St Muredach's College is an all-boys

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) ...

on the banks of the

River Moy The River Moy () is a river in the northwest of Ireland. Name Ptolemy's ''Geography'' (2nd century AD) described a river called Λιβνιου (''Libniu'', perhaps from *''lei''- "flow") which probably referred to the River Moy. The Moy is fi ...

Ballina, County Mayo Ballina ( ; ) is a town in north County Mayo, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It lies at the mouth of the River Moy near Killala Bay, in the Moy valley and Parish of Kilmoremoy, with the Ox Mountains to the east and the Nephin Beg Range, Nephin ...

, Ireland. It was founded in 1906 to provide a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

education for boys in the Killala Diocese. The school building, which was designed by

William Henry Byrne William Henry Byrne (17 May 184428 April 1917) was an Irish architect who mainly designed churches. He studied under James Joseph McCarthy before going into business with John O’Neill in 1869. He worked on his own after O'Neill's death in 1883. ...

, is included on the

Record of Protected Structures Conservation in the Republic of Ireland is overseen by a number of statutory and non-governmental agencies, including those with responsibility for conservation of the built environment and conservation of the natural environment in Ireland. Con ...

maintained by

Mayo County Council Mayo County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae Mhaigh Eo) is the authority responsible for local government in County Mayo, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housing and ...

History

In 1901, the then

Bishop of Killala The Bishop of Killala () is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of Killala in County Mayo, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bish ...

proposed that a new school be opened as there was otherwise no secondary school between Belmullet and Sligo. St Muredach's opened in September 1906. The original school building, which was designed by W.H. Byrne, was built on a site overlooking the

. Originally housing 76 boarding students, a new extension was opened in 1937. Fr. Cyril Haran taught at the school in the mid-20th century. In 1967, the school's enrolment increased due to the coming of free education nationally. Around the same time, additional subjects were offered, including mechanical drawing, woodwork and art. Extra classrooms were required, and a further extension was added in the late 1960s. A physical education hall was added in the 1970s. By the late 1980s, boarding was phased out, and a new building (incorporating a woodwork room, art room and classrooms) came into use in 1990. A computer room, library and canteen were added in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The schools' first

lay Lay may refer to: Places *Lay Range, a subrange of mountains in British Columbia, Canada *Lay, Loire, a French commune *Lay (river), France *Lay, Iran, a village *Lay, Kansas, United States, an unincorporated community People * Lay (surname) * ...

principal was appointed in 2008.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Muredach's College Ballina, County Mayo Boys' schools in the Republic of Ireland Educational institutions established in 1906 Secondary schools in County Mayo Catholic secondary schools in the Republic of Ireland 1906 establishments in Ireland