Irish College at Alcala
The Irish College of San Jorge at Alcalá de Henares, was founded about 1648, from the estate of Baron George Sylveira (Baron Jorge de la Paz y Silveira), a Portuguese nobleman related to the McDonnells of Ulster through his mother.[1] After the baron died, his widow Beatriz Silveira implemented his wishes and the College came into existence.Students would study for seven years in Theology and Arts, and the college was affiliated to the Complutense University of Madrid (which moved to Madrid, eventually reopening a branch in Alcala as the University of Alcalá), aimed at training clerics for Ireland,[3] Belgium(Flanders) and The Netherlands.[9] In 1988, as a joint effort of the City Council, the University of Alcalá and the Embassy of Ireland, the Colegio de los Irlandeses Foundation was founded, to maintain the heritage of the college, and to promote educational and cultural links between the city, university and Ireland.The connection with Ireland is continued through The Alcalá Centre for Irish Studies (“Alka-Éire”), a research institute at the University of Alcala (Madrid).