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History

 

In 1968 The Sisters of Mercy took charge of the Finn College in Ballybofey which had been handed to the Bishop of Raphoe by Ms. Logue, daughter of the founder. St. Columba’s College began with 69 students and 9 teachers and the first principal of the new school was Sr. Carmel Kiernan.

While the school was originally set up in the Finn College site on Main St., Ballybofey, it soon moved to its present site on Drumboe Avenue in 1970, where a new school comprising home economics room, science laboratory, six classrooms and a library was built by the Sisters of Mercy. The school was too small for the student intake as soon as it was opened and prefabricated classrooms were soon added to the school complex. When Sr. Carmel finished her term as principal in 1977, St. Columba’s had an enrolment of 340 students.

The new principal, Sr. Anne Mc Loone, immediately set about planning appropriate accommodation to replace the many prefabricated classrooms that housed the students and teachers. In 1983 a major new structure was added to the original school building which provided accommodation and facilities for 650 students. The "new school" contained science laboratories, an art room, a secretarial room, a language laboratory and a large school hall/gymnasium, as well as classrooms for general subjects. Sr. Anne also set about extending the school curriculum and a block for woodwork and metalwork was added to the school.

Sr. Margaret Mc Garrigle assumed the principalship in 1990 and continued the development of the school adding new blocks of classrooms. In 1993, Mr. Brian McAuley was appointed principal and continued the building programme. A new extension comprising a new Library, 3 classrooms and a new Art room was officially opened in March, 1996.

Mr Gerry Bennett was appointed Principal in 2000 and in 2008 Ms Maeve Scully took over the role. Ms Scully continued the development of St Columba's College, and by 2017 had greatly improved the school environment as well as the educational experience St Columba's has to offer.

Over the past quarter century and more St. Columba’s College has established a proud history of achievement in the academic, sporting and other extracurricular fields.

The current principal, Mr Tom Rowan, was appointed in 2017.