John Hand

Who is John Hand?

Fr. John Hand was an Irish priest who founded All Hallows College, in Dublin. He was born Bolies, near Oldcastle, Co. Meath in August, 1807. His family suffered eviction from their household in Meath something which affected Fr. Hand.

He went to school at Navan Seminary some eight miles walk from where he lived, he excelled in his studies, winning a competition for entry to Maynooth, started his priestly studies in Maynooth College in August 1831, but left in 1835 to join the Vincentians in St. Peter's, Phibsborough Dublin, under Dean Philip Dowley, who had left Maynooth in 1833 to set up the Vincentians in Dublin.

Fr. Hand was ordained priest on 13 December 1835, in the private chapel of St. Vincent s Seminary at Castleknock.

He visited Lyon in France, and was inspired by the organisation for the propagation of the faith to set up a missionary college in Dublin. He returned to dublin and set up in 1842 All Hallows Missionary College, in Drumcondra, renting Drumcondra House north of the Tolka river, the lands were owned by Dublin Corporation at the time, and Daniel O'Connell who was Mayor at the time assisted Fr. Hand in getting the lands. He served as the Colleges first president.