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MSC Centennial in Ireland - 2009

Sacred Heart College, Cork

Origins





From 1909 until 1950 Sacred Heart College, Western Road served well the educational needs of MSCs. A wooden structure in the grounds served as the College Chapel until 1931 when it was replaced by the beautiful Sacred Heart Church. The MSCs mainly involved in the building of the new Church were Frs. Michael Tierney, Charles Gouffe, and Patrick Long. The architect was Mr. Dominic O’Connor, and the builder was John Sisk and Sons.


After the former Dyke House was converted into Sacred Heart College it took on various architectural features as shown in these images.

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Dyke House in 1909. It had been the summer residence of the Lord Mayor of Cork
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Sacred Heart College, Cork that replaced Dyke House as a centre of study for the priesthood
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South Elevation of Sacred Heart College
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Dyke House now called MSC Centre


Sacred Heart Church was erected in the 1930s

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Blessing of the Foundation Stone, 8 Sept. 1929
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As the College and Church looked in the 1940s




















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The Big House after renovations
By 1950 student numbers were growing and an improvement in conditions at Sacred Heart College was called for. The late Fr. Richard Scriven, msc had been appointed the first Pro-Provincial, and it fell to him to deal with the problems of the college. Having searched for a suitable site for a new college he became aware that the Sheedy family in Carraig na bhFear were putting their house and land on the market for sale. He immediately followed up on this, and students who left Western Road in June, 1950 for summer vacation were surprised on receiving notification to report elsewhere for the start of the new academic year, i.e. at Carraig na bhFear. And now rather than limited space with a stoney surface in the playing pitch at Western Road, they had a large field behind the Big House.

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The Big House as it looks today
Once again further expansion was necessary. In March 1963 a site for a new boarding college adjacent to the Big House was blessed, and in September 1965 seventy eight students commenced their studies in the new college shown below.

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Further change occurred in 1987 when the first girls were accepted into the previously all-boys college.