ST MARYS CENTRAL N S
School Details
About
St Mary’s National School is a Roman Catholic primary school serving boys and girls from Junior Infants to Sixth Class. Under the patronage of the Archbishop of Dublin, the school follows the religious programme set by the Archdiocese, providing a curriculum that integrates Catholic faith formation with a broad, child‑centred academic programme. The ethos stresses inclusivity, respect, safety and happiness, aiming to nurture each pupil’s intellectual, spiritual, physical, moral and social wellbeing while recognising and valuing diversity of belief and background. The school operates on a split, vertical campus. A bright, warm and engaging building on Belmont Avenue, refurbished in 2016, accommodates the Junior Infants to First Class. A state‑of‑the‑art senior building on the Mount Eden Road campus, opened in 2022, houses the 2nd to 6th Class pupils. This dual‑site arrangement allows seamless progression from early years to senior classes within a cohesive community. Strong links with the local parish and the wider Donnybrook community are embodied in the school motto “Croí an Phobail”, fostering a supportive environment where parents, guardians and the Board of Management work in partnership with staff to promote a happy, inclusive learning experience.
History
St Mary’s National School originated in 1981 when the separate boys’ and girls’ schools in Donnybrook were amalgamated. The boys’ school had been located in the former Parish Centre of the Church of the Sacred Heart, while the girls’ school operated from the Youth Club building on Belmont Avenue until a new school building was erected there in 1966 and later extended in 1981 to accommodate the merged school. Significant development continued with a complete refurbishment of the Belmont Avenue junior building in September 2016 and the opening of a brand‑new senior building on the Mount Eden campus in September 2022, creating a unique vertical school layout. Since 2016 the school has been able to offer places to all children from the Donnybrook parish.