Book on St Flannan’s College

The College of St Flannan at Ennis is a new history of one of Ireland's most famous schools compiled by Ciaran Ó Murchadha.

St Flannan's has been central to the life of counties Clare and Tipperary over many generations, and it has given tens of thousands of students from all over Killaloe diocese and beyond a thorough and worthwhile education, often in circumstances that were very difficult; great numbers of its alumni have achieved distinction and celebrity in various fields since the college was founded.

St Flannan's College has been as much a Tipperary institutions as a Clare one, since so many of its boarders were from Tipp. So too were many of its professors and its Presidents: Dr Denis Kelly, later bishop of Ross and College President 1890-1897, Canon William O'Kennedy (President 1919-1932), Canon Thomas Maxwell (1948-1958), Canon John Cuddy (President 1958-1971) and last but perhaps most important of all, Canon Reuben Butler (1982-1989).

In its 15 chapters and 48 pages of photographs, The College of St Flannan at Ennis, gives us an enthralling account of the St Flannan's story, from its origins in Famine-era Ireland, through the construction phase of the early 1880, the new era of the Intermediate Certificate, and the years of the National Revival. The struggle for national independence also features, largely through the personality of a famous college President, Canon William O'Kennedy. O'Kennedy's successors are also given detailed consideration; Canons Vaughan, Quinn and Maxwell, outstanding figures all, who steered the college through the grimmest middle decades of the twentieth century. Modern times begin with the serene figure of Canon John Cuddy and the inspiration he afforded to his successors and his ‘professors’, especially the lay staff on whom much of the teaching and administration now gradually devolved.

A fascinating read, this handsomely produced volume is available in hardcover and paperback and is published by Maherantaska Books.

The book's author, Dr Ciarán Ó Murchadha, is a well-known professional historian, an independent scholar who has written, lectured and broadcast widely on many aspects of Ireland's history. His The Great Famine: Ireland's Agony 1845-1952 (London, 2011) has been acclaimed internationally. An alumnus of St Flannan's College, and a former teacher there, he is uniquely placed to tell its fascinating story.

BOOK STOCKISTS

Copies of the new book are available at John Ryan's Nenagh Bookshop.