MARIE MEETS

Words by Marie Carroll O'Sullivan '

Photos by Marie Carroll O'Sullivan

Five years, one great privilege

From student to Principal, Sean Coffey reflects on 15 years at the helm of St Brendan’s College: the people, the traditions, the challenges and the €37 million transformation that will carry his beloved Sem into the future.
Say the name Sean Coffey and, depending on your age, you might think of St Brendan’s College, The Sem, Muckross Rowing Club, Gaelic football, music, community or simply a man who somehow seems to know everybody.
And, as it turns out, their sons too.
When I went to meet Sean Coffey, retired Principal of St Brendan’s College, I had already been given a rather extraordinary piece of information by my neighbour, who had once subbed at the school.
"Sean Coffey knows the name of every student in that school," she told me.
Every student?
There are 872 of them, I thought.
So naturally, that was the first thing I asked him: how on earth do you know the name of 872 students?
"I’d know most of them," Sean smiled.
And that simple answer perhaps tells you more about Sean’s approach to education than any list of achievements ever could.
He recalled working with Sr Bernadette Costello in 1991.
"I walked into her office one day and there she was with pictures of each of the first-year students, memorising their names and details."
There was a lesson in that.
"Know the names and you will gain the relationship, which is of huge importance. I’ve encouraged all my staff to be relational to students always."
It is a philosophy that has stayed with him throughout his 15 years at St Brendan’s College, where he became Principal in 2011.
The Sem is 166 years old. Sean himself graduated from its hallowed corridors in 1986, following in the footsteps of his father and brothers, and his son later graduated from the same school.
So when Sean became Principal, he was not simply walking into a workplace.
He was walking back through a door he had first entered as a student.
And what a door it has been.
Today, St Brendan’s is home to students from at least 36 different nationalities, alongside five special classes, reflecting the increasingly diverse community that is Killarney.
You’ve always spoken about relationships. Does that extend to parents too?
"Absolutely. This is so important."
The traditional parent-teacher meeting takes on a slightly more inclusive form at The Sem, with students joining their parents and teachers around the table.
Because, in Sean’s view, education is not something simply imposed on a young person; it is something intentionally created around them.
And then there is the building itself.
We chatted in the school’s newly refurbished waiting room, surrounded by plans of St Brendan’s dating back to the 1930s.
Sean pointed out the shiny new frames containing the plans for what is to come.
The €37 million refurbishment and rebuilding project is transforming the historic school, with some of the existing single-storey buildings set to rise to three storeys.
So, when will it all be finished?
Sean laughed: "How long is a piece of string?"
There was a pause.
"2028!"
I suspect that answer came with just the right amount of Principal’s diplomatic optimism.
Although Sean may have retired from the Principal’s office, he certainly has not retired from education.
His new role is School Management Advisor with GMB, supporting the voluntary school sector in Ireland. He will work with serving Principals, providing support, training, upskilling and CPD, while drawing on the considerable experience of those around him.
And how does it feel being the youngest one in the room?
Sean laughed again: "There are lots of experienced, knowledgeable voices… and they picked me!"
Based in Dublin, the new role will take him away for around four nights a month, but it is clear that Sean still has plenty to give to the world of education.
Looking back over 15 years as Principal, what stands out as the highlight?
"There’s been a few," he said, "but I think the graduation Mass this year was very special."
With 160 Leaving Certificate students graduating, the school chapel, with its capacity of just 300, could not accommodate the occasion.
So the celebration moved to St Mary’s Cathedral.
"Teachers past and present attended. It’s a magnificent space. The level of engagement, the quality of the liturgy, the outstanding choir… the best we’ve ever had."
But Sean’s pride in The Sem stretches far beyond the classroom.
"I am also so very proud of the culture of music and dance, the traditions and the Gaelic games and extra-curricular activities the teachers volunteer to support at St Brendan’s."
And it is not just Gaelic games.
There is Olympic handball, rowing, climbing and a remarkable range of opportunities for students to discover where their talents might lie.
Sport, for Sean, is not simply about winning.
It is about belonging.
That spirit was certainly evident when The Sem won the Hogan Cup in 2016 and then retained it in 2017, back-to-back All-Ireland Senior A football titles, bringing the school’s total to four.
But perhaps Sean’s greatest satisfaction is seeing the school grow in ways that cannot be measured on a scoreboard.
"I am extremely proud of the growth and inclusion of all students."
He describes Killarney as an "amazing multi-ethnic town" and believes the town’s three secondary schools reflect that diversity.
"And we have furthered our inclusion into special classes. We have five."
For Sean, that inclusion benefits everyone.
"The inclusion of these special classes is vital, not only in supporting the students who attend them, but also in enriching the wider college community, including the teachers and students, who learn and interact alongside them."
Then there is another institution close to Sean’s heart: Muckross Rowing Club.
He is part of its story across four generations.
"As are most of the volunteers at the club," he said, before joking that he was a "child prodigy".
He became a coach in 1991, and his pride in the club is obvious.
What he loves is the breadth of opportunity it offers young people, from those taking their first tentative strokes on the water right through to world championship and Olympic standard rowing.
And perhaps that brings us back to the heart of Sean’s philosophy: give young people opportunity, give them respect, and, above all, know them.
What do you think people sometimes get wrong about young people?
"Young people can sometimes get a bad rep, but the reality is that they are far more mature than what we were. They’ve so much more to navigate."
"I think we should give our young people respect and realise how much more complex their world is."
Those words feel particularly fitting coming from someone who spent 15 years watching generations of teenagers arrive through The Sem gates and eventually walk back out into the world.
Sean also looks back with pride on how students and staff navigated the extraordinary years of Covid.
They worked through restrictions, disruption and uncertainty, doing their best to keep education moving until, eventually, "normal service" resumed.
And when Sean talks about Killarney, you get the feeling that retirement was never going to mean stepping away.
"I love Killarney deeply."
He speaks of being Principal in a part of the town surrounded by heritage: the Presbytery, St Mary’s Cathedral, the Presentation Monastery and, across the road, Killarney National Park.
"And I got to have an office in the middle of it all. What a privilege."
He talks about Killarney’s "get up and go community", the energy of the Meitheal and the countless festivals and events powered by people who simply give their time because they believe in their town.
This year, more than 500 people took part in an orienteering event on the school grounds, bringing that familiar community energy right through the gates of The Sem.
For Sean, it is what makes Killarney special.
And when I asked him who he would like to thank, his answer was as much about others as it was about himself.
"The community that supported St Brendan’s for generations."
"The Board of Management for their time and expertise voluntarily."
"The staff past and present for their unstinting work with young people in our care."
"And to the thousands of students who passed these doors for their energy, fun and integrity."
As I left the waiting room, with its old plans on the walls and its shiny new plans pointing towards the future, I thanked Sean for his time.
"I’m delighted, Marie, with my one last blast in the Advertiser, and sure isn’t it any excuse to come back through these doors again."
Because for a man who spent 15 years at the head of one of Killarney’s most treasured institutions, a school he once attended himself, three generations now through the same doors, retirement does not really sound like an ending. It sounds more like another chapter.
And if Sean has taught generations of students anything, it is that relationships matter, communities matter, and that education is about far more than what happens inside a classroom. It is about belonging, opportunity, encouragement and giving young people the confidence to find their place in the world. And perhaps that is the greatest legacy of all.