St Conleth's College

St. Conleth's College is a private co-educational Catholic school in Ballsbridge, Dublin, founded on 4 September 1939 by Bernard Sheppard. The current principal of the senior school is Donal Ó Dúlaing.

History

The school was named after Conleth, (450-519AD), a sixth-century Irish monk who was a moulder of precious metals whose feast day is 4 May. The senior school has about 300 pupils and is co-educational. It has a teaching staff of 25. The junior school has about 160 pupils and is also co-educational.

In November 2017, the Kevin Kelleher Wing was opened, adding a performance room and study area on top of the gymnasium. Kelleher (1921-2016), a former international rugby referee, was the headmaster of the school for over 46 years.

Academics

The school was ranked first in the Irish fee-paying schools league table in 2003.

Sport

Rugby is considered the primary sport of the school, and both Junior and Senior Cup Teams are represented in the Leinster Cups. Leinster Rugby focused on rugby in St. Conleth's in 2016 to recognise its successes that year.

St. Conleth's won the Basketball Ireland National Cup and League double in 2009 at the U16 Boys B level. The school has also won several South Dublin Basketball League Championships, most recently in 2013.

St. Conleth's offers fencing as a school sport for both boys and girls from a young age.

The school also offers hockey, tennis and athletics.

Debating

In 2014, three Conlethians represented Ireland at the World Schools Debating Championship in Bangkok, Thailand. In 2019, St. Conleth's had two winners in the grand final of the Irish Times Debate, with Kevin Roche (Kings Inns) winning the individual competition and Daniel Gilligan (TCD Hist Society) the team competition, while another former pupil, Conor White, was also a finalist.

Controversy

Nazi fugitive, Louis Feutren, a former member of the Bezen Perrot and a SS officer who was sentence to death for his role in both rounding up Jews and French Resistance fighters taught French at the school from 1957 to 1985.

In 2023, Uki Goñi and other past pupils sent a letter to the St Conleth's board of management stating that Feutren abused and humiliated the students he taught, with Goñi stating that Feutren “unleashed his baser instincts upon defenceless children, and, far from being an example to emulate, he was a boastful, unrepentant and proud former officer in the most evil and tyrannical organisation of the 20th century, the Nazi SS.” The group of past pupils requested that the school's board of management acknowledge and apologise for Feutren's conduct.

The school responded by stating that: “We cannot be judged for the behaviour of those who came before us, but that doesn’t absolve us from distancing ourselves from that past today,” and expressed “shock” and “profound regret” over the allegations about the former teacher.

Alumni

* John M. Kelly (1931-1991) - Fine Gael politician
* Uki Goñi (1953- ) - Argentine author

References

External links

School's website

Past Pupil's Website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Conleth's College
Secondary schools in Dublin (city)
Private schools in the Republic of Ireland
Boys' schools in the Republic of Ireland