St Malachy's College, in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingd ...

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, is the oldest Catholic diocesan college in

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label=Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...

. The college's alumni and students are known as Malachians.

History

The college, founded by Bishop William Crolly, opened on the feast of Saint Malachy, 3 November 1833 four years after a

Roman Catholic Relief Act The Roman Catholic Relief Bills were a series of measures introduced over time in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries before the Parliaments of Great Britain and the United Kingdom to remove the restrictions and prohibitions impose ...

Catholic Emancipation Catholic emancipation or Catholic relief was a process in the kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland, and later the combined United Kingdom in the late 18th century and early 19th century, that involved reducing and removing many of the restrict ...

") removed the last of Penal Laws that had, until 1782, outlawed Catholic education. The college, opened under the superintendence of

Cornelius Denvir Cornelius Denvir (1791–1866) was an Irish Roman Catholic prelate, mathematician, natural philosopher and former Lord Bishop of Down and Connor. He is noted for ministering in Belfast amidst growing sectarian tension, taking a moderate and ...

, has been on the same site since 1833 when Bishop Crolly took the lease on an eleven-acre site on the northern fringes of the then small Georgian town – Vicinage House – which today is recalled on the street next to the college, Vicinage Park. Vicinage Farm was owned by Thomas McCabe, a watchmaker by trade, an advocate of

and parliamentary reform, and a founder member in 1791 of the

Society of United Irishmen The Society of United Irishmen was a sworn association in the Kingdom of Ireland formed in the wake of the French Revolution to secure "an equal representation of all the people" in a national government. Despairing of constitutional reform ...

. One of the glories of the college is the chapel, built in the 1882 (at the same time as the distinctive College tower) which was significantly enhanced for the college centenary in 1933 when 32 stained glasses windows from the

Harry Clarke Henry Patrick Clarke (17 March 1889 – 6 January 1931) was an Irish stained-glass artist and book illustrator. Born in Dublin, he was a leading figure in the Irish Arts and Crafts Movement. His work was influenced by both the Art Nouveau a ...

studio were commissioned. Installation took place between 1935 and 1937 and today this is one of the finest collections of stained glass in Northern Ireland.

Location and campus

St. Malachy's College is located in the Oldpark electoral area of north Belfast, between two main roads (the A6 Antrim Road and the A52 Crumlin Road), close to where they meet at Carlisle Circus. The grounds of the college are accessed primarily from a tree-lined avenue on the Antrim Road, which leads to the front quadrangle, known as "the quad". The foremost building, which comprises 3 sides of the quadrangle and faces westward, is the oldest part of the college and dates to its earliest days in the 1860s. 'A' and 'B' blocks, housing the History, Classics and Drama departments, as well as administrative offices, the library, and the chapel, take up much of these three sides; the remaining rooms consist of priests' apartments, former dormitories and the Upper Study Hall. The more modern seminary building (see below) completes the fourth side of the quadrangle. The college canteen and Music block are also accessed through the front quadrangle. The concreted back quadrangle, bounded by the College Hall (westward), the gymnasium (northward) and the old building (southward and eastward), has in recent years been enhanced by several flower beds. The

Mater Infirmorum hospital The Mater Infirmorum Hospital, commonly known as The Mater, is an acute hospital in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It provides services to most of North Belfast and South Antrim, reaching as far as Glengormley, Carrickfergus and Newtownabbey It i ...

, and a small shrine to the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...

, both overlook the back quadrangle. The College Hall is the focal point of dramatic productions within the college, as well as assemblies and examinations. In recent years, the college's music department has eschewed the College Hall for its annual concerts, in favour of the more acoustically advantaged Ulster Hall in Bedford Street. Behind the College Hall is 'D' block, completed in the 1960s, and the adjoining 'E' block, completed in the 1970s. Both consist largely of standard classrooms, with the exception of

Physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which rel ...

laboratories on the top floor of 'D' block and

Biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditar ...

laboratories on the top floor of 'E' block. Since the 1980s, the second floor of 'E' block has also become home to the

Computing Computing is any goal-oriented activity requiring, benefiting from, or creating computing machinery. It includes the study and experimentation of algorithmic processes, and development of both hardware and software. Computing has scientific, ...

department. The school's Lecture Theatre is on the ground floor of 'E' block. 'C' block, located to the north of 'E' block, was opened in the 1990s and replaced a row of temporary classrooms from the 1950s. It now houses the Chemistry, Art and Technology departments. At the rear of the college grounds is the Sports Hall, the centrepiece of which is a basketball court, renovated in recent years with a multi-purpose

hardwood Hardwood is wood from dicot trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen. Hardwood (which comes fro ...

floor. A synthetic pitch, laid in 2006, is adjacent to the Sports Hall. For security reasons, the pitch is surrounded by high walls on three sides, separating the college grounds from the former Crumlin Road prison (now a tourist site) and the residential area on the site of the former Girdwood British Army barracks on Cliftonpark Avenue. The college celebrated its 175th Anniversary in April 2008 with a concert at the Waterfront Hall in

. It also gathered the students and staff together in the college "Quad" area for a special photo which has not been taken in over 50 years for the college. St. Joseph's Seminary, the

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy ...

for the

Diocese of Down and Connor The Diocese of Down and Connor, ( ga, Deoise an Dúin agus Chonaire) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Northern Ireland. It is one of eight suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of the ...

, was situated on the same campus for over a century. This was officially known as the Diocesan Seminary at St Malachy's, and colloquially as "the wing" due to it being a wing of the college building. The Diocesan Seminary moved to Cliftonville Road during the Christmas holidays of 2012, and took the name St. Malachy's Diocesan Seminary, in recognition of the long-standing connection to the college, until its closure in 2018.

Academic Record

The college has impressive records in both

GCSE The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a particular subject, taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. State schools in Scotland use the Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead. Private s ...

and

A-level The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational aut ...

examinations, In 2018 it was ranked joint seventh in Northern Ireland for its GCSE performance with 99.4% of its entrants receiving five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C, including the core subjects English and Maths. 82.4% of its students who sat the A-level exams in 2017/18 were awarded three A*-C grades. The college is also noted for having a strong music department and was designated as one of the first

specialist Specialist may refer to: Occupations * Specialist (rank), a military rank ** Specialist (Singapore) * Specialist (arena football) * Specialist degree, in academia * Specialty (medicine) * Designated market maker, in the American stock market * ...

music colleges in Northern Ireland and has built on this designation, developing a strong reputation for the arts and music and, more recently still, film/video production. The college is strong in mathematics and the primary sciences, with numerous alumni working in senior positions in prestigious national and international engineering and technology companies and research institutes. The college has had many recent sporting successes, especially in athletics and basketball.

Personnel

The current chairman of the board of governors for the college is Sir Gerry Loughran. : * Principal: Paul McBride, succeeded David Lambon (2011–2014) to become the third principal and non-clerical head of St Malachy's College, all previous heads of the school having held the title ''president'' and been ordained Catholic priests. * Vice principals: Deirdre McCusker and Lois Stewart *

Rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

: Fr Michael Spence

College presidents

Until the formal expansion of the mid-1860s, the superintending priest was known as 'The Dean', and it was only in 1866 that the title of president was formally adopted. * 1866-1876: Richard Marner - former parish priest; uncle of Daniel Mageean, Bishop of Down and Connor 1929 – 1962 * 1876-1895: Henry Henry * 1895-1898: Henry Boyle - later PP Bangor and, as Canon Boyle, PP Downpatrick (1916–1933) * 1898-1905: Henry Laverty - Louvain-educated classicist * 1905-1907: Patrick Boyle - later a canon, PP St. Teresa's Belfast, died 1955 aged 92 * 1907-1919: PJ O'Neill - died as PP Holy Rosary

Ormeau Road Ormeau Road is a road in south Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland. Ormeau Park is adjacent to it. It forms part of the A24. History The road, as currently laid out, dates from the first decades of the 19th century when a bridge was bui ...

1921, brother of Canon Charles O'Neill who penned the lyrics to the Foggy Dew (Irish ballad). * 1919-1924:

Canon James Clenaghan Rt. Rev. Mgr. Canon James P. Clenaghan, (Séamus Mac Leannacháin) P.P., V.G., St Malachy's Church, Belfast was a distinguished senior Irish churchman and educationalist whose entire ministry was in the Diocese of Down and Connor where he rose t ...

* 1924-1931: John McCaughan * 1931-1939: James Hendley - president during centenary celebrations in 1933 (later vicar general, domestic prelate, dean of the chapter, PP St Pauls) * 1940-1950: John McMullan, B.A., B.D., B.C.L. * 1950-1960: Patrick Kerr, B.A., Ph.B., S.T.L. - previously French and Latin master * 1960-1970: Walter Larkin, B.A., S.T.L. - previously dean of the seminary and mathematics master * 1970-1983: Patrick Walsh, M.A., S.T.L. - previously chaplain to

Queen's University, Belfast , mottoeng = For so much, what shall we give back? , top_free_label = , top_free = , top_free_label1 = , top_free1 = , top_free_label2 = , top_free2 = , established = , closed = , type = Public research university , parent = ...

* 1983-1995: Noel Conway, B.A., B.D. - previously head of physics * 1995-2001:

Donal McKeown Dónal McKeown (born 12 April 1950) is a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic prelate from Northern Ireland who has served as Bishop of Derry since 2014. Early life and education McKeown was born in Belfast on 12 April 1950, one of four children to J ...

, B.A., S.T.L., M.B.A. - previously dean of the seminary and German teacher

Notable alumni

References

External links

*
Documentary about former students of St. Malachy’s College in the 1960s and 1970s
on YouTube,

TG4 TG4 ( ga, TG Ceathair, ) is an Irish free-to-air public service television network. The channel launched on 31 October 1996 and is available online and through its on demand service TG4 Player in Ireland and beyond. TG4 was formerly known a ...

, 2012. {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Malachy's College Grammar schools in Belfast Educational institutions established in 1833 Boys' schools in Northern Ireland Catholic secondary schools in Northern Ireland Grade B+ listed buildings 1833 establishments in Ireland Specialist colleges in Northern Ireland