Welcome to St. Malachy’s College founded in 1833.

I trust that your visit to the College will give you a sense of our ethos and culture.  There is a unity of commitment in the College – a deep sense of spiritual kinship with those of the past, the traditions, which has, created a special bond of fellowship ingrained into the pupil – a true community.

St. Malachy’s College, as a Diocesan College, aims to create a Catholic ethos in which students flourish and develop all their talents.  It is based on the premise that belief in a God of love, justice and forgiveness is essential to the education of the whole person.  The College motto ‘Gloria ab intus’ reflects our conviction that education is not merely concerned with the imparting of information but is about helping young people to mature as individuals.  While the philosophy is distinctly Catholic we welcome boys from all faiths who wish to benefit from, and are able to support, our Catholic ethos.

The College’s contribution to public life for over 175 years has been remarkable.  For this period the College community has been an integral part of life in the City of Belfast and wider afield.  It is the oldest Catholic Secondary School in the historic Province of Ulster, and the third oldest on the island of Ireland.

St Malachy’s has provided consistently excellent standards of education to countless generations of students who have later given distinguished service to the Church, the professions, academia, medicine, the arts, education, politics, the media and sport.  To do it so resoundingly and successfully and to be so well placed to continue to grow in the future is indeed truly remarkable.

Pastoral Care is especially strong.  We are a truly inclusive College that helps pupils of all abilities and backgrounds become confident, caring young men.  We attribute this to the numerous opportunities presented to students combined with the professional support of dedicated staff who take an interest in developing the whole child.  We offer something for everybody in an enviable extra-curricular programme.  Without in any way neglecting academic pursuits, the College offers unrivalled opportunities for extra-curricular activities.  The Music Department makes very extensive provision for orchestral and choral work among students – with exceptional results at national and international level.  Drama and debating have always been widely encouraged – and is borne out by the high profile of many Malachians in the media and the arts.  A wide range of clubs and societies are available within the College.  In sport, the College has experienced outstanding success across a very wide range of activities.  Each year a growing number of students with representative honours – national and international – includes a quite exceptional list of ordinary boys enabled to achieve extraordinary results in:  athletics; basketball, cross-country, Gaelic Football and hurling; soccer and swimming.

St Malachy’s College is a Specialist Music College with strong collaborative links with our community.  Growing interdependence means great awareness that the ways in which we behave impact not only on our local community but contribute to global economic and environmental change.  The College strives to ensure that students are given wider opportunities to broaden their experiences and equip them to live in a global society.  A good school knows no boundaries.  National and International projects in Europe and links with schools in Philadelphia and Washington help us to achieve this by bringing an international dimension into the classroom and drives the integration of internationalism into our ethos. 

For over 175 years, St. Malachy’s College has sought to nurture every young man in its charge, to encourage them in achievement, endeavour, personal excellence and faith.  The very foundation of the College’s ethos concerns itself with the formation of the whole human person; in all his aspects: social, spiritual, moral, academic and recreational – not separate disciplines, but a single intricate tapestry which represents the myriad-faceted individual.  We are, indeed, a community, not an institution - a collaborative community in faith and learning.  This community has responded to the particular challenges and needs of particular period of time, as it has done down through the years, using the strengths that the College currently has and using them for the benefit of the whole community - not just for our own good.

Enjoy your visit