Philip Barron of Durrow House, owner of The Waterford Chronicle, had gone to Europe to avoid a large fine for libel, but he had returned home in the 1830s with big ambitions. Philip, a member of the Royal Irish Academy with a great knowledge of the Classical languages, aimed to set up an Irish college that would teach the neglected language and a side of history which he lamented was ‘neglected, unknown and left in darkness’. He obtained a site from his aunt Susanna Barron in Seafield, Ballylaneen. Sadly the college only existed for 6 months, due to sizeable debts. The college was pulled apart for its building materials and all trace of it quickly vanished. Philip Barron left the country again and it would appear that he never returned.
