Kilkenny College

Kilkenny College
Address
Map
Castlecomer Road

, ,
R95 CF61

Coordinates52°40′03″N 7°15′00″W / 52.6674°N 7.2501°W / 52.6674; -7.2501
Information
TypeCo-educational Day and Boarding School (Public)
MottoComme Je Trouve
(As I Find)
Religious affiliation(s)Church of Ireland
Established1538; 486 years ago (1538)
FounderPiers Butler, 8th Earl of Ormond
Board of GovernorsRight Revd. Michael A.J. Burrows, Bishop of Cashel and Ossory
HeadmasterEmma Raughter
StaffApprox 100
GenderCoeducational
Age12 to 18
Enrolmentca. 920 (ca. 500 boarding)
Houses4
Colour(s)Red, Black    
PublicationThe Swift Review
AthleticsRugby, hockey
Websitehttp://www.kilkennycollege.ie

Kilkenny College is a Church of Ireland co-educational day and boarding secondary school located in Kilkenny, in the South-East of Ireland. It is the largest co-educational boarding school in Ireland. In 2013 it transferred to the state/public sector and no longer charges fees for schooling. The school's students are mainly Protestant (Church of Ireland), although it is open to other denominations. [1]

The college motto Comme je trouve, which means "As I find" in French, comes from the family coat of arms of the Butlers, an aristocratic family in the area and former patrons of the school. It is intended to encourage grit, striving through adversity and taking life's challenges head on.

It was founded in 1538 to replace the School of the Vicars Choral, which had been founded in 1234. Piers Butler the Earl of Ormond located it in the city centre. It was moved to its current location on the outskirts of Kilkenny in 1985.

  1. ^ "Fee-paying Kilkenny College moves to Irish state sector". BBC News. 5 March 2013. Retrieved 1 March 2024.