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Papers: List of recent meetings |
De La Salle by Paddy Sexton |
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History of the De La Salle College, Skerries |
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We had a very interesting lecture by Paddy Sexton who began with some of the History of the founder of the De La Salle Order. Jean Baptiste De La Salle was born in Rheims, France into a well to do family. His early education was from a private tutor at home. He entered the religious life in 1662, received a doctorate in Theology at the Sorbonne and was ordained as a priest. In 1684, with 12 young men, he founded a Christian school where young men were trained as teachers. A group formed in England in 1855 and another set up in Ireland in 1880. A novitiate was opened in Castletown, Co. Laois, in 1881 followed by a training college for teachers in Waterford in 1891. Schools followed throughout Ireland in small towns, though none were sought by Dublin diocese until John Charles McQuaid became archbishop. There was no Catholic Secondary School for boys in Skerries and local boys had to travel to Swords and Drogheda. In 1947 the De La Salle Order bought the Grand Hotel for £14,000 and on September 1st. 1948 the first 60 boys enrolled. The following year there were 4 classes. In January 1953 a new school was built and Brother Arnold became principal. He was a very popular figure and efficient teacher, who taught English and History and assisted with Maths. He was affectionately known as Dad and he loved to swim and walk his dog called Darkie. |
Another principal was Brother Fergus Ward, who resembled the actor Jeff Chandler and was always known as Jeff. In September 1955 and and until the arrival of Mr. Hugh Ryan, our speaker, Mr. Sexton was the only lay teacher. During the 1960s vocations to the De La Salle brotherhood began to decline and more lay teachers were appointed. During the early 1970s the population of Skerries was growing rapidly and the school was not big enough. After some soul searching, public meetings and negotiation the Holy Faith Convent and the Skerries Vocational school merged with the De La Salle College to form the new co-educational institution known as Holy Faith, De La Salle Secondary School. In 1981 staff and pupils moved into a new building - off Balbriggan Street - built to cater for 800 students. In recent years there have been no members of the two religious orders on the staff and the ownership and administration has transferred to Co. Dublin Vocational Education Committee. The school is now known as Skerries Community College and caters for c. 1000 students. In its current redevelopment a commemorative feature, such as a garden may be included so that the contribution of the De La Salle and Holy Faith Orders to the education of young people in Skerries may be remembered with pride. |