Glenstal Abbey School
| Glenstal Abbey School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
 | |
Murroe, County Limerick Ireland | |
| Information | |
| Former name | Glenstal Priory School |
| Type | Boys only, 7-day Full Boarding and Day Boarding (Mon-Sat) |
| Motto | PAX, Reverence, Respect and Responsibility |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1932 |
| President | The Abbot of Glenstal |
| Head teacher | Marius Carney |
| Chaplain | Fr. Denis Hooper OSB |
| Number of students | c. 250 |
| Houses | Junior House
Inter House Senior House |
| Color(s) | Red and grey |
| Mascot | Raven |
| Website | www |
Glenstal Abbey School is an all boys independent day and boarding Catholic secondary school, located on the grounds of Glenstal Abbey in Murroe, County Limerick, Ireland. It is run by monks of the Benedictine order. The school offers seven-day full boarding, as well as day boarding (Mon-Sat). The school is regularly ranked among the top schools in Ireland.[1][2][3]
History[edit]
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (December 2022) |
Glenstal is a Norman Revivalist Castle, designed by William Bardwell, an English architect and built by Sir Matthew Barrington in 1839.[4] Sir Charles and Lady Barrington left Ireland permanently in 1925.
The castle and estate were purchased shortly after by Monsignor James J. Ryan, retired president of St Patrick’s College, Thurles, for the nominal sum of £2,000. Some months after the purchase, Msgr Ryan wrote to Celestine Golenvaux, the Abbot of the Benedictine monastery at Maredsous, and invited him to come to Ireland and set up a daughter house in Glenstal and by March 1927, the first two Belgian monks had arrived at Glenstal to establish the new house.[5] In September 1932, the monks opened a Secondary School with Fr Columba Skerret as Headmaster, and with an intake of just seven pupils. The first lay teacher of the school was Mr Vincent Quirke.
Glenstal Abbey was faced with allegations of child abuse. Records indicate four historic allegations against two members of the monastic community relating to abuse at Glenstal Abbey School.They were reported and investigated; in no case were there criminal or civil proceedings.[6] In a 2014 report The National Board for Safeguarding Children (NBSC) stated that the Benedictine community handled these accusations well with proper action, including removal from monastic life and treatment.[7]
Notable former pupils[edit]
Notable former pupils
- John Blayney, Judge of the Supreme Court
- Kim Carroll, composer and musician.
- Jack Stafford,[8] rugby player.
- John Magnier,[9] businessman and former senator Seanad Éireann.[10]
- Eamonn Quigley,[11] researcher in medicine.
- Tony O'Connor,[12] Judge of the High Court.
- Paul Mullen (rugby union), rugby player
- Colm Hogan, rugby player
- Patrick Martyn-Hemphill, 5th Baron Hemphill,[13] former member of the House of Lords, Senior stewart of the Irish National Hunt Society, former chairman of the Galway Race Committee.
- Ian Nagle,[14] rugby player
- John M. Kelly,[15] former Minister for Trade, Commerce and Tourism, acting Minister for Foreign Affairs, Attorney General and Government Chief Whip.
- Francis French, 7th Baron de Freyne, aristocrat and former member of the House of Lords.
- Peter Cunningham, writer.
- Duncan Casey,[16] rugby player.
- Paddy Cosgrave[17]
- Ben Healy, rugby player
- Sean Lucy, Poet and Professor at University College Cork
- Abbot Mark Patrick Hederman
Sports[edit]
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The main sport in Glenstal is rugby union, mandatory for all students in first and second year. Teams are fielded at all ages from U-14 to U-19 and are involved in both friendly and competitive fixtures from late September until March.
The school won the Munster Schools Senior Cup, for its first time on 18 March 2018 beating Christian Brothers College, Cork 18-17.
References[edit]
- ^ "Revealed: The new No 1 secondary school in the country". The Irish Independent. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
- ^ "Glenstal Abbey crowned Ireland's top school". Retrieved 16 August 2017.
- ^ "School league tables: Country's top schools get perfect results". Retrieved 16 August 2017.
- ^ "Glenstal Abbey", Discover Limerick, Limerick City and County Council
- ^ Tierney OSB, Mark. "The Origins and Early Days of Glenstal Abbey", The Irish Benedictines: A history, The Columba Press
- ^ "Abuse of pupils at Glenstal Abbey school involved two monks", The Irish Times, December 3 2022
- ^ "Ten abuse allegations made against six Glenstal monks". The Irish Times. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
- ^ Geary, Sean (27 November 2017). "VIDEO: Introducing Jack Stafford". Munster Rugby. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
- ^ "John Magnier". 8 September 2011. Archived from the original on 8 September 2011. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ Oireachtas, Houses of the (1 January 1970). "John Magnier – Houses of the Oireachtas". www.oireachtas.ie. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ "Houston Methodist". houstonmethodist.org. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
- ^ gpa (6 October 2015). "Tony O'Connor (1977) appointed Judge of the High Court". Glenstal Old Boys Society. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
- ^ "Lord Hemphill". telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
- ^ Rooney, Declan (2 December 2015). "Former Munster lock Ian Nagle set for surprise return to professional rugby". The42. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
- ^ "Kelly, John Maurice". Dictionary of Irish Biography. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
- ^ Ireland, Rugby Players (5 May 2018). "DUNCAN CASEY EXCELLING IN THE COMMUNITY". Rugby Players Ireland. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
- ^ "Glenstal Abbey School". www.facebook.com. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
External links[edit]