presentation college tuam history

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Presentation Convent, Tuam.

A photograph of the Presentation Convent, Tuam; the photograph is part of the Eason collection at Galway library.

William Burke, Esq., of Currylea died on 1834 and by his Will provided for the establishment and endowment of a Convent of the Presentation Order in Tuam. Dr. McHale entered into negotiations with the Presentation Community in Galway of which Mother Mary Power was the Superioress and the first nuns arrived in Tuam on the 9th May 1835. They were Sr. Mary De Sales Coppinger, Sr. Mary Ignatius Blake and Sr. Mary Louis Tighe. The were established in a house which stood near the site now occupied by the Schools at the Cathedral Road and on the morning after their arrival Mass was celebrated there for the first time. (There is now no trace of the original building, but during recent excavations at the Cathedral Road in connection with the new Water Scheme, the foundations came to light). On the same day the appointment of Sr. Mary De Sales Coppinger as first Superioress of the Community was confirmed by Dr. McHale.

Any account of this foundation would be incomplete without reference to Miss Anne Burke who was a daughter of Richard Burke of Quansberry, Co Galway, and a sister of Lady Howth. This good lady proved a valuable friend of the Order and her zeal to promote the interests of religion and to provide education for the Poor of Tuam was, to a large extent, responsible for the success which attended the new community.

Mother Mary De Sales Coppinger died on the 16th November 1835, and on November the 24th of the same year, she was succeeded as Superioress by Sr. Maria Browne who came from the Galway House to fill the office.

The first postulants to join the Order in Tuam were the Misses Jane and Mary McTucker of Sligo - called in religion Sisters Joseph and Teresa, respectively. The reception took place on the 16th July 1838, and the function was attended by many of the Catholic gentry of the country. Sr. Veronica Cunningham a lay sister, was sent from Galway on March 11th 1837, and of the original Community, this sister and Mother De Sales Coppinger are the only ones buried in Tuam, the others having returned to the Galway House.

The first premises used by the Order were small and very inadequate. The building of a suitable Convent was delayed, however, owing to legal difficulties in connection with the Will of William Burke and it was not until July, 1848, that the foundation stone of the present Convent was laid by Rev. Thomas McHale. The building was completed on September 8th 1849. the present schools were built in 1852 and Dr. McHale contributed largely to their erection.

The Foundation at Tuam was the first community of female religious to be established in the diocese since the Penal times. By inviting the nuns to open their school Dr. McHale hoped to defeat all possibility of the National System of Education being introduction into the town. Throughout his life he succeeded in his aim and it was not until 1882, during the Episcopacy of Dr. McEvilly, that the Presentation Schools were placed under the National Board. Subsequently, Branch Houses were opened at Headford (November 1906), Athenry (Jan. 1908), Keel (June 1919) and Tiernee (August 1935) and at the moment a group of Sisters are about to set out to take over a new Foundation in New Zealand.

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Presentation College, Athenry

• Address: Ballygurraun South, Athenry
• Tel: 091 844 144
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.presathenry.ie

Mission Statement

Presentation College , Athenry is a voluntary secondary school which is predominantly Catholic in character not in any sectarian sense but in the expression of our Christianity through our Catholic faith.  As a school community we commit ourselves to hand on our Christian faith and Christian values

• by fostering a love of God in one another through our daily prayers, symbols, rituals and example;
• by cherishing all our members equally regardless  of  religious affiliation or cultural differences;
• by helping one another to realise our full potential and to become responsible members of society;
• by promoting a sense of personal value, mutual respect and self discipline;
• by encouraging each other to share in the responsibility of running the school;
• by seeking to discern those most in need among us and responding to them.

The challenge is ours today to allow the love of god to touch our hearts so that we will find our true meaning and purpose in life.

School History

​In 1908 Presentation Convent in Athenry was established by the Tuam mother-house. Sisters taught in the old girls’ primary school at Abbey Row until, some years later, a new Primary School was built on the parish lands at the rear of the convent.  By the late 1920’s the Sisters began to provide secondary education for girls in the primary school through development of a secondary top.  In 1930, four girls took the Intermediate Certificate examination, fore-runner of the present Junior Certificate and in 1948 the school was registered with the Department of Education as a Secondary School and the curriculum was extended. There were 74 girls on the rolls in 1949/50.  A new building, the Technology Block, with 5 classrooms was opened in 1951. The main school building until 1980, this building is still in use today.  in 1952 there were 96 girls enrolled. Some travelled by train from Ballyglunin station, which featured in the film The Quiet Man. Closed for many years, the line was re-opened by 2013 so once again pupils may travel by train to the Pres from Ballyglunin and further afield.

In 1964 the Sisters announced that boys would be admitted to the school from September, and 25 boys joined the 126 girls in the school which was now named Presentation College.  With the advent of the Free Education Scheme and free transport in 1967 pupil numbers increased greatly and Sr. Brid Brennan was appointed Principal 1 year later in 1968.   The co-educational Coolarne school amalgamated with Presentation College in 1968.  By 1970 there were 386 pupils enrolled, and were mainly taught in pre-fabricated classrooms. Enrollment reached 489 in 1975 and a new school building was sanctioned by the Department of Education.  The years 1980 to 1982 saw the completion and opening of the present school building as well as a locally supported gymnasium on what was the school football pitch.

Presentation College Athenery is now part of of CEIST – Catholic Education An Irish Schools Trust. This is the Trustee body for the Voluntary Secondary Schools of the Presentation Sisters, The Daughters of Charity, the Sisters of the Christian Retreat, the Sisters of Mercy and the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.

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STATUES AT PRESENTATION CONVENT GARDEN

On the grounds of the Presentation Convent in Tuam, you can find some remarkable religious statues that reflect the Catholic faith and heritage of the town.

The Presentation Convent was founded in 1835 by four sisters from Galway, who came to Tuam at the request of Archbishop John MacHale, who wanted to provide education for the poor girls of the town. The convent was built on the property of William Burke, a wealthy businessman who left a legacy of £30,000 for the establishment of religious institutions in Tuam. His statue stands on the Cathedral terrace, overlooking the convent and the town.

The convent garden is open to the public, and it contains three statues of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a Lourdes Grotto with statues of Mary and Bernadette, and a statue of Christ the King. These statues were erected at different times to commemorate various events and occasions in the history of the convent and the town.

The Sacred Heart statues have the inscription ‘Jubilee, Christ Yesterday, Today, Forever, AD 2000’, and they were installed to mark the Jubilee Year of 2000, a special year of celebration and forgiveness in the Catholic Church. The statues depict Jesus with his heart exposed, symbolizing his love and mercy for humanity.

The Lourdes Grotto was built in 1958, to celebrate the centenary of the apparitions of Mary to Bernadette Soubirous in Lourdes, France. The grotto is a replica of the original one in Lourdes, where Mary revealed herself as the Immaculate Conception and asked for prayer and penance. The grotto is a place of pilgrimage and devotion for many people who come to pray and light candles.

The Christ the King statue has the inscription ‘835-1935, Ave Christe Rex Noster!’, which means ‘Hail Christ our King!’. The statue was erected in 1935, to commemorate the 1100th anniversary of the death of St. Jarlath, the patron saint of Tuam and founder of its first monastery. The statue also honors the feast of Christ the King, which was instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925, to affirm the sovereignty of Christ over all creation.

The statues on the grounds of the Presentation Convent are not only artistic works, but also expressions of faith and gratitude. They reflect the history and spirituality of Tuam, a town that has been shaped by its religious traditions and institutions for centuries.

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Statues At Presentation Convent Garden

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Factors Affecting the Interest of Second-Year College Students in Studying History at Bestlink College of the Philippines Academic Year 2021 - 2022

Vol.3, no.1c.

• Angelo Aquino Bestlink College of the Philippines
• Ernesto C. Ferrer Jr. Bestlink College of the Philippines
• Jannella F. Castidades Bestlink College of the Philippines
• Mark Nikki L. Galay Bestlink College of the Philippines
• Rose Ann Q. Berecio Bestlink College of the Philippines
• Rica Alexandra B. Peralta Bestlink College of the Philippines

Education comes in different ways to fulfil students’ needs and capture their attention to enable them to focus and learn about the topics being taught. History is an important subject and informative and interesting, making students interested. Most students have difficulties in school, especially when studying history, which affects their academic performance. 

The researchers made use of the descriptive quantitative method. This method involves the systematic empirical investigation of observable phenomena via statistical, mathematical or computational techniques, the collection, presentation and analysis of data Zorilla (2012). The study's respondents were thirty (30) second-year students majoring in Social Studies at Bestlink College of the Philippines academic year 2021-2022. This study used Purposive Sampling Technique under Non-Probability Sampling, in which researchers rely on their judgement when choosing population members to participate in the survey. Purposive sampling targets a particular group of people. Subjects are selected because of some characteristics (Patton, 1990).

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