This modern statue is located at St Kilian’s German School on Roebuck Road in Clonskeagh.
I am still experimenting with Google Bard and used it to research St Killian but some of the information was somewhat doubtful. For example I could not confirm that the Town Of Killarney [referred to as a city by Bard] is named after St Killian. The Irish for Killarney is Cill Airne meaning the “Church Of Sloes”.
Saint Killian [also spelled Cillian or Killian] was a seventh-century Irish missionary who is credited with bringing Christianity to Franconia, a region in what is now Germany. He is also the patron saint of Würzburg, the capital of Bavaria.
Killian was born in Ireland in the early seventh century. He was educated at the monastery of Clonmacnoise, one of the most important centres of learning in Ireland at the time. After his education, Killian traveled to Gaul (modern-day France) to preach the Gospel.
In Gaul, Killian met with some success in converting pagans to Christianity. However, he also made some enemies, including Duke Gosbert of Franconia. Gosbert’s wife, Geilana, was a pagan, and she was opposed to Killian’s mission.
In 689, Killian and his companions were murdered by Geilana’s followers. They were killed in Würzburg, and their bodies were buried in the city.
Killian’s death did not end his influence. He was soon venerated as a martyr, and his cult spread throughout Germany. In 742, his relics were exhumed and placed in a new church in Würzburg. The church was dedicated to Killian, and it became a major pilgrimage site.
Killian is remembered as a courageous and dedicated missionary who helped to spread Christianity in Germany. He is also celebrated as a martyr who died for his faith.
In addition to his missionary work, Killian is also known for his contributions to the development of the Church in Germany. He was instrumental in establishing the diocese of Würzburg, and he is credited with introducing the Gregorian chant to the region.
Killian’s feast day is celebrated on July 8. He is the patron saint of Würzburg, the diocese of Würzburg, and the city of Killarney in Ireland.
Killian is a significant figure in both Irish and German history. He is remembered as a courageous missionary who helped to spread Christianity in both countries. He is also celebrated as a martyr who died for his faith. Killian’s legacy continues to inspire people today.
Here are some additional facts about Saint Killian:
His name means “little champion”. He is often depicted in art with a sword, a symbol of his martyrdom. He was born in Ireland around the year 640. He studied under Saint Columban at the monastery of Luxeuil in Gaul. In 686, he set out for Franconia to preach the Gospel. He was killed by Geilana, the wife of Duke Gozbert of Thuringia, in 689. He was canonized in the 9th century. His feast day is celebrated on July 8. He is the patron saint of Würzburg, Germany, and missionaries.
St. Kilian’s German School in Dublin was founded in the early 1950s, developing from the work of a Dublin charity, the Save the German Children Society, founded in 1945. The school was originally a Sunday school, offering German classes to children who came to Ireland as part of the programme run by the Save the German Children Society.
In 1954, the school was named St. Kilian’s and three years later relocated to a site on the Stillorgan Road in Dublin, which could also accommodate a Kindergarten. The school expanded and grew in the following years, and in 1961-2011, it had a delegated Headmaster from Germany and a Deputy Principal supported by the Department of Education in Ireland.
In 1974, the school moved to its current campus in Clonskeagh. In 1976, the school was recognised by the Irish Department of Education and given a roll number. Two years later, the first group of St. Kilian’s students sat the Leaving Certificate.
In 1989, the school introduced the Sprachdiplom Exams, a significant step in establishing the higher pedagogical benchmark for the teaching and learning of German in the school. In 1992, St. Kilian’s became a member of the European Schools’ Association.
Today, St. Kilian’s German School is a thriving institution with a student body of over 500 pupils from over 30 different countries. The school offers a wide range of academic and extracurricular activities, and its graduates go on to study at leading universities around the world.
Here are some of the key milestones in the history of St. Kilian’s German School:
1952: The school is founded as a Sunday school. 1954: The school is named St. Kilian’s. 1957: The school relocates to Stillorgan Road. 1961-2011: The school has a delegated Headmaster from Germany and a Deputy Principal supported by the Department of Education in Ireland. 1974: The school moves to Clonskeagh. 1976: The school is recognised by the Irish Department of Education. 1989: The school introduces the Sprachdiplom Exams. 1992: St. Kilian’s becomes a member of the European Schools’ Association.
SCULPTURE AT ENTRANCE TO ST KILIAN’S GERMAN SCHOOL ON ROEBUCK ROAD
The photograph is a bit confusing because a row of black and orange bollards can be seen through part of the sculpture … I am assuming that the sculpture is a representation of the saint.
St Kilian’s German School (Deutsche Schule Dublin – DSD) is an independent German international school in Dublin, Ireland.
Kilian, also spelled Killian (or alternatively Irish: Cillian; Latin: Kilianus), was an Irish missionary bishop and the Apostle of Franconia (Franconia is nowadays the northern part of Bavaria), where he began his labours towards the end of the 7th century. His feast day is 8 July.
St Kilian’s is legally a single organisation, with a primary school, offering kindergarten (junior infants) and vorschule (senior infants) and main primary school (1st to 6th classes), and a secondary school. It is open to students from ages 4 to 18.
German is taught from the start, but is not required for entry. In primary school, where relevant, input from the school programme of the German state of Baden-Württemberg is used. Depending on development of German language skills, pupils may have the option to pursue a German curriculum stream from 4th class. The school provides German language education beyond the level required by the Irish German curriculum, enabling pupils to take the German Sprachdiplom exams and qualify with the linguistic level required to enter German universities.
Some classes in the Junior Cycle (1st to 3rd years) are shared with the Lycée Français d’Irlande.
St Kilian’s was founded in the early 1950s, developing from the work of a Dublin charity, the Save the German Children Society, founded in 1945.
Since 2002, St Kilian’s has shared sites with Lycée Française d’Irlande, the combined campus known as the “Eurocampus”.
The secondary school has a typical rate of progression to third-level of 90-100%. In 2020 this reduced to 63%, following significant reduction in teacher-assigned grades, with even native German language speakers being graded H3 instead of school-assessed H1. The school and 9 pupils pursued High Court actions over this.
OPERATION SHAMROCK
Operation Shamrock was a scheme bringing refugee children from mainland Europe to Ireland in the aftermath of the Second World War. It was organised by the Irish Red Cross, and involved about 500 children, mostly from Germany, who stayed for three years before returning home.
Irish assistance to Germany reinforced in Britain the perception, fostered by wartime neutrality, that Ireland was pro-Nazi. Conversely, West Germany in the 1950s had gratitude for Ireland’s postwar relief aid, and ties grew between the countries. In January 1956 a memorial fountain sculpted by Joseph Wackerle and commissioned by the German Gratitude Fund was unveiled in St Stephen’s Green, Dublin, by the West German ambassador.
In 1961, the German war cemetery was opened near St Kevin’s Hostel, Glencree, for graves of German aviators killed in Ireland during the war. In 1974, the hostel became the Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation, which played a role in the Northern Ireland peace process in the 1990s.
German-language courses provided for refugees in Dublin led to the foundation of St Kilian’s German School.
In March 1997, a reunion of over 300 foster-children and families was held at the German embassy in Dublin, attended by Presidents Mary Robinson of Ireland and Roman Herzog of Germany.
As part of The Gathering Ireland 2013, 21 refugee children from Germany, France and Austria returned to Glencree.
You must be logged in to post a comment.