is in the modern county of Fingal. In addition to the village, the name "Castleknock" also refers to older units of land division: a ...
in the final for a second Junior Cup title. In 2001–02 Tim Kelleher was appointed principal of the senior school and Sheila Murray as deputy principal. The following year, boards of management were set up for both the senior and junior schools. 2006–07 St Michael's won their first-ever Senior Cup and had a school record of 5 players playing for the Irish U-19s in the U-19s World Cup hosted in Belfast that summer.


Academics

The school was ranked ninth in Ireland in terms of the number of students who progressed to third level and by the types of institutions to which the students progressed.


Extra-curricular activities

Sports played include rugby, basketball and Gaelic sports.


Rugby

The school has a strong rugby playing tradition, having won the Leinster Schools Junior Cup six times: in 1991, 2002, 2012, 2017, 2019 and 2022 in addition to reaching 6 JCT finals in a row up to 2012. In addition to the run of finals 2007-2012 the school has also finished runners up in the Leinster Schools Junior Cup in 1986, 2000 and 2016. The school has won the Leinster Schools Senior Cup three times first in 2007, when Noel Reid kicked all six of the game's points, and again in 2012 when Dan Leavy captained the team beating Clongowes Wood College in the final. In 2019 the school won the cup for the third time, beating
Gonzaga College Gonzaga College SJ is a voluntary Catholic boys' secondary school in Ranelagh, Dublin, Ireland. Founded in 1950, Gonzaga College is under the trusteeship of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuit Order), one of five Jesuit secondary schools in Ir ...
. In 2013, St Michael's reached the Senior Cup Final with captain Ross Molony but narrowly missed out on a second consecutive victory to Blackrock College. The school were runners-up in 1988, 1991, 2006 & 2010. The school participates in an U13s (now U14s) Cup rugby competition organised and played by Spiritian schools; Templeogue, St Mary's, Willow Park (Blackrock) and Rockwell colleges. In 2016 St Michael's has invested heavily in on site sporting facilities and has now astro-turf all weather training, astro-turf all-weather pitch and scrummaging areas, modern weights and a gym zone, in addition to a new sports pavilion housing modern changing facilities and showers. In addition St Michael's has a number of rugby pitches and training areas located on its Dublin 4 campus. It also has a large indoor basketball/football/training arena and an 18-metre indoor swimming pool. St Michael's senior school fields 18-21 rugby teams annually from U-14s right through to U-19s; its junior school houses a rugby nursery for boys aged from 4–12 years. Simon Keogh (class of 1998), was a member of Senior Schools Cup sides for three years up to 1998 when he also captained the first XV. He has played professional rugby for many seasons having played with Leinster (2000–03), Harlequins (UK; playing 133 times between 2003 and 2009) and re-signing for Leinster in 2009 & 2010. He won a European Cup medal with Leinster in 2009 having won a European Shield medal with Quinns in 2004 where he scored the match winning try. Keogh has also represented Ireland at schools, u21, sevens and A levels. In 2011 he was a member of the Old Belvedere RFC 1st XV who won the All Ireland League Division 1 title. Aidan Kearney (class of 1998 and member of the 1st XV that year), played a number of seasons professionally with Leinster (2003–04) and then Ulster. He represented Ireland at u19s and u21 levels winning an under 19
Rugby World Cup The Men's Rugby World Cup is a rugby union tournament contested every four years between the top international teams, the winners of which are recognised as the World championship, world champions of the sport. The tournament is administer ...
medal in 1998. As of 2020, St Michael's has more than 20 past-pupils playing professional rugby, across Ireland, the UK, France and the USA. On 2 November 2020, a record nine St. Michael's graduates played in
Leinster Rugby Leinster Rugby () is one of the four professional provincial club rugby union teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the Leinster Branch, one of t ...
's
Pro14 The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. For sponsorship reasons the league is known as the Vodacom United Rugby Championship in ...
win against
Glasgow Warriors The Glasgow Warriors are a professional rugby union side from Scotland. The team plays in the United Rugby Championship league and in the European Professional Club Rugby tournaments. In the 2014–15 season they won the Pro12 title and beca ...
in
Scotstoun Scotstoun () is an area of Glasgow, Scotland, west of Glasgow City Centre. It is bounded by Garscadden and Yoker to the west, Victoria Park, Jordanhill and Whiteinch to the east, Jordanhill to the north and the River Clyde (and Braehead ...
. This record of nine players in the matchday 23 was equaled in a European Rugby Champions Cup match against
Northampton Saints Northampton Saints (officially Northampton Rugby Football Club) is a professional rugby union club from Northampton, England. The club plays in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby union. It was formed in 1880 as "Northampton St. ...
in December 2020. Former St. Michael's rugby coaches, Greg McWilliams and Mark McDermott coached the
USA Rugby USA Rugby (formally the United States of America Rugby Football Union, Ltd.) is the national governing body for the sport of rugby union in the United States. Its role is to achieve and maintain “high levels of quality in all aspects of rugby ...
and Russian national rugby team, respectively at the
2019 Rugby World Cup The 2019 Rugby World Cup () was the ninth edition of the Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's rugby union teams. It was hosted in Japan from 20 September to 2 November in 12 venues all across the country. The opening matc ...
. Rugby honours *
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 Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU), and was first held in 1887. Attendances are high for a schoolboy ...
- 2007, 2012, 2019 * Leinster Schools Junior Cup - 1991, 2002, 2012, 2017, 2019, 2022 * Leinster Schools Rugby Senior League - 1998


GAA

The school provides teams for boys in first and second year, and has entered the Leinster GAA Schools competition since 2008. The junior school also enters the Cumann na mBunscol GAA league, and they won the shield in 2014.


Notable past pupils

The arts * Robert Ballagh - painter * Risteard Cooper – actor, comedian *
Allen Leech Allen Leech (born 18 May 1981) is an Irish actor. He is widely known for his roles as Tom Branson in the ITV period drama ''Downton Abbey'' (2010–2015) and Paul Prenter in the biopic ''Bohemian Rhapsody'' (2018). Leech made his professiona ...
– actor * Fergus Martin - artist * Peter McDonald - actor * David O'Doherty - comedian *
Jason O'Mara Jason O'Mara (born 6 August 1972) is an Irish-American actor. He has starred in American television series '' Terra Nova'' (2011), '' Vegas'' (2012–13), '' Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' (2016–17) and '' The Man in the High Castle'' (2018–19). Fo ...
- actor * Killian Scott - actor Politics * Richard Boyd Barrett –
Teachta Dála A Teachta Dála ( ; ; plural ), abbreviated as TD (plural ''TDanna'' in Irish language, Irish, TDs in English), is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas, the parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The official Engli ...
(TD) AAA-PBP * Charles Lysaght – lawyer * Eoghan Murphy – Former
Fine Gael Fine Gael ( ; ; ) is a centre-right, liberal-conservative, 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 Éireann. The party had a member ...
TD and Minister for Housing * Ruairi Quinn – former
Labour Party (Ireland) The Labour Party (, ) is a centre-left and social democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. Founded on 28 May 1912 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by James Connolly, James Larkin, and William O'Brien as the political wing of the ...
leader and Minister for Finance (1994 - 1997) Rugby union * John "China" Murray - became the school's first international in 1963 when he made his debut against
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
at
Lansdowne Road Lansdowne Road Stadium (, ) was a stadium in Dublin owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) that was primarily used for rugby union and association football matches. The stadium was demolished in 2007 to make way for the Aviva Stadium on ...
* Derek McGrath - former
Leinster Rugby Leinster Rugby () is one of the four professional provincial club rugby union teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the Leinster Branch, one of t ...
and Ireland Rugby - became the school's second international in 1984 * Noel Reid –
Agen Agen (, , ) is the prefecture of the Lot-et-Garonne department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Southwestern France. It lies on the river Garonne, southeast of Bordeaux. In 2021, the commune had a population of 32,485. Geography The city of Agen l ...
and former Leicester Rugby,
Leinster Rugby Leinster Rugby () is one of the four professional provincial club rugby union teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the Leinster Branch, one of t ...
and Ireland Rugby - became the school's third international in 2014 * James Ryan –
Leinster Rugby Leinster Rugby () is one of the four professional provincial club rugby union teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the Leinster Branch, one of t ...
and Ireland Rugby - In 2020, became the first graduate of the school to captain the national senior rugby team * Luke McGrath –
Leinster Rugby Leinster Rugby () is one of the four professional provincial club rugby union teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the Leinster Branch, one of t ...
and Ireland Rugby - nephew of Derek * Dan Leavy –
Leinster Rugby Leinster Rugby () is one of the four professional provincial club rugby union teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the Leinster Branch, one of t ...
and Ireland Rugby * Adam Leavy – Ireland Rugby sevens * Rory O'Loughlin –
Leinster Rugby Leinster Rugby () is one of the four professional provincial club rugby union teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the Leinster Branch, one of t ...
and Ireland Rugby *
Nick McCarthy Nicholas John McCarthy (born 13 December 1974) is an English-German musician. His main focus is on songwriting and song production. He is also a guitarist, singer and keyboard player. McCarthy was a founding member of the Glasgow-based band Fr ...
-
Leinster Rugby Leinster Rugby () is one of the four professional provincial club rugby union teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the Leinster Branch, one of t ...
and Ireland Rugby u20s * Ross Byrne –
Leinster Rugby Leinster Rugby () is one of the four professional provincial club rugby union teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the Leinster Branch, one of t ...
and Ireland Rugby * Ross Molony –
Leinster Rugby Leinster Rugby () is one of the four professional provincial club rugby union teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the Leinster Branch, one of t ...
and Ireland Rugby u20s * Rónan Kelleher –
Leinster Rugby Leinster Rugby () is one of the four professional provincial club rugby union teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the Leinster Branch, one of t ...
and Ireland Rugby * Cian Kelleher –
Leinster Rugby Leinster Rugby () is one of the four professional provincial club rugby union teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the Leinster Branch, one of t ...
and former
Connacht Rugby Connacht Rugby is one of the four professional provincial men's rugby union, rugby teams from the island of Ireland. Connacht competes in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the IRFU Connacht B ...
* Jack Kelly –
Leinster Rugby Leinster Rugby () is one of the four professional provincial club rugby union teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the Leinster Branch, one of t ...
and Ireland Rugby u20s * Scott Penny –
Leinster Rugby Leinster Rugby () is one of the four professional provincial club rugby union teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the Leinster Branch, one of t ...
and Ireland Rugby u20s * Max Deegan –
Leinster Rugby Leinster Rugby () is one of the four professional provincial club rugby union teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the Leinster Branch, one of t ...
and Ireland Rugby * Ryan Baird –
Leinster Rugby Leinster Rugby () is one of the four professional provincial club rugby union teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the Leinster Branch, one of t ...
and Ireland Rugby u20s * Óisín Dowling –
Leinster Rugby Leinster Rugby () is one of the four professional provincial club rugby union teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the Leinster Branch, one of t ...
* Jack Dunne –
Leinster Rugby Leinster Rugby () is one of the four professional provincial club rugby union teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the Leinster Branch, one of t ...
* Harry Byrne –
Leinster Rugby Leinster Rugby () is one of the four professional provincial club rugby union teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the Leinster Branch, one of t ...
* Denis Coulson – US Carcassonne and former FC Grenoble and
Connacht Rugby Connacht Rugby is one of the four professional provincial men's rugby union, rugby teams from the island of Ireland. Connacht competes in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the IRFU Connacht B ...
* Cathal Marsh - Rugby United New York and former
Leinster Rugby Leinster Rugby () is one of the four professional provincial club rugby union teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the Leinster Branch, one of t ...
and Ireland Rugby u20s * Keith Gleeson – former Irish rugby international and Leinster player * Simon Keogh – former
Leinster Rugby Leinster Rugby () is one of the four professional provincial club rugby union teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the Leinster Branch, one of t ...
* Josh Murphy -
Leinster Rugby Leinster Rugby () is one of the four professional provincial club rugby union teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the Leinster Branch, one of t ...
* Andrew Smith -
Leinster Rugby Leinster Rugby () is one of the four professional provincial club rugby union teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the Leinster Branch, one of t ...
* Lee Barron -
Leinster Rugby Leinster Rugby () is one of the four professional provincial club rugby union teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the Leinster Branch, one of t ...
* Jack Boyle -
Leinster Rugby Leinster Rugby () is one of the four professional provincial club rugby union teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the Leinster Branch, one of t ...
Cricket * Padraic Flanagan – first-class cricketer for
Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
* Barry McCarthy –
Leinster Lightning Leinster Lightning is an Ireland, Irish inter-provincial cricket team. They participate in the Inter-Provincial Championship, Inter-Provincial Cup and Inter-Provincial Trophy. The team is based in Dublin and is managed by Cricket Leinster. Hist ...
and
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
and formerly of Durham


Notable teachers

* Dermot Morgan – The future "
Father Ted ''Father Ted'' is a sitcom created by Irish writers Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews (writer), Arthur Mathews and produced by British production company Hat Trick Productions for British television channel Channel 4. It aired over three seri ...
" taught English in the college before becoming a full-time actor. * Brian O'Meara - former
Leinster Leinster ( ; or ) is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in the southeast of Ireland. The modern province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige, which existed during Gaelic Ireland. Following the 12th-century ...
and Ireland professional rugby player taught history in the school.


References


External links


St. Michael's College Past Pupils Union
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Michael's College, Dublin Boys' schools in the Republic of Ireland Secondary schools in Dublin (city) Private schools in the Republic of Ireland Catholic primary schools in the Republic of Ireland Spiritan schools Primary schools in South Dublin (county) Catholic secondary schools in the Republic of Ireland Educational institutions established in 1944 1944 establishments in Ireland