Irish College in Seville

The Irish College in Seville, was founded in 1612 by Theobald Stapleton (who was also responsible for the establishment of the Irish College in Madrid),^[1] like many other Irish Colleges on continental Europe was to train priests to minister in Ireland, who could not be trained at home due to the Penal Laws.^[2] The college was dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, so the college was referred to as the Irish College of Immaculate Conception, Seville. In 1619 with King Philip III's support the Jesuit order assumed control of the college.^[3]

Irish College Seville

Type	Seminary
Active	1608-1612–1767
Founder	Theobald Stapleton
Religious affiliation	Roman Catholic Jesuits(1619-1767)
Academic affiliation	University of Seville

Prior to the foundation of the college, some Irishmen would have studied at the English College of St Gregory in Seville, including Patrick Fitzsimons (served as Archbishop of Dublin) and Michael Fitzwalter (who served as Auxiliary Bishop of Seville).

Rectors

• Richard Conway, rector (1619-1623 and 1625-1626),^[4] appointed as the Jesuits began administering the college, also served as rector of the Irish College in Salamanca (1608-1618) in Santiago
• Thomas (O'Brien) Briones (1633-1644), served as Rector of Irish College at Compostella (1628–33)
• Richard Lynch (1644–47), also a former student.
• William Malone (1655–56), Superior of the Irish Jesuits, and formerly rector to the Irish College in Rome (1637-1642)
• John Usher (1656- ), prefect of studies

Alumni

• John Bathe, martyred priest studied in the Irish College, along with other colleges in Seville
• Edmund Burke, became Archbishop of Dublin
• Luke Fagan, served as Bishop of Meath and Archbishop of Dublin
• Dominic Lynch, became president in the University of Seville.
• Conor O'Mahony, academic, writer and Jesuit priest

Closure

The college like other colleges in Spain was merged into Irish College at Salamanca in 1767 (and following the Jesuit expulsion from Spain). The college archive was transferred to Salamanca, and subsequently as part of the Salamanca Archives in 1951 transferred to St. Patrick's College, Maynooth.^[5]

References

1. The History of the Irish College in Madrid by Enda Kenneally, Irish Slice of Madrid, July 8, 2020.
2. Boyle, Patrick. "Irish Colleges, on the Continent." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 5 Feb. 2018
3. The Irish College, Seville by John J. Silke, Archivium Hibernicum, Vol. 24 (1961), pp. 103-147 (45 pages).
4. Richard Conway SJ, by Terry Clavin, Dictionary of Irish Biography.
5. Salamanca Archives, St. Patrick's College, Maynooth, Co. Kildare.

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Irish Colleges, on the Continent". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.