rockwell

If I had to guess, this might have been taken at one of the Colleges run by the 'Mill Hill Missionaries' who have St Joseph as their patron - either St Joseph's College, Freshford, Co. Kilkenny (Uppercourt Manor) or St Joseph's College, Dartry House, Rathgar. A look at the 1932 'Catholic Directory' should confirm whether Fr McCarthy was superior at one or other of those colleges at the time.

Hi Bernard Healy, most probably Kilkenny, Mr Poole rarely travelled to Dublin from his base in Waterford. As you can see we have it mapped as Cashel, Co Tipperary...

National Library of Ireland on The Commons I think I have it! Freshford wasn't opened until September 1932. These must be students of St Joseph's Missionary House, Rockwell, Cashel - better known as Rockwell College. The president of the College was the Holy Ghost priest Fr John J McCarthy. Here is his obituary. He died in 1947. He is just about recognizable in this newspaper photo, just to the left of the hat-stand.

Amazing - thanks Bernard Healy. Have added a short note to the description! Excellent work.

With those shirt-collars, let's go with a period of 1925-1935.

Other pictures, catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000594345, around 1930.

Rockwell College on the 25" map.

In 1911, the census lists staff as Teacher or Clergyman Professor, it does not state which of them taught Music.

Re Father Egan who commissioned the photo..... Fr Andrew Egan is the only Fr. Egan who fits the bill listed in "IRISH SPIRITANS REMEMBERED" page 126. www.spiritan.ie/oldSite/irish_spiritans_remembered.pdf "Having completed his Theology at the Castle, Blackrock, in 1928, Fr Andy was appointed to Rockwell where, apart from teaching Irish, he was Dean of Discipline. In 1934 he was transferred to Blackrock where with Joseph Corless, then prefect, he initiated the college tradition in the production of Gilbert and Sullivan operas." Interesting to note another photo from Rockwell showing group from opera HMS Pinafore. ?? catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000594771 Suggest taken 1928-34

The Lafayette Escadrille, American volunteer pilots who flew combat missions for France before the US entered World War I.

Georges Thenault (1887-1948), commander of the Lafayette Escadrille - "the famed branch of the French air force in World War I composed of American volunteer pilots." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_Thenault

On Norman Prince (at right in photo): "Captain Georges Thenault, the Escadrille's commander, credits Norman for conceiving the idea of bringing together his countrymen with some of those of the French Foreign Legion in a squadron of flyers to be initially known as the Escadrille Américaine."
(Wikipedia article puts Prince's date of death as October 15, 1916.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Prince
See notes under , taken in December, 1915 just before the founding of the squadron.

Art Siegel Quite right. Thanks for picking up my error.

A related group photo, with a negative date of 6/26/16.
From Kiffin Yates Rockwell's (1892-1916) page at the Virginia Military Institute site:
"Rockwell was accepted by the Service Aeronautique, began flight training in September 1915 and in April became one of the founding pilots in the squadron initially known as the Escadrille Americaine (later called the Lafayette Escadrille). In May 1916, while on patrol at the front, he became the first American pilot to down an enemy plane. Rockwell subsequently flew dozens of patrols and fought in many air battles, gaining fame for his skill and courage. His final combat took place on September 23, 1916, when his Nieuport was downed by the gunner in a German Albatross observation plane. Rockwell was first buried in the cemetery at Luxeuil-les-Bains, France, where there is still a marker; his remains were later moved to the Lafayette Escadrille Memorial at Marnes-la-Coquette."
www.vmi.edu/archives.aspx?id=12371

artolog: thanks for researching the names and background information on these men. We will update the record.