Castletown Girls School
School Details
Location
About
Castletown Girls' School is an all‑girls primary school situated on Castletown Road in Dundalk, County Louth. With a roll of roughly 190 pupils, the school provides a close‑knit learning community supported by a dedicated team of teachers, special‑needs assistants and support staff. The curriculum is enriched by a range of specialist programmes, including Reading Recovery, Literacy Lift‑Off, English as an Additional Language, Ready Set Go Maths, Maths Recovery, Friends for Life and the Weaving Wellbeing initiative, all designed to develop literacy, numeracy and personal wellbeing from an early age. The school benefits from modernised facilities such as a fully equipped preschool, specialist classrooms for music and practical subjects, and a recently resurfaced school yard. It is recognised as a School of Sanctuary and has earned Active Flags and Greenschool Flags, reflecting its commitment to inclusion, environmental awareness and community spirit. Extra‑curricular opportunities, notably a long‑standing school band and music instruction, encourage pupils to develop confidence and talent beyond the classroom.
History
Castletown Girls' School traces its origins to 14 September 1896 when Castletown National School opened for boys and girls on the northern side of Dundalk, blessed by Archbishop Dr M McSharry. The original building housed boys upstairs and girls downstairs, with teaching provided by the Sisters of Mercy, the De La Salle Brothers and lay staff. In 1915 a new building became the De La Salle Boys' Primary School, and the original premises were designated Castletown Girls' School. Subsequent renovations include a 1936 front‑area conversion to concrete footpaths, a 1942‑43 extension using 25 000 locally‑made bricks, the installation of electric heating (replaced by oil heating in 1982), ceiling lowering in 1980 and a tarmac‑surfaced yard in the 1980s. Historically the school offered cookery and laundry lessons and fostered a strong musical tradition, with its band achieving national competition success. Today the school continues to thrive, operating a preschool and maintaining its heritage of academic and practical education.