Clongowes was founded by Fr Peter Kenney SJ in 1814 and in 2014 it will celebrate its bicentenary year. Over the decades since its foundation, the accommodation and facilities provided by the original castle, itself a relic of Norman times, have been progressively improved and extended, resulting in the impressive campus we see today.

But time does not stand still for a venerable educational institution like Clongowes, firmly committed as we are to keeping pace with contemporary demands and preparing for the challenges for the future.  As we approach the bicentenary, we are asking our many friends, Old Clongownians and others associated with the college, to join us in securing the future.

The slideshow below gives a flavour of some of the concrete developments that have taken place in recent years and celebrates both continuity and change needed to help us to achieve that aim.

 
The Clongowes Towards 200 (CT200) campaign was established in 2004 to ensure that we can take the steps necessary to do this in such a way that the best standards of Jesuit education can continue to be met as we enter the third century of our history. The building plans comprise of a new library, Science Arts and Technology building and Sports Centre, incorporating a swimming pool to replace the 1887 model.  These new facilities will be creatively integrated into the existing campus.

As a Jesuit school, the mission of Clongowes is not only to pursue educational excellence in all its aspects but to share it as widely as we can, ensuring that there are the fewest possible barriers to access and that Clongowes fairly reflects the socio-economic diversity and increasing multiculturalism of our country.  For this reason, the CT200 fund also includes the Alberto Hurtado Programme (named in honour of a recently canonized Chilean Jesuit, who was himself the beneficiary of a scholarship in a Jesuit school), to fund bursaries annually to suitable applicants.