By Claire Corrigan
He’s making the move to St Mel’s Longford next year but Malachy Flanagan made his mark on Coláiste Mhuire after a lengthy and incredibly successful stint at the Mullingar secondary school.
Malachy was appointed Principal in 2016 and said he was “hugely excited but also nervous” about starting the job but it’s fair to say the empathetic and kind Longford man took to the role like a duck to water.
He was Deputy Principal for just one year before he was bestowed with the role of Principal following Joe O’Meara’s 20 years as principal before him.
Unduly modest, Malachy leaves a strong legacy of mental health activism and the introduction of a number of important subjects behind him as the much loved principal moves on.
He had been in St Mel’s for four years between 2003 and 2007 before coming to Mullingar in 2007 as a teacher.
