Gormanston College
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Gormanston College, is a private, fee-paying, coeducational Catholic secondary school under the trusteeship of the Franciscan Province of Ireland. The College is located at Gormanston Castle (built 1786) in County Meath, about 32 kilometres (20 miles) north of Dublin, Ireland.
The student body numbers 604 and enjoys a strong international flavour. There is a mix of boarding and day boarding (day boarding is co-educational).
The College ethos strives to be fair and firm in an atmosphere where students are directed towards the values of mutual respect, social awareness and reverence for Gospel values. Our College Motto is Dei Gloriae, Hiberniae Honori which translates To the glory of God and the honour of Ireland. There are over 600 students enrolled at the College and it accommodates both day boarders (both genders) and boarders (male).
The College was founded in the middle of the twentieth century when Gormanston Castle and demesne was acquired by the Franciscan Order from Mrs. Pamela O'Connor whose husband was the late sixteenth Viscount Gormanston. He held this title from 1914 until his death in 1940, and was a member of the Preston family who were Viscounts Gormanston since the fourteenth century. This longevity means that Viscount Gormanston is the Premier Viscount of Ireland. The foxes of County Meath gather in the precincts of the Castle when a member of the Preston family is about to pass away. The current Viscount Gormanton is Jenico Preston, 17th Viscount Gormanston who lives in Kensington, London.
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[edit] Distinguished Past Pupils
- Charlie McCreevy, Fianna Fail Polotician and E.U. Commissioner (2007)
- Colin Farrell, actor.
- Ossie Kilkenny, pop acountant.
- Carl Corcoran, radio presenter, AKA Jamie Stone
- Declan O' Donovan, Diplomat from Kilkenny
- Henry Abbott
- DeVelera, High Court Judge
- Joseph Murphy, aspiring professional hammer-thrower, former college prefect gained notoriety for being the first to stand up against the powers that be, by confronting old taboos. For his troubles, this maverick became the first C.P not to recieve the customary college ring.
[edit] College Grounds
The college consists mainly of a modern building, built in a manner after the Festival of Britain, and is attached to the residential castle. The grounds, straddling County Meath and County Dublin, contain a river, a mature wood and a small golf course. The main approach avenue scrolls through a wood of selected trees. There are several playing fields, in two different locations but contigious with the college. The college and grounds are located between Dublin - Belfast motorway and the old main Dublin - Drogheda road. The eastern face of Gormanston Castle looks to the sea, down a long straight field, known as "Cromwells Avenue". One of the most remarkable features of the estate is the ewe walk, a foliage enclosed triangular area that dates back some hundreds of years.
[edit] External links
[edit] See also
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