Blackrock College
Encyclopedia
Blackrock College is a Catholic
voluntary
secondary school
for boys aged 14–18, located in Williamstown, Blackrock, County Dublin
, Ireland
. The College was founded by French missionaries in 1860, to act as a school and civil service training centre. Set in 0.25 square kilometres (61.8 acre) of grounds, it has an illustrious sporting tradition. The College, 7 kilometre from Dublin city centre is just in from the sea, and is self contained, with a large boarding school and teaching facilities. Now run by a lay foundation in trust, it maintains high academic standards and requires all pupils to participate in non-academic activities. The missionary tradition continues with charity programmes, especially at Christmas. It accommodates approximately 1,100 day (primarily) and boarding students.
in 1860, the first of the Order's five schools in Ireland. The founder is listed as Fr (Père) Jules Leman, a French missionary with the Holy Ghost Order. It was originally known as the French College. A successful civil service
training and university department (where students were examined and had degrees conferred by the Royal University of Ireland
) were run for over forty years, until University College Dublin
grew, and the school focused more on the second level curriculum.
On 30 April 1926 Fr. Leen at a sports day speech encapsulated the words Fides Et Robur which hence forth became the Rock motto. In 1928 a new College Crest, bearing four emblems around a blue cross was hurriedly officiated, primarily to show off the Fides Et Robur motto over the College's especially built new front gates. Not everyone was happy with this design and possible variations of a new design may have been experimented with; evidence exists that both in crest and in uniform, by reason of fault or debate, and most likely between 1928–1936, a distinctive crest had been "with nine rays descendant, Or". In 1936 Dr. McQuaid instigated a new and distinctive crest that to this day is in continual use (unchecked variations and wayward deviations are contracted into stores by stationery and uniform suppliers). It was adapted on blazers that year and a heraldic description of the arms of the College was published (though not officially registered) in the 1937 Blackrock College Annual. It was commissioned into stained glass in 1938, presumably in its true and intended likeness and survives today at the end of one of the house corridors, though it's conformity to the true heraldic interpretations are not accurate; "a Lion Rampant of the second" would correctly reveal only a blue silhouette of a rampant lion, that is, minus any fine caricature details so apparent in the existing variations.
The College and its sister schools in Ireland are today held in trust by the Des Places Educational Association, which, as the College's Patron, aims to maintain the Spiritan ethos in all five schools – Blackrock, Rockwell
, St. Mary's
, St. Michael's
and Templeogue
– conducted by the Congregation of the Holy Spirit in Ireland.
66 times. It has also won the Leinster Schools Junior Cup
46 times. Blackrock won the inaugural Cup competition held in 1887 and have been consistently the most successful team, winning the Cup at least 3 times in every decade since.
Former Rock rugby players include, Fergus Slattery
, Shane Byrne and Victor Costello
. Current professional players include former British and Irish Lions
and Leinster
& Ireland's Grand Slam winning captain, Brian O'Driscoll
. Others include Leinster and Ireland's Luke Fitzgerald
, Leinster's Heineken Cup
winning captain Leo Cullen
, David Boland (Currently Blackrock College RFC Senior's MVP and outstanding performer) and London Irish
captain Bob Casey
.
Gaelic Football
is played in 4th year in the college. Past pupils Mark Vaughan
and Niall Corkery
are forwards on the Dublin
Gaelic football
team. The school also has a hurling
team for 2nd and 3rd years. 5 members of the All Ireland Club Championship winning Kilmacud Crokes team of 2008-09 were past pupils of Blackrock College. The college has a soccer team for its senior pupils in 4th, 5th and 6th year. The soccer teams greatest success came in 2003 when, captained by Steve "ste's up" Dillon they won the Leinster and All-Ireland U-17's schools cup.
, which has won the college more trophies than any other activity in the College's history, including rugby. In recent years the number of squash players have dwindled in the college.
team, which combines 1st to 6th year. Currently the team has 6 training sessions per week. The college competes in Leinster Senior Schools having won the senior relay cup multiple times, most recently in 2008, and the Irish senior schools, regularly making finals. The college has a strong record of inter-schools gala’s also. The schools has two 25 metre swimming pools on the grounds. The junior school Willow Park also has a successful swimming team. The college also has teams in other watersports such as water polo
and 4ths years also participate in rowing.
is another one of the colleges sports with many of its students participating in it. Many players come from 2nd year with older years fielding less numbers. 2010 saw the Blackrock Senior A team retain the Leinster Schools Senior Cup, won for the first time in 2009, while the Seniors also won the Leinster Senior League for the first time since 1968, as well as reaching the final of the Senior All Irelands for the first time. 2010 saw the Junior team reach the Junior Cup final for the 3rd year in a row, however in 2008 & 2009 the Blackrock Junior A team completed the Leinster double, with victories in both Junior Cup and Junior League, and also reached the final of the Junior All Irelands in both seasons. In 2010 the Senior A team competed in the World Schools Championships for the first time.
The college has its own basketball
team run by English teacher Claire Campion. It has small numbers and is successful. The basketball programme produced Irish and inter provincial school boy representatives in the 70's such as John and Noel Williams. The college has 3 outdoor basketball courts and 2 indoor basketball courts on the grounds. One indoor basketball court is in Willow Park gym and the other is Jubilee Hall. The outdoor basketball courts are currently under construction and are due to be finished by September 2010.
The school has a tennis
team divided between minors, juniors and seniors. They practice and play their home matches on the colleges four tennis courts. 1st years in Willow Park also play on the colleges tennis teams. The college also has teams in other sports such as cricket
, golf
, rowing
and Judo
. Cricket has been played since the foundation of the school in 1860 and still produces teams today.
club called the Willow Wheelers, run by Mr. Christy McDaid. The club has an annual trip to France each Easter, recently in Cap D'Agde. It also has hostel trips to Clare and Donegal at the end of the school year. The club has an annual 160 kilometres (99.4 mi) cycle for charity which has raised around 150,000 euro in the past few years.
(Senior Musical) and Loreto College, Foxrock
(2nd and 4th Year Musical), nearby girls' schools.
Debating is an old tradition in Blackrock College dating back to the schools founding in the 1860s. There are separate clubs for junior and senior pupils. One of the college Alumni, Shane Murphy (now a Senior Counsel), won the 1985 World University Debating Championship at McGill University, representing the Honourable Society of the King's Inns. The college's debaters participate in many competitions including the L&H debates in UCD.
The college has two main choirs: the Leman and the Liebermann choirs. The Leman choir has members from 2nd, 4th, 5th and 6th year and the best of the senior members of the Leman choir are accepted into the Liebermann choir. The College has a choir for boarders and another for parents. The College has a successful orchestra
. Each year, all the choirs and the orchestra host the annual Leman Concert in the National Concert Hall
.
A transition year program to set up and maintain a radio
station, broadcasting to the surrounding south Dublin area, is undertaken annually. All of the administrative work, promotion and content-creation is the labour of transition year students. The station also allows programming submissions from other schools to be broadcast. It's the only second level radio project that broadcasts 12 hours a day, five days a week. Blackrock College Radio has featured many famous and influential guests including Neil Flynn, Ryan Tubridy, Eamon Gilmore, Leo Cullen, Mary Hannifin and many more.
Each year a Seachtain na Gaeilge (literally, "Week of Irish") is organised to promote the Irish language in the school. This co-curricular activity was particularly commended in a Department of Education inspection, which also recommended its further development.
The school also has a long-standing relationship with The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, contributing large sums of money raised through various projects. For example, the proceeds of the annual sale of Christmas Trees in the college are donated. In 2007, the Christmas Tree project raised € 93,000 and the total amount raised for the Society in that year is estimated to be in excess of € 150,000.
The College supports humanitarian projects in Sub-Saharan Africa
, mainly through the college's cycling club, the Willow Wheelers. In 2006, their annual sponsored 160 km (99.4 mi) cycle raised in excess of € 60,000. The club also annually sends a group of self-funded volunteers to help with humanitarian projects in Africa, most commonly: establishing clean water supplies for villages and constructing schoolhouses/infirmaries or similar institutions.
Bob Geldof
, initiator of the Band Aid
and Live Aid
movements for famine relief in the 1980s, was a student at the college (however, he was bitterly critical of it and in fact left without any qualifications). Frank Duff, the founder of the Legion of Mary
, the Catholic lay
movement, is also a past pupil. In his memoirs, Straight Left: A Journey in Politics Ruairi Quinn
cites the ethos and "sense of solidarity" with the Third World that was imparted to students, including Bob Geldof, as a formative force. The Holy Ghost Fathers were (and remain) an active missionary order in Africa. He wrote:
, a private primary school that acts as the College's principal feeder, is also run by the Order and is situated on the same campus. Until the early 1970s, St. Michael's College
in Ballsbridge
was also a feeder school for Blackrock College, but St Michael's now has classes up to the Leaving Certificate
.
Blackrock's large enrollment and high standards have produced many distinguished alumni through its long history. Early Free State ministers such as Art O'Connor
(Secretary for Agriculture 1921-1922), and Éamon de Valera
, six times Taoiseach and the 3rd President of Ireland, studied and later taught in Blackrock. Modern politicians include Barry Andrews
T.D., a junior Minister.
Flann O'Brien
, the eminent writer (real name: Brian O'Nolan) and Tim Pat Coogan
, the journalist and scholar, were students of the school. Alumni in the fine arts include designer Paul Costelloe
, composer Michael McGlynn
and visual artist Robert Ballagh
. The Holy Ghost Order has a long tradition of missionaries. Frank Duff
, founder of the Legion of Mary
, is perhaps the best-known. Singer, songwriter, author, political activist and KBE
Bob Geldof
was also a student at the College.
The college places a heavy emphasis on sport, particularly rugby, the current Ireland international team includes Brian O'Driscoll
, the captain, and Luke Fitzgerald
, who both first chased the oval ball in Williamstown. In living memory are Victor Costello
, a 20 year Leinster, Ireland and Blackrock R.F.C. veteran, who also put the shot for Ireland at the Olympics, Leo Cullen
, currently captain of the Leinster team and Shane Byrne Leinster and Ireland professional rugby player.
In other games, Michael Cusack
, founder of the Gaelic Athletic Association
taught at the school, and played early forms of hurling
with the pupils.
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
voluntary
Voluntary secondary school
A voluntary secondary school in Ireland is a type of secondary education school that is privately owned and managed, often by church authorities, especially in the case of the Roman Catholic religion...
secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
for boys aged 14–18, located in Williamstown, Blackrock, County Dublin
County Dublin
County Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Dublin Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Dublin which is the capital of Ireland. County Dublin was one of the first of the parts of Ireland to be shired by King John of England following the...
, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. The College was founded by French missionaries in 1860, to act as a school and civil service training centre. Set in 0.25 square kilometres (61.8 acre) of grounds, it has an illustrious sporting tradition. The College, 7 kilometre from Dublin city centre is just in from the sea, and is self contained, with a large boarding school and teaching facilities. Now run by a lay foundation in trust, it maintains high academic standards and requires all pupils to participate in non-academic activities. The missionary tradition continues with charity programmes, especially at Christmas. It accommodates approximately 1,100 day (primarily) and boarding students.
History
The college was founded by the Congregation of the Holy GhostHoly Ghost Fathers
The Congregation of the Holy Spirit is a Roman Catholic congregation of priests, lay brothers, and since Vatican II, lay associates...
in 1860, the first of the Order's five schools in Ireland. The founder is listed as Fr (Père) Jules Leman, a French missionary with the Holy Ghost Order. It was originally known as the French College. A successful civil service
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
training and university department (where students were examined and had degrees conferred by the Royal University of Ireland
Royal University of Ireland
The Royal University of Ireland was founded in accordance with the University Education Act 1879 as an examining and degree-awarding university based on the model of the University of London. A Royal Charter was issued on April 27, 1880 and examinations were opened to candidates irrespective of...
) were run for over forty years, until University College Dublin
University College Dublin
University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...
grew, and the school focused more on the second level curriculum.
Heraldry
The proper logo or crest of the College, being the third and last creation, dating back to 1936 and explained in the 1937 College Annual as being:The Heraldic Crest Of The College. ARGENT: - On a Cross Azure, the Dove of the Holy Ghost, Proper, with seven Rays descendant, in the first quarter a Lion rampant of the second.
On 30 April 1926 Fr. Leen at a sports day speech encapsulated the words Fides Et Robur which hence forth became the Rock motto. In 1928 a new College Crest, bearing four emblems around a blue cross was hurriedly officiated, primarily to show off the Fides Et Robur motto over the College's especially built new front gates. Not everyone was happy with this design and possible variations of a new design may have been experimented with; evidence exists that both in crest and in uniform, by reason of fault or debate, and most likely between 1928–1936, a distinctive crest had been "with nine rays descendant, Or". In 1936 Dr. McQuaid instigated a new and distinctive crest that to this day is in continual use (unchecked variations and wayward deviations are contracted into stores by stationery and uniform suppliers). It was adapted on blazers that year and a heraldic description of the arms of the College was published (though not officially registered) in the 1937 Blackrock College Annual. It was commissioned into stained glass in 1938, presumably in its true and intended likeness and survives today at the end of one of the house corridors, though it's conformity to the true heraldic interpretations are not accurate; "a Lion Rampant of the second" would correctly reveal only a blue silhouette of a rampant lion, that is, minus any fine caricature details so apparent in the existing variations.
Status and operation
Blackrock is now run by the Congregation of the Holy Ghost in close co-operation with a dedicated group of lay personnel. The annual fees for first year students in 2011 were €5,350 for day boys, €17,250 for boarders and €18,250 for overseas borders (less than schools such as The Kings Hospital and St. Columba's College).The College and its sister schools in Ireland are today held in trust by the Des Places Educational Association, which, as the College's Patron, aims to maintain the Spiritan ethos in all five schools – Blackrock, Rockwell
Rockwell College
Rockwell College, founded in 1864, is a private Catholic secondary school near Cashel, South Tipperary in Ireland. It offers day as well as full boarding. Rockwell is run by the Holy Ghost Fathers.-Politics:...
, St. Mary's
St. Mary's College, Dublin
Saint Mary's College C.S.Sp. is an all-boys' primary & secondary school run by the Congregation of the Holy Spirit and located in Rathmines, County Dublin, Ireland. The school was founded in 1890 and was closed between 1916 and 1926.Rugby is the major sport and the school colours are blue and...
, St. Michael's
St. Michael's College, Dublin
St Michael's College is a Catholic boys' school, located on Ailesbury Road in Dublin 4, Ireland. It was founded in 1944 by the Holy Ghost Fathers....
and Templeogue
Templeogue College
Templeogue College is a secondary school, located in the Templeogue area of Dublin, Ireland. It is on the R112 and is within walking distance of Terenure, Templeogue and is accessible by numerous Dublin Bus services including: 54A, 15A, 15B, 49, 150, 74/A, and 65/BTempleogue College was founded in...
– conducted by the Congregation of the Holy Spirit in Ireland.
Curriculum
The curriculum offered is broad, covering all common subjects in the State Examinations including Latin, German, Art, Materials Technology, Chemistry and Economics. Leaving Cert scores tend to be high, with 20% of students scoring 500 points or more. Inspections by the Department of Education found exemplary standards of teaching and learning. The Irish Times placed the College in the "Top Ten" schools in the state, based on the proportion of students who accept a place in Higher or Further Education. There are dedicated facilities for Home Economics and Materials Technology.College buildings
There are extensive sporting and teaching facilities. The campus is 0.25 square kilometres (61.8 acre) and contains nine rugby pitches, a cricket lawn, an athletics track, an indoor swimming pool, a gym and indoor halls. Apart from classrooms and study halls, there are nine science laboratories, a woodwork room, a multimedia LCVP room and a home economics kitchen. The college also contains a refectory, chapel, lecture halls and stage which hosts student-run dramatic productions. The college is undergoing an extensive modernisation programme. Blackrock college is one of the few schools in Ireland that still has a boarding school, which is housed in Williamstown Castle. First years stay in one dormitory, while second to fifth years stay in rooms of varying numbers. Final year students stay in twin rooms. The boarders use the recreational facilities in their free time.Field Sports
Sport is viewed as an integral part of a boy's education and each pupil is expected to participate in some activity. The principal sport in the college is rugby, with Blackrock having held the Leinster Schools Senior CupLeinster Schools Senior Cup
The Leinster Schools Senior Challenge Cup is the premier rugby union competition for secondary schools affiliated to the Leinster Branch of the IRFU. First held in 1887, the Cup celebrated its 120th anniversary in 2007....
66 times. It has also won the Leinster Schools Junior Cup
Leinster Schools Junior Cup
The Leinster Schools Junior Challenge Cup is an under-age rugby union competition for schools affiliated to the Leinster Branch of the IRFU.Competition is confined to students under the age of 15. The cup is held every January - March with the final in late March. It is usually seen as a good...
46 times. Blackrock won the inaugural Cup competition held in 1887 and have been consistently the most successful team, winning the Cup at least 3 times in every decade since.
Former Rock rugby players include, Fergus Slattery
Fergus Slattery
John Fergus Slattery is a former rugby union player who represented Ireland. He played schools rugby for Blackrock College and then moved on to play senior rugby for UCD, before earning a call up to the Ireland team in 1970. During his career Slattery earned 61 caps, 18 as captain, and scored 3...
, Shane Byrne and Victor Costello
Victor Costello
Victor Costello is a retired Irish rugby player and Olympic shot-putter. Playing senior rugby throughout the 1990s until his retirement in 2005, his rugby career with Leinster and Ireland straddled the amateur and professional eras...
. Current professional players include former British and Irish Lions
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
and Leinster
Leinster Rugby
Leinster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Leinster, is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Dublin, representing the Irish province of Leinster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro 12 and also competes in the Heineken Cup...
& Ireland's Grand Slam winning captain, Brian O'Driscoll
Brian O'Driscoll
Brian O'Driscoll is an Irish professional rugby union player. He is the current captain of the Ireland Rugby team and captained Leinster Rugby until the start of 2008 season. He also captained the British and Irish Lions for their 2005 tour of New Zealand...
. Others include Leinster and Ireland's Luke Fitzgerald
Luke Fitzgerald
Luke Matthew Fitzgerald is a Rugby Union footballer. He currently plays at winger or centre for Leinster. Having previously studied at Blackrock College he won two Leinster Schools Senior Cups, in 2004 and 2006. He won his first cap for Ireland in November 2006...
, Leinster's Heineken Cup
Heineken Cup
The Heineken Cup is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from the six International Rugby Board countries in Europe whose national teams compete in the Six Nations Championship: England, France, Ireland,...
winning captain Leo Cullen
Leo Cullen
Leo Cullen may refer to:*Leo Cullen *Leo Cullen...
, David Boland (Currently Blackrock College RFC Senior's MVP and outstanding performer) and London Irish
London Irish
London Irish RFC is an English rugby union club based in Sunbury, Surrey, where the senior squad train, the youth teams and senior academy play home games, and the club maintain their administrative offices. The senior squad play home games at the Madejski Stadium in Reading and compete in the top...
captain Bob Casey
Bob Casey (rugby player)
Bob Casey is an Irish rugby union footballer who plays at lock for London Irish. Casey is originally from Maynooth, County Kildare, and was educated at Blackrock College, a Dublin secondary school renowned for producing international rugby players.-Club career:Casey joined Leinster in 1999 and...
.
Gaelic Football
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
is played in 4th year in the college. Past pupils Mark Vaughan
Mark Vaughan
Mark Vaughan is an Irish Gaelic Footballer from Dublin. Mark plays his club football with Kilmacud Crokes. He made his break into the senior Dublin squad in 2005 making his first senior championship start on June 19 against Wexford. He scored two late frees in the Leinster Quarter-Final against...
and Niall Corkery
Niall Corkery
Niall Corkery is an Irish Gaelic footballer from Dublin who plays for Kilmacud Crokes in Stillorgan. He made his intercounty debut for Dublin in the All Ireland Football Championship in 2010. Niall played midfield for his club in the All Ireland Club final 2009 against Crossmaglen Rangers, scoring...
are forwards on the Dublin
Dublin GAA
Dublin County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association , or Dublin GAA, is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Dublin. The county board is also responsible for the Dublin inter-county teams...
Gaelic football
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
team. The school also has a hurling
Hurling
Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
team for 2nd and 3rd years. 5 members of the All Ireland Club Championship winning Kilmacud Crokes team of 2008-09 were past pupils of Blackrock College. The college has a soccer team for its senior pupils in 4th, 5th and 6th year. The soccer teams greatest success came in 2003 when, captained by Steve "ste's up" Dillon they won the Leinster and All-Ireland U-17's schools cup.
Squash
The college's most successful - in terms of silverware - sport is squashSquash (sport)
Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball...
, which has won the college more trophies than any other activity in the College's history, including rugby. In recent years the number of squash players have dwindled in the college.
Swimming
The college has a strong swimmingSwimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
team, which combines 1st to 6th year. Currently the team has 6 training sessions per week. The college competes in Leinster Senior Schools having won the senior relay cup multiple times, most recently in 2008, and the Irish senior schools, regularly making finals. The college has a strong record of inter-schools gala’s also. The schools has two 25 metre swimming pools on the grounds. The junior school Willow Park also has a successful swimming team. The college also has teams in other watersports such as water polo
Water polo
Water polo is a team water sport. The playing team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. The winner of the game is the team that scores more goals. Game play involves swimming, treading water , players passing the ball while being defended by opponents, and scoring by throwing into a...
and 4ths years also participate in rowing.
Other games
Table tennisTable tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
is another one of the colleges sports with many of its students participating in it. Many players come from 2nd year with older years fielding less numbers. 2010 saw the Blackrock Senior A team retain the Leinster Schools Senior Cup, won for the first time in 2009, while the Seniors also won the Leinster Senior League for the first time since 1968, as well as reaching the final of the Senior All Irelands for the first time. 2010 saw the Junior team reach the Junior Cup final for the 3rd year in a row, however in 2008 & 2009 the Blackrock Junior A team completed the Leinster double, with victories in both Junior Cup and Junior League, and also reached the final of the Junior All Irelands in both seasons. In 2010 the Senior A team competed in the World Schools Championships for the first time.
The college has its own basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team run by English teacher Claire Campion. It has small numbers and is successful. The basketball programme produced Irish and inter provincial school boy representatives in the 70's such as John and Noel Williams. The college has 3 outdoor basketball courts and 2 indoor basketball courts on the grounds. One indoor basketball court is in Willow Park gym and the other is Jubilee Hall. The outdoor basketball courts are currently under construction and are due to be finished by September 2010.
The school has a tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
team divided between minors, juniors and seniors. They practice and play their home matches on the colleges four tennis courts. 1st years in Willow Park also play on the colleges tennis teams. The college also has teams in other sports such as cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, rowing
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
and Judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
. Cricket has been played since the foundation of the school in 1860 and still produces teams today.
Cycling
Blackrock College and Willow Park share a cyclingCycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
club called the Willow Wheelers, run by Mr. Christy McDaid. The club has an annual trip to France each Easter, recently in Cap D'Agde. It also has hostel trips to Clare and Donegal at the end of the school year. The club has an annual 160 kilometres (99.4 mi) cycle for charity which has raised around 150,000 euro in the past few years.
Athletics
The college has a very successful athletics team. It participates regularly in the East Leinster, Leinster and Ireland Athletic championships at under 14s to under 18s annually. It has won all these competitions on many occasions.Culture
Each year an opera production is staged in conjunction with Mount AnvilleMount Anville Secondary School
Mount Anville Secondary School is a Roman Catholic, private all-girls post-primary school in Goatstown in Ireland. It was originally an all-boarding school, but in recent years due to decreased demand for such schools it has become a day-school...
(Senior Musical) and Loreto College, Foxrock
Loreto College, Foxrock
Loreto College, Foxrock is a voluntary fee paying Catholic Secondary School under the direction of the Sisters of Loreto in Dublin, Ireland.-History:...
(2nd and 4th Year Musical), nearby girls' schools.
Debating is an old tradition in Blackrock College dating back to the schools founding in the 1860s. There are separate clubs for junior and senior pupils. One of the college Alumni, Shane Murphy (now a Senior Counsel), won the 1985 World University Debating Championship at McGill University, representing the Honourable Society of the King's Inns. The college's debaters participate in many competitions including the L&H debates in UCD.
The college has two main choirs: the Leman and the Liebermann choirs. The Leman choir has members from 2nd, 4th, 5th and 6th year and the best of the senior members of the Leman choir are accepted into the Liebermann choir. The College has a choir for boarders and another for parents. The College has a successful orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
. Each year, all the choirs and the orchestra host the annual Leman Concert in the National Concert Hall
National Concert Hall
The National Concert Hall is a concert hall located on Earlsfort Terrace in Dublin, Ireland, close to St. Stephen's Green, and is the principal national venue for classical music concerts in Ireland....
.
A transition year program to set up and maintain a radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
station, broadcasting to the surrounding south Dublin area, is undertaken annually. All of the administrative work, promotion and content-creation is the labour of transition year students. The station also allows programming submissions from other schools to be broadcast. It's the only second level radio project that broadcasts 12 hours a day, five days a week. Blackrock College Radio has featured many famous and influential guests including Neil Flynn, Ryan Tubridy, Eamon Gilmore, Leo Cullen, Mary Hannifin and many more.
Each year a Seachtain na Gaeilge (literally, "Week of Irish") is organised to promote the Irish language in the school. This co-curricular activity was particularly commended in a Department of Education inspection, which also recommended its further development.
Social work
The spiritual and missionary aspect of the school has been maintained, despite the worldwide decline of new clerics in the Catholic Church. Many charitable causes are supported by the students; most notably the Transition year organises the annual St. Patrick's Day Badge appeal which raises large sums of money throughout Ireland for the Irish charities GOAL and Aidlink. The St. Patrick's Day project is estimated to have raised over € 5,000,000 for charity, raising over € 220,000 in 2005 alone.The school also has a long-standing relationship with The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, contributing large sums of money raised through various projects. For example, the proceeds of the annual sale of Christmas Trees in the college are donated. In 2007, the Christmas Tree project raised € 93,000 and the total amount raised for the Society in that year is estimated to be in excess of € 150,000.
The College supports humanitarian projects in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa as a geographical term refers to the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara. A political definition of Sub-Saharan Africa, instead, covers all African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...
, mainly through the college's cycling club, the Willow Wheelers. In 2006, their annual sponsored 160 km (99.4 mi) cycle raised in excess of € 60,000. The club also annually sends a group of self-funded volunteers to help with humanitarian projects in Africa, most commonly: establishing clean water supplies for villages and constructing schoolhouses/infirmaries or similar institutions.
Bob Geldof
Bob Geldof
Robert Frederick Zenon "Bob" Geldof, KBE is an Irish singer, songwriter, author, occasional actor and political activist. He rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Irish rock band The Boomtown Rats in the late 1970s and early 1980s alongside the punk rock movement. The band had hits with his...
, initiator of the Band Aid
Band Aid (band)
Band Aid was a charity supergroup featuring British and Irish musicians and recording artists. It was founded in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia by releasing the song "Do They Know It's Christmas?" for the Christmas market that year. The single...
and Live Aid
Live Aid
Live Aid was a dual-venue concert that was held on 13 July 1985. The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine. Billed as the "global jukebox", the event was held simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom ...
movements for famine relief in the 1980s, was a student at the college (however, he was bitterly critical of it and in fact left without any qualifications). Frank Duff, the founder of the Legion of Mary
Legion of Mary
The Legion of Mary is an association of Catholic laity who serve the Church on a voluntary basis. It was founded in Dublin, Ireland, as a Roman Catholic Marian Movement by layman Frank Duff. Today between active and auxiliary members there are in excess of 10 million members worldwide making it...
, the Catholic lay
Laity
In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
movement, is also a past pupil. In his memoirs, Straight Left: A Journey in Politics Ruairi Quinn
Ruairi Quinn
Ruairi Quinn is an Irish Labour Party politician who has been Minister for Education and Skills since March 2011. He is currently a Teachta Dála for the Dublin South East constituency. He was Minister for Finance from 1994 to 1997, and leader of the Labour Party from 1997 to 2002.-Early...
cites the ethos and "sense of solidarity" with the Third World that was imparted to students, including Bob Geldof, as a formative force. The Holy Ghost Fathers were (and remain) an active missionary order in Africa. He wrote:
The poverty of distant Africa was brought into our classrooms by our returned missionary teachers.
—Ruairi Quinn
Ruairi QuinnRuairi Quinn is an Irish Labour Party politician who has been Minister for Education and Skills since March 2011. He is currently a Teachta Dála for the Dublin South East constituency. He was Minister for Finance from 1994 to 1997, and leader of the Labour Party from 1997 to 2002.-Early...
, Straight Left, pg. 36
Associated primary schools
Willow Park SchoolWillow Park School
Willow Park School is a Catholic, private primary school for boys, located in Booterstown, County Dublin, Ireland. It was founded in 1935 by the Roman Catholic Congregation of the Holy Spirit as a junior school to Blackrock College, and acts as that school's principal feeder. It is situated on the...
, a private primary school that acts as the College's principal feeder, is also run by the Order and is situated on the same campus. Until the early 1970s, St. Michael's College
St. Michael's College, Dublin
St Michael's College is a Catholic boys' school, located on Ailesbury Road in Dublin 4, Ireland. It was founded in 1944 by the Holy Ghost Fathers....
in Ballsbridge
Ballsbridge
Ballsbridge is a suburb of Dublin, Ireland, named for the bridge spanning the River Dodder on the south side of the city. The sign on the bridge still proclaims it as "Ball's Bridge" in recognition of the fact that the original bridge in this location was built and owned by a Mr...
was also a feeder school for Blackrock College, but St Michael's now has classes up to the Leaving Certificate
Leaving Certificate
The Leaving Certificate Examinations , commonly referred to as the Leaving Cert is the final examination in the Irish secondary school system. It takes a minimum of two years preparation, but an optional Transition Year means that for those students it takes place three years after the Junior...
.
Alumni
The Blackrock College Union represents former students of the college, organises many charitable events throughout the year , assists the school, e.g. mentoring, management assistance, advice etc. and organises social events for members. There are branches in Ireland and across the world.Blackrock's large enrollment and high standards have produced many distinguished alumni through its long history. Early Free State ministers such as Art O'Connor
Art O'Connor
Arthur O'Connor was an Irish politician, lawyer and judge. He was born in 1888, the second son of Arthur O'Connor of Elm Hall, Celbridge, Co. Kildare and his second wife Elizabeth . He was educated at Blackrock College, Co. Dublin...
(Secretary for Agriculture 1921-1922), and Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera was one of the dominant political figures in twentieth century Ireland, serving as head of government of the Irish Free State and head of government and head of state of Ireland...
, six times Taoiseach and the 3rd President of Ireland, studied and later taught in Blackrock. Modern politicians include Barry Andrews
Barry Andrews
Barry Andrews may refer to:*Barry Andrews , vocalist and keyboardist*Barry Andrews , Irish Fianna Fáil politician*Barry Andrews , former member of the Cronulla Sharks rugby league team...
T.D., a junior Minister.
Flann O'Brien
Flann O'Brien
Brian O'Nolan was an Irish novelist, playwright and satirist regarded as a key figure in postmodern literature. Best known for novels such as At Swim-Two-Birds, The Third Policeman and An Béal Bocht and many satirical columns in The Irish Times Brian O'Nolan (5 October 1911 – 1 April 1966) was...
, the eminent writer (real name: Brian O'Nolan) and Tim Pat Coogan
Tim Pat Coogan
Timothy Patrick Coogan is an Irish historical writer, broadcaster and newspaper columnist. He served as editor of the Irish Press newspaper from 1968 to 1987...
, the journalist and scholar, were students of the school. Alumni in the fine arts include designer Paul Costelloe
Paul Costelloe
Paul Costelloe is an Irish designer and artist who has been a leader in British and Irish fashion for the last 30 years. His father, a successful figure in the Irish rainwear market, was originally from Limerick and his mother, an American from New York. He was the youngest of a large family of...
, composer Michael McGlynn
Michael McGlynn
Michael McGlynn is an Irish composer, producer, director and founder of Anúna, Ireland's National Choir.-Career:...
and visual artist Robert Ballagh
Robert Ballagh
Robert "Bobby" Ballagh is an Irish artist, painter and designer. He was born in Dublin and studied at the Bolton Street College of Technology. His painting style was strongly influenced by pop art...
. The Holy Ghost Order has a long tradition of missionaries. Frank Duff
Frank Duff (religious worker)
Servant of God Francis Michael "Frank" Duff was a native of Dublin, Ireland, the eldest child of a wealthy family. He is best known for bringing attention to the role of the laity during the Second Vatican Council of the Roman Catholic Church, and for founding the Legion of Mary.-Early life:Frank...
, founder of the Legion of Mary
Legion of Mary
The Legion of Mary is an association of Catholic laity who serve the Church on a voluntary basis. It was founded in Dublin, Ireland, as a Roman Catholic Marian Movement by layman Frank Duff. Today between active and auxiliary members there are in excess of 10 million members worldwide making it...
, is perhaps the best-known. Singer, songwriter, author, political activist and KBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
Bob Geldof
Bob Geldof
Robert Frederick Zenon "Bob" Geldof, KBE is an Irish singer, songwriter, author, occasional actor and political activist. He rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Irish rock band The Boomtown Rats in the late 1970s and early 1980s alongside the punk rock movement. The band had hits with his...
was also a student at the College.
The college places a heavy emphasis on sport, particularly rugby, the current Ireland international team includes Brian O'Driscoll
Brian O'Driscoll
Brian O'Driscoll is an Irish professional rugby union player. He is the current captain of the Ireland Rugby team and captained Leinster Rugby until the start of 2008 season. He also captained the British and Irish Lions for their 2005 tour of New Zealand...
, the captain, and Luke Fitzgerald
Luke Fitzgerald
Luke Matthew Fitzgerald is a Rugby Union footballer. He currently plays at winger or centre for Leinster. Having previously studied at Blackrock College he won two Leinster Schools Senior Cups, in 2004 and 2006. He won his first cap for Ireland in November 2006...
, who both first chased the oval ball in Williamstown. In living memory are Victor Costello
Victor Costello
Victor Costello is a retired Irish rugby player and Olympic shot-putter. Playing senior rugby throughout the 1990s until his retirement in 2005, his rugby career with Leinster and Ireland straddled the amateur and professional eras...
, a 20 year Leinster, Ireland and Blackrock R.F.C. veteran, who also put the shot for Ireland at the Olympics, Leo Cullen
Leo Cullen
Leo Cullen may refer to:*Leo Cullen *Leo Cullen...
, currently captain of the Leinster team and Shane Byrne Leinster and Ireland professional rugby player.
In other games, Michael Cusack
Michael Cusack
Michael Cusack was an Irish teacher and founder of the Gaelic Athletic Association.-His Life:...
, founder of the Gaelic Athletic Association
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...
taught at the school, and played early forms of hurling
Hurling
Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
with the pupils.