THE CEMETERY AT ST PATRICKS PONTIFICAL UNIVERSITY 31 JULY 2024
It may surprise many visitors to discover that St. Patrick's Pontifical University, often referred to as Maynooth College, has its own graveyard. The cemetery can be found past the Junior Garden on campus.
While the university was founded in 1795, the first person to be buried in the new College Cemetery was Rev. Francis Power from Cork (1737–1817), the first Bursar and Vice President. He was appointed Professor of French in 1802 and died in 1817. Four members of the college staff who died before 1817 were buried in Laraghbryan Cemetery on the Kilcock Road, west of the campus.
Many students, Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, and staff are laid to rest in the College Cemetery. The Sisters provided healthcare for students and staff, and many students died of tuberculosis, known as consumption at the time. The most recent burial was that of Maurice Dunne from Tralee (1939–2009), who had worked at the university since 1961 and died on his 70th birthday. [Note: Two new graves were noted during a visit on 17 May 2021].
Local legend tells the story of Rhetoric House, an old building on campus with a boarded-up window on the top floor known as "The Ghost Room." The story goes that a young man assigned to sleep in Room No. 2 was found dead with his throat slit, clutching a bloody razor. Suicide was considered a sin in Catholic Ireland at the time, so the matter was hushed up and the student was buried in an unconsecrated part of the cemetery.
According to the legend, similar deaths occurred in the same room the following year and in subsequent years [note: records show the deaths were nineteen years apart]. Some locals claim three people died in this manner, but official records only mention two students buried within the cemetery walls, with no mention of a third.
St Patrick's Pontifical University, Maynooth (Irish: Coláiste Naoimh Phádraig, Maigh Nuad), is a pontifical Catholic university in the town of Maynooth near Dublin, Ireland. The college and national seminary on its grounds are often referred to as Maynooth College.
The college was officially established as the Royal College of St Patrick by Maynooth College Act 1795. Thomas Pelham, the Chief Secretary for Ireland, introduced a bill for the foundation of a Catholic college, and this was enacted by parliament. It was opened to hold up to 500 students for the Catholic priesthood of whom up to 90 would be ordained each year, and was once the largest seminary in the world.
Degrees are awarded by the Pontifical University at Maynooth, which was established by a pontifical charter of 1896. The pontifical charter entitles the university to grant degrees in canon law, philosophy and theology.
The college is associated with the state-run Maynooth University, with which it shares an historic campus, as well as certain facilities.
While the university was founded in 1795, the first person to be buried in the new College Cemetery was Rev. Francis Power from Cork (1737–1817), the first Bursar and Vice President. He was appointed Professor of French in 1802 and died in 1817. Four members of the college staff who died before 1817 were buried in Laraghbryan Cemetery on the Kilcock Road, west of the campus.
Many students, Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, and staff are laid to rest in the College Cemetery. The Sisters provided healthcare for students and staff, and many students died of tuberculosis, known as consumption at the time. The most recent burial was that of Maurice Dunne from Tralee (1939–2009), who had worked at the university since 1961 and died on his 70th birthday. [Note: Two new graves were noted during a visit on 17 May 2021].
Local legend tells the story of Rhetoric House, an old building on campus with a boarded-up window on the top floor known as "The Ghost Room." The story goes that a young man assigned to sleep in Room No. 2 was found dead with his throat slit, clutching a bloody razor. Suicide was considered a sin in Catholic Ireland at the time, so the matter was hushed up and the student was buried in an unconsecrated part of the cemetery.
According to the legend, similar deaths occurred in the same room the following year and in subsequent years [note: records show the deaths were nineteen years apart]. Some locals claim three people died in this manner, but official records only mention two students buried within the cemetery walls, with no mention of a third.
St Patrick's Pontifical University, Maynooth (Irish: Coláiste Naoimh Phádraig, Maigh Nuad), is a pontifical Catholic university in the town of Maynooth near Dublin, Ireland. The college and national seminary on its grounds are often referred to as Maynooth College.
The college was officially established as the Royal College of St Patrick by Maynooth College Act 1795. Thomas Pelham, the Chief Secretary for Ireland, introduced a bill for the foundation of a Catholic college, and this was enacted by parliament. It was opened to hold up to 500 students for the Catholic priesthood of whom up to 90 would be ordained each year, and was once the largest seminary in the world.
Degrees are awarded by the Pontifical University at Maynooth, which was established by a pontifical charter of 1896. The pontifical charter entitles the university to grant degrees in canon law, philosophy and theology.
The college is associated with the state-run Maynooth University, with which it shares an historic campus, as well as certain facilities.
THE CEMETERY AT ST PATRICKS PONTIFICAL UNIVERSITY 31 JULY 2024