News about Maynooth

Dunboyne House, Maynooth College

Students are starting their studies in colleges all over Ireland right now, many in Maynooth University, others in Maynooth's Pontifical University, others still (very few) in the National Seminary of Maynooth. Yes, the College is unique in having these three constituent parts, i.e. secular university, pontifical university (i.e. offering courses approved by Rome) and seminary for the training of priests for all the Irish dioceses (and some foreign ones too). Now up to the year 2000, Dublin diocese had its own seminary, a fine account of which was published in 1962 all about the centenary celebrations in 1959. It contains a photo taken in 1960 of the college's 109 clerical students (pick out our own John Jacob (second row from front, fourth in from the right) who died on 8th March this year and is buried in Saggart graveyard): 

Fr Richard Sherry, Holy Cross College Clonliffe, 
Dublin: Irish Printers Ltd, 1962, p.188

  

Now for the news about Maynooth. There are 2 students for the Dublin diocese in Maynooth this coming academic year, compared to over 100 in Clonliffe in 1960. That fact must make us all think about and try to understand the great changes that have taken place since those flourishing times for priestly vocations sixty years ago. 

The other news headline is this: the Pontifical University has a new president this year, a man you will all remember -- Fr Michael Shortall, priest in our parishes for a long number of years (dates to be entered).  Here's his address to students (from the College Kalendarium 2025-26):                                                                

So we wish all our young people well as they start out on a new year of study at different levels, from first to third. In particular, we wish our two Dublin seminarians and the new president of St Patrick's College, Maynooth, many happy and productive years. 

P.S. The photo at the top of the page shows the office (at ground level) I had for many years towards the end of my teaching life in the College. It conjures up many memories, some of which I recorded in this Irish Times article.