St. Mel's College
St. Mel's College is a all-boys secondary school in Longford, Ireland.
St. Mel's College Coláiste Naomh Mel | |
---|---|
Location | |
Information | |
Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic |
Established | 1865 |
Principal | Mr. Declan Rowley |
Gender | Boys |
Trustee | Catholic Education an Irish Schools Trust School |
Website | http://www.stmelscollege.ie/ |
History
The college opened in September 1865 with 48 boarders and 20 dayboys. The architect was Than Ourke with a total cost of 16,000 euro. In the beginning, it was actually a seminary, where students studied to become priests. Fr. James Reynolds was the first president. Previously he had been Superior of St. Mel's Day School in the Market Square. The school shares its name with St. Mel's Cathedral in Longford and it is situated to the rear of the cathedral. The cathedral and the college are named after Saint Mél of Ardagh.
St. Mel's was originally a boarding school since its foundation, later becoming a day school. Due to financial implications and decreasing demand for boarding schools it stopped taking in boarders in the early 2000s.[1]
Sports
St. Mel's won its first All Ireland Senior Final, beating St. Patrick's College, Cavan in Croke Park by 4-7 to 3-3. The college has won the Gaelic football championship Hogan Cup in 1948, 1962, 1963 and 1987.
Past pupils
- Conor Connelly (1975-2020) - Gaelic footballer
- Ray Flynn (b. 1957) - athlete
References
- "Book on St. Mel's published". Irish Times. Retrieved 18 April 2020.