In 1947 Gormanston Castle in Co. Meath, former seat of the Preston family, was acquired by the Franciscans. It was opened as a secondary school in 1954. The present college was built in 1955-6.
Local Activities:
The Franciscans have been in Gormanston since 1947, when they purchased Gormanston Castle, the ancestral home of the Preston Family since c. 1300. In 1954 a Preparatory School for our College in Multyfarnham was begun in the Castle. But new plans resulted in the building of a new College and the transfer of the Multyfarnham College to this new location.
Gormanston College today is a thriving Secondary School, with 500 students. Half the students are resident in the College, the other half are day-students, of whom about 60 are girls. The students come from many countries and many counties. A broad curriculum is offered and a wide variety of sporting and recreational activities.
The ethos of the College is Catholic and Franciscan, with its stated aim of the education of the young
To mark the celebration of the 800th anniversary of the foundation of the Franciscan Order a major study of the history of the Irish Franciscans was published in November 2009. Entitled The Irish Franciscans, 1534-1990 (Four Courts Press) the work examines all aspects of the life of the friars and their impact in Ireland and on the Continent.
“Irish Eyes are Smiling” - Charity Album from Fr. Tom Russell OFM in aid of The LARCC Cancer Support Centre. Fr. Tom Russell OFM is an Irish Franciscan working in their well known community at Rossnowlagh, Co. Donegal. He has recorded a charity album in aid of The LARCC Cancer Support Centre based near Mullingar, Co. Westmeath. The album, “Irish Eyes Are Smiling”, contains Irish classics such as; My Lagan Love, The Foggy Dew and Roisin Dubh.
