Salesian College Celbridge

Salesian College Celbridge is a secondary school catering for male students aged 12–19 around the County Kildare village of Celbridge in Ireland.

Salesian College Celbridge An Coláiste Sailéaiseach, Cill Droichid
Location
Moortown, Celbridge, County Kildare Republic of Ireland
Coordinates	53°21′29″N 6°33′07″W / 53.358°N 6.552°W / 53.358; -6.552
Information
Motto	We care, develop, believe — together we achieve
Religious affiliation(s)	Salesians of Don Bosco
Established	August 1981
Principal	Brenda Kearns^[1]
Staff	60 teachers
Gender	Male
Number of students	700^[citation needed]
Campus size	8 ha (20 ac)
Campus type	Rural
Website	salesianscelbridge.com

History

The Salesian College, Celbridge was originally formed in 1981 in a disused primary school on the Hazelhatch Road, which is now the Church of Ireland Primary School. Tony McEvoy was the first principal with four staff members and fifty-five students. In the summer of 1984, the school moved to a newly-built premises, where it remains today. The new school and sports grounds are situated on fifteen acres, and there have been a number of developments and extensions since then. As of 2023, the school reportedly had over 700 students and 50 staff. ^[2]

The school is no longer run by priests of the Salesian order. The principal is Brenda Kearns,^[1] who took up the position in August 2009 succeeding Dan Carroll.^[3]

Subjects

Salesians offers Junior Certificate, Transition Year, and Leaving Certificate courses, as well as a unit for autistic youths. The school's classes have been mixed since 2004.^{[citation needed]}

In the Leaving Certificate cycle, courses in biology, chemistry, and physics are offered. The Junior-cycle subject broadly defined as "Business Studies" is devolved into separate courses accounting, business and economics. Students may also pursue courses in art, construction, technical drawing or engineering. The Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme, which aims to provide a more vocation-oriented education can also be taken by students of the College. The school also has IT facilities.^[4]

Sport

Sports played at Salesians include soccer, athletics, hurling, rugby, badminton and Gaelic football. An annual road race, held each October, is a 4.2 km (2.6 mi) road race participated in by around 450 students. The Fr. Archer Cup, named after Charles Archer, a former teacher, is awarded to the winner.^{[citation needed]}

Salesians won the U14 All-Ireland Soccer Final in 2006.^{[citation needed]} The Salesians' senior soccer team reached the Senior Soccer All-Ireland final in 2010, losing to St. Marys, Galway, in the last minute of extra time.^{[citation needed]} The Salesian Senior football team reached the All-Ireland "B" semi finally in 2010, losing to Éire Óg in Carlow by 2 points.^{[citation needed]} The U16 football team reached the Leinster "B" Final against Moath CBS, where they lost by 2 goals the same year.^{[citation needed]}

Notable past pupils

• Damien Rice, singer and former member of the band Juniper.
• All four members of indie rock band Bell X1
• Members of "Juliets Rescue", formerly Box Social
• Devon Murray, actor
• Karl Bermingham, striker for Derry City FC
• Mark Kenneally, Olympic marathon runner
• Daniel O'Reilly, footballer

References

1. "Message from the Principal". salesianscelbridge.com.
2. "Salesian College Celbridge - History of the college". salesianscelbridge.com. Salesian College. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
3. "40 Years of Salesians in Celbridge". Salesians Ireland | Continuing Don Bosco's Mission for Young People. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
4. "Junior Cycle". Salesian College Celbridge. Retrieved 12 March 2023.