History
Saint Eunan's College was founded as a boarding school in 1906 by the then Bishop of Raphoe, Patrick O' Donnell. Originally intended as a minor seminary, it was designed to prepare students for the Roman Catholic priesthood. Diocesan colleges became an increasingly popular feature at the time and were designed to give the best possible Catholic education to boys of every class.
The student population expanded in the 1920s and it was necessary to build a new extension to the College in the early 1930s. The current recreation hall was built in 1958 and the science block in 1968. The College Chapel was designed by J.J. Robinson, the architect of Galway Cathedral. It was completed in 1961 at a cost of £42,000.
The 'new building' was opened in 1979 to cater for the 500 students enrolled at the time. Due to the growth of other second level schools in the area the number of boarders dropped extensively and in 1992, the boarding wing was finally shut down. Saint Eunan's College continues to this day as a Catholic School under the trusteeship of the Bishop of Raphoe.
The school currently serves approximately 900 students from Letterkenny and its surrounding area, and is one of the few remaining all-male schools in the north-western part of Ireland. The president, since 2009, is Christopher Darby and the vice principal, since 2010, is Mary Cunningham.
In 2007, the school came to the attention of the national media. Retailers were urged not to sell eggs and flour to students following a spate of attacks on passing cars.
In 2009, Christopher Darby became the first lay person to become president of the college, taking over from Father Michael Carney.
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