View a gallery of photos showing the journey from green field site to modern new school.
The Edmund Rice Primary School began life on 1st. September 2016 when the CBS Primary (all boys) and the St. Joseph’s Girls’ school amalgamated.
Because of delays to the new school buildings in Castlemoyle, the Edmund Rice school began life in the old St. Joseph’s building in Michael Street.
The new school buildings in Castlemoyle finally opened on 2nd. February 2017. Brian MacMahon, who was previously principal in the CBS Primary, became the school’s first principal. Brian was succeeded by Gerry Moran in September 2017.
CBS New Ross , A Brief History
- When the school closed on Thursday 30th. June , the CBS had been in operation for 167 years and 286 days (including the 42 extra days counted in for the Leap Years since 1849. ) When the 1916 Rising took place the CBS was already 67 years in existence ! The Dunbrody Famine Ship Replica is a top tourist attraction in the South East. The original Dunbrody was launched in 1845 (just 4 years before the CBS was opened) and it was still sailing between Ireland and America for a number of years after the CBS had opened its doors.
- The CBS opened its doors on Monday 29th. October 1849. They had 230 pupils in 2 classrooms – the middle two rooms downstairs ( the original walls were never demolished :- they were just built around .
- Brother Vincent Glynn was the first principal.
- Money for the first school was provided by public subscription and this was collected by going house to house.
- The brothers managed Michael Street school for 17 years between 1865 and 1882.
- The longest serving Brother was brother Austin Maher who served in New Ross for 13 years.
- The original school was two rooms and these two rooms were built on to in 1871 and 1901. The 2nd. storey was added in 1925.
- Up until 1986, the stairs were outside the building and the toilets were beside a separate building called the ‘tin shed’. There was a corrugated iron roof over the toilets but no walls.
- Up until the late 1960’s, the CBS was a secondary school (upstairs) and a primary school (downstairs) .
- The Christian Brothers moved out of New Ross in 1986 and Mr. Jack Stacey took over as Principal until 1999 when Mr. Cathal Mooney took over.
- When the Brothers moved out in 1986, their house (The Monastery) became the offices and staff room and Youth New Ross moved into the upstairs section.
- Brian MacMahon took over as Acting Principal in September 2000 , was later appointed Principal, and was in that post until the school closed in June 2016. Brian then took over as principal of the newly amalgamated Edmund Rice School in Castlemoyle.
St. Joseph’s Girls’ Primary School, New Ross
- The Mercy nuns opened their first school in South Street New Ross in 1865. They had initially been invited to open a convent in the town in 1853. Initially, they confined themselves to works of charity.
- In 1856 , the nuns acquired the old Tottenham Town House in South Street (now a solicitor’s office) . In this building they opened a secondary school. In 1862, they opened a primary school.
- The nuns moved to Robert Street in 1895. That building stood until fairly recent times when it was demolished to make way for a small housing scheme at the bottom of Michael Street.
- The St. Joseph’s school in Michael Street opened in 1945 and was in existence as a school for the girls of New Ross until June 2016 when the amalgamation of the town’s primary schools took place.
- The St. Joseph’s School catered for infant class boys until 1975 when they were moved to the new Michael Street School .They were accompanied by Mrs. Miriam Byrne, Sr. Aidan Cummins and Mrs. Dora Furlong.
- Maureen Bailey was one of the longest serving principals of the school. The first lay principal of the school was Ms Debbie Murphy who retired in 2015. Ms. Murphy was succeeded by Ms. Niamh King who was the last principal of the school. Ms. King transferred to the Edmund Rice school where she became the Deputy Principal.
- Although the St. Joseph’s School officially closed in June 2016, the school building became home to the newly amalgamated Edmund Rice Senior Primary School and a number of classes from the newly amalgamated junior school , the Catherine McAuley Junior School , between September 2016 and February 2017. The girls from St. Joseph’s were joined by boys from the CBS and Michael Street schools in the newly amalgamated school groups until the new buildings in Castlemoyle were ready for occupation.
- The St. Joseph’s school building was finally vacated on Friday 27th. January 2017.
