St Comhghalls Secondary School

St. Comhghalls College is a co-educational school providing second level education to pupils from 12 to 18 years old. The school is in Lisnaskea, a small town situated 12 miles from Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh, and was founded in September 1920.

The current roll is 388, mainly from Lisnaskea, Maguiresbridge, Newtownbutler, the Knocks and Donagh. The school motto is "Pray and Work Together". The principal of the school is Gary Kelly and the vice principal is Michael Cassidy.

Sport

Sport plays a vital part in the day-to-day life of a St. Comhghalls Student and all sport is encouraged at the school. St. Comhghalls made national headlines in 1996 after the Under 16 boys team won the All-Ireland. In 2006 the Under 16 girls team made it to the final in the All Ireland.

Visit from the President

The President of Ireland, Mary McAleese and her husband, Dr Martin, who has maternal (McElgunn) roots here, has visited five venues in the county, among them St Joseph's Primary School, Donagh where, among the guests, were members of the McElgunn clan.

In the President's address to the student body of St Comhghall's Secondary School, Lisnaskea, she recalled the bad old days when people were forced by poverty and politics to emigrate.

The present, however, was different: "By some kind of a miracle, things are beginning to come together", she said, "not by coincidence but by sheer hard work and you young people, you will rove to us and show us the reality which is what Ireland should be like, that there is peace and prosperity. It is going to be an extraordinary Ireland, the best Ireland ever, and you are to be its inheritors and its leaders".Fact|date=June 2008

Grammar Status

St. Comhghalls Secondary school had grammar status in the years 1978 - 1982 but the then board of governors lifted the grammar status in order to give all candidate pupils an equal chance when applying for entry. The Western Education and Library Board has since pushed for the status to be re-introduced but the board of governors continue to strongly resist any such moves but instead since 1995 pupils must pass the entry tests to be admitted to year 8.

Notable Alumni & Post-16 Education

*Gerry McHugh - Sinn Féin MLA
*Dr.Sean Quinn - Businessman with networth of £4.6 Billion
*Sinead Quinn - Singer and songwriter attended for one year
*Michelle Gildernew - MP MLA and Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development attended for 2 years in 1984
*Dr. Rose Maguire - English Professor at Cambridge University
*Professor John Murphy Reilly - Biology Professor Queens University Belfast

As of 1 September 2008, almost 30 new students, along with students originally at the school applied to continue Post-16 Education. These Students included:

6th Form

Prefect Boy - Danny Sugrue, Prefect Boy - Jody Kelly, Prefect Girl - Amiee McCabe, Prefect Girl - Emma Breslin

Dominic McCaffrey, Stephen Kearns, Kiri Tininey, Anita McMahon, Niall McCarroll, Emmett Conlon, Jonathan Beggan, Teresa Feely, Liam Beggan, Anna O'Grady, Katie O'Grady, Emma Maguire, Adam Cartwright, Orlaith Hannigan, Ryan Gavin, Declan McDonnagh & Martin Little.

Business seminars

Former pupil and local multi-billionaire businessman Sean Quinn frequently holds talks with GCSE and A-Level Business Studies pupils about starting a new business and has donated large amounts to the school over the years and he most recently donated £2,000,000 towards an extension to the schools ICT department and donated £200,000 towards the schools new Sean Quinn library.

Principals/President

References

*http://www.stcomhghalls.20m.com/
*http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/top-100-companies/article1930857.ece
*http://www.quinn-group.com/