Garbally group of past pupils campaigns on name change

A group of past pupils of Garbally College in Ballinasloe has begun a campaign to retain the Garbally heritage when it begins a new era as a co-educational institution next September.

Last year school authorities announced that the new co-education school – an amalgamation of Garbally and the girls secondary school, Ard Scoil Mhuire – would be renamed Clonfert College when the schools formally amalgamate this Autumn.

But in the last week, a number of former pupils have formed an action group to retain Garbally in the new entity. The group wants the new school to be named “Clonfert College at Garbally Park” and for school’s sports teams to continue to play under the name “Garbally.”

The group, “The Spirit of Garbally,” claims that in ditching the name, the school authorities were effectively shutting down over 100 years of heritage.

Jack Murray, one of the founding members, said: “Garbally has a proud heritage as an educational and sporting institution. It has been a leading team in schools rugby in Connacht for much of the last 100 years. It has a proud tradition also in providing hurling winners and its players have performed and won all-Irelands for several counties, including Galway and Offaly.

He said to many of the group it appeared sad to cast aside such a rich heritage in education and especially in sports.

“We believe Garbally should be retained in the school name at some level and used for all its sports teams to retain the links with the great teams and players who have preceded the next generations and to continue to develop the Garbally sporting brand, in an inclusive way, for both boys and girls”

Another founding member, Richard Moore, said: “We are all conscious of the fact that the new school is an amalgamation of two institutions. We understand why there had to be some form of a name change to reflect that changed reality but we believed that in dropping the name Garbally completely, the new school is losing out on a tradition, a heritage and connections to its past pupils that will not easily be replaced.”

“The naming process is over, but it is obvious that the full extent of the negative impact of removing the Garbally name wasn’t considered as part of the process. Retaining the Garbally name for the sports teams and making it inclusive of everybody is a positive step and an easy win.”

Jack Murray says there has been an enormous response to a survey placed online by the group which asked past pupils its views on keeping the Garbally name for sports teams at the school.

He said: “Over 85% of the hundreds who have so far responded to the survey want the name Garbally retained on the sports teams. There is genuine anger out there at what is unfolding but also a deep sense of incredulity that room could not have been found in the new name for Garbally’s heritage.”

Murray said that the issue had emboldened past pupils and that there was a real sense of unity in the group. “It has been less than two weeks since ‘The Spirit of Garbally’ started and in that time we have been contacted by hundreds of former students from the four corners of the globe. It is amazing to see everyone speaking with one voice to retain Garbally’s rich heritage as part of the new school.”

Once the survey is complete the group wants to meet the board of management of Clonfert College to discuss the proposal.

Among well-known former pupils who have backed ‘The Spirt of Garbally’ campaign are former Ireland and Lions rugby captain, Ciaran Fitzgerald; ex-rugby international Noel Mannion. Former All-Ireland winning hurlers, Iggy Clarke, Sean Silke, Conor Hayes, and Michael Duignan. Former Galway hurler Damien Joyce, Channel Four Foreign Affairs Correspondent Paraic O’Brien, current Connacht Rugby player Colm Reilly.

To access the survey simply google Spirit of Garbally survey.

St Joseph’s College was established by the Diocese of Clonfert in 1892 as a boys seminary. It was first located at Cartron and later relocated to Esker near Athenry. In 1901 due to continued expansion, it located to a building known as The Pines in Creagh.

There it remained until 1923 when it located to Garbally Park, the home of the Early of Clancarty, on the other side of Ballinasloe. Garbally Court, built in 1819, and its extensive lands, were purchased by the Diocese of Clonfert for £6,750 in 1922 from the trustees of the Earl of Clancarty.