St. Columba’s Industrial School & Boatyard Killybegs le Pat Conaghan

Pat Conaghan’s latest local history book deals with four Killybegs institutions: the Industrial School, Boatyard, TB Sanatorium, and Hotel Training College, all based on the one ‘campus’.   The bulk of the book deals with the former Industrial School which was founded by the Bishop of Raphoe, Dr Patrick O’Donnell, and regulated by the government.  It was managed by ordinary diocesan priest managers, with the sometime help of the Sisters of Mercy.  The Killybegs facility was founded as a Marine Industrial School for the care, education and training of destitute boys.  The Boatyard grew out of the Industrial School and is now in the ownership of a local commercial company, Mooney Boats Ltd. This last period is not however, covered, and must wait for its own successful story to be told down the line.