In 1901, the Holy Faith Congregation was invited to set up a girls' school in Haddington Road Parish by Canon William Dillon, the enterprising Parish Priest of the day. A convent was established at 81 Haddington Road and four sisters were appointed to administer and teach in a fee paying Day School for girls which opened on September 24th 1901. The following year St. Brigid's Primary school for girls was opened on a site that had been reserved by the parish for that purpose since 1850.
The Convent
By 1924 the living accommodation at No.81 was inadequate for the increased numbers of staff and so a new house "Ashley" was purchased on nearby Clyde Rd. and turned into a beautiful convent. From then until the middle of World War II the sisters walked daily to and from their work, However, the journey became burdensome and this, compounded by the rations and shortages of the war years, induced the sisters to find a house nearer their work. In 1942 they moved to 6 St. Mary's Rd. where members of the Order reside to the present day.
The school flourished in those early years so that by 1924 the Silver Jubilee year a second storey was built over the original school. By the 1940s the good reputation of the school drew students not just from the locality but from places as far afield as Dun Laoghaire, Blackrock etc. To accommodate the growth in numbers the Golden Jubilee was marked by the construction of a further extension giving the existing school building we have today.
Part of Haddington Road School being demolished
St. Mary's reputation was well founded offering as it did a wide curriculum. Excellent academic results enabled students to distinguish themselves in their chosen professions and a number returned to teach in their Alma Mater: Miss Marjorie Quinn, Miss Ellie Smith and Miss Carmel Craig remained on the staff until their retirement. Music, Dancing, Drama and Elocution were an integral part of the curriculum. Elocution was taught by Sara Allgood, of Abbey Theatre and Hollywood fame while Morosini Whelan provided classes in Dance. For many years the school had its own orchestra and its choirs won numerous prizes at the Feis Ceoil and Feis Maitiu and in Plain Chant competitions. The annual production of a Shakespearean play was one of the highlights of school life for many years. An annual Drill Display which combined Choral Work and Dance drew packed and appreciative audiences. Hockey was the principal sport offered and many players on inter-provincial and national teams came from the well known "hockey nursery" at Haddington Road.
A Midsummer Night's Dream
The Next Phase...
Following the introduction of free secondary education in 1967, the school entered the free scheme and in keeping with the trend of the time, drew on a wider cohort of pupils. The school curriculum offered a more extensive range of subjects and many new teachers joined the staff. A variety of sports was introduced in addition to P.E. and several teams from St.Mary's competed on a regular basis at provincial and national level in Basketball and Volleyball.
The proud musical tradition of St. Mary's found new, modem expression in the annual school show. From the early 70s until the late 90s the girls from St. Mary's joined the boys from Marian College in performing an annual musical or drama production of outstanding quality.
Celebrating 100 Years
In 2001 the school marked its centenary with a Mass in the parish church at which Cardinal Connell officiated. This was followed by a reception in the school attended by a large number of past pupils, many from the 1950s and 1960s who got together with former classmates and teachers for "a trip down memory lane".
In recent years, pupils from St. Mary's have benefited from the proximity of the school to the city centre. The school was part of the Trinity Access Programme which enabled several pupils to pursue their undergraduate studies in TCD. Formal links were established with outside agencies. The Dublin Docklands Authority provided students with opportunities to participate in after-school activities and inter-school projects. Through the Business in the Community initiative students could avail of a formal Summer Employment Programme which in the case of some, led to a fulltime job in the Financial Sector.
Over many years the school experienced declining student numbers due mainly to demographic changes. Having carefully monitored the situation, it became clear to the Trustees that the inevitable problems associated with declining numbers would make it impossible for them to continue to provide the resources, facilities, curricula and support which would guarantee quality education into the future. Therefore, it was with regret that, in February 2004, the Congregation announced that a decision had been taken that the school would close in 2007. In the intervening years the school has been phased out until there now remains one final group who will sit their leaving Certificate in June 2007. And so the school has come full circle since that initial group of girls and their teachers met for their first class at 81 Haddington Road in September 1901.
6th Years of 2007 celebrating Spring
“A Walk down Memory Lane”
ST. MARY’S, HADDINGTON ROAD
SUNDAY, 5TH FEBRUARY 2007
Long before the scheduled starting time of 2pm, there was an animated buzz on the corridors of St. Mary’s, Haddington Road, as the early-birds arrived to make sure of a parking place. “When were you here?” and “are you a past-pupil?” were the most frequent questions heard as sisters greeted each other. By 2pm some 60 sisters had assembled and there was some great sharing of reminiscences while we were served a welcome cuppa and some beautiful finger-food.
When we gathered in the Assembly Hall Sr. Evelyn Green (Regional Leader) welcomed everyone, recognising the mixed emotions that many were feeling at the imminent closure of St. Mary’s, but also acknowledging the “great pride” the congregation has because of the “great love and marvellous work” carried out in the school since its foundation in 1901. We had assembled to acknowledge the loss but also to thank God for all that had been accomplished. Evelyn recalled other past closures and redevelopments (St. Wolstan’s and Skerries) and reminded us that “we learn as much from doors closing as doors opening” and spoke of the closure as “a graced moment where we are challenged to find God’s grace”. The four former students present had a warm welcome: Sisters Euphrasia, Bríd Donovan, Carmel Kehoe and Joan Carey, the latter having the singular distinction of being a pupil in the school from Babies to 6th Year, and the past-pupils overseas – Sisters Colette Connelly, Anne Warren and Dolores Madden – had special mention also.
During the lovely prayer-service which followed, the atmosphere became more poignant as all sensed the pain of the closure for those most intimately connected with St. Mary’s. However, the lovely poem “The Terminus” read by Sr. Euphrasia reminded us yet again of new doors to be opened: “The Terminus is not where we stay … it is where we get off to enter new territory, to explore new horizons, to extend our whole being”.
Sr Brigid Ehlert had been asked to facilitate the rest of the afternoon. She stressed that we were “standing in a very sacred space” and that during this time together we would be ritualising what was precious to us as Holy Faith Sisters but also remembering, celebrating and saying goodbye. We were next invited to “walk down memory lane” with a trip around the school, looking into the rooms and reflecting on the wonderful collection of photographs and other memorabilia on the corridors. We were to let all types of memories surface, whether joyful or painful and to seek how to honour these memories. Sterling work was done by the Sisters in residence as well as members of the school staff and students in amassing and mounting over 1,200 photographs from the earliest days to the present and there was many a laugh and a story shared as sisters and classmates were recognised. While many of the rooms upstairs were now vacant, there was one hallowed spot still in pristine condition which drew many comments of admiration: the library which Sr. Pauline had built up so faithfully over more than 30 years. A lovely framed Indian Proverb at its entrance reflected the spirit of St. Mary’s holistic education: “Everyone is a house with four rooms – a physical, mental, an emotional and a spiritual. Most of us tend to live in one room most of the time, but unless we go into every room every day, even if only to keep it aired, we are not a complete person.”
Without a doubt, the high point of the evening was the Powerpoint slide presentation assembled by Sr. Anne Ryan. Her automatic sequence quickly got sidelined as there were frequent calls to review slides again as faces were recognised, and a fascinating commentary then began from the audience themselves! Starting with the class of 1912, the collection of photos was superb. Sr. Aquin RIP, the senior sister past-pupil, was easily recognisable in the orchestra group of 1927 and Anne had made every effort to ensure that most of the sisters present featured in the display.
The mood became reflective once again as Sr. Brigid led us in a guided meditation. We were invited to find the key of the gate of our own inner garden, to go where we were drawn, being very honest with ourselves and enter to find two pictures from our own personal photo album. In small groups we shared these reminiscences – some light-hearted, amusing, others painful or challenging.
As the final exercise of the evening we all became authors of a communal story. “Once upon a time there was a secondary school called St. Mary’s … Some amusing anecdotes surfaced from the “glove and berry” era, and the pupils’ delight in catching out teachers was recalled (“Ladies should be heard and not seen”!) However, in the variety of sharing, spanning over sixty years, there was also a great sense of appreciation of dedicated principals and staff and the values and self-discipline instilled in the students.
To end this very special day, we all adjourned to the convent for another lovely meal and more anecdotes. Everyone was most appreciative of the great preparation done by the organising committee – Sisters Rosemary, Gonzaga, Anne Ryan, Carmel Kehoe, Joan Carey and Bernie Murray – and the St. Mary’s Road community and felt it was a very valuable idea to have had a gathering of sisters in advance of the formal closure.
Jane Forde