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Entry: Clongowes Wood College, Ireland - A2969085
Author: BazMcStay - U867842

Clongowes Wood College, Ireland




Clongowes Wood College is a Jesuit-run, all-boys private boarding school in the fertile county of Kildare, Ireland, twenty miles south of Dublin. Established in 1814, it has become one of the most renowned schools in the country. It accommodates approximately 440 boys as well as a staff of nearly 100 (teaching, ancillary, maintenance, full- and part-time). Its expansive grounds and striking castle make it a very attractive setting. There are five Jesuit schools in Ireland but Clongowes is the only one still with a Jesuit headmaster. The Jesuit community there has dwindled to only about ten members, many of these elderly, but there is a strong sense of spirituality in the school and the ethos of St. Ignatius Loyola of working “For the Greater Glory Of God” (Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam) is still prevalent among the school community. In fact, the boys still write AMDG on top of each page of their copybooks.
The history of the school is a long and fascinating one. The first mention of the name Clongowes Wood occurs in a Close Roll of King Henry IV, dated 24 February 1418. The reference is to the dowerlands of Anastasia Wogan, the widow of Sir David Wogan of Rathcoffey. Just a century earlier, the Rathcoffey estate had reverted to the Crown. It had first been held by Adam de Hereford, a young friend of Strongbow, who had come to Ireland with him. In 1317 Edward II granted these lands to Sir John Wogan, who was at that time a Lord Deputy in Ireland, more of whose family will be said later. The name itself is a combination of the Latin “silva” (wood) and the Gaelic words “cluain” (meadow) and “gabha” (smith). Thus we have “the wood of the meadow of the smith” or, in Irish, “Coill Chluana Gabhann.”
The next family to be connected with the school was the Eustaces, a powerful clan, five of whom were to be Lord Chancellor of Ireland. Around 1450 a branch of this family settled in Mainham and built the castle of Clongowes sometime after. This stronghold was one of a series of forts along the Pale, the Anglicised area of Ireland first defined in 1494. The Eustaces, right on the frontier line, soon began to intermarry with Irish families.
The Eustaces of Clongowes were undisturbed despite the involvement of some relatives in the uprising of the Earl of Desmond in 1583. However, in 1641, James Eustace and Nicholas Wogan (of Rathcoffey) allied themselves with Rory O’Moore in the fight against the crown. Both the and Clongowes properties were taken by a Lt. Colonel Monck who proceeded to raid the castle at Clongowes. This was awarded to Sir Richard Reynell in 1667 by Charles II. He in turn sold the property (c.1000 acres) to Thomas Browne, a Dublin solicitor and a Catholic.
The Wogan Brownes as they now were restored the castle to its former glory and renamed it Castle Browne, a name still to be seen today in an inscription above the door. The land passed in 1812 to General Michael Wogan Browne, a general of the King of Saxony, fighting with Napoleon in Russia. He returned to Ireland to find his brother’s estate heavily in debt and so sold the castle along with 219 acres to a Fr. Peter Kenney SJ, heading a group of 14 Jesuits, in March 1814 for the sum of 16,000 pounds. Fr. Kenney also bought the fee farm for the price of 2,753 pounds plus 61 pounds in annual rent until 1903 when it was fully purchased under the Wyndham Land Act.
John Gillard, writing in the Hibernian Magazine (18 November 1813), raised the alarm: 'The maginificent edifice of Castle Browne in the county of Kildare, which cost over £26,000 in building, has been purchased by a party of Jesuits for £16,000. Ireland now stands in imminent danger. If Popery succeeds, our fairest plains will once more witness days worthy to rank with those of bloody Mary, and the walls of Dublin shall again become the lamentable bulwarks against popish treachery and massacre.'
Ireland was currently under the Penal Laws which prevented Catholics from, among other things, establishing schools. The education of the poor was continued by renegade priests in the “hedge-schools” while mass was often conducted in the open air on hillsides. It wasn’t until 1829 that Catholic Emancipation was achieved by Daniel O’Connell. There was a general hue and cry among many of the Protestant rich despite the fact that Mr.Kenney (as he was operating under a lay guise) did not preclude Protestants from attending the college. When interviewed by several MPs, including Sir Henry Parnell and Robert Peel, he was reasonably open in his answers to all questions except that of where the funds for the purchase had been obtained. It is generally believed that a sum of 30,000 pounds had been sent from the Vatican to Ireland for the procurement of property.
Clongowes enrolled its first student, James MacLorinan, the son of Dublin drapers, on May 18th 1814. The school fee was 50 guineas p/a, later reduced to 40 pounds per year, a figure maintained until the First World War. The only school holiday was for 5 weeks in the summer months (Christmas vacation was only introduced in 1866) and parents were discouraged from making too many visits. Within two years there were 200 pupils, with the target being the sons of the wealthy, the leaders of the future. Some dates of note:
1837: Thomas Francis Meagher becomes the first Secretary of the Higher Line (5th and 6th year) Debating Society, established under the encouragement of Daniel O’Connell, whose sons were attending the college (with undistinguished careers). The Society is still very much alive today and the Daniel O’Connell Chair is still used by the Society to which he gave it on its foundation.
1840: The magnificent tree-lined avenue is laid out.
1872: The infirmary building is built. It is still home to the infirmary to this day.
1886 : Clongowes and Tullabeg (near Tullamore) Colleges amalgamated. The old refectory and study hall burned down. Gerard Manley Hopkins, the famous Jesuit poet, dies in Dublin. He had spent a summer at Clongowes the year previous.
1887: The swimming pool is built, still in use today and believed to be the oldest heated pool in the country.
1888: A post office is set up in the gate lodge and remains in use until 1970.
1902 : The old gymnasium erected. It had been a temporary church in Letterkenny while the cathedral there was under construction. It is still in use today by the Third Line (1st and 2nd year).
1907: Work begins on the new boys chapel, costing 14,000 pounds. An organ is installed in 1914 in the year of the school centenary, when Easter holidays are also introduced.
1912: The Higher Line Cricket Pavilion, still a focal point of the college grounds, is built.
1926: Clongowes wins the Leinster Senior Rugby Cup for the first time, beating Belvedere College in the final.
1929: Electric light installed in the castle. The 1929 building, which today houses the classrooms and dormitories for 1st-4th year, is started. It is completed in 1932 at a cost of 135,000 pounds.
1931: Fr. John Sullivan dies. A most pious man, he is reputed to have been responsible for the miraculous curing of locals with illness. His cause for Canonisation continues to this day.
1944: Clongowes win the Leinster Junior Cup (for U-15s) for the first time. Repeated in ’49, ’51 but not since.
1965: Water supply now comes from the county council rather than a well.
1966: New building finished (Cost: 312,000 pounds) containing new refectory, recreation rooms, individual rooms for senior boys and toilets. The old refectory becomes the school hall, used today for concerts and drama. The science wing, today quite in need of a renovation, is built. The golf course is laid out. Oil heating installed.
1967: A new library is built.
1973: 9 hard tennis courts are constructed and 4th year (becomes Transition Year in 1986) is introduced.
1976: The Carberry Building is completed, housing a study, school museum, library, presentation room and boarding area.
1978: The school wins the Senior cup for the second time, 52 years after the first victory, thanks to the inspired coaching of the legendary Fr. Michael Sheil SJ.
1981: A new sports hall is completed. The Prefects’ Chapel, off the Boys’ Chapel, is converted to the St. Peter Claver Prayer Room. This chapel houses a stained glass window by the famed artist, Evie Hone, which depicts the face of Christ on the Cross. It was initially offered to Eton in England but they refused on the grounds that Christ has no beard in the window. Clongowes gladly took it off their hands and it is considered quite priceless today. The House System is introduced, whereby each boy is organised into one of 16 “houses” (each named in honour of a famous Jesuit such as Loyola, Gonzaga, , four or five from each year
1988: The school wins the Senior Cup. The Assistant Headmaster, Mr. Michael O’Dowd, tragically dies while watching the final and is replaced by Mr. Vincent Murray. Vinnie has an electrifying effect on rugby in the school, leading the Senior team to no less than six finals in the 90's. They defeat St. Michael’s college in the final in 1991, but lose out in the finals of 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1997 before the “Dream Team” of 1998, featuring current Irish international Gordon Darcy and Leinster forward Des Dillon, taste victory. Vinnie’s untimely death on New Year’s Eve 1999, just before his appointment as coach of the Irish Schools team, spurred the team of 2000 to an unlikely victory in emotional circumstances.
1993: The Duck Push is begun under the guidance of Frank Kelly, Transition Year Pefect, and suggested by Simon Coveney, current Fine Gael MEP. It involves pushing a 10ft tall papier mache yellow duck from Dublin to Limerick (c.220kms) to raise money for a worthy cause. Originally in support of Childline, the Push has now raised over 1million euro for the Crumlin Children’s Hospital. It is one of the worthiest causes and greatest ventures the school has undertaken with the motto of “Kids Helping Kids”.
1994: The Ten-Year Development Plan is launched.
1997: The new Rhetoric (6th year) block, reception and refectory are begun. They are completed in 1999 with a price tag of 7million euro, generously raised by the parents of the college.
2001: The heating system is converted to gas. An artificial wicket is laid.
2003: The Serpentine Gallery connecting the castle to the school, which contains portraits of many famous past pupils, is demolished and the castle is closed for renovation. It reopened in summer 2004.
2004: Fr. Michael Sheil retires from the post of Head Of Boarding. He is replaced by Mr. Frank Kelly, the first layman to hold the post. Fr. Leonard Maloney is appointed headmaster but, being the youngest member of the college community by over ten years, he may well be the last Jesuit to hold the post and is already the only Jesuit headmaster left in Ireland.

The school with a total overhaul of the facilities in mind has drawn up an extensive development plan. This is hoped to be completed by the bicentennial celebrations in 2014.
Clongowes has a long line of distinguished past pupils. James Joyce spent a couple of years here and “Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man” opens with Joyce in Clongowes. He describes the game of gravel-ball, a version of rugby played on the graveled area behind the school. His description of the walk from the refectory up the stairs to the right on the way out, along the Serpentine Gallery and through the castle to the Rector’s office in the circular tower is absolutely accurate. The school is still regularly visited by Joycean scholars. Other literary figures who went to Clongowes include Tom Kettle and JM Synge.
Politicians have a long history at Clongowes. O’Connell’s sons attended and Parnell’s father considered sending his son too. John Redmond, leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party from 1900 to 1918 was a student as was Kevin O’Higgins, the Vice-President and Minister for Justice in the first Freestate government. Since then, former Taoiseach John Bruton and his brother and fellow TD Richard have attended. Other famous political names include Presidential candidate TJF O’Higgins and current MEP Simon Coveney. Another “political” figure to pass through the gates was former Archbishop of Dublin John Charles McQuaid.
The world of business has many Old Clongownians among its number, including Michael O’Leary, Barry O’Callaghan and Michael and Jefferson Smurfit, as well as U2 manager Paul McGuinness. Sportsmen include Gordon Darcy, Walker Cup golfer Noel Fox and horse trainer John Oxx.
The school today operates very many programs in the areas of academics, sport, the arts, spirituality and social awareness. For further information, please do visit the college website on www.clongowes.com .
Finally, as a past pupil, I can testify that the happiest six years of my life were spent at Clongowes. There exists a special atmosphere in the school, a fantastic relationship between boys and staff and a sense of community unlike any other. The sons of the “wealthy” may attend but the Jesuit ethos prevalent in the school really does mould them into “men for others”.

Hi BazMcStay and welcome to peer review!

I see you have had trouble with guide ml - not to worry it is often easier for a sub to sort it out rather than repair incorrect coding - we don't mind on occasion

You should try and use paragraphs though so it makes it easier to read. As you are still in normal text, can you manually put some in by leaving a blank line just at points you think it would be suitable? that would be a great help for people reading the entry

You can also delete the guide and body tags as you don't need them in normal text and they are automatically created when guideml is used anyway.

I am sure people will be around to give you some more feedback soon.

I consider writing a short history of Borstal.

Help!!! I can't get the hang of the Guide ML thingy. Everytime I try to put the piece into paragraphs, the paragraphs in the preview just run on and on in a single line of text!!! Any ideas?

Don't worry about trying to change it to guide ml. Make sure you are in plain text (check that the plain text box is ticked under the white main text box) and then just use the return key to create new lines as you normally would when typing.

Thanks! I was hoping someone might say that!!!

Clongowes Wood College is a Jesuit-run, all-boys private boarding school in the fertile county of Kildare, Ireland, twenty miles south of Dublin. Established in 1814, it has become one of the most renowned schools in the country. It accommodates approximately 440 boys as well as a staff of nearly 100 (teaching, ancillary, maintenance, full- and part-time). Its expansive grounds and striking castle make it a very attractive setting. There are five Jesuit schools in Ireland but Clongowes is the only one still with a Jesuit headmaster. The Jesuit community there has dwindled to only about ten members, many of these elderly, but there is a strong sense of spirituality in the school and the ethos of St. Ignatius Loyola of working “For the Greater Glory Of God” (Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam) is still prevalent among the school community. In fact, the boys still write AMDG on top of each page of their copybooks.

The history of the school is a long and fascinating one. The first mention of the name Clongowes Wood occurs in a Close Roll of King Henry IV, dated 24 February 1418. The reference is to the dowerlands of Anastasia Wogan, the widow of Sir David Wogan of Rathcoffey. Just a century earlier, the Rathcoffey estate had reverted to the Crown. It had first been held by Adam de Hereford, a young friend of Strongbow, who had come to Ireland with him. In 1317 Edward II granted these lands to Sir John Wogan, who was at that time a Lord Deputy in Ireland, more of whose family will be said later. The name itself is a combination of the Latin “silva” (wood) and the Gaelic words “cluain” (meadow) and “gabha” (smith). Thus we have “the wood of the meadow of the smith” or, in Irish, “Coill Chluana Gabhann.”

The next family to be connected with the school was the Eustaces, a powerful clan, five of whom were to be Lord Chancellor of Ireland. Around 1450 a branch of this family settled in Mainham and built the castle of Clongowes sometime after. This stronghold was one of a series of forts along the Pale, the Anglicised area of Ireland first defined in 1494. The Eustaces, right on the frontier line, soon began to intermarry with Irish families.

The Eustaces of Clongowes were undisturbed despite the involvement of some relatives in the uprising of the Earl of Desmond in 1583. However, in 1641, James Eustace and Nicholas Wogan (of Rathcoffey) allied themselves with Rory O’Moore in the fight against the crown. Both the and Clongowes properties were taken by a Lt. Colonel Monck who proceeded to raid the castle at Clongowes. This was awarded to Sir Richard Reynell in 1667 by Charles II. He in turn sold the property (c.1000 acres) to Thomas Browne, a Dublin solicitor and a Catholic.

The Wogan Brownes as they now were restored the castle to its former glory and renamed it Castle Browne, a name still to be seen today in an inscription above the door. The land passed in 1812 to General Michael Wogan Browne, a general of the King of Saxony, fighting with Napoleon in Russia. He returned to Ireland to find his brother’s estate heavily in debt and so sold the castle along with 219 acres to a Fr. Peter Kenney SJ, heading a group of 14 Jesuits, in March 1814 for the sum of 16,000 pounds. Fr. Kenney also bought the fee farm for the price of 2,753 pounds plus 61 pounds in annual rent until 1903 when it was fully purchased under the Wyndham Land Act.

John Gillard, writing in the Hibernian Magazine (18 November 1813), raised the alarm: 'The maginificent edifice of Castle Browne in the county of Kildare, which cost over £26,000 in building, has been purchased by a party of Jesuits for £16,000. Ireland now stands in imminent danger. If Popery succeeds, our fairest plains will once more witness days worthy to rank with those of bloody Mary, and the walls of Dublin shall again become the lamentable bulwarks against popish treachery and massacre.'

Ireland was currently under the Penal Laws which prevented Catholics from, among other things, establishing schools. The education of the poor was continued by renegade priests in the “hedge-schools” while mass was often conducted in the open air on hillsides. It wasn’t until 1829 that Catholic Emancipation was achieved by Daniel O’Connell. There was a general hue and cry among many of the Protestant rich despite the fact that Mr.Kenney (as he was operating under a lay guise) did not preclude Protestants from attending the college. When interviewed by several MPs, including Sir Henry Parnell and Robert Peel, he was reasonably open in his answers to all questions except that of where the funds for the purchase had been obtained. It is generally believed that a sum of 30,000 pounds had been sent from the Vatican to Ireland for the procurement of property.

Clongowes enrolled its first student, James MacLorinan, the son of Dublin drapers, on May 18th 1814. The school fee was 50 guineas p/a, later reduced to 40 pounds per year, a figure maintained until the First World War. The only school holiday was for 5 weeks in the summer months (Christmas vacation was only introduced in 1866) and parents were discouraged from making too many visits. Within two years there were 200 pupils, with the target being the sons of the wealthy, the leaders of the future. Some dates of note:

1837: Thomas Francis Meagher becomes the first Secretary of the Higher Line (5th and 6th year) Debating Society, established under the encouragement of Daniel O’Connell, whose sons were attending the college (with undistinguished careers). The Society is still very much alive today and the Daniel O’Connell Chair is still used by the Society to which he gave it on its foundation.

1840: The magnificent tree-lined avenue is laid out.

1872: The infirmary building is built. It is still home to the infirmary to this day.

1886 : Clongowes and Tullabeg (near Tullamore) Colleges amalgamated. The old refectory and study hall burned down. Gerard Manley Hopkins, the famous Jesuit poet, dies in Dublin. He had spent a summer at Clongowes the year previous.

1887: The swimming pool is built, still in use today and believed to be the oldest heated pool in the country.

1888: A post office is set up in the gate lodge and remains in use until 1970.

1902 : The old gymnasium erected. It had been a temporary church in Letterkenny while the cathedral there was under construction. It is still in use today by the Third Line (1st and 2nd year).

1907: Work begins on the new boys chapel, costing 14,000 pounds. An organ is installed in 1914 in the year of the school centenary, when Easter holidays are also introduced.

1912: The Higher Line Cricket Pavilion, still a focal point of the college grounds, is built.

1926: Clongowes wins the Leinster Senior Rugby Cup for the first time, beating Belvedere College in the final.

1929: Electric light installed in the castle. The 1929 building, which today houses the classrooms and dormitories for 1st-4th year, is started. It is completed in 1932 at a cost of 135,000 pounds.

1931: Fr. John Sullivan dies. A most pious man, he is reputed to have been responsible for the miraculous curing of locals with illness. His cause for Canonisation continues to this day.

1944: Clongowes win the Leinster Junior Cup (for U-15s) for the first time. Repeated in ’49, ’51 but not since.

1965: Water supply now comes from the county council rather than a well.

1966: New building finished (Cost: 312,000 pounds) containing new refectory, recreation rooms, individual rooms for senior boys and toilets. The old refectory becomes the school hall, used today for concerts and drama. The science wing, today quite in need of a renovation, is built. The golf course is laid out. Oil heating installed.

1967: A new library is built.

1973: 9 hard tennis courts are constructed and 4th year (becomes Transition Year in 1986) is introduced.

1976: The Carberry Building is completed, housing a study, school museum, library, presentation room and boarding area.

1978: The school wins the Senior cup for the second time, 52 years after the first victory, thanks to the inspired coaching of the legendary Fr. Michael Sheil SJ.

1981: A new sports hall is completed. The Prefects’ Chapel, off the Boys’ Chapel, is converted to the St. Peter Claver Prayer Room. This chapel houses a stained glass window by the famed artist, Evie Hone, which depicts the face of Christ on the Cross. It was initially offered to Eton in England but they refused on the grounds that Christ has no beard in the window. Clongowes gladly took it off their hands and it is considered quite priceless today. The House System is introduced, whereby each boy is organised into one of 16 “houses” (each named in honour of a famous Jesuit such as Loyola, Gonzaga, Southwell etc., four or five boys from each year, under the stewardship of a Leader from 6th Year.

1988: The school wins the Senior Cup. The Assistant Headmaster, Mr. Michael O’Dowd, tragically dies while watching the final and is replaced by Mr. Vincent Murray. Vinnie has an electrifying effect on rugby in the school, leading the Senior team to no less than six finals in the 90's. They defeat St. Michael’s college in the final in 1991, but lose out in the finals of 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1997 before the “Dream Team” of 1998, featuring current Irish international Gordon Darcy and Leinster forward Des Dillon, taste victory. Vinnie’s untimely death on New Year’s Eve 1999, just before his appointment as coach of the Irish Schools team, spurred the team of 2000 to an unlikely victory in emotional circumstances.

1993: The Duck Push is begun under the guidance of Frank Kelly, Transition Year Pefect, and suggested by Simon Coveney, current Fine Gael MEP. It involves pushing a 10ft tall papier mache yellow duck from Dublin to Limerick (c.220kms) to raise money for a worthy cause. Originally in support of Childline, the Push has now raised over 1million euro for the Crumlin Children’s Hospital. It is one of the worthiest causes and greatest ventures the school has undertaken with the motto of “Kids Helping Kids”.

1994: The Ten-Year Development Plan is launched.

1997: The new Rhetoric (6th year) block, reception and refectory are begun. They are completed in 1999 with a price tag of 7million euro, generously raised by the parents of the college.

2001: The heating system is converted to gas. An artificial wicket is laid.

2003: The Serpentine Gallery connecting the castle to the school, which contains portraits of many famous past pupils, is demolished and the castle is closed for renovation. It reopened in summer 2004.

2004: Fr. Michael Sheil retires from the post of Head Of Boarding. He is replaced by Mr. Frank Kelly, the first layman to hold the post. Fr. Leonard Maloney is appointed headmaster but, being the youngest member of the college community by over ten years, he may well be the last Jesuit to hold the post and is already the only Jesuit headmaster left in Ireland.

The school with a total overhaul of the facilities in mind has drawn up an extensive development plan. This is hoped to be completed by the bicentennial celebrations in 2014.

Clongowes has a long line of distinguished past pupils. James Joyce spent a couple of years here and “Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man” opens with Joyce in Clongowes. He describes the game of gravel-ball, a version of rugby played on the graveled area behind the school. His description of the walk from the refectory up the stairs to the right on the way out, along the Serpentine Gallery and through the castle to the Rector’s office in the circular tower is absolutely accurate. The school is still regularly visited by Joycean scholars. Other literary figures who went to Clongowes include Tom Kettle and JM Synge.

Politicians have a long history at Clongowes. O’Connell’s sons attended and Parnell’s father considered sending his son too. John Redmond, leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party from 1900 to 1918 was a student as was Kevin O’Higgins, the Vice-President and Minister for Justice in the first Freestate government. Since then, former Taoiseach John Bruton and his brother and fellow TD Richard have attended. Other famous political names include Presidential candidate TJF O’Higgins and current MEP Simon Coveney. Another “political” figure to pass through the gates was former Archbishop of Dublin John Charles McQuaid.

The world of business has many Old Clongownians among its number, including Michael O’Leary, Barry O’Callaghan and Michael and Jefferson Smurfit, as well as U2 manager Paul McGuinness. Sportsmen include Gordon Darcy, Walker Cup golfer Noel Fox and horse trainer John Oxx.

The school today operates very many programs in the areas of academics, sport, the arts, spirituality and social awareness. For further information, please do visit the college website on www.clongowes.com

Finally, as a past pupil, I can testify that the happiest six years of my life were spent at Clongowes. There exists a special atmosphere in the school, a fantastic relationship between boys and staff and a sense of community unlike any other. The sons of the “wealthy” may attend but the Jesuit ethos prevalent in the school really does mould them into “men for others”.

I hope it didn't cause you too much stress

It makes it much easier to read than a block of text so more people are likely to read it and more feedback you will get

Baz, I can see that you have copied some of this from the site http://www.clongowes.com/about2.htm. While it is normal to use such sites as reference material, you should rephrase the text into your own words and not just lift the sentences directly into your article.

The explanation of Silva de Clongowes makes much more sense in the original than it does in your version, by the way.

I did indeed source much of my material from the Clongowes website as that is the most comprehensive yet brief history of the school to be found. I did, however, also make use of knowledge gleaned during my time there as a student and from school magazines. I did not use any copy and paste during my construction of the article and also made no attempt to copy verbatim the words of the website or any other source. Any similarity is as a result of my subconscious information retention and not intentional plagiarism. I would also appreciate if you could explain to me if there is any way to make my explanation of the name Silva de CLongowes any simpler. Thank you for your imput, it is greatly welcomed.

Please note the small change to the second paragraph where it refers to the name. Thanks again for the advice, duly acted upon.

Clongowes Wood College is a Jesuit-run, all-boys private boarding school in the fertile county of Kildare, Ireland, twenty miles south of Dublin. Established in 1814, it has become one of the most renowned schools in the country. It accommodates approximately 440 boys as well as a staff of nearly 100 (teaching, ancillary, maintenance, full- and part-time). Its expansive grounds and striking castle make it a very attractive setting. There are five Jesuit schools in Ireland but Clongowes is the only one still with a Jesuit headmaster. The Jesuit community there has dwindled to only about ten members, many of these elderly, but there is a strong sense of spirituality in the school and the ethos of St. Ignatius Loyola of working “For the Greater Glory Of God” (Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam) is still prevalent among the school community. In fact, the boys still write AMDG on top of each page of their copybooks.

The history of the school is a long and fascinating one. The first mention of the name Clongowes Wood occurs in a Close Roll of King Henry IV, dated 24 February 1418. The reference is to the dowerlands of Anastasia Wogan, the widow of Sir David Wogan of Rathcoffey. Just a century earlier, the Rathcoffey estate had reverted to the Crown. It had first been held by Adam de Hereford, a young friend of Strongbow, who had come to Ireland with him. In 1317 Edward II granted these lands to Sir John Wogan, who was at that time a Lord Deputy in Ireland, more of whose family will be said later. The name Silva de Clongowes, as it appears on early maps, is a combination of the Latin “silva” (wood) and the Gaelic words “cluain” (meadow) and “gabha” (smith). Thus we have “the wood of the meadow of the smith” or, in Irish, “Coill Chluana Gabhann.”

The next family to be connected with the school was the Eustaces, a powerful clan, five of whom were to be Lord Chancellor of Ireland. Around 1450 a branch of this family settled in Mainham and built the castle of Clongowes sometime after. This stronghold was one of a series of forts along the Pale, the Anglicised area of Ireland first defined in 1494. The Eustaces, right on the frontier line, soon began to intermarry with Irish families.

The Eustaces of Clongowes were undisturbed despite the involvement of some relatives in the uprising of the Earl of Desmond in 1583. However, in 1641, James Eustace and Nicholas Wogan (of Rathcoffey) allied themselves with Rory O’Moore in the fight against the crown. Both the and Clongowes properties were taken by a Lt. Colonel Monck who proceeded to raid the castle at Clongowes. This was awarded to Sir Richard Reynell in 1667 by Charles II. He in turn sold the property (c.1000 acres) to Thomas Browne, a Dublin solicitor and a Catholic.

The Wogan Brownes as they now were restored the castle to its former glory and renamed it Castle Browne, a name still to be seen today in an inscription above the door. The land passed in 1812 to General Michael Wogan Browne, a general of the King of Saxony, fighting with Napoleon in Russia. He returned to Ireland to find his brother’s estate heavily in debt and so sold the castle along with 219 acres to a Fr. Peter Kenney SJ, heading a group of 14 Jesuits, in March 1814 for the sum of 16,000 pounds. Fr. Kenney also bought the fee farm for the price of 2,753 pounds plus 61 pounds in annual rent until 1903 when it was fully purchased under the Wyndham Land Act.

John Gillard, writing in the Hibernian Magazine (18 November 1813), raised the alarm: 'The maginificent edifice of Castle Browne in the county of Kildare, which cost over £26,000 in building, has been purchased by a party of Jesuits for £16,000. Ireland now stands in imminent danger. If Popery succeeds, our fairest plains will once more witness days worthy to rank with those of bloody Mary, and the walls of Dublin shall again become the lamentable bulwarks against popish treachery and massacre.'

Ireland was currently under the Penal Laws which prevented Catholics from, among other things, establishing schools. The education of the poor was continued by renegade priests in the “hedge-schools” while mass was often conducted in the open air on hillsides. It wasn’t until 1829 that Catholic Emancipation was achieved by Daniel O’Connell. There was a general hue and cry among many of the Protestant rich despite the fact that Mr.Kenney (as he was operating under a lay guise) did not preclude Protestants from attending the college. When interviewed by several MPs, including Sir Henry Parnell and Robert Peel, he was reasonably open in his answers to all questions except that of where the funds for the purchase had been obtained. It is generally believed that a sum of 30,000 pounds had been sent from the Vatican to Ireland for the procurement of property.

Clongowes enrolled its first student, James MacLorinan, the son of Dublin drapers, on May 18th 1814. The school fee was 50 guineas p/a, later reduced to 40 pounds per year, a figure maintained until the First World War. The only school holiday was for 5 weeks in the summer months (Christmas vacation was only introduced in 1866) and parents were discouraged from making too many visits. Within two years there were 200 pupils, with the target being the sons of the wealthy, the leaders of the future. Some dates of note:

1837: Thomas Francis Meagher becomes the first Secretary of the Higher Line (5th and 6th year) Debating Society, established under the encouragement of Daniel O’Connell, whose sons were attending the college (with undistinguished careers). The Society is still very much alive today and the Daniel O’Connell Chair is still used by the Society to which he gave it on its foundation.

1840: The magnificent tree-lined avenue is laid out.

1872: The infirmary building is built. It is still home to the infirmary to this day.

1886 : Clongowes and Tullabeg (near Tullamore) Colleges amalgamated. The old refectory and study hall burned down. Gerard Manley Hopkins, the famous Jesuit poet, dies in Dublin. He had spent a summer at Clongowes the year previous.

1887: The swimming pool is built, still in use today and believed to be the oldest heated pool in the country.

1888: A post office is set up in the gate lodge and remains in use until 1970.

1902 : The old gymnasium erected. It had been a temporary church in Letterkenny while the cathedral there was under construction. It is still in use today by the Third Line (1st and 2nd year).

1907: Work begins on the new boys chapel, costing 14,000 pounds. An organ is installed in 1914 in the year of the school centenary, when Easter holidays are also introduced.

1912: The Higher Line Cricket Pavilion, still a focal point of the college grounds, is built.

1926: Clongowes wins the Leinster Senior Rugby Cup for the first time, beating Belvedere College in the final.

1929: Electric light installed in the castle. The 1929 building, which today houses the classrooms and dormitories for 1st-4th year, is started. It is completed in 1932 at a cost of 135,000 pounds.

1931: Fr. John Sullivan dies. A most pious man, he is reputed to have been responsible for the miraculous curing of locals with illness. His cause for Canonisation continues to this day.

1944: Clongowes win the Leinster Junior Cup (for U-15s) for the first time. Repeated in ’49, ’51 but not since.

1965: Water supply now comes from the county council rather than a well.

1966: New building finished (Cost: 312,000 pounds) containing new refectory, recreation rooms, individual rooms for senior boys and toilets. The old refectory becomes the school hall, used today for concerts and drama. The science wing, today quite in need of a renovation, is built. The golf course is laid out. Oil heating installed.

1967: A new library is built.

1973: 9 hard tennis courts are constructed and 4th year (becomes Transition Year in 1986) is introduced.

1976: The Carberry Building is completed, housing a study, school museum, library, presentation room and boarding area.

1978: The school wins the Senior cup for the second time, 52 years after the first victory, thanks to the inspired coaching of the legendary Fr. Michael Sheil SJ.

1981: A new sports hall is completed. The Prefects’ Chapel, off the Boys’ Chapel, is converted to the St. Peter Claver Prayer Room. This chapel houses a stained glass window by the famed artist, Evie Hone, which depicts the face of Christ on the Cross. It was initially offered to Eton in England but they refused on the grounds that Christ has no beard in the window. Clongowes gladly took it off their hands and it is considered quite priceless today. The House System is introduced, whereby each boy is organised into one of 16 “houses” (each named in honour of a famous Jesuit such as Loyola, Gonzaga, Southwell etc., four or five boys from each year, under the stewardship of a Leader from 6th Year.

1988: The school wins the Senior Cup. The Assistant Headmaster, Mr. Michael O’Dowd, tragically dies while watching the final and is replaced by Mr. Vincent Murray. Vinnie has an electrifying effect on rugby in the school, leading the Senior team to no less than six finals in the 90's. They defeat St. Michael’s college in the final in 1991, but lose out in the finals of 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1997 before the “Dream Team” of 1998, featuring current Irish international Gordon Darcy and Leinster forward Des Dillon, taste victory. Vinnie’s untimely death on New Year’s Eve 1999, just before his appointment as coach of the Irish Schools team, spurred the team of 2000 to an unlikely victory in emotional circumstances.

1993: The Duck Push is begun under the guidance of Frank Kelly, Transition Year Pefect, and suggested by Simon Coveney, current Fine Gael MEP. It involves pushing a 10ft tall papier mache yellow duck from Dublin to Limerick (c.220kms) to raise money for a worthy cause. Originally in support of Childline, the Push has now raised over 1million euro for the Crumlin Children’s Hospital. It is one of the worthiest causes and greatest ventures the school has undertaken with the motto of “Kids Helping Kids”.

1994: The Ten-Year Development Plan is launched.

1997: The new Rhetoric (6th year) block, reception and refectory are begun. They are completed in 1999 with a price tag of 7million euro, generously raised by the parents of the college.

2001: The heating system is converted to gas. An artificial wicket is laid.

2003: The Serpentine Gallery connecting the castle to the school, which contains portraits of many famous past pupils, is demolished and the castle is closed for renovation. It reopened in summer 2004.

2004: Fr. Michael Sheil retires from the post of Head Of Boarding. He is replaced by Mr. Frank Kelly, the first layman to hold the post. Fr. Leonard Maloney is appointed headmaster but, being the youngest member of the college community by over ten years, he may well be the last Jesuit to hold the post and is already the only Jesuit headmaster left in Ireland.

The school with a total overhaul of the facilities in mind has drawn up an extensive development plan. This is hoped to be completed by the bicentennial celebrations in 2014.

Clongowes has a long line of distinguished past pupils. James Joyce spent a couple of years here and “Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man” opens with Joyce in Clongowes. He describes the game of gravel-ball, a version of rugby played on the graveled area behind the school. His description of the walk from the refectory up the stairs to the right on the way out, along the Serpentine Gallery and through the castle to the Rector’s office in the circular tower is absolutely accurate. The school is still regularly visited by Joycean scholars. Other literary figures who went to Clongowes include Tom Kettle and JM Synge.

Politicians have a long history at Clongowes. O’Connell’s sons attended and Parnell’s father considered sending his son too. John Redmond, leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party from 1900 to 1918 was a student as was Kevin O’Higgins, the Vice-President and Minister for Justice in the first Freestate government. Since then, former Taoiseach John Bruton and his brother and fellow TD Richard have attended. Other famous political names include Presidential candidate TJF O’Higgins and current MEP Simon Coveney. Another “political” figure to pass through the gates was former Archbishop of Dublin John Charles McQuaid.

The world of business has many Old Clongownians among its number, including Michael O’Leary, Barry O’Callaghan and Michael and Jefferson Smurfit, as well as U2 manager Paul McGuinness. Sportsmen include Gordon Darcy, Walker Cup golfer Noel Fox and horse trainer John Oxx.

The school today operates very many programs in the areas of academics, sport, the arts, spirituality and social awareness. For further information, please do visit the college website on www.clongowes.com

Finally, as a past pupil, I can testify that the happiest six years of my life were spent at Clongowes. There exists a special atmosphere in the school, a fantastic relationship between boys and staff and a sense of community unlike any other. The sons of the “wealthy” may attend but the Jesuit ethos prevalent in the school really does mould them into “men for others”.

Baz, you don't need to copy the entire article into this conversation each time you make a change. The conversation is for comments about the article. Just edit the article where it is, then post a message here outlining any changes.

The following is verbatim from the website: "The first mention of the name Clongowes Wood occurs in a Close Roll of King Henry IV, dated 24 February 1418. The reference is to the dowerlands of Anastasia Wogan, the widow of Sir David Wogan of Rathcoffey."

Hi Baz,

This is a very interesting article, well written and thoroughly researched. Well done. I didn't realise that it had produced so many Fine Gael politicians!

Two general comments, and please, this is just my opinion, but I think that the timeline might be shortened quite a bit. As is unfortunately the case with many timelines, more mundane events of the very recent past appear to get more prominence than more significant events of older times. Also, a timeline can take away from the story you are trying to tell - it is less interesting for the reader particularly if it is long. You might consider shortening the timeline to include just the most important events in history. It would aid the readiblity of the piece.

Also, right at the end you have written a personal comment. The convention in H2G2 is to avoid the personal pronoun ("I") in Edited Guide entries. If you remove the first sentence of the last paragraph you should be fine. Your last sentence does not read well - it attempts to link the wealthy with working for others, but I don't really get it. Could you consider rephrasing it?

Other than that, its a very well written piece about a very well known school in Ireland.

Slán

Woodpigeon

Go raibh maith agat as ucht do chabhair.

1) Final paragraph dropped in favour of ending with link to the website.

2) Verbatim sentence in 2nd paragraph altered but, as you can see, such information about this important date is rather difficult to phrase much differently.

3) Several more trivial references to lesser buildings and heating systems dropped from timeline.

Thanks again for the advice

OK, Baz, with the problem of duplication between you and the official website out of the way, I've had a read through the whole thing. Excellent work! You've done the school proud.

I agree with Woodpigeon that the timeline could be shortened somewhat.

I think the entry would benefit from an explanation of what exactly a Jesuit is; not everybody reading it will know. You could do it within the text or as a footnote. (For a footnote, just put in brackets like this: [Footnote: blah blah blah] and the editors will convert it to a proper footnote later.

There are a few small typographic changes that should be made to keep it in line with h2g2 standards:

1. Use 'single quotes' instead of "double quotes" throughout.

2. Don't put full stops after abbreviations: Fr St etc instead of Fr. St. etc.

3. Dates should be formatted as follows: 18 November, 1813 rather than 18 November 1813 or May 18th 1814 (the two dates I spotted in your entry).

4. I think there should be a space before million in 1million euro and 7million euro.

5. Say 1990s rather than 90's.

A few other minor suggestions:

the year previous --> the previous year
boys chapel --> boys' chapel
Leinster Junior Cup --> Leinster Junior (Rugby) Cup

Again, suggestions noted and changes duly made. Thank you again for this constructive criticism that I'm sure will be of use in my future submissions to the Guide.

I still see quite a few sentences which appear to be directly copied from http://www.clongowes.com/clongowes_history.htm

Everything here really needs to be in your own words -- copying and pasting from somewhere else isn't allowed.

-- Mikey