Coláiste Éinde, ninety years

by Tom Kenny

Coláiste Éinde was founded very shortly after the State itself was founded. The aim was to educate boys through the medium of Irish so that they would go on to St Patrick’s teacher training college, get secure employment for life, and in turn, teach a new generation of boys through Irish. It started life in Furbo House, an old house belonging to the Blake family. A domestic problem arose within the family who owned the house, so the school’s stay there was brief and they had to leave at Christmas 1930. The college was transferred to Talbot House in Talbot Street, Dublin, the following month.

There were 29 pupils in the first class. The second group of scholars came to the college in the school year of 1931/32. The school moved to Glasnevin in 1934

In the meantime, the government had a plan to build a preparatory college for nuns who were hoping to become school principals and teachers in national schools. It would be run by the sisters of St Louis and the construction began in 1929. However Bishop O’Doherty had not realised that a new order of nuns were coming into the diocese, and when he did, he put a stop to the building works. The skeleton of the building was left for a number of years. The bishop died in 1936 and then Bishop Browne took over and he managed to resolve the impasse. The government finished the building on a smaller scale than had been planned and Coláiste Éinde moved to the Threadneedle Road site and formally opened there on October 10, 1937.

The construction work was finished by Stewarts. They had 150 men working there, no lifts, just a few concrete mixers and men carrying buckets. The total cost of construction was £85,394.

From 1928 to 1961, it was a residential preparatory college, a second level boarding school. One had to pass a testing entrance exam, with special emphasis on oral Irish, to gain admission. During the war it was used as a military hospital and hosted survivors from The Athenia and later wounded soldiers from Italy and Germany. In 1961, it opened up to the usual wide spectrum of students, many of them day pupils.

In 1986 it became a day school and in 1981, it changed to a co-educational school.

On Sunday, October 28, Coláiste Éinde will be 90 years old and to celebrate this notable anniversary, the school is putting on an exhibition of photographs and memorabilia at 3pm. This will be followed by Mass in the school and later by dinner in The Ardilaun. Tickets will be €50 and you can book your place by phoning 086 468 4834. If you have any old photographs or other images relating to your time there, contact Seamus Kelly at the school. Everything will be cared for and returned.

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The Service of Institution of Canon Lynda Peilow as Rector to the Church of Ireland parishes of Galway and Kilcummin will take place in the Collegiate Church of St Nicholas on Friday September 14 at 8pm, by the Rt Revd Patrick Rooke, Bishop of Tuam, Killala and Achonry.

Canon Peilow comes to Galway from Edenderry, with husband Clive and their three children, Chloe, Peter, and Amelie. This is a momentous occasion as she is the first woman elevated to this role in the church’s almost 700 year history. All are warmly invited to attend.