St. Mary's Knockbeg College

Infobox School
name = St. Mary's Knockbeg College, Carlow

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county = Laois
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country = Ireland
coordinates = Coord|52|52|1.73|N|6|56|16.32|W
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religion = Christian
denomination = Roman Catholic
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headmaster = Mr. Cyril Hughes
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viceprincipal = Mr. Bernard Cashman
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rector = Fr Michéal Murphy
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staff = 25
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fees = Boarding only
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age range = 12/13 - 18/19
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language = English
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motto = Motto: Recissa Vegetior Assurgit
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sports = Gaelic football,
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school_colours = Blue and White
yearbook = Knockbeg College Annual 2007
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established = 1793
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students = 400 "(approx)"
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website = http://www.knockbegcollege.ie

St. Mary's Knockbeg College is a Roman Catholic, all-boys secondary school located on the Laois/Carlow border, approximately 2.5km from both Carlow town and Graiguecullen. A former seminary school for the diocese of Kildare and Leighlin, it was founded in 1793. It accommodates both day-pupils and fee-paying boarders, though the boarding school will soon be closing down. The College celebrated it's bicentenary in 1993.
Knockbeg won the All-Ireland College's Senior Football Championship in 2005, under the guidance of former pupil and current teacher, Chris Conway.
In 2006, Knockbeg were the victors of the Thomas Crosbie Holdings All Ireland Quiz Championship, bringing All-Ireland success to the college twice in two years, and were crowned All-Ireland German Debating Champions in 2008. [ [http://www.carlowpeople.ie/news/knockbeg-college-students-sprechen-deutsch-to-win-all-ireland-debating-title-1377031.html Knockbeg College students sprechen Deutsch' to win All Ireland debating title - News, frontpage - Carlowpeople.ie ] ]

History

St Mary's Knockbeg College ("Coláiste Muire Cnoc Beag" in Irish) is one of the oldest secondary schools in Ireland, located on the Laois/Carlow border. It traces its origins back to 1793 when a lay school for boys was established in St.Patrick's College, Carlow in conjunction with the seminary there. In 1847 it was decided that the young pupils in the school should come out to Knockbeg, which had been a gentry estate on the banks of the River Barrow before being purchased by the Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin . The initial school had about 40 pupils but the numbers grew as all the lay pupils from St Patrick's transferred out. In 1898 the school became the official junior seminary for the diocese. To this day the aim of the college is to offer a holistic Catholic education. Through the years the boarding numbers in the school built up to the around 160 mark and has since increased in the 1980s when Day-Boys were taken in. At present, there are well over 350 pupils attending the school. [ [http://www.knockbegcollege.ie/history.htm :: Colaiste Muire Cnoc Beag - St.Mary's Knockbeg College - A Brief History :: ] ]

Sports

Knockbeg College has a long sporting tradition, widely recognised in Ireland. In 2005, Knockbeg claimed the Leinster Senior Football College's title after a gap over 50 years. Following this, they went on to claim the Hogan Cup for the first time in their history. [http://www.netsoc.ucd.ie/~colind/news/0505051.html] Knockbeg has produced many quality footballers throughout the years, playing inter-county football for their respective counties. Knockbeg's hurling and basketball teams have also achieved moderate success over the years. Knockbeg currently has three table officials who look after all the home played basketball matches.

Notable alumni

Knockbeg College has educated many people of note over the years:

*William Hoey Kearney Redmond, Irish nationalist and Irish Parliamentary Party MP for 34 years
*Kevin O'Higgins, Irish Nationalist and Pro-Treaty TD for Laois-Offaly, Minister for Home Affairs/Vice-President of the Executive Council in the first Dáil
*Tommy Murphy, the greatest Laois footballer of all time, named in the midfield position in the GAA Football Team of the Millennium.
*Charles Flanagan, current Fine Gael TD for Laois-Offaly

Others include members of the current Laois GAA teams : Brian McDonald, Ross Munnelly, Donie Brennan and Rory Stapleton.

Former Laois great, Chris Conway, who is currently teaching in the college, was also educated at Knockbeg.

Colm Begley, now playing Australian Rules Football for the Brisbane Lions, also attended the college.

Dispute over location

Over the years many people have disputed whether Knockbeg is in Laois or Carlow. Although its postal address is Carlow, geographically it is in Laois. The River Barrow is the border line between Laois and Carlow and Knockbeg is on the Laois side. However the school has many pupils from both Laois and Carlow as well as boarders from Kilkenny, Kildare, Wexford, Wicklow and further afield.

Staff

The college's principal is currently Mr Cyril Hughes, a past pupil of Knockbeg. The rector of the college is Fr Michéal Murphy, while former Laois Football captain, Chris Conway, is also a member of the teaching staff. The school's long-serving vice principal, Mr. Seán Killoran, retired at the end of the 2007/2008 school year, after 35 years of teaching in the college. He is succeeded by the school's Housemaster (Dean of Discipline), Mr. Bernard Cashman.

Boarding school closure

In early 2007, it was announced that the boarding school will close at the end of the 2010 academic year. Sadly, this signified the end of the school's long history of boarding, making it an all-day-boy school. However, in March 2008, students and staff were informed that the closure of the boarding school would not take place until the end of the academic year of 2011.Borders will be removed from Knockbeg at this point in time

References

External links

* [http://www.knockbegcollege.ie Knockbeg College official website]