All in all William John Burke spent five years at Maynooth, from his entry in 1825 to his ordination as a deacon in 1830. He was a studious pupil and did well in his exams. On the surface it appear that his time there was given to study and the spiritual journey towards priesthood. That was the case but there was other undercurrents beneath the surface too.

Maynooth College

In the five years William John Burke spent at St Patrick’s Maynooth there was a lot of political change, and social unrest in Ireland. The campaign for Catholic Emancipation took place between 1823 till 1829, when it was finally achieved.

St Patrick’s today