The Tower wing was added to Bishop's House in 1870, the main buildings took their present form as a result of extensive rebuilding in the 1890s, and a college chapel, with professors’ rooms and dormitory accommodation overhead, was added to the Tower building in 1914.

The strict attitude of the staff who taught in the school, as well as the low standard of food for boarders was the catalyst for the creation of the book Sausages for Tuesday in 1969 by Patrick Kennelly, brother of poet Brendan Kennelly.

[3] By the 1970s the designation ‘seminary’ was no longer used and the school's official title became 'St Brendan's College'.

Gradually the number of lay-teachers increased and the last priest finished teaching in the college in 2006, a Fr.

[citation needed] St. Brendan's holds the record of most Munster Senior Football Titles won (22).

[5] St. Brendan's also takes part in Kerry Colleges competitions at Senior, U16½, U15 and First Year levels.

The school also competes in athletics, hurling, golf, pitch & putt, badminton, rowing, rugby and squash.