Approaching Saint Eunan’s College for the first time has a subtle yet striking quality. Situated on Sentry Hill in Letterkenny, County Donegal, the structure has four turreted round towers that rise against the Irish sky, giving it a more cathedral-like appearance than a classroom. That similarity is not coincidental. You get the impression that this institution was built to last as you approach the front entrance past a lone monkey puzzle tree on the lawn. The architecture was purposefully modeled after the nearby St. Eunan’s Cathedral.
It has. The college was first established as a minor seminary in 1906 by Bishop Patrick O’Donnell, with the goal of preparing young Catholic men for the priesthood. The curriculum included history, Greek, and Latin. Boarders came from all over the county. The aspirations were grave, almost solemn. Even though the seminarians and dorms are long gone, Saint Eunan’s College is still standing on that same hill nearly 120 years later, teaching nearly a thousand students annually.
Declining numbers that had been accumulating for years led to the boarding wing’s closure in 1992. A few of those former dorms were converted into classrooms. Others turned into libraries. A school that had begun as a training ground for religious life gradually evolved into something more civic, open, and reflective of how Ireland itself had changed over the course of the twentieth century. This change felt symbolic.
The degree to which the college’s narrative aligns with Donegal’s cannot be overstated. Each of the early presidents was a priest appointed by the diocese, and they were all transferred to another parish at the bishop’s discretion rather than leaving voluntarily. Looking back, that arrangement seems almost medieval. However, genuine personalities surfaced within that inflexible framework. Gilbert and Sullivan were beloved by the fifth president, Arthur McLoone. Daniel Cunnea studied the night sky with a telescope. These were men with inner lives, managing a school with its own dramas and rhythms.
A unique kind of portrait is provided by the alumni list. On those fields, Olympic athletes Philip Deignan and Mark English trained. Both the late quiz legend Pat Gibson, who went on to win Brain of Britain and become an almost legendary figure on Eggheads, and Gaelic football star Michael Murphy attended classes there. Ray McAnally, an actor, attended school there. The same hallways were used by a number of government ministers. It’s the kind of mix that implies the college produced individuals rather than a type, people who went off in quite different directions and became well-known for doing so.
In hoc signo vinces, which means “in this sign you will conquer” in Latin, is the school’s motto. It was taken from the college’s founder’s episcopal motto. It doesn’t matter if today’s students are aware of it or not, but the phrase looms over the school like a long-forgotten goal, still apparent and slightly difficult.
Colm McFadden, an All-Ireland winner, has been Damien McCroary’s deputy since 2019. This combination speaks to the current state of Irish secondary schools, which strikes a balance between academic expectations and athletic culture. The college employs more than a hundred teachers. Musicals are performed there. Continental school exchanges are available there. In January, it takes students on ski vacations.
When you visit a place like this, you get the impression that it is more than just a school; rather, it is a sort of community record that has been filled in year after year by the people who have gone through it. Like any long-standing institution, Saint Eunan’s College has experienced losses and grief. However, it continues, as schools usually do. It’s the same hill. There are still the towers.
