St Finbarr's College, Farranferris
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Farranferris, also known as St Finbarr's College, was a secondary school in
Cork City Cork ( ; from , meaning 'marsh') is the second-largest city in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, the county town of County Cork, the largest city in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the List of settlements on the island of Ireland ...
,
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 ...
. It opened in 1887, closed in 2006, and was an important institution in the twentieth century history of the city.


History


Saint Finbarr’s Seminary

At the time of the
Penal Laws Penal law refers to criminal law. It may also refer to: * Penal law (British), laws to uphold the establishment of the Church of England against Catholicism * Penal laws (Ireland) In Ireland, the penal laws () were a series of Disabilities (C ...
Irishmen who wanted to study to become priests had to travel overseas and many of them went to France (Cork, for example, had close links with Irish colleges in
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and
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). French colleges were closed down during the French Revolution and this caused a drop in the supply of priests to Irish parishes. In 1795
St Patrick's College, Maynooth St Patrick's Pontifical University, Maynooth (), is a pontifical Catholic university in the town of Maynooth near Dublin, Ireland Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mou ...
was opened to provide for the education of Catholic priests in Ireland (supported by the British Government to prevent priests being influenced by revolutionary ideas from abroad) and that same year the
Bishop of Cork The Bishop of Cork was a separate episcopal title which took its name after the city of Cork in Ireland. The title is now united with other bishoprics. In the Church of Ireland it is held by the Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, and in the Roman ...
set up a post-primary preparatory seminary in Ballyvolane House (near present-day Ellis's Yard), it was to prepare boys for Maynooth and other seminary colleges.Walsh, Fr. J. C.: Farranferris: The Heritage of St Finbarr 1887-1987. Tower Books, Cork 1987. The residential seminary in Ballyvolane House closed after a short time and in 1813 the Bishop of Cork established Saint Mary's Seminary across the road from the North Cathedral. A recession associated with the
Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...
closed Saint Mary's after eight years. Cork's next preparatory seminary would be set up by the
Vincentians Vincentian can refer to: People *A citizen of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines *A person from Saint Vincent (island), the largest island in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines *A member of one of the orders or societies in the Vincentian Family, both ...
in 1845, it would occupy a building that had previously been the Lord Mayor's Mansion House (now Mercy Hospital) for twelve years before moving to a vacant school building located at Saint Patrick's Place (in the red-brick building where Cork's 96FM is based now). The Patrick's Place building did not have facilities for boarders.Farna's Hurling Story by Tim Horgan, Publisher: St. Finbarr's Seminary, Farranferris, , 1996. In September 1876, the Bishop of Cork took control of the Saint Patrick's Place seminary and renamed it Saint Finbarr's Seminary. The first president of Saint Finbarr's was Fr. J.J. Coughlan. In April 1881 the church acquired Carrollina House in Montenotte so Saint Finbarr's could function as a residential seminary for pupils who wished to become priests (Carrollina, which was situated where the Ardnalee housing estate now stands, was named by John Carroll in 1770s, he was a great grand-nephew of Charles Carroll). At the beginning there were fourteen students in residence in Carrollina.


Farranferris

The idea for a new purpose built residential seminary school was raised immediately on the founding of Saint Finbarr's. In 1881 a bequest of £1200 from a Miss O’Driscoll set things in motion and from 1883 to 1885 a new college was built at Farranferris on the northside of the city (Farranferris – land of Ferris, supposedly Ferris was an old English landlord in the area). It was constructed by E. P. O'Flynn at a cost of £17,000 to designs by Samuel Francis Hynes (it is listed in the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage as a "fine and imposing example of late Victorian ecclesiastical architecture in the Gothic Revival style"). Two workers were killed in an accident during its construction. The new college opened in September 1887; the pupils who had lived in Carrollina moved to the new dorms and the old classrooms at Saint Patrick's Place were handed over to the Christian Brothers (who founded a
new school The New School is a private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1919 as The New School for Social Research with an original mission dedicated to academic freedom and intellectual inquiry and a home for progressive thinkers ...
in its place). At the time Farranferris was being built the Bishop of Cork, William Delany, was infirm with old age and most of his duties, including the driving forward of the college, were being carried out by
Henry Neville Henry Neville or Nevile may refer to: * Henry Neville (died c.1415), MP for Leicestershire *Henry Neville, 5th Earl of Westmorland (1525–1564), English peer *Henry Neville (Gentleman of the Privy Chamber) (c. 1520–1593) * Henry Neville (died 1 ...
. Before the college opened, Delany died (to be replaced by Thomas A. O'Callaghan), and Neville was moved on. Dr. John B. O’Mahony was President of Farranferris for its first twenty years.


Becoming a day school

Dr. Patrick Sexton became the president of Farranferris in 1907; at the time the college had about 20 students, all of whom were intending to become priests in time (there was no entrance exam, a candidate only needed a testimonial from his parish priest to be admitted). A short time after he took over Sexton decided that Farranferris should accept day pupils for outside students. The first of these boys began classes in September 1909. In 1916, the Bishop of Cork, Thomas A. O'Callaghan, died and was replaced by Daniel Cohalan; Cohalan was the first bishop of Cork who had previously passed through Farranferris as a student. At the time Cohalan was appointed bishop,
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
was well underway and several Cork priests were on the Western Front; amongst them were two Farranferris priests Fr. Joe Scannell MC and Archdeacon T. F. Duggan MC. In the autumn of 1922 one of the teachers as Farranferris,
Patrick MacSwiney Rev. Patrick J. MacSwiney (frequently spelled ''McSwiney'' or ''MacSweeney'', 16 March 1885 – 16 November 1940) was an Irish Catholic priest, Irish language, Gaelic scholar, antiquarian, historian, teacher, founder of the Kinsale Regional Mus ...
did a favour for his cousin
Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...
and took charge of a bag for a friend whose premises were in danger of being raided by
government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...
forces. Fr. MacSwiney did not examine the contents and deposited the bag in the Clifton convent in Montenotte (where he was chaplain). The convent was raided shortly afterwards, the bag was discovered and found to contain £3,000. It was rumoured that this was part of the £100,000 that had been robbed by republican forces from the Customs House in Dublin and that the priest had abused the nuns' trust by hiding the stolen money in the convent on behalf of Mary MacSwiney. The incident led to Fr. MacSwiney being removed from his clerical duties in Cork and sent to Dunmanway. In the summer of 1923 the Great War veteran Fr. Joe Scannell replaced Patrick Sexton as President of Farranferris (Sexton would later become a parish priest at St. Patrick's and was instrumental in building St Patrick's School, Cork). In his first year as president, Joe Scannell introduced an entrance exam for Farranferris, the newspaper notice advertising the new regime stated that pupils were being prepared for "the professions (the Church, Medicine, Law, Engineering, Primary and Secondary Training, etc.), Government Appointments, Commercial and Industrial Purposes".


Mid-to-late 20th century

The Golden Jubilee (fiftieth anniversary) of Farranferris college was celebrated in 1937. At the time it had 120 students. In February 1938, Fr. Denny Murphy was made President of Farranferris. In December 1945 T. F. Duggan, a former
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Chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intellige ...
who had been a
POW POW is "prisoner of war", a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. POW or pow may also refer to: Music * P.O.W (Bullet for My Valentine song), "P.O.W" (Bull ...
in WW1 and had won a medal for gallantry in
WW2 World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many nations mobilising ...
, was made President of Farranferris. In June 1954, Fr. Daniel Luke Connolly was made President of Farranferris. In 1960, St Finbarr's College, Farranferris was expanded (to the designs of James Boyd Barrett) to provide extra schoolroom accommodation and it began to take non-seminary boarders. In September 1962, Fr. Carthach McCarthy was made President of Farranferris. In 1969, Fr. Michael Murphy (later
Bishop of Cork and Ross The Bishop of Cork and Ross is an episcopal title which takes its name after the city of Cork and the County Cork town of Rosscarbery in the Republic of Ireland. The combined title was first used by the Church of Ireland from 1638 to 1660 and ...
) was made President of Farranferris. In 1976, Fr. John Buckley (later
Bishop of Cork and Ross The Bishop of Cork and Ross is an episcopal title which takes its name after the city of Cork and the County Cork town of Rosscarbery in the Republic of Ireland. The combined title was first used by the Church of Ireland from 1638 to 1660 and ...
) was made President of Farranferris. In July 1983, Fr. Micheál O Dálaigh was made President of Farranferris. The centenary of the Farranferris was celebrated in 1987. When uniforms were introduced Farranferris adopted a wine-coloured jumper with grey shirt and trousers.


Final decades

Fr. Noel O'Sullivan was President of Farranferris in 1996. Farranferris closed to boarding pupils at the end of the 1999–2000 academic year. Fr. Aidan O'Driscoll was President of Farranferris when it closed in 2006.


Farranferris Education and Training Campus

Since Closure the old college has become the Farranferris Education and Training Campus, with ''Northside Community Enterprises'' becoming the main tenant. Farranferris hosts Gaelscoil Pheig Sayers, with some 280 children. In 2022 the
Mater Dei Academy Mater Dei Academy is an independent Catholic secondary school in Cork, Ireland. As of 2024, it had 50 students enrolled, and was based in the Farranferris Education and Training Campus. The academy, which is funded by a Catholic foundation based i ...
an Independent Catholic School (founded in 2020), moved onto the campus.Our Story
Mater Dei Academy Mater Dei Academy is an independent Catholic secondary school in Cork, Ireland. As of 2024, it had 50 students enrolled, and was based in the Farranferris Education and Training Campus. The academy, which is funded by a Catholic foundation based i ...
, Cork.


Sports

The school was very successful at
hurling Hurling (, ') is an outdoor Team sport, team game of ancient Gaelic culture, Gaelic Irish origin, played by men and women. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goa ...
, winning the Munster Dr. Harty Cup on seven occasions and going on to win the All Ireland Dr. Croke Cup five times.


Literature

* Walsh, Fr. J. C.: ''Farranferris: The Heritage of St Finbarr 1887-1987''. Tower Books, Cork 1987. * Horgan, T.: Farna's Hurling Story, Publisher: St. Finbarr's Seminary, Farranferris, , 1996


Notable pupils and staff

* Daniel Cohalan, Bishop of Cork * Timothy Smiddy, Ireland's first Ambassador/Overseas Minister *
Aloys Fleischmann Aloys Fleischmann (13 April 1910 – 21 July 1992) was an Irish composer, musicologist, professor and conductor. Early life and education Fleischmann was born in Munich to Ireland-based German parents. Both were musicians, both graduates of the ...
, Composer, Cathedral Organist and Choirmaster *
Patrick MacSwiney Rev. Patrick J. MacSwiney (frequently spelled ''McSwiney'' or ''MacSweeney'', 16 March 1885 – 16 November 1940) was an Irish Catholic priest, Irish language, Gaelic scholar, antiquarian, historian, teacher, founder of the Kinsale Regional Mus ...
, Priest, Gaelic Scholar, Antiquarian, Historian and Teacher * Seán Hyde, Revolutionary and Hurler *
Air Chief Marshal Air chief marshal (Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a high-ranking air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries that have historical British i ...
Sir Francis Fogarty, a senior commander in the
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
(RAF) during the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
* Michael Joseph Sheehan, Brigadier in the British Army (service during
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
and
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
) *
Cornelius Lucey Cornelius "Con" Lucey (1902–1982) was a Roman Catholic bishop of Cork and Ross. Youth and education Cornelius Lucey was born 15 July 1902 into a farming family at Windsor, Ovens, County Cork near Cork City. He attended Ballinora Primary School ...
, Bishop of Cork/Bishop of Cork and Ross * Aloys Fleischmann Jnr., Composer * Daniel Costigan, Commissioner of An Garda Síochána * Jerome Kiely, Poet * John A. Murphy, Historian *
Seán Ó Riada Seán Ó Riada (; born John Reidy; 1 August 1931 – 3 October 1971) was an Irish composer and arranger of Irish traditional music. Through his incorporation of modern and traditional techniques he became the single most influential figur ...
, Composer and founder of
Ceoltóirí Chualann Ceoltóirí Chualann (pronounced ) was an Irish traditional band, led by Seán Ó Riada, which included many of the founding members of The Chieftains. Ceoltóirí is the Irish word for musicians, and Cualann is the name of an area just out ...
* Patrick Coveney, Archbishop, Apostolic Nuncio, 1960-66 member of College staff *
Bill O'Herlihy Bill O'Herlihy (26 September 1938 – 25 May 2015) was an Irish television broadcaster and public relations executive. He was best known for his broadcasts for Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), primarily in politics and sport. A presenter for ...
, Broadcaster * John Buckley, Bishop of Cork and Ross *
Joe Walsh Joseph Fidler Walsh (born Joseph Woodward Fidler; November 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Best known as a member of the rock band Eagles (band), Eagles, his five-decade career includes solo work and stints in other ...
, Politician *
Finbar Wright Edward Finbar Wright (born 26 September 1957), known popularly as Finbar Wright, is a popular music singer, songwriter, and poet from County Cork, Ireland. Wright is a classically trained tenor who emerged during the 1990s in Ireland and has b ...
, Singer * John Minihan, Politician *
Jerry Buttimer Jerry Buttimer (born 18 March 1967) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht since January 2025. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Cork So ...
, Politician * Liam Twomey, Politician


Sport

* Dinny Barry-Murphy, Hurler * Dr. Jim Young, Hurler and Gaelic Footballer *
Christy Ring Nicholas Christy Michael Ring (30 October 1920 – 2 March 1979) was an Irish hurler whose league and championship career at senior level with the Cork county team spanned twenty-four years from 1939 to 1963. He established many championship ...
, Hurler ( Coached at Farranferris) * Joe Kelly, Hurler * Paddy Barry, Hurler * Michael O Brien, Hurling Coach and Hurling Manager * Terry Kelly, Hurler * Denis O'Riordan, Hurler *
Seánie Barry Seánie Barry (born 1945) is an Irish former hurler and manager. At club level he played with Sarsfields, Bride Rovers, University College Cork and Imokilly and was also a member of the Cork senior hurling team. Early life Born and raised ...
, Hurler * Donal "Donie" Collins, Hurler *
Francis Collins Francis Sellers Collins (born April 14, 1950) is an American physician-scientist who discovered the genes associated with a number of diseases and led the Human Genome Project. He served as director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) ...
, Hurler * Pat Barry, Hurler * Tim Crowley, Hurler * Tadhg Murphy, Hurler and Footballer * Johnny Crowley, Hurler * John Kevin Coleman, Hurler and Politician * Kieran Kingston, Hurler and Hurling Manager * Tom Kingston, Hurler *
Mark Foley Mark Adam Foley (born September 8, 1954) is an American former politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives. He served from 1995 until 2006, representing the 16th District of Florida as a member of the Repub ...
, Hurler * Kevin Murray, Hurler * Donal O'Mahony, Hurler and Hurling Manager *
Mark Prendergast Mark Prendergast is a Scottish film, television and theatre actor. He is best known for his roles in BBC drama series ''Case Histories'', US TV series ''Outlander'' and the BAFTA winning feature film '' Running in Traffic''. On stage, Pren ...
, Hurler *
Tom Kenny Thomas James Kenny (born July 13, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He has been voicing SpongeBob SquarePants (character), the titular character in ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' and associated media since its debut in 1999. Kenny has voice ...
, Hurler * Paul Tierney, Hurler * John Gardiner, Hurler * Shane Murphy, Hurler


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Finbarr's College, Farranferris Secondary schools in County Cork Educational institutions established in 1887 1887 establishments in Ireland Educational institutions disestablished in 2006 2006 disestablishments in Ireland