St. Mary’s was built in 1852 funded by a Board of Education Grant and local subscriptions. The granite building is still in use for educational purposes, currently housing a Montessori school and a Youth Club.
The first roll book of the school is dated 1861. The old school originally consisted of one room of 13 m. x 10 m x 7m in which children whose ages ranged from three to fourteen years were taught. Another room 4m x 4m x 2m was added later. It is interesting to note that in 1918 the average number of boys on the roll was 60.7, approximately one-fifth of the number at present attending now.
When Mr Éamon de Valera became President of the Irish Free State in 1932, at least one of his children, Turlough, was a registered pupil at the school. He, perhaps, enjoyed a holiday while his parents, with the rest of the adult residents of Booterstown, cast their votes in the old school that faces Dublin Bay.
The present school building was opened in 1968 and continued to have an enrolment of approximately 300 pupils until the middle of the 1980s when it declined to 50 pupils. Since 1987, enrolment numbers have gradually risen back up to approximately 300.
On May 4th 2004, Mary McAleese, Uachtarán na hÉireann, visited the school to recognise the school’s contribution to local life and education over the last 150 years.
Since 2013 the school has had two extensions erected. At the back of the school were added two classrooms and 3 SET rooms. In the front, a staffroom, two offices and 3 classrooms.
The school is currently staffed by 14 classroom teachers, 3 Special Needs Teachers, 1 EAL teacher, 9 Special Needs Assistants, two secretaries, 1 caretaker and an Administrative Principal.
The school has an extremely active and supportive Parent Association that year in and year out funds wonderful activities and initiatives for the boys and resources for the school e.g. swimming lessons, gymnastic lessons, tennis coaching and a set of Chromebooks. We are forever grateful for all their Trojan work.
Saint Mary’s also has a wonderful sporting record. We have a great grá for Gaelic football and hurling in our school. We have had many successes in Croke Park in the Cumann na mBunscoile leagues and championships. On an annual basis, we participate in the Athletics events in Santry Stadium and, like in Croke Park, we have been very fortunate to come back with some trophies and medals. We also have our School Active Flag.
Saint Mary’s has been awarded several Green Flags and Junior Entrepreneur flags. Our school participates in the Science Foundation of Ireland STEM awards. Our school has a very proactive Student Council and Green School Committee. We are part of the Erasmus+ programme which has enabled us to liaise with schools throughout Europe and take on board many of the best practice initiatives we have seen.
In Saint Mary’s we aim to continue to develop our school teaching and learning in response to the developments in pedagogy and technology. We will continue to reach out to our students and all the stakeholders in our school community to provide a warm, creative, holistic, pastoral, inclusive and child-centred school environment in Saint Mary’s.
