Message from the President:
To work in education is to shape the minds of those who are growing and maturing. It is about building the foundations of our society so that the next generations are ready, in time, to step forward and lead. Nelson Mandela famously said that “education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Albert Einstein noted that “education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.” Many years before him, Saint John Henry Newman wrote that education “gives a man a clear, conscious view of his own opinions and judgments, a truth in developing them, an eloquence in expressing them, and a force in urging them” — reminding us that true education goes beyond rote learning and into the fostering of curiosity and independent thought. Malcolm X described education as “the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” Pope Francis spoke of education as “an act of love; it is like giving life.”
Yet beneath these powerful recognitions and aspirations lies, I think, a deeper truth. Those of us who work in education continually learn from those we teach — and what a sacred privilege it is for all of us at St Kieran’s College to be taught by the students here, past and present, time and time again.
As I write this, I marvel at the most recent achievement of our past pupil Peter Lynch, who ran a 2:06:08 marathon in London, smashing the Irish record. We remember too that last year he ran a 45:59, again breaking the national 10-mile record previously set by John Treacy in 1993 — a record that had stood for 31 years.
I marvel at the achievements of our Senior Hurlers who, though all but beaten in the quarter-final, the semi-final — where we were three points down after 61 and a half minutes — and again in the All-Ireland Final, lost none of them because they trusted one another and had the calmness to make the right decisions time and time again under immense pressure. Their mastery, skill and dedication secured for us a 26th Colleges All-Ireland title.
I marvel at the enthusiasm of our TY students who longed for places on the Diocesan Lourdes Pilgrimage; at the same group’s powerful performance on stage in Across the Barricades alongside the students of Loreto Secondary School; and at the generosity of so many students who undertook charitable activities such as the tractor run, the shoebox appeal and much more.
The resilience of our Second Year Basketball team, who at the time of writing have qualified for an All-Ireland Final after overcoming larger schools and stronger opponents along the way, deserves enormous praise. We wish them every success in the final.
The achievements of our choirs, trad and jazz bands in Wesley, standing shoulder to shoulder with the finest groups in Ireland, continue to bring honour to the College. We also celebrate Kyrell’s remarkable fourth-place finish in the All-Ireland Cross Country Championships, and the continued success of our Maths team in regional Maths and Applied Maths competitions.
We do not simply teach — we learn, and for that I am deeply grateful. Teachers, parents, those of us in management, our trustees and Bishop Ger as Patron are immensely proud of the students here and of the insights they offer us each day. We delight in their successes and continue to learn from them constantly.
It has been another busy year on campus. As I write this, the full-size AstroTurf pitch, built to Croke Park dimensions, is nearing completion. Costing over €1.6 million, the project has been funded through the generosity of the Trustees, a donation from the family of a past pupil (€100,000), Kilkenny County Board (€100,000) and Croke Park (€200,000). It will be an extraordinary resource for students during the school day and will also serve the wider GAA community in the evenings.
The modular build is also nearing completion, providing a new woodwork room and two special education classrooms — a significant addition to our 20-acre campus.
Plans for the wider school development have now reached Stage 2B with the Department, and we continue to wait patiently for approval to proceed to tender. Having facilitated other schools in the city through the gift of land, we hope the Department will honour its commitment to our school and city in return.
This year we also completed the purchase of the freehold on the senior hurling field. Though purchased from the College by the County Council in the 1970s and subsequently rented back to us, it was difficult to reconcile this arrangement for grounds we had occupied since the 1800s. At least now, clear lines are drawn.
These pages also mark the retirement of Gerry Buckley, whose positivity and dedication enriched the lives of staff and students alike. Gerry brought immense knowledge, passion and creativity to the technology rooms and to all those he taught.
We also remember the late Kieron Kennedy, former President of the College, who served St Kieran’s tirelessly and passionately throughout his life. May he rest in peace.
I work most closely with the school management team — Adrian Finan as Principal, and Ken Maher and Liam Smith as Deputy Principals. Their commitment to the students, the campus, the mission and Catholic ethos of St Kieran’s College is extraordinary. Alongside our dedicated staff, they ensure that this remains a place where all members of the community can continue to learn from one another each day, “in some new way,” as our school prayer reminds us.
The College remains at the heart of the faith community of the Diocese of Ossory. We are proud to host the Diocesan Forum, the Ossory Diocesan Pastoral Council, the Diocesan Pastoral Coordinator and Faith Development Group, the General Conferences of Priests, the annual Priests’ Reunion and much more. The founders of this College intended it to serve the people and faith community of this place, and that mission continues strongly today.
We are also proud that Bishop Ger Nash of Ferns, now Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese, serves as our Patron. His support for the College, its Catholic ethos, its staff and students — and indeed its hurling tradition — is greatly appreciated by us all. I thank him and the Trustees sincerely for their continued support and encouragement in the ongoing development of the College.
Most importantly, however, I want to thank the students. We are extraordinarily proud of you and all that you achieve. You teach us every day, and it is a privilege to learn from you. Your support for one another and your commitment to becoming the best version of yourselves — the version God intends you to be — is both humbling and inspiring.
To our Leaving Certificate students, I wish you every success. We know you will do yourselves, your families and the College proud. Be confident in yourselves and in the journey you have undertaken.
I am conscious too that this has not been an easy journey for your year group. The death of your friend and classmate Harry Byrne remains with us all. The seat dedicated in his memory — a place of smiles and laughter — is a fitting tribute to the mark he left on this community. I thank the Parents Association for supporting this beautiful gesture.
St Kieran’s College is a special place and I remain deeply grateful to all who make it so: our students and Student Council, parents and Parents Association, school and college staff, the Board of Management, Trustees, Bishop Ger as Patron, the Alumni Association, our past pupils and all who continue to contribute to the life of this College.
Hiems Transiit.
Rev. Dr Dermot Ryan
President & Chairperson, Board of Management
