School History and Crest

The foundation stone for St. Macartan’s College was laid on 8th July, 1840. Eight years later “The Sem” opened its doors to its first students, and for over a century and a half the school has adapted itself to meet the educational needs of boys in the North Monaghan and surrounding areas. Formerly, it was predominantly a boarding school but today it is a modern post-primary school, catering to its over 700 students.

The crest of St. Macartan’s College, as seen in the front hall of the school, was designed by the artist Richard J. King, for the centenary celebrations of 1940. It is modelled on the front panels of the circular boss at the Clogher Cross,the 14th-century treasure, now on loan from the Diocese of Clogher to the Monaghan County Museum. The panels contain the interlaced letters DEUS(God), and, underneath, the motto of the College, Fortis et Fidelis. There is also a sculptural installation based around the crest on the front lawn in front of the 1840 school building.

The words “Fortis et Fidelis” suggest a Pauline quotation from 1 Cor 16:13: “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith: be men of courage, be strong.”

They evoke the legend of St. Mac Cairthinn, the tréanfhear of Patrick, the bodyguard and champion of the Saint who used to carry him across fords and rivers on his missionary journeys. The words occur in one of the last letters of Father Cornelius Tierney, a former student and priest-teacher in St. Macartan’s, and later a Columban missionary who died a prisoner of Communist guerillas in China in 1931.