Old Irish Pub in Murroe, birthplace of Br. Patrick J. Ryan (the village, not the pub)
Three generations of men from Limerick and the West of Ireland helped build Iona College. We can start where we left off: in the village of Murroe, County Limerick–where Glenstal Abbey now stands– here in 1877, Br. Patrick Joachim Ryan was born, the first Provincial of the American Province of the Christian Brothers, founding Iona Trustee, and visionary leader. When Br. Ryan was growing up in Murroe, his village and all the land for miles in every direction belonged to the Barrington family — the same British landlords who would give their manor-house to the Benedictines 40 years later. By then, Br. Ryan had long since made his career in North America. His dedication to the ideal of starting a College in New Rochelle was steady, and Ryan Library stands as a fitting memorial to him. (Br. Ryan’s biography runs to forty pages in the Christian Brothers necrology, and so I despair of summarizing it here!).
Br. Ryan was succeeded in the office of Provincial by another Limerick man, Br. Patrick Joseph Culhane (1868-1950). Br. Culhane grew up in Ballinagoul near the Kerry border. Five of his nine siblings also entered religious life. He helped build up St. Mary’s in Halifax to such eminence that the Jesuits coveted it (successfully). On his watch, not only did Iona College open, but also Rice High School, Power Memorial, Blessed Sacrament, and Cardinal Farley Military Academy. The Brothers recall his “prudence, sincerity, honesty, and hard work.” At this distance, we can only wonder at these men who, starting from such straitened circumstances, nevertheless had the vision and skills to transform the face of education in a foreign land.
The Fields of County Clare
Across the Shannon estuary from Limerick lies County Clare, birthplace of Br. Michael Flannan Garvey (1889-1965). Br. Garvey grew up on a progressive farm in Ballyortla (in the parish of Doora, near Ennis), one of thirteen children, and an enthusiastic competitor in hurling and Gaelic football. Emigrating in 1915, he started at All Hallows, then taught at St. Mary’s in Halifax for nearly 20 years. Eventually he landed at Iona in 1948 where he taught Classics until 1963. A former Halifax student remembered him as “persuasive, breezy, dynamic, and an excellent teacher.”
Br. Quinn in 1976
Another County Clare man was Br. Charles Barnabas Quinn (1914-2007). Although born in Massachusetts, the young Quinn soon returned with his family to Ennistymon, Clare, where he grew up. After many years teaching in Ireland, he returned to the States at age 35. Br. Quinn left multiple legacies to the College: his teaching as a distinguished member of the English faculty; his service as both Dean and Executive Vice-President; moderating the Pipe Band; writing the invaluable College history, Iona College: The First Fifty Years; and assembling his stunning Quinn Collection — nearly 10,000 volumes on all aspects of Irish history and culture, painstakingly gathered by him and donated week by week to Ryan Library over the decades. The best and most fitting honor for Br. Quinn was to be named Grand Marshall of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City; that honor came in 1982. A man of profound faith and a giant among the Brothers, Br. Quinn is remembered with unclouded love and affection by scores of faculty, staff, and alumni.
County Mayo, landscape with sheep
Lastly, Br. Mark Jarlath Hunt (1912-1984) was the gift of Ballyhaunis, County Mayo. Even though (or perhaps because) he left Mayo at 17 to emigrate to the States, the bond to Mayo and his family remained strong, and he visited frequently. And Br. Hunt also had a special link to Edmund: like Edmund, he loved the Bible and was essentially self-taught. He had access to more courses and teachers than Edmund did (he was able to study at Catholic University), but his passion for scripture and liturgy came from within, and his ability to communicate his insights as a novice-master and to the Province leadership significantly shaped the modes of prayer life in the community, according to his biographer. He taught in the College from 1951 — for the most part scripture and the Fathers — and was greatly missed at his passing.
