Monastery National School
School Details
Location
About
Monastery National School is the longest‑established primary school in Ardee, catering for approximately 260 pupils. Since September 2022 the school has been fully co‑educational, offering places in Junior Infants, Senior Infants, 1st and 2nd classes. The curriculum places a strong emphasis on literacy and numeracy while also delivering a balanced programme of music, art, drama, sport and pupil wellbeing, ensuring each child receives a rounded education. The school benefits from a newly refurbished and extended building that houses eleven mainstream classrooms, double cubicle toilets for each gender, and dedicated support staff including six support teachers and an English as an Additional Language (EAL) teacher. Facilities include a large gymnasium with a climbing wall and sensory stations, state‑of‑the‑art ICT provision (high‑speed Wi‑Fi, Activpanel, PCs, HD webcam, laptops, iPads and Chromebooks) and extensive printing services. Outdoor provision comprises a secure infant yard with modern play equipment, a Wendy House and go‑karts, plus a senior yard with a perspex shelter, soccer pitches, a basketball court, benches, a school field with Gaelic football posts, a nature walk and a running track – the most comprehensive playing provision in the north‑east.
History
The school was founded by the De La Salle order in 1889 in a building opposite the junction of John Street and the N2, a stone bearing the school name still marks the original site. The present national school building opened in 1938, replacing the earlier Monastery school, and was praised by the Irish Independent as “one of the finest schools in the country”. The De La Salle Brothers taught there until 1975. Subsequent principals have been Br Ultan Sherlock (last brother principal), Billy Hennessy (first lay principal, appointed 1994), Maura Melia (2009), Jim McGee (until 2025) and Ms Regina O’Malley (from September 2025). Girls were admitted for the first time on 31 August 2022, marking a historic change after 132 years. The school crest features four quadrants representing academic, artistic, physical and spiritual education, centred by the De La Salle star; the motto is “Mol an Óige agus Tiocfaidh Sí” (Encourage the young and they will prosper).