One of the foremost institutions in Irish education, Blackrock College, has announced its first lay principal. For the past 140 years the college has been led by a member of the Holy Ghost Fathers, but in August a married father-of-five, Alan McGinty, a past pupil and a teacher there since 1979, is to be passed the baton from present principal Fr Cormac O Brolchain.
McGinty is dean of Transition Year and assistant head of the department of mathematics. Transition Year in Blackrock is a vibrant, creative experience, according to college president Fr Sean Casey. Students participate in broadcasting from their own radio station, they produce magazines and have raised more than £1.2 million for development agencies over the past 10 years.
The incoming principal declined an interview with EL. The 42-year-old has a BA and HDip from UCD as well as a master's in educational management from the Open University. He has taken a keen interest in sport in the school, having been coach to the senior rugby team for the past few years.
O Brolchain is enthusiastic about MacGinty's appointment: "He is a committed Christian and we're very happy about that. He cares deeply about the disadvantaged. He is an excellent communicator and teacher and an extremely god administrator. He is also qualified to teach history and understands the history of the college.
"He knows every stone of the place. He is an extremely good family man. I think he's an excellent choice and I am delighted that he was given the job."
Other changes at Blackrock include the establishment of the new body in January this year, the Des Places Educational Association Ltd, which will play a role in supporting all five Holy Ghost schools in Ireland as well as overseeing the continuance of the ethos. This body comprises six Holy Ghost fathers and 14 lay members.
Major redevelopment of the campus is planned. The first phase of development will include a new theatre, cafeteria and sports pavilion. As always, the past pupils' union is a major source of support and funding.
The ethos of the school will remain Catholic. Junior school boarding is being phased out and a group is looking at the rationale for the continuance of senior cycle boarding.
They are investigating the "viability of boarding as a way of life in the 21st century in Ireland as well as the economic ramifications of continuing with boarding. There will certainly be boarders until 2005 and we may decide to continue with fifth and sixth-year boarders. There is excellent accommodation here in the castle," says principal O Brolchain.
He says Irish parents abroad may wish to send their children home for their education. And boarding can be very useful in the final two years. "It offers a regular way of life, with study and games, no travel problems. Students come from miles away - Skerries, Greystones . . . "
Blackrock College has only two rules, the rest are regulations, says O Brolchain - be there and be caring.
The College offers a wide range of extra-curricular activities, although it is normally associated with rugby. It has its own swimming pool and students can choose from tennis, soccer, athletics, basketball, cycling, table tennis, weightlifting and debating.
As to academic achievements, the college's graduates include a string of lawyers, bishops, business men and doctors. Blackrock first opened its doors in the 1860s, when educational opportunities in Ireland were scarce. Is there still a need for private colleges such as Blackrock? O Brolchain says he thinks "there is a place for colleges like this. I think that the parents who are looking for an education where their children can choose from any one of 24 subjects for the Leaving Cert rather than having to make confining choices want a college like this.
"Parents also want their children to be able to get involved in a vast array of sports. It costs money to run a swimming pool. Here, they're able to do all of those things. We can also give them training in musical instruments."
He says the college has a pupil teacher ratio which compares favourably with other EU countries. "The caveat is: this does not mean that we are successful because, firstly, success is not a Gospel value and, secondly, we can only claim to be successful if we can say that a child in Blackrock College will do better than anywhere else - as a person. No school can claim that. All we can do is try."
Fees are £2,300 per year for day pupils, £5,375 for Irish boarders and £6,300 for overseas boarders. Demand for places always exceeds supply. The applications file stretches up to 2012. There are some 30 names already down for that year.
