28.06.2023
Taoiseach Joins Castleknock NS for 300th Anniversary Celebrations
It’s not every day that the Taoiseach turns up to celebrate the 303rd birthday of your school. But for pupils of Castleknock National School in Dublin that’s exactly what happened this morning (Wednesday June 28) when Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Minister Jack Chambers joined them on their last day of the school year.
The festivities were actually to mark the 300th anniversary of the school but the big day was postponed by Covid. Rain threatened to throw another spanner in the works but the quick thinking team swung into action and the party was moved indoors.
Apart from honouring the three century milestone, the Taoiseach also cut the ribbon on the school’s new resource area, called The Hub. The room had been a computer room but the computers had become outdated and the school set about redecorating and repurposing it. The Hub is now a flexible area with a library, ipads, space for their STEM activities and some sensory activities.
Among the special guests welcomed to the school were Archbishop Michael Jackson who said a prayer of dedication, the trustees, members of the board of management and members of the parents’ association.
Proceedings got underway with a welcome from school principal Sandra Moloney and the Rector the Revd Colin McConaghie followed by a rousing rendition of the school’s anthem which is sung to the tune of the European Union anthem.
Noting that the school was established in 1720, the Taoiseach said that it was older than the State. Looking back at events in the year 1720 he said that there had been a stock market crash (again), there was a war in Europe, there was a plague in France, mustard was invented and Castleknock National School was established.
He said that it would have been a very different time when most children did not go to school and people only lived until about their 30s. He told the students that they were the future, not just of their school or community but of the country and he urged them to use their time in school to explore their talents.
“Like Minister Chambers I trained to become a doctor and to be a GP. Then I entered politics, firstly as a councillor and later as a TD and now I am lucky enough to be Taoiseach. Lots us have different jobs in our working lives so don’t feel that you have to commit to one thing now. We all have different talents and school is a brilliant time to try things out. Try everything and give it your best,” he said before paying tribute to all the staff of Castleknock NS for their commitment and dedication.
Archbishop Jackson observed that the 300th birthday of the school was a historic occasion and marked the continuous education of children from the area for three centuries. He congratulated everyone involved in the school community.
The Taoiseach cut a special celebratory cake before cutting the ribbon on The Hub. An ice cream van arrived to send the pupils off on their summer holidays happily.
