Sandymount High School
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Sandymount High School was a coeducational secondary school on Herbert Road, Sandymount, Dublin 4. Founded in 1947[1], it was initially controversial because, as a non-denominational school, it wasn't owned by a church but by the Cannon family, who also provided the two headmasters the school had: father and son Patrick and Conall Cannon. Patrick's wife Eileen Cannon also served as headmistress.
The school's student body was arguably drawn from several distinct groups:
- those from a local council estate called Beechill
- the offspring of parents disenchanted with denominational/same sex schools
- foreign nationals that paid tuition fees
- Students on the Malahide/Howth to Bray rail corridor and the 3 & 18 bus routes.
The school's pre-Celtic Tiger period accommodation and successful integration of the latter group was remarkable, as until the late 1990s non-white/non-Christian students were a rarity in the vast majority of Irish classrooms.
While the school had gym - basically exercise classes - for Intermediate Certificate students, it had no compulsory sports or sports team while Conall Cannon, the second headmaster, was in charge: allegedly he hated having compulsory sports while he was a student.
A rival school opened next door several years later: Marian College, run by the Catholic Church. It was opened at the behest of John Charles McQuaid to counter what he perceived as the influence of Sandymount High.[2]
The school was closed in 1999 and the land sold for development.[3] The site now contains a gated community called Cannon Place.
Famous former pupils include Fionnuala Flanagan[4], Charlie Bird[5] and Eamonn Dunphy.
[edit] External links
- Google Map centred on former location of school
- Namesdatabase.com entry of former pupils
- Website about the class of 1977
- List and rating of teachers on RateMyTeacher.IE
- FaceBook Group for past Pupils of the School
[edit] References
- ^ History of St. Mary’s Church, Star of the Sea, Sandymount, Patrick Hugh Lynch, retrieved 21 July 2009
- ^ John Charles McQuaid: ruler of Catholic Ireland, John Cooney, p.295
- ^ Parliamentary Debates, 26 April 2006 - the school is listed as one that closed since 1996
- ^ Fionnula Flanagan, the Lisa Richards Agency
- ^ Press Release Archive, University College Dublin, retrieved 21 July 2009
Coordinates: 53°20′01″N 6°13′32″W / 53.3335°N 6.2255°W
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