Адомнания колледжінің тарихы мен ерекшеліктері

Its buildings and grounds include the College Chapel, a medial courtyard and playing fields. Architectural features include four turreted round towers and flying buttresses which are modelled on the nearby Cathedral. Sporadic extensions have occurred, including during the early 1930s and the late 1970s – science laboratories and a demonstration room were added in between these two periods of major building work. A monkey puzzle tree grows on the front lawn close to the front door and the College Chapel. Those men who have attended the college are termed Old Adomnánians (/æ//ð//ɒ//v/'/n//ɔː//n//j//æ//n//s/). Sportsmen educated there include Olympic athletes, Mark English (a middle distance runner) and Philip Deignan (a cyclist who later turned professional), as well as several current county footballers, among whom are Michael Murphy, Shaun Patton and Niall O'Donnell. Several members of Cabinet were educated here, including Pa O'Donnell, Neil Blaney and Jim McDaid. Others educated there include quiz player Pat Gibson (Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, Mastermind, Brain of Britain, Mastermind Champion of Champions, Eggheads), actor Ray McAnally and lexicographer Niall Ó Dónaill. The college has a tradition since its foundation of hosting musicals, operas, operettas and other performances. Its current principal is Damien McCroary. The All Ireland winning Gaelic footballer, Colm McFadden, serves as his deputy. Other staff members (past and present) include Ollie Horgan, Gary McDaid, Charlie McGeever and John Wilson, who later served as Tánaiste. It accommodates close to 1,000 students and increases its numbers year on year. Diocesan colleges experienced an increasingly favoured stature at the time and were set up to give an unrivalled Catholic education to boys of every class. The college's motto, In hoc signo vinces, meaning "by this sign – (the Cross) – you shall conquer" is derived from the episcopal motto of O'Donnell.

In 1904, the college's foundation stone was laid on the feast of St Eunan (23 September). With the number of boarders declining under the Rev. Carr's Presidency, some dormitories could be turned into classrooms. Links with other continental schools were also developed, including a school in Perros Guirec, Brittany in northwestern France. The annual ski trip began in 1997. As with several of his predecessors, McCroary had to deal with the death of a student. He also had to deal with a burglary and a viral pandemic, the latter of which shut the school for six months and caused all examinations to be cancelled. Then, when the school had reopened, the Government shut it and all others in the country for several months again at the start of the following year as the viral pandemic worsened.

The college's silver jubilee occurred in 1931 during the Rev. Kerr's presidency. The foundation stone for the college's "New Wing" was laid on 23 September that year as part of the events held to mark the occasion. High Mass was held in the nearby cathedral, over which the Rev. Kerr presided. In his sermon he noted that past students of the college had gone on to become priests or to work in civil or military professions. A banquet was held that evening, at which a toast was proposed to the Bishop of Raphoe, William MacNeely and the hope expressed that he would be alive to witness the Golden Jubilee (he was). The occasion also prompted the establishment of the past students' union. Its meeting and dinner would occur annually for many decades. It vanished during the 1960s.

The college's golden jubilee occurred in 1956 during the Rev. Finnegan's presidency. In April that year, Canon Patrick Kerr, College President throughout the 1930s and the first half of the 1940s, and who had since risen to the rank of Archdeacon of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Raphoe, died. Events held on Wednesday, 26 September, marked the jubilee. According to the Derry People, "close on three hundred past students came from all parts of the country, and some from overseas, to do honour to their Alma Mater". One member of the original staff, Denis J. Murray, was still alive and present on the day. As with the earlier jubilee, High Mass was held in the nearby cathedral, this time presided over by a former member of staff, Fr. John McMackin (who had by then become a professor of English at the pontifical university of St Patrick's College, Maynooth). A banquet was held that evening in the study hall. According to The Irish Press, a telegram to Bishop MacNeely from the Pope, and which recognised the occasion, was read aloud to those in attendance. Among the other guests were Bishop of Derry Neil Farren and two former students – the then Leas Cheann Comhairle Cormac Breslin and Minister for Local Government Pa O'Donnell. Also present was the Rev. Finnegan's predecessor as president, the Rev. McLoone (based in Killybegs for the previous two years), who returned to Letterkenny on Tuesday 25 September 1956. Head Boy for the centenary year was James McNicholl. Others present amongst the student body during the centenary year included (with class saint for year reference): Seniors: Mark McGowan (Francis), Ross Wherity (Fergal), Michael Murphy (Ernan), Antoin McFadden (Eithne), Seán McVeigh (Elizabeth) Juniors: Cillian Morrison (Catherine), Mark English (two years before the Transition Year that would see him take up running; Benedict), Caolan Ward (Bartholemew),

Other events took place throughout the academic year. These culminated in the College Centenary Golf Classic at Letterkenny Golf Club on Sunday 8 April 2007. The professional golfer Paul McGinley – recently seen further south at the Ryder Cup, and whose father Mick studied at the college and was part of the 1956 MacRory Cup winning team – launched the College Centenary Golf Classic. McGinley provided two prizes for the event: a set of TaylorMade golf clubs and one of his 2006 Ryder Cup sweaters.

The college was founded on a Roman Catholic basis, under the trusteeship of the Bishop of Raphoe. It serves approximately 900 students – from Letterkenny and its surrounding area – and is one of the few remaining all male schools in northwestern Ireland. From its foundation until 2004, a single manager oversaw the college. Government regulation of education obliged the college to comply with the terms of the 1998 Education Act and the Education and Welfare Act, 2000. In 2004 the college's management structure was altered and a board of management established in place of the single manager. The college continues to be under the trusteeship of the Bishop of Raphoe. Women have been among the staff since 1929. Between 1929 and 1991, first requested by the Rev. McCaul during his presidency, two Sisters of Mercy were appointed to the staff of the college. One of the women served as matron and tended to the health of the college's students. The other woman was director of domestic affairs in the college kitchens. The college employed a female secretary in 1981.

The college was designed by Irish architect Thomas Francis McNamara, attached to the firm of W. H. Burne and Co. The Belfast firm, Messrs Laverty and Co., were contracted to carry out the job. The cost of the building was approximately £22,000. A three storey edifice resembling a medieval keep, it has been called "the castle on the hill". The outline of a subterranean toilet block parallel to the College Chapel, which was used until the mid 1930s, can still be seen today. On Saturday 21 October 2017, the class of 1962–67 (featuring future Member of Cabinet Jim McDaid) held a reunion at the college, which began with a service in the College Chapel to remember the eight who were absent due to death. Two plans were drawn up, but an approach was never finished. As per planning regulations, the school installed a set of ramps and two chair lifts. To serve first year students, three prefabs were installed in summer 2008; these were followed by four ancillary prefabs in summer 2010. The first playing field opposite the college was completed during the presidency of the Rev. McLoone. Minister for Education Joe McHugh, in whose constituency the event took place, was among other dignitaries in attendance.

The college comprises two houses. The first consists of the Junior Certificate (students of the first three years) and the second of Leaving Certificate (students of the final two years). Each year is divided into form classes, named (usually) in honour of an Irish saint. These typically correspond with the year of the form class; for instance, an incoming first year student would find himself in a class beginning with the letter A. The following illustrates each form class in use during the centenary year of 2006–07 (they may lessen or increase accordingly, depending on student numbers), and is included here as a reference point to notable students mentioned in the "Centenary" section above. The Saint Eunan is not used, though he would fit the scheme for year one of the leaving certificate.

Junior and Leaving Certificate students usually undertake pre test examinations (MOCKs) each February or March or April, whilst the final examinations follow in June. The college is one of only 18 schools in the county that offers the LCA programme. Transition Year is available if desired and has been since 1979. with some success experienced during the 21st century. The college sends teams to contest the All Ireland Higher Maths national finals, a competition for higher level students of mathematics. The college won a gold medal in 1999 and a silver medal in 2007. The college represented also at the 2007 International Mathematical Olympiad in Hanoi. They are regular competitors in the All Ireland Final.

With Gaelic football the college's dominant sport, the development of association football was deterred by the Gaelic Athletic Association's Rule 27. It could not, therefore, become an "official" extracurricular activity at the college until the early 1970s. An illicit soccer league did, however, operate at the college and students even successfully convinced one of the priests who was a professor at the college to act as referee – provided that they lift the ball and play the Gaelic way in the event that less lenient members of the teaching clergy should wander by. Since these early experiments with the game, the college has achieved several titles at national level. The first success at national level was the defeat of Saint Joseph's, Fairview, by 1–0 in the final of the 1978 FAIS Junior Cup held at Tolka Park. 1979 brought the college's first senior title at national level, with the team defeating Dublin's Beneavin College by 2–0 in the final of the FAIS Senior Cup held at Terryland Park. The college won national senior titles in consecutive years in the mid 1980s. The 1985 team – led by Michael Houston – defeated Beneavin by 3–0, while a penalty shoot out at Belfield Park decided 1986 in the college's favour. Consecutive national senior titles also came in the mid 2000s. The 2004 team defeated De La Salle College Waterford, by 3–0 in the final at Belfield, while the 2005 team (featuring Michael Boyle, Ciaran Greene and, as a 79th minute substitute, Mark McGowan) comprehensively defeated a Tallaght outfit by 4–1, also at Belfield Park. The 2004 senior victory was accompanied by under 16 and under 14 titles, the former defeating Summerhill College of Sligo by 1–0 after extra time, while Ollie Horgan managed the latter side to victory in Mullingar. Horgan went on to become manager of the Republic of Ireland schoolboys team and also of Finn Harps, leading the latter team to the League of Ireland Premier Division (the top flight of Ireland's football league system). Former Finn Harps player and manager Charlie McGeever was also a member of the teaching staff. Michael Cullen oversaw the college's participation in the Aer Lingus Golf Championship during the 1970s. Peter Hickey became the professional at Cork Golf Club. During the 1980s, the college played in the Ulster Matchplay Championships and the Derryveagh Crystal Golf Championship. The college won the Donegal Schools' Championship at senior and junior levels in 1993. The senior team won again in 1994. Four more senior Championship and League titles followed during the 1990s, as well as two in 2000 and 2001. Conrad Logan, who would go on to become a professional footballer in the English Football League, featured in those last two at the turn of the millennium; indeed, Logan's chip and putt sealed the 2001 win. Stephen Sweeney, who went on to become a club professional from Royal County Down Golf Club, played alongside Logan in 2001. Led by team captain Michael Cullen, the college entered and won the 1995 Donegal Teachers' Championship, with a team also consisting of Jimmy Ward, Edward Harvey, Pat Hickey, Paraic O'Dowd and Tommy Nangle, the winner of the individual award.

Mark English – described by Jerry Kiernan as Ireland's "greatest talent" in middle distance running – was a student at the college. English only made the switch to athletics during his Transition Year, a testament to the success of that experiment which was first made available to students in 1979. The college is competitive in swimming. Hurling, a sport at which Donegal teams are not traditionally dominant, has had teams from the college progress to the semi finals. The college has a rugby union team, re established in the 2007–08 academic year after many years of absence. It started playing competitive rugby against other schools in the county and developed under 14, under 16 and ultimately under 18 squads. All age categories compete in their respective Donegal Schools Cup competitions against other schools: Abbey VS (Donegal), Carndonagh CS, Coláiste Ailigh, Coláiste Cholmcille (Ballyshannon), Loreto (Milford), Mulroy College (Milford), Rosses CS (Dungloe), St Columb's College (Derry) and Saint Columba's College (Stranorlar). The college won the first rugby silverware in its history in January 2014, by defeating Saint Columba's College Stranorlar to win the Senior (U18s) Donegal Schools Cup. The college won a national basketball title in 2020.

Participants in the "Computer Club" of the 1980s included Neil Gordon (who would later teach at the college, organise annual ski trips abroad and manage the football team) and Kevin Gillespie (later Monsignor and Cathedral Parish Administrator). Gordon's inaugural presentation was called "Fuel Consumption", an early indication of where his future interests would lie. The "Computer Club" soon vanished though, as its main activities were absorbed into the curriculum. Damien Blake, who later became the youngest ever mayor of Letterkenny, set up the school's first website.

Others include clubs dedicated to books, cinema and games. The first trip, to Andorra, was organised in 1997. The 2008 trip, when Neil Gordon led a troupe of skiers to the United States, proved eventful – the Airbus craft bringing them home experienced motor difficulties in mid flight and had to return to Logan International Airport after several hours in the air. The aborted flight received coverage in national media, such as The Irish Times. The college has taken part in several foreign exchange programmes involving schools in Brittany and Vienna. Many European students have also availed of the education offered by the college – coming from as far as Spain, France and Austria.