Catholic school or college, Dunstaffnage, near Oban?

[Deirdre784]

Hi, anyone know of a Catholic school, or more likely a college, near Dunstaffnage? One of my grandfather's brothers (from Cardiff) supposedly went there - he named his house after it - but i can only find a ruined castle and chapel 

[AlanBoyd]

Is it that you know he was at a Catholic establishment at Dunstaffnage, but possibly named something else; or was he at an establishment named Dunstaffnage, possibly somewhere else?

[Deirdre784]

Not sure, just trying to add some interesting snippets to my family book, rather than just the BMD info and census stuff. It appears that my grandfather and his brothers were sent away to Catholic college / boarding school in the hope that one of them would become a priest. One went to Waterford, one to St Marie's in Rugby, and one to somewhere in Scotland. His granddaughter recalls the name Dunstaffnage, and believes he called his house after the college. None of them became priests but they were teachers in Catholic schools. 

[AlanBoyd]

I've had a dig around in newspapers.

"Dunstaffnage College" draws a complete blank.

"Dunstaffnage School" finds articles starting in 1948 which clearly relate to a school for children in the area.

There are mentions of the Captain of Dunstaffnage, Angus John Campbell having converted to Catholicism and being a Knight of the Sovereign Order of Malta (the item is from the 1930s, but no idea when he converted.)

Could there be a connection there somehow? When would your relative have been in Scotland?

[Deirdre784]

Much the same as i found Alan, thanks. He was born in 1898, still at home in 1911, served with the Royal Engineers during WW1, and was teaching in Cardiff in 1921. Guessing sometime between 1911 and 1915?

Presumably a connection somewhere but no idea where...

[hanes teulu]

There's a reference to a Dunstaffnage at Stillorgan Dublin.
It includes The Lady of Guadalupe Residence and Google threw up mention of students. Have not checked further.

Correction - I think it's Dunstaffhage

[Deirdre784]

Thanks hanes teulu, i’ll look into that

[ITBookworm]

Like everyone else I can't find a reference to a catholic boarding school/ college near Dunstaffnage. I did wonder if the school concerned was St Augustus Abbey which was run by the Benedictine's and did exist at the time in question. It was in the general area of Dunstaffnage (~74 miles according to google). That does leave the problem of where the Dunstaffnage name comes from though.

[Deirdre784]

Thanks all, lucky it’s not important to my research 😀