URBAN EXPRESSION

All Types And Styles Of Urban Expression

Maynooth

THE TOWN OF MAYNOOTH ON A REALLY WARM DAY

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THE TOWN OF MAYNOOTH ON A REALLY WARM DAY

Back in the day I had lunch at least once a week in Maynooth and I was often joined by a friend or two. Today I decided to practice for the future by having a large beer at the Roost [outside of course]. The staff were not a hundred precent sure that they will get to get the go-ahead to reopen on Monday but will be very disappointed if they don’t.

The Roost is a large public house with separate bars, a public bar, lounge area, mezzanine bar and a music bar.

ST PATRICK’S COLLEGE CAMPUS – NO STUDENTS TO BE SEEN

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ST PATRICK’S COLLEGE CAMPUS – NO STUDENTS TO BE SEEN

Maynooth University consists of two connected campuses: an older southern campus, with 19th-century buildings, shared with St Patrick’s College, and, across a public road, a modern northern campus.

Maynooth University was formally established as an autonomous university as recently as 1997, yet traces its origins to the foundation of the Royal College of St. Patrick in 1795, making it, simultaneously, Ireland’s youngest university and one of its oldest educational institutions.

Maynooth has an international reputation for research in humanities; social and spatial sciences; mathematics, communication and computation; and human health.

In the 1990s the EU kindly organised and paid for me to undertake a post-grad in “UNIX – Core Kernel” and I was a bit surprised that I had to travel all the way to St. Patrick’s College in Maynooth every day for the duration of the course. At the time I did not understand the distinction between Maynooth University and St. Patrick’s College and am still a bit confused.

I was the only person from Ireland on the course and I met some very interesting people from Europe, Africa and Asia and the professor in charge was from China. The tutors were from Ireland and Britain. So, it was a bit sad to see the campus devoid of students because of Covid-19.

BUS STOP AT ST MARY’S CHRUCH (SIC) IN MAYNOOTH

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BUS STOP AT ST MARY’S CHRUCH (SIC) IN MAYNOOTH – DID ANYONE NOTICE THE TYPO?

St Mary’s Church Maynooth was built between 1835 and 1840.

Saint Mary’s Church is an important building of many periods that successfully merges true medieval fabric in a nineteenth-century Gothic Revivalist design. Containing fabric dating to the mid thirteenth century, the church is of considerable historical and archaeological significance, representing a long-standing presence – both ecclesiastical and fortified – on the site. The church is also of social importance as the ecclesiastical centre for the Church of Ireland community in the locality.

ST. PATRICK’S COLLEGE CEMETERY

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ST. PATRICK’S COLLEGE CEMETERY – MAYNOOTH COLLEGE CAMPUS MAY 2021

Yesterday I had to abandon my visit to Maynooth because of heavy rain that began almost as soon as I had arrived. When I got up today the weather was really good so I decided to give Maynooth one more try and when I arrived at 2pm the weather was warm and sunny so I took the opportunity to visit the University Campus.

It may surprise many visitors to discover that Maynooth College has its own graveyard. The cemetery can be found past the Junior Garden on campus.

While the College was founded in 1795, the first to be buried in the new College Cemetery was Rev Francis Power from Cork (1737 – 1817), who was the first Bursar and Vice President, 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.

There are a number of students, Sisters and staff resting in the College Cemetery. Many of the students died of consumption, as tuberculosis was called at the time. The Sisters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul provided the healthcare for students and staff. The most recent burial was that of Maurice Dunne from Tralee (1939 – 2009). He had worked in the College since 1961 and died on his 70th birthday. [Note: I noticed two new graves today 17 May 2021].

Years ago I came across the following story: “If you visit Maynooth today, you might come across an old building on the campus called Rhetoric House. You might notice that one of the windows on the top floor is boarded-up and you might wonder why. If you ask someone, they will tell you this is The Ghost Room. Many years ago, students who went to Maynooth would live on the top floor of the building. There was one young man who was assigned to sleep in Room No.2. One day, when he didn’t show up for lectures, his friends went looking for him. They found his dead body lying in a pool of blood on the floor of Room No.2 with his throat slit from ear to ear. Clutched in his hand was a bloody razor and it appeared that he had taken his own life. Ireland was a Catholic country and, at the time, suicide was seen as a terrible sin.”

“The matter was hushed up by the college and the student was buried in an unconsecrated part of the college cemetery, away from the other graves.”

As you may have guessed, according to local legend, this story was repeated the next year [note: according to the records the deaths were nineteen years apart]. Some locals claim, that three people died in a similar manner while in the same room but while the official records indicate that the two students are buried in within the walls of the graveyard there is no mention of a third student.