Salesian Primary School
School Details
Location
About
Salesian Primary School is a Catholic primary school in Limerick that follows the Salesian tradition founded by St John Bosco. It provides a person‑centred, inclusive and holistic education for children from Junior Infants to Sixth Class, with mixed‑gender provision up to First Class and a girls‑only stream from Second to Sixth Class. The school is part of a worldwide network of Salesian schools and operates under the Rules for National Schools, the Education Act and related legislation, delivering the national curriculum while placing strong emphasis on relationships, personal development and community spirit. The school’s facilities support a broad range of learning experiences. Recent investments funded a Nurture Room, Chromebooks for after‑school clubs, a well‑equipped PE programme and the ‘Books for Pleasure’ reading initiative. The Salesian Sisters remain actively involved, contributing to art‑therapy sessions and other enrichment activities that reinforce the school’s ethos of care, creativity and faith. With a staff complement that includes specialist learning support and special needs assistants, the school is equipped to meet the needs of pupils of all abilities.
History
The Salesian Sisters first arrived in Ireland in 1920 after Bishop Denis Hallinan secured their foundation in 1918, following his encounter with Don Bosco in Turin. Initially they offered evening classes for factory girls before establishing a primary school, later named Fernbank, on a site purchased in 1924. Despite opposition from other orders and the turbulence of the Irish War of Independence, the Sisters persisted, expanding the school alongside the growth of Limerick city. In 2016 the school merged with Maria Auxiliatrix and Scoil Críost an Ró Naofa, uniting three communities under the Salesian vision of relationship‑based, holistic education. The legacy of Don Bosco and Mary Mazzarello continues to shape the school’s mission and programmes.