Summerhill College

{{Infobox school

| name = Summerhill College

| native_name = Coláiste Cnoic an tSamhraidh

| image =

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| logo = File:Summerhill logo.jpg

File:Summerhill Old Building.jpg

| motto = Estote Factores Verbi

| established = 1857

| closed =

| type = Voluntary secondary school

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| gender = Male

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| chairman_label = Patron

| chairman = Kevin Doran

| rector =

| principal = Paul Keogh

| campus_director =

| headmaster =

| head_name = Second master

| head =

| head_name2 = Assistant headmaster

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| dean =

| founder = Laurence Gillooly

| chaplain =

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| teaching_staff = 82

| enrollment = 1062{{cite web|title=School Detail - Summerhill College|url=http://www.education.ie/en/find-a-school/School-Detail/?roll=65170Q|website=Department of Education|accessdate=12 December 2014}}

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| streetaddress = College Road

| city = Sligo

| state =

| province = County Sligo

| country = Ireland

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| colours = navy blue, light blue {{color strip|border-color=black|border-style=dotted|border=1|navy|#ADD8E6}}

| athletics = soccer, Gaelic games, rugby union, athletics, basketball, swimming, surfing

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| nickname = Boys in Blue, The Hill

| mascot =

| free_label = Emblem

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| website = http://www.summerhillcollege.ie

| footnotes =

| picture = 300px

| picture_caption = The old buildings of Summerhill College (now replaced by a new building programme)

| picture2 =

| picture_caption2 = The old buildings of Summerhill College (now replaced by a new building programme)

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Summerhill College (aka The College of the Immaculate Conception) is a Roman Catholic voluntary secondary school for boys located in the town of Sligo in north-west Ireland.

History

The school was founded in 1857Freeman's Journal, 8 July 1857 by then-bishop of Elphin, Laurence Gillooly, in Summerhill, Athlone, County Roscommon (present-day County Westmeath). It moved to temporary accommodation in Sligo in 1880 (Quay Street) and to a new school building (the present site) in 1892. Although the official name of the school is the College of the Immaculate Conception, it has always been known locally as Summerhill or Summerhill College.{{citation needed|date=March 2020}}

The college has been a diocesan college — historically an entry school for those wishing to train as priests for the Catholic diocese of Elphin. The college took in both boarders and day boys until the dormitories were closed in the 1980s due to economic circumstances.{{cite web |url=http://www.summerhillcollege.ie/school_history.html |title=School History |publisher=Summerhill College |access-date=17 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721133114/http://www.summerhillcollege.ie/school_history.html |archive-date=21 July 2011 }}

Curriculum

The school offers the traditional Junior and Leaving Certificate cycles to its pupils. It also provides other options such as Junior Certificate School Programme (JCSP),

{{cite web |url=http://jcsp.slss.ie/school/proglist?place_id=43 |title=Schools in Sligo providing the JCSP |publisher=Second Level Support Service |access-date=17 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425073135/http://jcsp.slss.ie/school/proglist?place_id=43 |archive-date=25 April 2012 |df=dmy-all }} Transition Year, Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP){{cite web |url=http://lcvp.slss.ie/school/proglist?place_id=43 |title=Schools in Sligo providing the LCVP |publisher=Second Level Support Service |access-date=17 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425073229/http://lcvp.slss.ie/school/proglist?place_id=43 |archive-date=25 April 2012 |df=dmy-all }} and Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA).{{cite web |url=http://lca.slss.ie/school/proglist?place_id=43 |title=Schools in Sligo providing the LCA |publisher=Second Level Support Service |access-date=17 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425073229/http://lca.slss.ie/school/proglist?place_id=43 |archive-date=25 April 2012 |df=dmy-all }}

Extra-curricular activities, clubs and sport

Summerhill College offers many sports to its students, including Gaelic football, soccer, rugby union, basketball, athletics, kayaking, sailing and surfing.

Notable staff

Cyril Haran taught English at the school and was known as "Cyrilly" or "Dosser".{{cite web |url=http://www.summerhill72.com/nick_names.htm |title=Nick Names |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170505235814/http://www.summerhill72.com/nick_names.htm |archivedate=5 May 2017 }}{{cite news |url=https://www.pressreader.com/ireland/the-sligo-champion/20140701/281573763789187 |title=FR Cyril Haran played huge role in Sligo GAA circles: Priest also remembered as renowned scholar and teacher |work=The Sligo Champion |date=1 July 2014 }}

Presidents/principals of Summerhill College

=19th century=

John Lyster, later bishop of Achonry

=20th century=

Thomas Finnegan (1966–1979), served as bishop of Killala
Austin McKeon (1987–1990)
Kevin Earley (1990–1999)

=21st century=

Thomas McManus(2009–2014)
Paul Keogh (2014–present)

Selected past pupils

Some of Summerhill's more well-known alumni:{{cite web |url=http://www.summerhillcollege.ie/#!/alumni |title=Alumni Association – Past Pupils of the school |publisher=Summerhill College |access-date=9 May 2022}}

Tabby Callaghan (b. 1981) — singer, finalist on The X Factor{{citation needed|date=April 2022}}
Kian Egan, Mark Feehily and Shane Filan — three of the four members of boy band Westlife
Edward J. Flanagan (1886–1948) — founder of Boys Town orphanages in the US (the old gym in the school was named "Fr. Flanagan Hall" after him)
Tommie Gorman (1956–2024) — Northern Ireland correspondent with Irish state broadcaster RTÉ
Chris MacManus (b. 1973) — Sinn Féin MEP for Midlands–North-West{{cite news | title = Former classmates set to contest mayoralty | url = https://www.independent.ie/regionals/sligochampion/news/former-classmates-set-to-contest-mayoralty-27527421.html | date = 21 June 2006 | newspaper = The Sligo Champion | via = Irish Independent | access-date = 9 May 2022}}
Ray MacSharry (b. 1938) — former Fianna Fáil TD, Tánaiste and European Commissioner
Dermot Mannion (b. 1958) — former CEO of Aer Lingus
John McCormack (1884–1945) — world-famous tenor
Paul McGee (b. 1954) — former Republic of Ireland soccer international player{{citation needed|date=April 2022}}
Conán O'Donnell (b. 1996) — rugby player
Patrick O'Dowd (1892–1968) — Fianna Fáil TD (Roscommon) and medical practitioner{{citation needed|date=April 2022}}
Michael O'Flanagan (1876–1942) — Irish Republican and Roman Catholic priest
Albert Reynolds (1932–2014) — Fianna Fáil TD and Taoiseach
Mark Scanlon (b. 1980) — professional cyclist, former World Junior Cycling Champion

New school building programme

In January 2006 it was announced that Summerhill was to get €20 million funding for a new school building. Work was due to begin in 2008,{{cite news|first=Gerry|last=McLaughlin|title=Summerhill gets €20 m new school|url=http://www.sligoweekender.ie/news/story.asp?j=26267|work=Sligo Weekender|date=10 January 2006|access-date=23 November 2006|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927235216/http://www.sligoweekender.ie/news/story.asp?j=26267|archive-date=27 September 2007}} but the Department of Education said later that same year that "the project will not be progressed further this year".{{cite news | first=Jim | last=Gray | title=Cutbacks put halt to 20m College project | url=http://www.sligochampion.ie/news/cutbacks-put-halt-to-20m-college-project-1482252.html | newspaper=The Sligo Champion | date=24 September 2008 | accessdate=26 September 2008}} However, work finally began on the demolition of the 1970s building and construction of a new school in the summer of 2011. The new three-storey building opened its doors to new students in August 2012 at a reduced cost of €12.5M. There are over 40 new classrooms in the new building, with a new gym and hardcourt playing pitches opened in November 2012.{{cite web|title=Minister Quinn Opens New School Building at Summerhill College, Sligo|url=http://www.education.ie/en/Press-Events/Press-Releases/2013-Press-Releases/PR13-09-12.html|website=Department of Education|accessdate=12 December 2014|date=12 September 2013}}{{cite news |first=Michael |last=Moran |title=New era for students at Summerhill |url=http://www.sligochampion.ie/news/new-era-for-students-at-summerhill-3204104.html |work=The Sligo Champion |date=15 August 2012 |accessdate=12 December 2014}}

Controversies

The school received a damning report from the Department of Education in May 2010.{{cite news | url=http://www.sligotoday.ie/details.php?id=9304 | title=Sligo's Summerhill College Slated By Inspectors | publisher=Sligo Today | date=31 May 2012 | accessdate=7 March 2013}} The principal at the time of this inspection was Michael Murphy.

In February 2013 a trial in Sligo Circuit Court heard of alleged improper use of Department of Education funds by former school staff during 2008–09.{{cite news|author=Clancy, Paddy|url=http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/principal-ran-school-as-he-saw-fit-court-hears-29074950.html|title=Principal 'ran school as he saw fit', court hears|date=16 February 2013|accessdate=16 February 2013|newspaper=The Irish Independent}}