School History

In the early 1950’s, Dundalk Urban District Council decided to build local authority housing to be called “Fatima”, in the north-western environs of the town.

To cater for the educational needs of this new development two new schools were founded for…..

(a) boys from 8-12 years (to be housed in temporary accommodation in the form of a prefabricated building near the Roman Catholic Church)
(b) Girls and infants (in temporary accommodation in a building in Hamill’s field.)

In 1966 a brand new shared complex was built and was named “Scoileanna Eoin Baiste Buachailli agus Cailini” which when translated from Irish, means “St John The Baptist Boys and Girls National Schools”.

Incorporated and amalgamated in it was an adjoining county school called Bridge- a- Chrinn.

The boy’s school at this time had in excess of 140 pupils and 5 teachers. As in demographic trends throughout the entire country the numbers attending the school decreased during the mid 1970’s.

The above aerial photograph was taken in 1988. The boys school is to the right of the assembly

hall/car park and the girls/infant school is to the left.

The schools sports field: out of view is to the right of the perimeter row of Leylandii trees.

The complex has been re-roofed and the play area of both schools has been extended recently.

How our school got its name

The school area has strong connections with St.John. The church in the old Castletown graveyard is dedicated to him as is the holy well at Toberona which is from the Irish meaning “John’s Well”.

It was a place of pilgrimage on the 24th of June each year, the feast of St.John.

The parish priest who was also the manager of the school at the time it was built in 1966, was Canon Mac Ivor a noted and keen historian.

Being aware of the above, his choice of name for the school is both appropriate and commendable.