Early Beginnings
The story of St. Matthew’s National School begins in Irishtown in 1824, when Reverend Hugh McNeile urged his congregation to donate money for a new schoolhouse for the poor of the village.
Within a few years a plot was granted by the Earl of Pembroke, at that time a major landlord in the Ringsend area. In 1832, just one year after the Education Act of 1931 established the Irish National School System, St. Matthew’s finally opened.
For decades the school served only boys, but in 1904 a second school - this time for girls - opened opposite the first. This building still stands today.
Original School
A School That Grew With Its Community
A new era of change came with the foundation of the Irish Republic in 1949. With demand for education growing fast, in 1951 the decision was made to merge the two schools, with the boys joining the girls in their newer building. Space was tight, so plans were soon hatched for the current building, or ‘New School,’ to be built on the old tennis grounds. It opened in 1959, now with two teachers instead of one, as well as a multipurpose hall and toilets.
But more change was on the way.
The introduction of free secondary education in 1967 caused demand for education to soar. Soon it became clear that two-teacher schools would have to be consolidated to meet demand, and in 1969 the decision was made to close the nearby St. Stephen’s School and join it with St. Matthew’s.
Girl’s National School 1904
School Built in 1959
Shaping the St. Matthew’s of Today
St Matthew’s continued to grow. A new extension was added in 1985 and another in 2001, with a new classroom and resource room upstairs and a staffroom, kitchen and entrance at ground level. Further classrooms were added in 2010 and 2011. But the biggest development of recent years came in 2013, with the completion of two additional classrooms, office spaces, a new boiler house and a beautiful entrance space. The school hall was also upgraded.
More recently we built a covered sensory garden in a disused space off the main corridor. Filled with light and plants, it works beautifully as a ‘decompression space’, a lively, open-air classroom or a place to have lunch. Our outdoor play space was extended too.
We also transformed one of our rooms into a cosy Den or ‘regulation space’ where children can go when overwhelmed or upset.
Whatever form the school buildings have taken, the essence of St. Matthew’s ethos remains unchanged.
We are first and foremost a school woven into the lives of people who live locally. We want the children here to thrive, and as their teachers, we do everything to make that happen.
