St Muredach's College is an all-boys secondary school on the banks of the River Moy in Ballina, County Mayo. It was founded in 1906 to provide a Catholic education for boys in the Killala Diocese. The concept of St. Muredach's College was first proposed in 1901 by Dr.Conmy, a former Bishop of Killala. As there was no secondary school between Belmullet and Sligo, there was a clear need for the facility. The provision of this, however, was a sizeable task, given post-famine poverty in the west of Ireland. The school opened on September 10th, 1906. Designed by W.H.Byrne, the contractors were McKee and McNally. The original contract for the building was £11,000, with an additional £11,000 for plumbing and gas. Furthermore, £2,300 was paid for landscaping and enclosing the grounds. Including other additional costs, the final sum came to £16,000. As the original 76 students were boarders the entire first floor of the current 'old building' was set aside as accommodation. Some teachers and other employees also lived in the college buildings. The annual costs were £3 for day students and £30 for boarders.