Maynooth

a village in County Kildare, Ireland. It is celebrated as the seat of a Roman Catholic college at which most of the Catholic clergy of Ireland receive their education. Prior to the French Revolution the Irish relied on Douai and other Catholic institutions in France. In 1795, during the ministry of William Pitt, an annual grant by the Irish Parliament of about $45,000 was made in favor of a Catholic college at Maynooth. After the incorporation of the Irish Parliament with that of the United Kingdom the grant was continued. It was for many decades the only national help given the Catholics in their struggle for schools. In 1846 Sir Robert Peel favored a grant for a building and an increased grant for expenses. See Douai