Gurteen College

Gurteen College is an agricultural college 4.4{{nbsp}}km from Ballingarry, North Tipperary, Ireland. Founded as Gurteen Agricultural College by the Methodist Church in Ireland in 1947,{{cite web|url=http://www.irishmethodist.org/cmsfiles/pdf/manualoflaws/chapter23.pdf | title=Chapter 23 Gurteen College | publisher=irishmethodist.org | accessdate=27 September 2021 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100710151225/http://www.irishmethodist.org/cmsfiles/pdf/manualoflaws/chapter23.pdf |archivedate=10 July 2010 }} it was officially opened by the Minister for Agriculture, Patrick Smith, on October 11, 1947. The college provides training courses in agriculture and equine studies for farms and rural enterprises. It is a charity registered in Ireland.{{cite web|url=http://www.gurteencollege.ie/component/content/article/85.html |title=Mission Statement |publisher=Gurteencollege.ie |date= |accessdate=2012-07-03}}

File:Gurteen-college.jpg

The farm covers 380 hectares of land. The farm of the college consists of beef- and dairy-cattle herds, a sheep herd, and tillage. It is both a day and residential college, with rooms for up to 70 students.{{fact|date=September 2021}}

Courses

Gurteen College provides a Level 5 Certificate in Agriculture Course[https://www.teagasc.ie/education/courses/agriculture/level-5-certificate-in-agriculture/], along with Level 6 Advance Certificates in Agriculture in Crops & Machinery Management[https://www.teagasc.ie/education/courses/crops--machinery/], Dairy Herd Management[https://www.teagasc.ie/education/courses/agriculture/l6-adv-cert-in-agriculture-dairy-herd-management/], and Drystock Herd Management[https://www.teagasc.ie/education/courses/agriculture/l6-adv-cert-in-agriculture-drystock-management/]. The Equine department opened in 1999 and currently runs a Level 5 and 6 in Horsemanship[https://www.teagasc.ie/education/courses/equine/horsemanship-programme/]. The TUS Athlone campus offers a Bachelor of Science (Veterinary Nursing).[http://www.ait.ie/aboutaitandathlone/courses/bachelorofscienceinveterinarynursing/ Bachelor of Science Veterinary Nursing] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121129095622/http://www.ait.ie/aboutaitandathlone/courses/bachelorofscienceinveterinarynursing/ |date=2012-11-29 }} Athlone IT Website. where student do a spend time completing practical skills on the teaching farm at Gurteen College. Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest offers an Agricultural Science and Sustainability course at Levels 7 and 8 in conjunction with Gurteen College.

The college also provides a distance education course and a part time Green cert course too, along with regular one off courses.

Latest developments

Gurteen college students were crowned Annual Colleges Challenge Day Champions on 2 February 2012.{{cite web|author=Published on Tuesday 7 February 2012 11:11 |url=http://www.offalyexpress.ie/news/business/gurteen_college_take_the_challenges_day_title_1_3474727 |title=Gurteen College take the Challenges Day title - Business - Offaly Express |publisher=Offalyexpress.ie |date=2012-02-07 |accessdate=2012-07-03}}

Woodchip boilers were installed to provide heat to the college in September 2010. Groves of willow grown in three year rotations provide fuel for the boilers.{{cite web|url=http://www.gurteencollege.ie/energy/item/13-wood-chip-boilers.html |title=Wood-chip Boilers |publisher=Gurteencollege.ie |date= |accessdate=2012-07-03}}

Met Éireann opened an automatic weather station in 2008 within the grounds of the College.{{cite web|url=http://www.met.ie/about/weatherobservingstations/gurteen.asp |title=Weather Observing Stations - Gurteen - Met Éireann - The Irish Meteorological Service Online |publisher=Met.ie |date=2008-04-12 |accessdate=2013-05-21}}

On 26 January 2010 a 50 kW wind turbine was officially commissioned to provide power to the college.{{cite web|url=http://www.res.ie/node/36 |title=Atlantic Orient Canada Wind Turbine to Power Tipperary Gurteen Agricultural College | Ireland Renewable Energy Systems |publisher=Res.ie |date= |accessdate=2012-07-03}}

Past pupils

Simon Coveney, Irish politician and government minister
Tom Parlon, Irish lobbyist, former president of the Irish Farmers' Association, and a former politician
Noel Treacy, former Irish politician
Ivan Yates, Irish businessman, broadcaster, and former politician (he served as Minister of Agriculture)

Principals

Rev. James Wesley McKinney (who went on to have a building within Gurteen named after him - McKinney Hall) was first Principal in 1947 until he retired in 1959, when Rev. R. G. Livingstone became principal. Mr. Oscar H. Loane became principal in 1963 serving until 1988 when John Craig became principal, retiring in 2000. Jon Parry was appointed principal in 2019, the college's sixth principal succeeding Mick Pearson who served as principal for twenty years.{{citation |url=https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/new-principal-appointed-to-the-helm-at-gurteen-college/ |title=New principal appointed to the helm at Gurteen College |last1=Kiernan |first1=Aisling |date=2019-09-06 |website=www.agriland.e|publisher=Agriland |access-date=2022-01-02}} {{cn|date=January 2022}}

References

External links

{{Official website|http://www.gurteencollege.ie}}

Category:Education in County Tipperary

Category:Educational institutions established in 1947

Category:Agricultural universities and colleges in Ireland

Category:Further education colleges in the Republic of Ireland

Category:1947 establishments in Ireland

Category:Methodist Church in Ireland

Category:Protestant buildings and structures in the Republic of Ireland