Clongowes Stories

16th January 2018

There was a lot of emotion and no little joy in Clongowes when our newly laid all-weather pitch was re-opened on Saturday (13th January). The state-of-the-art facility was blessed by the Rector, Fr Michael Sheil SJ before the purple- ribbon was cut by our four most recent rugby internationals, Gordon D’Arcy, Rob and Dave Kearney,…read more

14th January 2018

Just before Christmas (Wednesday, 6th December) fifteen 5th Year students attended the John Paul Second awards ceremony in St Peter and Paul’s church in Portlaoise. The Pope John Paul II Award encourages participants to take an active part in the life of their Church: in the life of their community and society. It enables young…read more

12th January 2018

Ruairi O’Regan, Finn Adams and Pat Taaffe  of Transition Year have just returned to Clongowes following a sojourn in our fellow Jesuit school, St. Marie La Grand’Grange in Saint Chamond (near St. Etienne). While there the boys were interviewed for a local newspaper on what it’s like living the French way… ‘We’re living like the…read more

10th January 2018

The Clongowes Alumnus of the Year Award recognises outstanding Old Clongownians who are one or more of the following: Inspirational Transformational Socially responsible Innovative Entrepreneurial Outstanding in their chosen area Fr. Peter McVerry SJ (OC ’62) was the inaugural recipient of the Clongowes Alumnus of the Year Award in 2015. Fr McVerry emphasised that he was…read more

8th January 2018

This morning our Pastoral Co-Ordinator, Ms Anne Marie Dolan led the first Morning Prayer of 2018… ‘For many of us a new year is an invitation to say good bye to what has been and look forward to what will be. It is also a chance to make those “new year resolutions”. From a spiritual…read more

6th January 2018

Rhetoric Parent Day will take place on next Sunday 14th January 2018 as indicated on the school calendar. The day will begin at 09.30 and will end after 11.30 Mass. You are invited to lunch in the refectory should you and the boys wish to stay. Our main speaker on Sunday will be Fr Peter Sexton SJ,…read more

24th December 2017

Clongowes lies silent now. The crowds that thronged the chapel for the first Mass of Christmas a little while ago have departed and the empty corridors echo to our footsteps as we make our way through the darkness and the memories that rub shoulders with us on our solitary walk. The school closed on Friday…read more

22nd December 2017

The season of Advent, A Time of Expectant Waiting, has been a full one here in Clongowes, with many events in the school ranging from the Advent Service of Reconciliation by way of the joyful Christmas Lunch on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception to the annual Christmas Concert last week. On Tuesday the annual Carol…read more

18th December 2017

Last week the five Australian GAP students (or Gappies), who have graced the groves of Clongowes since their arrival here in January, began to make their way back home for a bit of sunshine before embarking on the next stage of their lives at Third Level. William Hartwig, Jack Kofod, Andrew Choek, Joe Flannery and…read more

16th December 2017

Transition Year Riverview Exchange Back in October six Transition Year students embarked for the Antipodes on a four week exchange with our sister college, St Ignatius’ College, Riverview, which was founded in 1880 by Old Clongownian, Fr Joseph Dalton. Embedded correspondent, Mikey Mina Ronayne sent us this despatch from behind the lines… “We arrived at…read more