Presentation Brothers College, Cork
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PBC Cork | |
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Viriliter Age (Act Manly)
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Location | |
Mardyke, Cork Ireland |
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Information | |
Type | Private |
Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic |
Established | 1878 |
Principal | Ken Whyte |
Enrollment | 672, approx. (112 per year group) |
Colors | Navy Blue (Persian Indigo), Black and White |
Website | http://www.pbc-cork.ie/ |
Presentation Brothers College (PBC Cork) (Irish: Coláiste na Toirbhirte; colloquially known as Pres) is a Catholic, boys-only, fee-paying secondary school in Cork, Ireland.
Contents
History
The college was founded by the Presentation Brothers in 1878, in the South Mall. Soon afterwards it moved to the Grand Parade and, in 1887, to the Western Road. In 1985, the college moved to a new building on the Mardyke on the site of the college's rugby facilities; the Western Road premises is now owned and used by UCC. The college has developed new rugby facilities at Dennehy's Cross & uses Shandon Boat Club, for rowing.
In 1969, Brother Jerome Kelly returned home from missionary work in the West Indies and was appointed principal of the college.[1] He organised a series of workshops, in which the students of Presentation College were encouraged to think globally and act locally:[1]
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"Imbuing teenagers with a sense of responsibility and social consciousness is a vital part of any education, and it was with this in mind that Brother Jerome sent his senior Pres students out to walk the streets of Cork…"[2]
The result was the founding of the charity Students Harness Aid for the Relief of the Elderly in 1970.[1] SHARE expanded and now includes pupils from other secondary schools in Cork city.[1]
In 2005, the Preslink organisation was founded in the school; a group of junior students whose stated aim is to forge links with other Presentation Brothers communities.[3] In 2006, the organisation received an "Edmund Rice Award", which recognises groups that work to improve the lives of others.[3]
In November 2009, ownership of the school, along with seven other Presentation Brothers schools in Ireland, was handed over to a group of lay trustees[4]
Curriculum
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The school offers both the Junior and Leaving Certificate cycles. It has been named the best boys' secondary School outside Dublin by the Irish Examiner[citation needed]. The current Curriculum teaches First Years : Religion; Irish as L2; English as L1; Mathematics; Latin; French as L2; German as L2; Science; Business Studies; History ; Geography; CSPE; SPHE ; Art; and Physical Education. In Second Year, the students may choose to drop one of the (L2) foreign languages. Unusually for a private school, streaming is not used until Third Year.
After completing the Junior Certificate, the college requires students to complete a mandatory Transition Year. In 5th year, students begin the Leaving Cert cycle. At the Leaving Certificate level, the college offers a wide range of courses. Irish as L2, English L1 and Mathematics are compulsory. One language must be taken from French as L2, German as L2 and Latin. Any three optional subjects may be taken from the Sciences (Physics, Chemistry, Biology), the Businesses (Business Studies, Accounting, Economics), History, Art and Applied Mathematics.
Rugby
The college sport is Rugby union. As of 2014; The college has won 28 Senior Cups and 29 Junior Cups respectively, and has produced 22 Irish Rugby Internationals. In 2007, the school won both the Senior Cup and the Junior Cup (the first time they had won both in the same year since 1995, when Ronan O'Gara was the Senior Captain). Five players have played for the Lions - Tom Kiernan (1962 & 1968), Jerry Walsh (1966), Michael Kiernan (1983), Ronan O'Gara (2001, 2005 & 2009) and Simon Zebo (2013).
2014
In March, PBC won the Junior Cup for the first time in five years in a 17-12 win over Crescent.
In April, Senior captain Paul Kiernan (son of the aforementioned Michael) was called up to represent Ireland in the FIRA U18s Championships which were staged in Poland. Paul was a substitute in the quarter and semi final games but emerged to start in the final against England. Despite involvement in many Irish plays and putting in a strong defensive performance, the Irish side was defeated by a 30-14 scoreline.
Paul was also selected by the Munster U20s squad, along with fellow pupil David St. Leger, for the Autumn 2014 Inter-provincial Championships. The squad did not fare well, losing all three games. It was a similar story for Senior students John Poland and Shane Daly in the U19s series who won just one game. Kevin O' Leary and Jack O' Sullivan toured with the U18 squad in France prior to winning the Interprovincial series for 2014.
In November, the school was triumphant in the inaugural B Schools Bowen Shield, defeating CBC by a scoreline of 19-14 in the final. The A team repeated the feat a fortnight later in the Bowen Shield against the same opposition, winger Paul Buckley showing great acceleration in the last minute to score the winning try in the 19-17 win.
The U15 B's performed strongly in their Cup campaign but were ultimately foiled by Crescent College in the final by virtue of the First Try Rule after the 8-8 draw. The A squad were however to win out in their final, defeating Rockwell by 17-13.
The annual charity rugby game between Pres and Christians Senior Squads ended with the Temple Hill men celebrating the 24-12 win.
2015
January began with the Junior B side being defeated by local rivals Christians Brothers College at the semi final stage of the Kidney Cup by a scoreline of 15-5. The month concluded with the Senior side being defeated in the first round of the Senior Cup by eventual winners Rockwell 16-14.
The Junior side fared better in their opening game, seeing off the challenge of Castletroy 33-10. The Senior side regained some ground by progressing to the semi finals at the expense of the same opposition. Fullback Daragh Dennehy being the two try-hero in the 22-15 win played out in Thomond Park. Semi final advancement also came to the Junior side as they beat Glenstal Abbey by a 22-3 scoreline.
March did however see both Cup teams defeated by last minute scores in their respective semi finals. Firstly, a penalty landed from forty metres out was the last and winning kick for Ardscoil Rís, the score finishing 13-11 in their favour. There was similar disappointment for the Junior side the following week. Eventual winners CBC were the better team, knocked Pres out of the park and claimed a 13-12 match winning score.
International call ups came after the Cup season, most notably for 4th Year student Jack O' Sullivan who represented Ireland in the FIRA U18 European Championships in France. Senior Captain John Poland received similar honours in lining out for the Irish U19s in two friendlies versus France alongside the previously capped past pupil Paul Kiernan (now of UCC RFC). Paul himself was named Irish captain for the two fixtures.
The school participates in a number of Munster under-age School-Boy competitions: McCarthy Cup A, B & B Schools (U-15), The Junior Cup (U-16), The Kidney Cup (Junior B), The Bowen Shield & B Schools (U-17), The Barry Cup (Senior B),and The Senior Cup (U-19). Pres have won every cup at some point and several teams have won every competition.[citation needed]
The school playing fields are located at Dennehy's Cross, Wilton. There are 4 pitches, one walled and one flood-lit.
Extra-curricular activities and sport
Debating
Recently, the college has achieved notable success in debating. In the 2011/12 academic year, Sam Browne, a fourth year student, was selected for the Irish schools debating team and represented the country at the 2012 World Schools Debating Championships in Cape Town, South Africa. Browne has since been recalled to represent Ireland twice more; in 2013 and subsequently captaining the side in 2014, falling short in the semi finals on both occasions. In that same year, both Sam Browne and Oisin Kidney reached the grand final of the Munster schools debating competition, with Browne claiming the runner-up prize. A team consisting of second years Fiachra Kelleher and Shane McCarthy were also runners-up at the Cork City Schools debating competition, with third year John Ryan-Purcell representing the school as an individual.
The debating society has also seen remarkable success at the European Youth Parliament. In 2012, two fifth year students, Sean Crowley and Oisin Kidney, were selected to represent Ireland at the international sessions of the parliament. In 2013, Sam Browne was selected for an international session hosted in Tbilisi, Georgia. In 2014, Fiachra Kelleher and Dylan McDermott were selected to represent Ireland at international sessions in Amsterdam and Thessaloniki respectively.
In the 2012/13 academic year, the school performed well at the UCD Bank of Ireland International Schools' Mace, the largest mace tournament at senior cycle level in Ireland,[5] with two teams (Daire O'Herlihy with John Ryan-Purcell and Sam Browne with Oisin Kidney) reaching the final of the competition. The team consisting of Browne and Kidney won the final on a unanimous decision.
Drama
The college drama society performs one production of a dramatic play annually. This is very often the play studied by Leaving Cert students of that academic year. The current head and Director of Drama is Kieran Aherne. Recent productions include;
- 2009 - The Playboy of the Western World
- 2010 - 12 Angry Men
- 2011 - The Plough and The Stars
- 2012 - Translations
- 2013 - Sive
- 2014 - All My Sons.
Sciences
In 2012 three students were invited to partake in the European Science and Maths Olympiad, based on their Junior Certificate results in Maths and Science. These students participated in the Olympiad in DCU and they performed exceptionally well. In 2004, the Pres team won the first Cork Robotics Competition for Schools, which was launched by the Cork Electronics Industry Association (CEIA) at the National Software Centre in Mahon Point.
Rowing
PBC has had many students who have been members of the various Cork rowing clubs since 1890, some of whom have won Irish Championships with these clubs but never as Pres College Rowing Club. In 1985 Presentation College Rowing Club was registered officially for the first time with the Irish Amateur Rowing Union and began rowing out of Shandon Boat Club on the Marina. The equipment used was bought second-hand from Dungarvan Rowing Club. In its existence to date the club has been a tenant of both Cork Boat Club and Lee Rowing Club and has recently returned to Shandon Boat Club. Since 1985 many improvements have taken place.
The club now owns 3 Eights, 4 Fours, 3 Pairs and 7 Singles along with a full selection of blades, coaching launches and a boat trailer. Transport to regattas is made easy by the purchase of a 15-seater minibus.
With over 50 pupils in regular training in both the gym and on the water. Rowing contributes enormously to the sporting ethos and policy of the College.
Other sports
Other sports played at the college include basketball, cricket, GAA, soccer and golf. The school has won the GAA Lord Mayor's Cup five times in the last six years. The school golf team has also won the Cork County Championship consecutively in 2006 and 2007. PBC reached the All-Ireland basketball U-16s cup final for the first time in 2009 and defeated St.Columbs college from Derry to win PBC's first ever All-Ireland under the guidance of former coach of the Irish senior men's basketball team Sean Murphy. In the last number of years, the college has won numerous soccer titles. These include Cork Cups at First Year, Minor, Junior and Senior level. In February 2015, PBC won the Munster Schools Senior Cup.
Selected alumni
Business
- Ben Dunne, prominent businessman
- Brian McCarthy, prominent businessman, founder of FEXCO.
Law
- Liam McKechnie, Justice of the Supreme Court of Ireland
- Paul Sreenan SC, Kings Inns Bencher.
Media
- Cathal Coughlan, singer, songwriter and keyboard player in the bands The Fatima Mansions and Microdisney.
- George Hook, television and radio presenter, former coach of the American National Rugby Team.
- Fergal Keane, BBC television journalist/author.
- Sean O'Faolain, author and short story writer.
- David Marcus, novelist and literary editor.
- Cillian Murphy, actor.
Politics
- Daniel Corkery, writer, Professor of English at UCC and Senator.[citation needed]
- Barry Desmond, former Minister for Health and Minister for Social Welfare.
- Fergus Finlay, political adviser, author and journalist.[citation needed]
- Gene Fitzgerald, former Minister for Labour, Minister for the Public Service and Minister for Finance.
- Gerald Goldberg, solicitor and first Jewish Lord Mayor of Cork.
- Eoghan Harris, former Senator (Ireland) and columnist
- Michael O'Leary, former Tánaiste and former leader of the Labour Party.
Rugby
- Donal Canniffe, former Irish Rugby Union International and captain of the Munster side that defeated the New Zealand All Blacks touring team in 1978.
- Michael Kiernan, former Irish Rugby Union International and British and Irish Lions team member
- Tom Kiernan, Irish Rugby Union International and British and Irish Lions team member.
- Declan Kidney, former head coach of the Irish national rugby team and former head coach of the Munster rugby team .
- Michael Bradley capped 40 times for Ireland Rugby Union, 15 times as captain, current coach at Edinburgh
- Mick O'Driscoll, former Irish Rugby Union International.
- Ronan O'Gara, former Irish Rugby Union International and British and Irish Lions team member.
- Peter O'Mahony, current Irish Rugby Union International.
- Frankie Sheahan, former Irish Rugby Union International.
- Peter Stringer, current Irish Rugby Union International.
- Jerry Walsh, former Irish Rugby Union International and British and Irish Lions team member
- Simon Zebo, current Irish Rugby Union International and founding member of the YMCA.
- Cian Bohane, current Munster Rugby squad member.
- Niall Scannell, current Munster Rugby squad member
Other sport
- Alan Bennett, current Cork City FC and Ireland Soccer player
- John Browne, holder of three All-Ireland Hurling medals (1999, 2004 & 2005)
- Noel Cantwell, former Irish Football Captain, and captain of the 1963 FA Cup winners.
- Eoin Cotter Gaelic footballer, All-Ireland Football medal winner 2010
References
External links
- Pages with broken file links
- Articles containing Irish-language text
- Articles with unsourced statements from December 2012
- Articles with unsourced statements from December 2007
- Articles with unsourced statements from July 2008
- Articles with unsourced statements from January 2014
- Boys' schools in the Republic of Ireland
- Secondary schools in County Cork
- Educational institutions established in 1878
- Sport in County Cork
- Presentation Brothers schools
- Private schools in the Republic of Ireland
- Education in Cork (city)
- People educated at Presentation Brothers College, Cork